Sauron

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Sauron (索伦人)
Alias(es)	Sauron Barbarians; Sauron Tribe; Sauron Kingdom
Species/Race	Sauron people; a northern tribal people
Affiliation	Eight-Corps Sauron military system; later the Sauron regime under Harald
Occupation/Role	Northern raiding power, conquering force, and later regional kingdom
Status	Regime collapsed after Harald's death; its army, civilian order, and support network disintegrated as Carnford invaded Sauron territory 1115 1120
First Appearance	Chapter 45: “Sauron” 45

Background

The Sauron originally served as Goldflower Kingdom proxies in the Northern Border, intended to restrain other tribes. They steadily expanded their power until King Heinrich I led a two-front campaign that annihilated more than twenty thousand Sauron elites near Tyrol and devastated their population and social structure. The survivors spent nearly a century weakened in the mountains and wilderness. 687

Harald's father, later known as the Old Barbarian King, restored Sauron power during the decline of Goldflower's northern defenses. By his rise, the Sauron had conquered much of the Northern Border, while surviving Goldflower strongholds such as Tyrol remained isolated targets. 687

Four years before Harald's return to Frosgard, the Sauron captured the former Goldflower stronghold and made it a major center of their rule. Captured Goldflower civilians were compelled to forge weapons and armor in its blacksmith district under starvation-level rations. 85

Under Harald, the Sauron regime depended on personal authority, military force, and stolen land and wealth. It bound tribes together through oppression rather than lasting cohesion, leaving it vulnerable once repeated defeats destroyed the army that sustained it. 1120

Military Organization

The Sauron combined military and political authority. Their army was divided into Corps, Regiments, and Battle Groups; a Battle Group numbered roughly 300 men, while five Battle Groups formed a Regiment of nearly 1,500. 45

Corps	Position within the army	Known details
Wolf Corps	Core corps	Directly commanded by Harald alongside the Bear and Tiger Corps. 58
Bear Corps	Core corps	Directly commanded by Harald; later associated with Svein. 58 820
Tiger Corps	Core corps	Directly commanded by Harald. 58
Sparrow Corps	Autonomous corps	One of the five corps led by its own commander; Ulf commanded it during later campaigns. 58 820
Horse Corps	Autonomous corps	One of the corps outside Harald's direct core force. 45 58
Hound Corps	Autonomous corps	Gron commanded it during the planned Iron Islands operation. 45 637
Sword Corps	Autonomous corps	Included Thorsten's Battle Group; Ivar later commanded the corps. 45 58
Rain Corps	Autonomous corps	The last of the eight named corps. 45

The Wolf, Bear, and Tiger Corps formed Harald's principal force. The other five corps retained significant autonomy under their own commanders, creating persistent internal power-balancing problems for Harald. 58

Elite and Specialized Forces

Unit	Description
Berserkers	Elite heavy infantry, often equipped with heavy armor, large shields, and two-handed weapons. They could break defensive lines through brute force, but suffered heavily when exposed to concentrated musket fire. 109 110
Tearers	Bragi's elite Berserker guard, deployed ahead of the main formation to disrupt enemy lines and strike key targets. 665
Plate Armor Knights	Heavily armored assault troops used to establish footholds on walls and battlements during sieges. 271
Mounted Archers and Cavalry	Mobile troops used for reconnaissance, raiding, pursuit, perimeter patrols, and battlefield harassment. 45 104
Vanguard Camp	Penal or expendable posting for demoted officers and surviving subordinates; Thorsten and Lard were assigned there after Icewater Creek. 58 85
Mixed Firearm Army	Later force composed of Sauron tribesmen and Broomflower defectors, trained in musket volleys followed by spear protection. 637

Warfare and Society

Raiding and Slavery

The Sauron's campaigns centered on plunder: grain, livestock, silver, cloth, weapons, and captives. Raids were also used to sustain morale, replenish manpower, and reinforce Harald's prestige among the tribes. 45 85 1047

Captured civilians were enslaved as laborers, craftsmen, porters, and siege workers. During assaults, Sauron officers drove prisoners forward with whips, weapons, and threats, using them to push shield-carts, dig trenches, build ramps, and absorb enemy fire. 250 945 971 1051 1052

• Captured Goldflower civilians forged Sauron weapons and armor in Frosgard. 85
• Sauron armies transported captured citizens alongside plundered supplies after raids. 45
• Slaves were used to construct siege ramps against Tar Fort while Sauron archers suppressed the defenders. 1051 1052
• The army's dependence on plunder became especially acute after battlefield defeats depleted its resources and undermined Harald's authority. 1047

Tactical Methods

Sauron commanders showed strong practical battlefield judgment, particularly in terrain analysis, direct assaults, cavalry operations, and close-quarters fighting. Unag and Invag accurately assessed Carnford's terrain-dependent defenses, identified the danger posed by breastworks and musketeers, and nevertheless chose a costly frontal assault as their only viable option. 104

Their army relied heavily on aggression, numerical pressure, individual martial skill, and willingness to accept casualties. This was effective against poorly organized garrisons, but increasingly vulnerable to disciplined formations, firearms, artillery, fortifications, and coordinated combined-arms tactics. 54 577 670

• Sauron infantry formed small circular, back-to-back defensive groups when caught by cavalry. 54
• Assault troops used ladders, shield-carts, ramps, siege towers, and massed archers to force fortified positions. 250 259 295
• Soldiers adapted to urban fighting at Carnford by changing from reckless advances to house-by-house clearing. 275
• Elite troops used coordinated climbing and leap attacks to vault barricades during the Iron Islands assault. 752

Magic and Technology

The Sauron employed dark magic during the siege of Carnford. Sorcerer Thor fueled rituals with the lives and fear of Goldspur slaves, summoned undead or magical creatures, and used a skull artifact to direct them. 181 200

Thor's creatures attacked Sauron and Goldspur forces indiscriminately after control failed, helping collapse Hermod's army and demonstrating the danger of Sauron's reliance on dark magic. 200

The Sauron later sought to close their technological gap with Carnford by copying firearms, manufacturing cannons, and integrating defectors familiar with Goldflower drill. Harald established a cannon foundry staffed by captured artisans Klaus and Richard and placed Asgeir in charge of preventing technological leakage. 427 596 637

• Improved shield-carts used metal-covered canopies and removable ladders to protect assault troops and scale obstacles. 250 252
• Sauron forces fielded captured, copied, and self-cast cannon during later wars. 939 955
• Their mixed firearm formations suffered from tension between Sauron tribesmen and Broomflower defectors, who learned firearm procedures more readily. 637

Leadership

• Harald — Great Leader, later King of Sauron. He commanded the core corps, balanced rival commanders, pursued state-building, and personally directed major invasions before being killed by Peter. 58 85 935 1115
• Svein — Harald's brother and trusted commander. He led the Bear Corps in the Blackstone Pass offensive, guarded Harald during the final retreat, and was left abandoned as Frosgard collapsed. 820 1033 1120
• Ulf — Commander of the Sparrow Corps. A sharp strategist who led diversionary and raiding operations, but whose greed led him to attack Tar Fort and ultimately lose his life. 58 171 1050 1059
• Ivar — Sword Corps commander. He demanded vengeance after Icewater Creek and personally punished scout Lard. 58
• Unag — Veteran commander and battlefield analyst. He led operations against Carnford, later advised Hermod during the siege, and was repeatedly shaped by the defenders' resilience. 100 104 176
• Invag — Sparrow Corps Battle Group leader who commanded elite infantry during the first assault on Carnford and ordered a retreat after the Berserkers were devastated by muskets. 104 110
• Thorsten — Sword Corps Battle Group leader demoted after defeat. He later sought an alliance with Karl as a means of survival for his remaining cavalry. 45 58 152
• Bragi — Sauron corps commander and leader of the Tearers. He relied on his Berserker guards after recognizing the discipline and strength of Carnford's field army. 659 665
• Gron — Hound Corps commander who assembled troops for the attempted invasion of the Iron Islands. 637 750
• Bolk — Sauron knight and assault commander. He captured the eastern fortified houses of Gray Wolf Valley and led subsequent attacks on the central fortress. 568 572 573

Story Role / Major Arcs

Northern Raids and Carnford's Rise

Sauron Battle Groups raided south of the Great Wall, taking supplies and civilians as slaves. Thorsten's Sword Corps unit suffered losses at Winsend City, massacred the population in anger, and then attempted to ambush newly appointed pioneer lords near Fran City to recover its losses. 45

The failure at Icewater Creek forced Harald to reorganize his command structure. Thorsten was demoted, Lard and other surviving officers were stripped of rank, and the Sword Corps was punished without being completely broken. 58

Unag and Invag then attacked Carnford's outer defenses. Their initial assault breached part of the line, but Carnford's musketeers annihilated many Berserkers at close range, compelling a full withdrawal. 104 109 110

Siege of Carnford

Sauron forces returned with a larger siege army under Hermod, later reinforced by slaves, shield-carts, siege towers, artillery, and magic. They repeatedly assaulted Carnford's passages and walls, eventually breached the outer defenses, and fought into the city and lord's castle. 176 250 275 294 295

Despite their numerical advantage, the Sauron could not secure victory. Carnford's muskets, traps, urban defenses, artillery, magical counterattacks, and raids on the Sauron camp forced Harald's army to withdraw. 256 299 305 308

Rearmament and Expansion

After the Carnford setback, Harald sought artillery, copied firearms, and built a mixed army of tribesmen and Broomflower defectors. He also attempted to expand toward the Iron Islands, where the Sauron initially broke through the Shantytown barricades but faced fierce resistance and mounting attrition. 427 637 750 752 768

The Sauron later fought Carnford across border fortresses and settlements, but increasingly encountered disciplined formations and firearms that exposed the difference between elite core troops and weaker militia or auxiliary forces. 516 521 577 651

War Against Carnford and Collapse

Harald launched major campaigns against Carnford, including an invasion exceeding one hundred thousand troops. Carnford's scorched-earth defenses, poisoned wells, landmines, fortified outposts, and planned withdrawals slowed the Sauron advance and strained its logistics. 930 935

The Sauron used artillery and mass slave labor during the siege of Carnford City, but their attacks produced severe losses and failed to decisively break the defenders. 945 955 971 972

Carnford then advanced on multiple fronts alongside Vilaya, attacking Sauron's southern, eastern, western, and coastal positions. The resulting economic collapse, territorial losses, military defeats, and internal disloyalty shattered Harald's ability to hold the kingdom together. 1004 1077

Harald's final forces retreated toward Golden City, while Carnford captured Nalan Castle and pursued the remnants. Harald was ultimately killed in battle by Peter, and the Sauron regime rapidly collapsed as its people fled Frosgard and its surviving guards abandoned Svein. 1033 1115 1120