[500 powerstones Bonus Chapter]
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The realm of Eowenríel was a kingdom born from Kaen's own hands, wrought step by step from nothing. From its very first breath he had been its sovereign; there had never been coronation nor feast-day to mark the birth of the realm.
Now, when the people watched their King ascend the peak of King's Hill, it was reckoned as his coronation at last. That day was named the Day of Radiance, and henceforth it was held as the New Year of Eowenría.
Upon that day the whole kingdom rejoiced. Folk clad themselves in their brightest garments, gathering to await the first light of dawn. When it broke from the East they greeted it with song, believing it the omen of fortune and hope.
A few days later Kaen held a great royal banquet, drawing the final curtain on the year-long expedition. Yet hardly had he returned when a multitude of matters pressed upon him.
The first was the settling of the twenty thousand Caladhîn Elves.
Though the thought of Elves and Men mingling in one city was fair, their ways were too unlike. The Elves sought quiet, comfort, and slow harmony; Men sought vigor, growth, and the bustling life of trade. So Kaen decreed that the Caladhîn should dwell within the Ashenwood Forest, forming a kingdom within the kingdom, named Caerilassil.
Kaen was not only King of Eowenría, but also High King of the Caladhîn Elves. Yenistriel was named Regent of Caerilassil, while Tauriel forged a host of five thousand Caladhîn warriors, becoming their captain of arms.
Yet whether Caerilassil or Eowenría, the capital was one and the same: Elarothiel. At the foot of King's Hill, Kaen gave the Caladhîn a quarter of their own, that they might come in pilgrimage and bask in his light whenever they willed.
The second was the matter of the army.
Though losses at Erebor had been replenished in Tusgar, the strength of arms could not keep pace with the realm's swelling growth. Expansion was needed.
Thus Kaen issued his commands:
-> Mundar, garrisoned in Azure Spring, was raised to legion-captain. His thousand bow-riders were swelled to five thousand, a legion of two mounted and three foot-archer regiments.
-> Zakri, in Elarothiel, was made the captain of the Capital archer regiment. His five hundred footmen were raised to a thousand.
-> Cathril, in Aurienel, was raised likewise. Her mounted archers were expanded into a five-thousand legion of equal balance.
-> Reger, in Elariel, was raised to legion-captain. His thousand foot-archers became a five-thousand legion of two mounted and three foot regiments.
-> Caden, in Thalorien, was lifted from commander of heavy infantry to captain of a heavy legion. His five hundred footmen were raised to two thousand.A heavy legion was defined to have a lesser number of warriors than a traditional Legion.
-> Sigilion, in Virelmar, was likewise lifted to Captain of a heavy legion, his five hundred riders raised to two thousand, half on foot, half on horse.
-> The hundred Dúnedain Rangers were remade into a thousand, the King's Guard Regiment, sworn to the safety of King's Hill.
-> Lairon, no longer Ranger commander, was made captain of Elarothiel's city-guard. The two thousand bowmen of Tusgar were placed under him, swelled into a force of five thousand, to guard the Obsidian Gate and the Watchtowers.
Thus the strength of Eowenríel in the West was raised to thirty thousand—fivefold what it had been.
The third was the matter of the people.
Excluding the Anduin Valley beyond the Misty Mountains, the kingdom now held five hundred thousand souls. The ministers counseled that such a number was enough to grow by its own increase. They urged Kaen to close the gates against further influx, lest strangers disturb the peace.
Kaen gave assent.
For under the blessing of the system—its thrice-fold boon—every loyal soul enjoyed gifts:
> The speed of growth in their lands, thrice multiplied.
> The span of life for each citizen, thrice prolonged.
> The growth of soldiers, thrice quickened.
> The growth of heroes, thrice magnified.
With such blessings, every loyal heart might become a higher race. In such a world, Kaen reasoned, it was folly to spend treasure and toil on multitudes of ordinary folk. Better to nurture those already bound to him in fealty.
Thus a hard choice was made. Some would be cast out. Not because Kaen despised common folk, but because greatness in Middle-earth was forged not of numbers, but of higher Peoples: sharper in wit, stronger in body, truer in loyalty.
Those touched by the blessing stood in awe of Kaen and trusted him utterly. Those untouched—unmoved by reverence or faith—were no use to the realm. Better to banish them than to risk treachery within.
The fourth was the treasury.
Though agriculture thrived, the kingdom had no pillar beyond it. Vast building had strained its coffers, and the state had long spent more than it gained. In plain words: food was abundant, but coin was lacking.
Kaen's triumph at Erebor had brought back treasure worth hundreds of millions in gold. Yet the wealth of a realm is not the purse of a man. The people must prosper by enduring means. Kaen wanted the kingdom to have Continuous flow of Gold in its Treasury
So the Minister of Finance, Tifa, put forth counsel:
> To build trade upon agriculture: send grain down to the hungry lands of the South, such as Rohan.
> To sell arms: the forges lay idle too oft. Let them fashion bows, leather, swords, and armor, and send them abroad.
> To trade crafts: bricks fired in Eowenría were unlike any other; encourage merchants and craftsmen to build workshops and raise a light industry.
Kaen, after review, approved them all.
The fifth was the city itself.
The design of Elarothiel had ever been of three rings: the outer, the inner, and the heart. Yet for lack of coin, only the four outer towns and the core city had been built.
The inner ring, long delayed, was at last begun. The streams of the forest were to be drawn into one great moat, a circle about the city. Along its course would rise walls and towers, with four roads only connecting the towns.
It was a vast undertaking, but with coffers heavy as never before, Kaen ordered Joanna and her builders to begin at once.
While the realm bustled with labors, a company of dwarves came from the Lonely Mountain. At their head was Balin the elder. Over the Misty Mountains they had come, bearing Thorin's greetings—and his request.