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In one of history's many turning points, Odaenathus, the lord of Palmyra, led a patchwork army against the forces of Shapur I, the second Sassanid king, in 260 AD as it was marching back to Persia. The Persians has just won a mighty victory against the Romans, even capturing the emperor Valerian in the process. IOTL Odaenathus caught the Persians by surprise and achieved victory on the banks of the Euphates, following up with a campaign that recovered lost Roman territory and even reached as far as Ctesiphon, although it successfully withstood his siege.

So suppose that Odaenathus failed to achieve surprise, resulting in his death and the massacre of the Palmyrene forces. There would be nothing left to prevent the Levant from falling under Persian control. Was Shapur the kind of monarch who could peacefully integrate this region into his empire? From what little I know of him he was tolerant of Christians in his territory, but would a large influx from this event cause tensions with the Zoroastrian priesthood? Additionally, if his new Christian subjects prove loyal to their new ruler, how does this affect the perception and treatment of Christians in the Roman Empire? Lastly, which territories bordering the Levant are likely to be conquered at the same time by Shapur?
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