Bardings

The Bardings (Rh."Sons of Bard") where the Northman-folk of the Kingdom of Dale in the late Third Age.

Origins
The Name Bardings was relatively new and had been adapted by the heir's of Bard Bowman after his death, but it quickly rose to the self-description of all those mannish tribes living between the two rivers Celduin and Carnen, the Realm of the Bardings.

Many of the Bardings descended from the Lake-folk of Esgaroth, but the prospering city of dale soon attracted men from other tribes, some came from the northern and northwestern Eaves of Mirkwood or where descendants of Dale-Folk refugees and Ymirsfolk from the Grey Mountains Narrows, others where Woodmen from eastern Mirkwood or where River Rats from the Celduin-Carnen Valey,or Gramas, descendants of the Grimthiuda and Marhthiuda of the Plains of Wilderland.

Appearance
The Bardings where a tall people, often fair-haired but sometimes also showing a darker complexion and vry dark hair,perhaps hinting to the ancient Beoacs (A tribe closely related to the Bëorians) or the Grimthiuda, who also had Easterling ancestry.

Warcraft
The Bardings were a culture of quite able warriors, the Bardian Marksmen were widely known for their skills with bows and arrows, the Greystreak Bowmen and Quickstrings being two rivaling guilds of Archers among their rows, but also the Athala-Rangers, a clan of Wodsmen and Hunters, were feared in ranged combat.Regular Troops were he Hird, or Household Guard consisting of heavy infantry, outfitted by the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, and lighter armoured Hearth Watchmen.Cavalry usually was recruited from the light armoured Yeomen class and the wealthier Iarls, who fought as heavy cavalry.The Dale swordmasters also were an elite troop, usually from the class of Iarls,but armed with heavy Two-handed swords and fighting dismounted.

In Times of Crisis also the commoners and urban citizens fought as Militia, well armed from the forges of Dale and the Erebor, especially the Trout Guild, the fellowship of River-merchants and pilots, were known to supply their well-armed and battle-tested Longboat-crews.