[littlemanpoet]

Himaran:

When Melkor discovered his disloyalty, Abâranâ was forced to flee

Please change Melkor to Sauron.

Among the wrights of the Edain were weaponsmiths, and they had with the teaching of the Noldor acquired great skill in the forging of swords, of axe-blades, and of spearheads and knives. Swords the Guild of Weaponsmiths still made, for the preservation of the craft, though most of their labour was spent on the fashioning of tools for the uses of peace. The King and most of the great chieftains possessed swords as heirlooms of their fathers; and at times they would still give a sword as a gift to their heirs. A new sword was made for the King's Heir to be given to him on the day on which his title was conferred. But no man wore a sword in Numenor, and for long years few indeed were the weapons of warlike intent that were made in the land. Axes and spears and bows they had, and shooting with bows was a chief sport and pastime of the Numenoreans. In later days, in the wars upon Middle-earth, it was the bows of the Numenoreans that were most greatly feared. "The Men of the Sea", it was said, 'send before them a great cloud, as a rain turned to serpents, or a black hail tipped with steel'; and in those days the great cohorts of the King's Archers used bows made of hollow steel, with black-feathered arrows a full ell long from point to notch.

- from Unfinished Tales, "A Description of Numenor"

Menelmacar:

As the other two drew their swords,

WEAPONS: A long sword forged by master smiths,

Himaran:

Abârzadan carries a long, double-bladed broadsword; his father's weapon of choice. Considering range warfare to be cowardly, he carries no bow or throwing knife.

scarred from hours of sword-practice with his late father

Please change these to acceptable Numenorean weapons. Besides, Himaran, to consider range warfare to be cowardly is completely out of character for a Numenorean.

Himaran:

But was there such a among the rabble of the Faithful?

I assume this is an example of Abârzadan's personal prejudice against the Faithful? If so, it'll make for interesting conflict as we move into the story. Could be fun.

In answer to Regin's question, I suggest Marsillion.

Sophia, thanks for the helpful map! The approximate path you've oulined for Abarpa and Kathaani is much too far south, in my humble estimation. Since so much of Numenor is so well-known, down to the last petal of the last flower, they knew they had to go far out of their way with the horses, so my thought was that they had hugged the southern slopes of the hills in Forostar, resulting in Abar's capture about 50 miles to the north and east of where you indicate it.... in other words, much closer to the northeastern "sound", as it were.