Pashaar - The Elite Guard

[Raithen Anar]

The Haradhrim,as was well known, living in such a vast country, were a tribal people, but under Morgoth, in the First Age, when they had been , in fact, part of the Easterling Tribes, born like all men , or woken, in Hildorien, in the East - before migrating south, and later Sauron, they had fought together, in units.

Raithen began to choose, from his warriors, those of especial skills, bravery, and intelligence, to form a corps d'elite , the Eagles. Drawn from any tribe, they underwent a brutal regimen of training before taking oath to the King. Raithen had larger plans, but this was the beginning. All things took time.
They wore armour unlike the normal Haradhrim attire, could march for days, weeks on end, fight on horseback, as cavalry, or on foot, - it was , in Harad, a dream of many young men, to attain the Eagles.

[Raithen Anar]

Raithen walked out into the training arena, in his black body armour, the black vest leaving the shoulders and tattooed arms bare, two tulwars hissing from his sheath.
There were fifty men, all accepted in the last six months as recruits for the Eagles, practicing under a tough, rangy Sergeant tanned like old leather , who clashed his fist to his chest as Raithen entered, followed by the men who lined up into instant formation as the King went down the line, before them and behind them, before nodding and gesturing for them step back.
From a tunnel came a score of men, they were veterans of the arena, gladiators who were too good to die, men who were rich on their lifestyle, no give in them, no fear and no pity. They had been told to attack the King, - that they were part of an exercise and would be given purses of gold for the privilege, and they carried a variety of the weapons they were most adept with, as they attacked, not all at once, obviously having rehearsed this, some using nets to bind, garrotes to hurl, knives, spears, their faces supremely confident, concentrated , eyes hard and bright.

But really, they simply had little chance, for excellent as they were, they could not match his speed, which was woven into his skills like a tapestry, meshed together, the scimitars blurred, as knives caromed, ringing, from their blades, ad he leapt, nets catching nothing but air, his first somersault, taking two heads as they scythed each side, before he landed like a big golden cat and spun. The scimitars were the only weapons he used, but within a short space, the gladiators were dead, under the hot sun, as he cleaned the blades on the sand and strode to the recruits.
' That is what you aim for, ' he said, his voice simply stating it. ' You aim for the best and beyond it, ' he sheathed the blades and folded his arms to watch them .

[Raithen Anar]

Raithen had been busy in Pashaar, initiating new laws. He proclaimed lower taxes for those who would join the legions, and pensions for the wives left if the man died in battle. He inaugerated training camps for boys from ten to fourteen, and from forteen to eighteen, instilling in them a sense of teamwork, which began to overcome the ancient tribal rivalry, a sense of belonging to a nation, rather than a clan, to be proud to belong to a particular legion. When they conquered cities, they were given bonus's, they could afford slaves and better housing. All this took time, but he knew it would, and he was everywhere, showing himself, training, culling the weak, bent on his own plans, not the rest of Middle Earth. He wanted to be founded in bedrock, before he looked further afield.