The Redwater River formed the boundary between Rhovanion and Rhûn, stretching nearly four hundred kilometers before joining the Running River in the south and flowing into the Rhûn Inland Sea.
Both banks were almost entirely deserted wilderness, especially the eastern bank. It lay so close to Rhûn that years of Easterling depredations had kept any Northern Men from crossing the Redwater River to make a living there.
Tonight, however, beneath the moonlight, the usually quiet wilderness had come alive. Two groups of riders raced across it, one behind the other, their flying hooves raising great clouds of dust.
They were Hollimion's party of eight and the Easterling cavalry pursuing them from Ashur's camp.
Almost all the soldiers who could answer Ashur's summons and prepare for battle within such a short time were elite troops. In their haste, however, they had not had time to put on full suits of iron armor, which would have hindered a pursuit anyway.
They had simply thrown on easy-to-wear outer garments, grabbed their preferred weapons, and mounted their horses to give chase at their chief's command.
Under Sauron's guidance, these savages of the wilderness had begun using iron equipment long ago. Yet they lacked the temperament to devote themselves to mastering a craft. What was etched into their bones instead was a savage appetite for plunder.
As a result, their equipment was rarely particularly well made compared with that of other human powers. Never mind Gondor-even Rohan, with its relatively shallow foundations, possessed weapons and armor far superior to those of these Easterlings.
Even Ashur's trusted retainers mostly carried crude, uneven spears when fighting on horseback. Once they entered close combat, they would draw oddly shaped, scimitar-like swords from their belts, or simply take out short-handled battle-axes that let them put more force into their