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Rohirrim

The Mongols were a nomadic culture that relied on its high quality cavalry to win wars. Like Rohan, members of Mongol tribes were practically born in the saddle. While claims of them learning to ride before they could walk may be embellishment, but they do highlight how young people started to ride. The common raids tribes engaged in means that like Rohan, members would be used to fighting for most of their lives as well. Essentially, every adult male was a warrior and could fight. Therefore, we can look at the Mongols to predict how Rohan would fight if they were a real nation.

Composition

Manpower

At the Fords of Isen, there were infantry fighting with melee weapons and bows. But it does appear that most of the soldiers of Rohan were mounted. Rohan’s main forces are the 12,000 strong main cavalry force. Another 10,000 estimated mounted infantry and regular infantry is said to be a part of their army.

Equipment

Mail, light helmets and wood shields appear to be the basis for most of their equipment. Essentially, each soldier would need to provide their own equipment. Which meant that the local culture and personal wealth of the soldier would inform the style and quality of the armor. This meant a lot of leather body protection. Hence too the wood and leather face for shields. A simple steel cap was the most common helmet. Other soldiers used a mail coif with a leather or canvas skull to help absorb blunt impacts. Beyond this, wool cloaks and tunics would be all the armor they had.   Heater shields are normally thick enough to block arrow fire and heavy blows that would defeat plate armor. This makes them useful for mounted troops, allowing them to survive arrow volleys as they charge. In the movies, the shielding was made out of wood covered in leather. On their faces, each person would paint their own unique design on. Bronze was the preferred metal for the plate armor mainly used in royal armor.   Armor would be primarily gambesons and mail. The Royal Guard, paid directly from the King’s own money, had scale armor. Leather was common as well. While gambesons would be ideal, the lack of farming would make the raw materials hard to come by. Leather would probably not suffer from that problem though. Richer people and the Royal Guard would probably have been the ones using mail, as they would have the money needed for the metal. While Rohan would have recognized the value of plate armor, the lack of metal and skill needed would mean that mail would be the best they could go with. That and it is lighter and thus better when endurance (like when riding a horse) is an issue.   We can expect that the Rohirrim would make the most use of boiled or stiffened leather armor. After all, the pastoral society would have much more access to it than other societies would – and it would be one of the more common materials to make armor out of. Gambesons would probably be common as well. The padding would be useful protection against riding accidents. It would also be practical in everyday life. In fact, I suspect that everyday clothing would be thick cloth that would practically be gambesons with leather incorporated into them. Leather could be quite beneficial as a protection from rain, making the clothing a nice all purpose outfit.   For heavy cavalry, helmets were more common in heavy than light cavalry. Armor would cover most of the body but generally leave the arms bare. Armor was mainly good helmets but the best armored units had metal breast and back plates. Improvised cloth armor was also used that functioned like gambesons.

Weaponry

Rohan's military is essentially ad hoc muster of local militias. Which means that there would be no real centralized standardization in terms of weapons. Axes, spears and swords are all used by some units.   Rohan's bows were short self bows - meaning they were made the same way as British Longbows, just not as tall. Their range was not great - only 125 yards. But this seems adequate for how horse archers appear to fight. Namely getting up close and personal. Shorter bows tend to have shorter ranges, and short bows are needed so they can be used on horseback. Mongols appear to have moved into the 20-60 yard range, which would have made Rohan's bows good enough. The arrow head was designed to inflict heavy, bleeding wounds.   So if we assume that the self bow design is used, these seems practical. But most horse based cultures tend to actually use recurve composite bows. Like the Mongolians. I have no information on the specifications for Mongolian bows. But the Ottoman Empire's bows show up a lot in my research and they too had impressive horse archers. So I will be borrowing from them - specifically the Hilal Kuram bow. Yes, this is a tricky weapon to care for and use, but there is precedent for it being used in real life. Plus, if any culture would make it work, I suspect that this would be Rohan's forces essentially trained from birth in horse archery. If you remember the ranges recorded for Ottoman bows, these guys can hit theoretically 972 yards. But the 482 was admitted at the time to be much more reasonable. Of course, battlefield conditions are much rougher, so to be safe I will assume that these bows would be used at the 350-450 range.   Spears for infantry are lighter, easier and cheaper to make and effective at countering mounted troops. This makes them good for the poor nation of Rohan, primarily geared towards mounted war fighting and reliant on peasant conscripts for troops. This means that the spear, rather than the sword, would be Rohan's real weapon for infantry. Especially when we look at the fact that Rohan would already be quite familiar with the lance, essentially a modified spear for mounted combat.   In heavy cavalry formations, melee weapons and straight swords were more common than in light formations. The straight swords were considered better for thrusting and thrusting was considered more deadly. However, swords were normally the sidearms and lances the primary weapons. Longer, straight sabers were the common swords.   Otherwise lances were used – by both Napoleonic and Mongolian heavy cavalry. Two variations were common even into the Napoleonic era – one 9.2 feet and the other 13 feet. The longer was better for breaking through infantry formations. But the shorter was better for long campaigns and training. Given that most of the battles Rohan fights are single affairs not wider wars, I would suspect that the 13 foot version would be the standard. Generally the lances were used for the initial charge, then dropped. After that, swords were used.   The spear used by the cavalry was designed to be both a lance and a javelin. It was 9 feet long with a 1.5 foot tip riveted to the shaft. The 2 inch thick shaft itself was covered in leather with two bronze rings added to make pulling the weapon out easier. Intentionally, there was no stop added to keep it from penetrating too far. This was to aid in throwing it. Should a solid hit land, a huge amount of power could be transferred to the target. Keep in mind this would be a heavy weapon thrown from a galloping horse. According to the Weapons and Warfare book, these could penetrate so far that they could hit the rank behind the enemy directly targeted.   The sword had a straight blade with a diamond cross section. The blade was between 28 and 30 inches long with a rounded tip. Now, the one handed hilt was a solid addition. The other sidearm for the Rohirrim was their axe - a three foot, one handed weapon. It was also theoretically a throwing weapon.   The movie sword seems ill suited for mounted combat. Instead, sabers were the dominant sword fro cavalrymen due to the fact slashing enemies as one rode past was easier than delivering a lethal thrust from on top of a horse. Only the biggest swords that were too impractical for mounted combat could reliably do that. Which means that the Rohirrim would prioritize a saber as their main weapon after losing their lance.   Axes again seem ill-advised. This is due to the fact that axes have a relatively small area that does damage, requiring greater accuracy in one’s swing than a sword. This is much harder to achieve in mounted charges. The axe would likely be kept as a tool for day to day tasks on campaign. The axe described in the Weapons and Warfare can be thrown over short distances and certainly would be better dismounted. So the axe would be kept, but used in combat primarily as a last ditch weapon when nothing else is available for the soldier.

Vehicles

The horse that was the most popular for the eastern nomadic horse warrior cultures that include the Mongols was the Steppe Pony. They were squat and shaggy with large heads. Their ability to eat rough forage on the way meant no need to bring fodder up, reducing the need for baggage trains. This was further aided by the ability of these guys to operate on campaign without horse shoes. One of their other campaigning benefits was their very fast walk known as ambling. This allowed a higher rate of speed during marching, but did not tire the horse or rider as much. Their endurance was their greatest asset - not peak speed at gallop. But they were able to pull off a charge.   But lets be honest here. The horses of Rohan - Mearas - were super horses. They were said to be as superior to regular horses as elves were to humans. This means human level life spans and abnormally high intelligence and strength. The Turkoman horse was much more fiery and willing to go head long into charges. The modern day version and Arabian horses has also has huge stamina, speed and toughness. Their higher speed relative to the Steppe Ponies means that they appear better at charges and hit and run tactics for archery. Basically, it would appear that the "desert" horses were what one would want in battle while the Steppe Pony on campaigns. We can assume then that some useful traits of the other major horse breeds used in combat would be used.   The horse centered, nomadic life gives us a foundation for the cavalry. Often, horses would be classified as heavy mounts should they be over 5 feet tall. In the Napoleonic era, they would be used in combat when they reached 5. Then they would be expected to last 10-15 years. The rider often was the one solely responsible for the care of the horse. Given the horse centered military culture of Rohan, this fact of life would likely mean close bonds between horse and rider. I would not be unreasonable to assume that a person would be closer to their horse than fellow soldiers. They would probably also be paired together for their entire active lives.   This bond between horse and rider is backed up in the sources I have describing Rohan. Often, Rohirrim would begin riding close to when they started walking. It is implied that they would only ride one specific horse. Thus, the horses used by the Rohirrim formed a close personal bond with each rider. Each rider would be one of the most skilled riders in Middle Earth. Meanwhile, the bond would mean that the horse was useless in enemy hands. Apparently they would resist to the death or try to escape attempts by hostile soldiers to ride them.   One thing was that due to how important their mobility was to fighting, the Mongols would bring spare horses. My sources suggest that 5 horses per man would not be unusual for larger operations. I would suspect that Eomer’s lack of spare horses in the books and movies is more to do with the fact he was exiled from the court – it is hard to get that sort of reserve when you are effectively an outlaw.

Structure

The First Marshal of the Riddermark was the highest rank in the army, functioning as a sort of commander in chief. He was directly responsible for the Muster of Edoras. This was essentially the troops from the land surrounding the city. So we can assume that he has directly responsible for the Royal Guard and at least 120 riders. Though the region under this position was all of the King's Lands, so we can assume more. But I am unable to figure out with enough detail the population of this territory. So I cannot figure now the exact numbers.   There were also the Second and Third Marshals of the Riddermark. These positions had no real formal roles. Their duties essentially fluctuated based on the needs of the day. By the War of the Ring, the Second Marshal was held by Théoden's son Théodred. This command was based in Helm's Deep. So I would imagine that at least informally he commanded the garrison there and made sure it was maintained. Granted, he was killed in battle, so these preparations may or may not have been ready.   The Third Marshal was Eomer. Functionally, he was the commander of the forces of central Rohan. While this is unconfirmed, it appears that the mounted troops from the rural areas would be his primary formation. The whole area would technically be under the command of the First Marshal. But due to the fact the First Marshal role was not filled due to Grima's subversive activities, the Third Marshal role would functionally likely fill the gap.   Variations over time and place sees the size of the basic cavalry formation – the squadron – range from between 60 to 200. Light cavalry tended to have more than heavy. There was basically a balancing act. Fewer troops made it easier to move while more gave it greater combat power. Between 4 and six squadrons made up a regiment. Formations were in two ranks.   This means the real life numbers work out quite well for us. The smaller 60 men per squadron allows for each eored to have two. The 6 squadrons per regiment would result in 360 - probably much too large for a local community to be able to handle. But the larger battles in which thousands or Rohirrim would be present, this would be a solid grouping. Plus, in these battles the commanders could be found to organize this.

Tactics

As a result of Rohan's culture and force composition, mounted tactics would be the primary way Rohan would fight. Mass mobilization would be extremely costly for Rohan and thus hard to maintain. It would probably then rely on trying to force decisive battles. The idea is that an enemy that can be defeated in a single day would be cheaper to face than one that required many engagements to defeat. We see this in the Fords of Isen. However, that is the ideal.The wide dispersal of Rohan’s population, its mobility and wide reliance on horses would also mean that hit and run tactics, attacks on supply lines, ambushes, attacking armies on marches and just general harassing the enemy would be pretty effective as well for Rohan. Plus much easier to pull off for an army reliant on local militias.   So, there are three main classifications of cavalry based on the weight of the horses – light, line and heavy. Light was the most common, mainly used for scouting operations and protecting armies on marches. Their weaponry was mainly composite bows in the Mongolian period. The Napoleonic use of firearms does not strike me as particularly relevant to Rohan. They often probe the enemy formations to find weak points, finding the enemy position and numbers – while also trying to stop enemy light cavalry from doing the same thing. They were more useful before the battle and after in protecting retreating armies from attack or chasing fleeing enemies. Often these units were equipped with short curved sabers meant for slashing. Generally though light cavalry used ranged weaponry more than melee.   Skirmishing rarely did much outright damage but was still done regularly. This was because it was effective at harassing the enemy and forcing them into either defensive postures on less than ideal terms or into premature actions. The result is reducing the enemy’s defensive position and disturbing their plans. Hence it is a light cavalry tactic suited to helping set up a charge by heavier units. At a time when there was a need for mass formations to get enough firepower concentrated on decisive points, disruption of the enemy movements needed for this can be a major problem. Skirmishing attacks are mainly “accidental”, unprepared actions when the cavalry discovered the enemy and conditions were favorable.   Fighting as forager was another common light cavalry tactic. Here, they would take a formation density between the loose one used for skirmishes and harassing actions and the tight one of charges. This allowed for greater targeting of individual enemies and movement, but also a degree of shock and concentration not present in skirmishes. It was most often used to counter infantry skirmishers, attack artillery positions or fleeing troops or create diversions. Often, these were used together – such as a diversionary attack on artillery so that another group can more easily carry out the main attack.   Heavy cavalry on the other hand was more of a shock formation used to charge the enemy. When a charge was conducted it started slowly then ramped up the speed as the formation got closer to the enemy. This kept the formation more cohesive and the horses from tiring. Many veteran cavalrymen advocate drawing sabers during the charge as doing so could delay the enemy becoming aware of the charge while also having useful morale effects. Often, the enemy formations needed to be weakened in some way before a charge could be effective. Unsupported, mounted attacks against fresh infantry were most often costly failures. Therefore charges were mainly ordered against infantry who have suffered losses from combat, were tired due to combat or marches or otherwise engaged. Charges were thus a coup de grace against the main enemy line or useful against pockets of enemy troops still offering organized but isolated resistance. Still, line formations on marches, flanks and rear areas were particularly vulnerable to heavy charges.   Line formations increased the number of troops that would hit the enemy at a specific time and the odds of outflanking the enemy. Here, the enemy would form a line perpendicular to the direction they were moving. The result in close formations was a solid wall of horses. It was powerful when done right but was more vulnerable to disturbances. Echelon attacks were carried out when this line was more at a diagonal, allowing reactions. Should the lead unit succeed, the later units could hammer that point harder to exploit that, avoid it if it failed, cover retreats or reinforce points. This was not a possibility in the line formation. For this reason, many cavalrymen considered it the best formation for attacking infantry.   Defending against charges meant a wall of pikes. Behind them archers could fire over at the charge. But the first volley is normally the most effective as a wall of horses charging effects unit cohesion and is likely to keep them from firing as a unit. Generally it was assumed that well positioned, trained and led infantry could not be defeated by a charge. They question was how to get around this. Attacking when the infantry was marching was one method. Another was to use terrain to cover the advance of attacking cavalrymen to achieve surprise. But should it work, the enemy could be routed. When this happened, light cavalry was used to pursue the fleeing troops to maximize enemy losses.   Now, lets get into how these would be used specifically by Rohan. The Rohirrim were skilled in both light and heavy infantry tactics. Which means they could and would change between the two based on context. Hit and run attacks focusing on archery were common against smaller orc bands. Battles often began with them riding to the high ground then showing off their spears. This would ideally create a striking image designed to scare the enemy into surrender. If this was not enough, they would ride past the small and isolated orc/bandit bands and harass them with arrow fire. Once they broke to run, running them down became the goal.   Alternatively, feigned retreats was a common tactic. Essentially they would bait the enemy into attacking by running away and firing at them. Should the enemy in turn retreat, the Rohirrim would charge back. The combination of broken ranks and exposed backs means that the enemy would be more vulnerable to such attacks. These could also be effectively used primarily when Rohan's infantry is present. Riders would use flanking and rear attacks with infantry to draw the enemy’s attention. Once that attention is focused on the infantry, the flanks can be exposed to hard hitting surprise heavy cavalry attacks.   Direct attacks against large and determined foes were pretty by the book. A large group of mounted troops approaching over an open plain would be hard to hide. So tactics evolved to capitalize on this. The lance display was kept as an intimidation tactic, ideally from high ground. They also would keep the same opening attack of riding past and launching arrows at the enemy ranks. Once the enemy’s numbers were thinned, they became disorganized and/or gaps in the line formed, then they would conduct a charge. Breaks in the line are prized targets – slitting the enemy forces into two further induces panic in their ranks.   The lance was used to break through the front ranks then thrown as a spear into the ranks further back. The combination of this, the size of the horses and the sounds of them charging would ideally break morale and shatter the enemy ranks. When this was successful, a breakthrough was achieved. The enemy was broken to the point fighting as a cohesive unit was difficult at best. Exploiting this, the Rohirrim would reach the enemy rear, wheel around and attack from behind the same units they just bulldozed. This time the attacks would be with their axes and sabers.   So, there is essentially no assurances that Rohan would be able to concentrate large enough forces to be effective in any single battle. Now, is there a historical model that a small group can use against a larger force and succeed with? Indeed – again from Rome. Rome was a massive, heavy infantry based military, but struggled against Gual. Gallic troops would avoid enemy forces and open, large scale battles. Attacks would aim at resource denial and hitting isolated and small enemy units. Hidden war bands would strike at enemy detachments when they went foraging for example. In one siege, Caesar’s ability to get food was so restricted by these attacks it almost cost him the battle. Rome faced defeat when this resource denial strategy was combined with seizing the high ground, attacks from several directions, feints and skirmishes and superior concentrations of force. These are basically the same sort of tactics that a cavalry dominated military like Rohan to be able to replicate quite well.   Spain used small guerrilla tactics and fortified areas (like Edoras and Helm’s Deep) to make life hard for Rome. It took Rome 200 years to solidify control. Yes, Spain lost to Rome, but it took longer than Isengard has to win the entire campaign. This is a literal trade space for time tactic that went well for Russia against Napoleon and China against Japan.   The Fifteen Decisive Battles Of The World: From Marathon To Waterloo by Sir Edward Creasy, M.A., 1851   Rome also used “Resource tactics” and the Guals were unable to sustain their strategy. Caesar’s response against the Gauls was to force open battle or restrict their own supplies – aka the sort of decisive battle doctrine I suspect Isengard to use. Rome beat Spain with they methodical conquest of their supply areas, cities and centers of resistance. Leaders were killed, villages and crops burned. This means that Rohan and Isengard would be well matched for each other. These tactics are also used by Isengard and Wild Men. Basically, so long as Rohan is able to remain mobile it will have the advantage. But should it run out of supplies or be forced into static war fighting (like as Helm’s Deep), Isengard will have the advantage.   Jones, art of war..68-89   Using primarily horses and solid deception tactics, the Mongols were able to convince their enemies that their armies were 3-8 times as big as they actually were. One tactic was the use of dummies on the spare horses. But one particularly good move they used was skirmishers sent out ahead of the main army. They would harass the enemy intentionally trying to bait them into hot pursuit. Annoyed by the attacks and thinking the skirmishers were the whole army, the enemy troops would bite. The whole time they are chasing down the Mongols, they are taking slow losses – getting tired and breaking ranks in the process. Then, most importantly, the skirmishers are leading them to where the main army has set up an ambush. Now, this ambush would be more devastating due to the effects of the skirmishers beforehand. When fighting against an invasion where the Rohirrim would have the best familiarity with the terrain, setting up such ambushes would be quite effective and play to Rohan’s strengths.   But one tactic the Mongols were famous for was their light cavalry riding along the enemy line and firing their bows as they passed. Should the enemy attack them, they would withdraw, still firing at the enemy. Should the enemy ranks break apart, the light cavalry would move out of the way for the heavy cavalry to strike. The light cavalry would then be free to either attack the enemy flanks or to wait for a rout. Mounted archers used in this manner could get in close, do a lot of damage to enemy formations and retreat without ever having to actually make contact with the enemy formation directly. Should these mounted archers make contact (in say a charge) with heavy infantry or cavalry, they would lose. But doctrine stipulated that this should happen as rarely as possible. Keeping distance meant victory, closing the gap meant defeat.   The Crescent tactic is another move reliant on feigned retreats to bait the enemy into tactical mistakes. The speed needed to implement this also makes it ideally used by mounted forces. The goal is to have the enemy forces baited into chasing after the attackers in different directions. The result is a formerly cohesive enemy unit broken up into smaller groups who become exhausted in the process. Once this is done, the mounted troops turn on the now isolated groups that can be surrounded. Mounted troops can more easily concentrate their forces and hit now exposed flanks and rear areas. Basically this is a tactical implementation of defeat in detail.   It appears that the Mongols would get close to their enemies - 20 to 60 yards before opening fire. Often these attacks would involve 3-4 arrow bursts in a wheeling charge. This was often don in flank attacks relying on high mobility. Mongols thus tended to be a much more fluid fighting force than the Western armies they faced who tended to rely on sheer power and static positions. They would constantly change the direction and timing of attacks so that these static positions would not be effective.     There are mounted infantry formations in Rohan confirmed in my sources, so we have to discuss how they were used. Normally they would have both melee and ranged weaponry and light horses. They would move rapidly into an area, fire a single volley then occupy the area. After this they would use melee combat. We can assume that they would use the standard light infantry equipment of short spear, sling or short bow and one handed sword for weapons. Armor can be expected to be pelta shields, simple helmets, gambesons and possibly plate or mail on forearms and shins.   Now, I have seen unverified reports that the ancient Romans would have the mounted infantry double riding. The infantry would ride a short distance with the regular cavalry, then dismounting to fight. This seems like a tactic fitting for the Rohirrim to adopt. This would allow the expansion of the army to include people too poor to afford horses themselves. Similarly, those whose health is not good enough for mounted charges but can handle light infantry work can still participate in battle. Now, the sick are not likely to be decisive in any role, but they can be beneficial in light support roles. After all, it is the cavalry that are meant to be the decisive element – so the poor health would not be a drain. Meanwhile, a culture like Rohan could need everyone able to stand and hold a weapon to fight.

Training

For the Mongols, daily life was described as a form of military training – the skills needed for hunting and herding on the open plains were not too different from those used in war. Thus, simply doing what they did just to survive was practice for war.   Hunting was a major element of this. In fact, large hunts were organized that entire units would participate in together. Obviously the hunt provided practice in tracking, shooting at moving targets and riding fast. But when done as a unit, these hunts helped built espirit de corps and unit discipline. This was reinforced with strict discipline – no excuses for failure were acceptable and the death penalty was common.

Logistics

Logistical Support

The Mongols were famous for their ability to survive entirely off the land. They used their extreme mobility to raid and keep moving. Thus, they were able to entirely remove from their organization structure baggage trains. When Mongol armies were on the move, they often had several horses. These extra horses would run wild in a herd that followed the movements of the army. They also slept in their saddles. These two facts allowed the riders to stay in the saddle constantly. The result is sparing each horse some strain but also maintaining constant progress. Which even further increased their speed. Also protected them from night attacks, as there was no stationary and vulnerable camp like an infantry army. When combined with the speed of the Steppe Pony, averaging between 10-15 miles per hour all day could be maintained.   Mongolian horses were pasture fed, so there was less demand for fodder that would cripple traditional European armies. Basically, as long as there was grass, the horses could eat. These horses were also known for their hardiness and frugality, meaning tribes could go further and faster with less effort. Then, the nomadic lifestyle of the tribes meant that packing up the entire group and going to war was not too much of an extra burden.   Herding, the other major element of the Mongolian lifestyle, was incredibly useful for their war fighting. They had large herds of sheep, goats, cattle and even camels. While camels do not exist in Middle Earth as far as I can tell, the rest do. Thus, like the Mongols, Rohan would have a preexisting and mobile pool of resources to provide food, clothing and transportation. This cannot be overstated in its importance. It also must be noted that all these animals have different rates of movement and food/water needs. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the skills mastered in herding provided benefits in coordinating the logistical requirements of large groups. Most importantly would be the selecting of camp sites in advance based on the needs of armies and the proper mapping of terrain prior to conflicts.

Upkeep

Because of the relative costs of metal, each metal item needed to be cared for and preserved as much as possible. The result was most weapons and armor served as family heirlooms. Swords became tied to their family history. Similarly, they were critical parts of war fighting. Through this, the history of the sword connected each new generation not just to their family but the wider culture. Which in turn meant each person would be told they had a long and noble warrior tradition to live up to - all symbolized and told to them through the object of a sword.   This system meant that equipment was incredibly durable. It might not be the most impressive quality, but it would last. Meanwhile, it was also cheaper. The militia system used by Rohan also means that there is not much overhead for standing army formations. So Rohan would have relatively little cost for its military.

Recruitment

The basic unit was the eodred with an average nominal strength of 120 riders. These formed from the local noble, his personal household and retainers and sometimes the wider community if needed. These were sort of the local community self defense forces and were the units called to war. Thus the national army was not really such a thing. Each rider was a herder or farmer living in the rural areas. All this means that Rohan's military was more a collection of locally formed militias rather than professionals. Though ironically the nature of Rohan's culture means that the skill of this militia was higher than professional forces.   While the costs of maintaining this army were much lower, there were downsides to it. Mainly mobilization speed. For all practical purposes, there was no core that could be ready to handle emergencies. The sheer distances messengers needed to cross meant that getting the word out would take longer than in other societies. Then there is the added time of finding the many nomadic groups, herders far afield and so forth that needed to be tracked down. All this added further delays to getting the army mobilized. This system was good for handling the normal everyday threats from small groups of orcs, Wild Men and bandits. But it suffered in times of full scale war.
Type
Cavalry
Overall training Level
Semi-professional
Assumed Veterancy
Veteran
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