14 replies to this topic

[Emperor of the East]

Given that Tolkien was inspired by the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanian Persias; for Rhun and the Easterlings (chariots, horse-archers, swrods and spears and axes, wain-wagons), It would be safe to say that the Easterlings are absolute masters of archery, and they have a method of a spray-and-prey tactic where they fire a volley of arrows designed to take out a large and organized perimeter of troops. And I would like to see them wielding five-curve composite bows, black ends, gold handgrip, white-grey in each middle.

Just throwing some Realism and Lore Accuracy in there...

[Sir Takamahri]

Good idea although I find that the Easterlings are more infantry-based than archer-based. Although it would be a great addition to the Khand units, who kind of remind me of the Mongols of the Golden Horde.

[Emperor of the East]

The movies depicted them that way, and the people behind the movies made a sculpture of an Easterling with an unstrung longbow. They also have early drawings of them wielding various types of bows. I am basing my suggestion on the mountains of evidence for the Easterlings having three different Iranian (Persian) origins. They have horse-archers like the Parthians; a massive fleet of Chariots and Battlewagons like the Achaemenid; Heavy Cavalry like the Sassanid; they live in Middle-earth's Near East like all three of those Persian dynasties lived in our world's Near East; they have swords, spears, and axes available when it comes to combining something with a shield or a bow-and-arrow, like all three of the dynasties; they were war-hardened and fought to the last man, like all three dynasties; They are helmeted like the Parthian and Sassanid; and finally they were able to negotiate peace at the end of the book, much like those three Persias negotiated tolerance toward others' ideologies.

The movies respected that and decided to give them Persian colors on the cloth, and have them wielding steel weapons and wearing brass/bronze armor.

[Sir Takamahri]

Hmm, you may be right, but some of these dynasties (if I recall correctly) were based heavily on cheap, light infantry. (Useful in the in the desert, but not, say, at Pellenor Fields). But to me the Rhun army seems quite the opposite - The full helmets, solid rectangular shields and bronze(I think) armour, as opposed to cloth, wierd head-coverings and whicker shields. Although, as I said, you may be right about the archers.

[Emperor of the East]

The Persians had armor, it was laminated leather with overlapping scales of gold-iron, brass, and bronze. And the Persians according to Persian sources had cloaks that they wore over that cloth and armor, and what set the common troopers and semi-hero troopers (guards) apart was the hat they wore. Commoners had yalmachas, and guards had weird cupcake-wrapper-shaped hats. And the Persian training begins at the age of five, making them more elite than any European, African, or Middle-Eastern trooper.

As for the Easterlings, they seem like the culture who learned several different marksman weapons before learning blade or blunt weapons. They may have even had multiple-shots-in-one-load weapons like the repeating crossbow, or the compound recurve bow. And I'm not talking about the kind you see in these times, but one where four strings were put on the same way a one-string bow is, but with two off to either side, the string being made from a stronger organic material then yew. I am doing a very similar compound bow for my non-lotr franchise that I am making in the form of books and games, but that one has about three strings on either end.

But again, I'm not saying they did have that kind of weaponry, but they seem like maybe they could have had those weapons. Because Easterlings are based on the collective naming of Persians (chariots), Afghans, Indians, Kazakhs, Turkmens, Uzbeks, Tagiks, Russians, Chinese (inventive weapons), Mongols, Koreans, and Mainland Southeast Asians.

[Nazgûl]

For Beta 4.8, I want to split Harad from Rhûn, as the secnd and final split for this mod (first is Rohan from Gondor)... and when that happens, I will add Easterling Archers to the Rhûnic faction, as well as Khand support units. (For Harad, there will be Mahûd support). We have a finished Easterling archer model from Lauri - in the same series as the ones we're using now =)

[Emperor of the East]

Nice.......

[Elegost]

I don't know you plan to make a split between Rhun and Harad ! You are impressive Nazgul ! but it will take a lot of time ! Are you going to make with that a new campaign ?

Edited by Elegost, 02 November 2010 - 10:30 AM.

[Nazgûl]

If you read up on the forum topics, you'll see all the plans take form...
Splits are a lot of work though and thus pose a certain risc for even more delays- That's why I don't want more splits than nescessary. Gondor/Rohan and Rhun/Harad is the only splitting that will ever happen in SEE =)

Campaign is something we hopefully can do when the mod is finished in other aspects...
Btw, I'm not impressive, the combined modding team of SEE is

[Elegost]

It's so cool ! indeed ,your team is impressive ! it's promising ! But back to the topic : the easterlings archers ! I have also a question ; in the future beta , the Variags will be the elite of Rhun , right ? because Easterling archers will be the regular Rhun archers ,so I wonder ....

[Nazgûl]

Variags will probably "only" be a support unit for Rhûn... in what form and strenght, I'm not sure yet. But all factions have support from an outside faction unit...

Gondor: ROHAN
Rohan: GONDOR
Lothlorien: HOBBITON
Erebor: DALE
Mordor: UMBAR (Corsairs)
Isengard: DUNLAND (Dunlendings)
Moria: "MIRKWOOD" (Spiders)
Rhûn: KHAND (Variags)
Harad: FAR HARAD (Mahûd)

[Elegost]

Interesting ! But for Rohan , I suggest that Fangorn will be support for them ; Gondor will have the Southern Fiefdoms , what do you think ?
However ,the problem is that Fangorn is part of Lothlorien and Rohan ; thus , Southern Fiefs are only part of Gondor , so it's a bit complicated .

[yams in a can]

I absolutely agree with everything . I completely agree that their should be a Rhun, Harad, Rohan and Gondor. I prefer the Elves and Dwarves to be together, as they were all represented by 1- 2 nations only.

[Elegost]

Yeah , only one faction for Dwarves and Elves is satisfying , whereas Rohan/Gondor are very different , the same for Harad and Rhun .

[Nazgûl]

Anyways... the answer to the topic is yes - we will see Easterling Archers in SEE, when Harad leaves Rhûn to form its own faction =)