Hearth Watchmen
The men that guard the northern outposts are no strangers to the dark forces in the world. Constant raids from Easterlings, skirmishes with orcs, sightings of dragons and rumours of worse are the dangers that these simple men face. With little skill at arms and only rudimentary equipment they are the eyes and ears of the settlement walls, ready to raise the alarm when the darkness comes to call.
Dalesmen
As the kingdom of Dale spreads out across the entire Vale of Anduin, warriors are spread thin. Outposts and villages are vulnerable to attack, only by levying all the folk can the kingdom be protected. The men of Dale are simple farmers and settlers for the most part, but when cornered a Northman will happily take up arms to defend his hearth and home, or to follow his lord.
Rivermen
The waterways of Wilderland are the lifeblood of the northeastern settlements, they trade between man, elf and dwarf and have been a key element in establishing the Kingdom of Dale and the prosperity of Esgaroth. All the boatmen are aware of the dangers from the raiding parties that harry on the Anduin, Cerduin and Carnen, they have need to protect the precious cargoes that run between Dale and its colonies and allies. These Rivermen are rough and ready to stand their ground by any means necessary, as capable of taking on pirates as they are any soldier in a fair fight.
Rhovanion Gadrauhts
Northmen organised into regiments, assembled as an army to restore Rhovanion and repel Easterling and orc. These are the main element and bulk of Dale’s armed hordes (I changed that: The Dale Swordsmen unit is the backbone of Dale's army), fighting in the basic tradition of Northmen that is many centuries old. Using javelins to disrupt enemy formations or underpin a potential charge, they are primarily swordsmen who tackle their foes head-on. They can be vulnerable to combined forces such as missile troops and cavalry however and require flanking support at the very least.
Barding Hird
The most trusted men of the finest warbands are chosen to guard the Earls, as well as the king and his royal halls. They are loyal, steadfast and experienced soldiers. In battle, these warriors can take on the heaviest opponents, whether they come mounted or on foot. Reliance on Dwarf-crafted armour makes them slow, but wielding their huge halberds they cut through everything that stands in their way methodically and relentlessly.
Woodsmen
For as long as records began there have been men living in Greenwood the great, during the 1800s of the Third Age however, when Rhovanion fell, the numbers of Woodmen swelled with generations of exiles made up of Northmen who fled the destruction of the kingdom. The centuries of living in the deep forest and close to the nearby Elves has influenced the Woodmen, they are a secretive folk, wary of strangers but true to their friends. They are natural hunters and are well-versed in hit and run tactics fighting their enemies from the cover of the woodlands.
Athala Rangers
The Athala nobles are the lifeline between the ancient fallen kingdom of Rhovanion and their descendants in the Kingdom of Dale. While the Rangers of Ithilien operate from the west of the Anduin, the rangers of Rhovanion operate through Mirkwood and as far as the Iron Hills. It was from the Rangers that Bard the Bowman emerged to defeat Smaug the dragon, it is also from the ranks of these guardians that the nobles and best warriors of the Kingdom of Dale are recruited. For over 20 generations these Rangers have kept alive the memory of the old ways, wandering Wilderland, carrying messages between man, elf and dwarf, as well as scouting against the dark enemy has not been lost.
Barding Marksmen
As the nobles of Dale rise to defend the kingdom, the pressure to adapt to new ways of fighting is strong. Yet the bow of the Woodmen and Ranger is the chosen weapon of the Northmen of Dale. Armoured and equipped to the best standards, these bowmen are perfect warriors and are deadly swordsmen as well as marksmen.
Northern Swordmasters
Like sergeants these experienced masters-at-arms have for the most part retired from life in the militias, but in Dale's hour of need they are ready to take up arms once more and fight valiantly in a last stand. Perfecting the skills needed to wield the twohanded greatsword takes a lifetime, it takes bravery and wits. These hardy men have honed their martial arts through years of toil and bloodshed.
Northern Yeomen
Northmen have always been horsemen, in the vast reaches of Wilderland patrols require the fleet of foot. Even the ancestors of the Rohirrim were after all horsemen of Rhovanion. Fighting in the simple Northern style these outriders prefer speed and agility to hunt and pursue their enemies, it makes them ideal for defending outposts, carrying messages between settlements and strengthening the borders.
Aihwothiuda Horseguards
The Aihwothiuda were the original horseguards of Rhovanion, finally destroyed by the Wainriders their refugee survivors were known as the Eotheod, who then became the Rohirrim. Dale seeks to restore the Aihwothiuda, recruited from the Athala Rangers, the noble descendants of the exiles of Rhovanion, these men are skilful warriors and well-equipped. As a regiment these heavy lancers are the standardbearers of a burning ambition to restore a kingdom that has been lost for 1000 years. Proud, loyal and disciplined they are a match for any opponent.
Earls of Dale
The noblemen of Dale are natural horsemen, and are keen to support their troops with a swift and able body of cavalry that is not weighed down by reliance on armour and an array of weaponry, utilising instead a sheer prowess of arms. The Earls pride themselves on having adapted to the requirements of current threats and not blindly following the ancient traditions of their ancestors. Using their army’s hails of arrows as cover they close in on their foes to route them from the flank or rear. By speed of horse and deftness of the sword they fearlessly take on any target.