Language:  Even though I note the meaning of unfamiliar words at the end of each chapter, I thought a special note about languages might be helpful.   Some of the words are straight out of Tolkien's works: dirnaith and thangail, for instance, are words used to describe Gondorian battle formations in Unfinished Tales, and Haudh in Gwanûr, which is the mound at the Crossings of Poros where two famous Rohirrim soldiers lie.

However, the words and phrases used by the men and women of Harondor and Harad, as well as the meanings of their names, are based upon the Urdu language -- more specifically, those words in Urdu that are Persian based.  I am familiar with the Urdu language, and while some of my Persian-based translations might be stretching things a bit, I think they are accurate enough that they make sense and also fit the culture I am trying to develop in this tale.

Culture:  The culture of the people of Harondor is based to some extent on that of Pakistan, particularly that aspect that relates to the veiling of women.

Harondor:  A word about Harondor might be helpful here.  I may add more information as the story develops, but for now, the article found at The Encyclopedia of Arda should be helpful (http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/h/harondor.html).