Ekhamâti

The Ekhamâti are a war-host of the Haradrim, hardened by years of struggle in the wastes of Shagâna and now driven by the will of their warlord, Bârshud II. Their name, spoken with dread in Ambarûl and Khûd Zagin alike, carries the sense of a grasping hand that seizes and holds fast. The Ekhamâti are not bound to any single tribe or bloodline, but rather to the banner of conquest under which they march.

Their ranks are varied and disciplined: warriors bearing long-curved blades, bowmen skilled in striking from afar, and sorcerers who weave the shadows of the South into weapons of fire and pain. Among them are the Umûni, veteran captains and lieutenants who command war-bands in Bârshud's name. These men are said to be unyielding in their loyalty, their bodies scarred by years of servitude to the warlord's cause.

To sustain their might, the Ekhamâti employ both siege engines and beasts of war. The Ordâkhai battle-cats, great striped predators from the jungles of Far Harad, are broken and harnessed by the cat-keepers, while heavy timber wagons bring weapons and supplies north into the Valley of Ikorbân. Wherever they establish a camp, they swiftly raise palisades, barricades, and tar pits, fortifying their hold until it seems an unassailable fortress.

Culture and Allegiance

Little of the Ekhamâti's own tongue or rites are known to outsiders, save that they are bound by oaths of blood to Bârshud and fight beneath the blackened crown of Hamât. In battle they chant in unison, striking their shields in a rhythm said to echo across the valleys long before their armies arrive. Captives tell of a rigid code of obedience within their ranks, where disloyalty is punished swiftly and brutally.

The Ekhamâti hold no lasting home in Shagâna, instead taking their strength from the movement of their hosts. Encampments like Nisigurûm, Garash Kâru, and Dun Shûma serve as staging grounds for raids into Ambarûl and Imhûlar. Farmers, herdsmen, and traders throughout the valley fear their sudden incursions, for the Ekhamâti leave little behind but fire and ruin.

Facing the Subuzûri

The Ekhamâti are foremost among the enemies faced by the Subuzûri and their allies in the struggle for Renewed Hamât. Their forces contest every bridge, ford, and hilltop across the Valley of Ikorbân. At Nisigurûm they clashed bitterly with the Subuzûri, at Garash Kâru they sought to entrench their hold over southern Ambarûl, and at Dun Shûma they formed the shield around Bârshud himself.

From lowly scouts to high captains like Rumûza and Kósikul, the Ekhamâti have shown a tireless will to resist the counterattacks of Mizâdi and her companions. Yet for all their cruelty, their presence has roused the scattered folk of Shagâna to unity by those whose deeds have struck terror even into these hardened warriors.