Suladân

"Then he was filled with a red wrath and shouted aloud, and displaying his standard, black serpent upon scarlet, he came against the white horse and the green with great press of men; and the drawing of the scimitars of the Southrons was like a glitter of stars."

History
Suladan, also known as the Serpent Lord, lived during the War of the Ring, and the time when the plentiful lands of Gondor and the poor, wretched domain of Harad were in constant conflict, and lead his Haradrim forces with merciless precision. He was considered a mysterious being, perhaps even a monster of sorts, by the soldiers of Gondor, Dol Amroth, and perhaps even by Prince Imrahil himself. Unlike his Haradrim soldiers, whose weapons were of haphazard assortment, some faulty, or mottled together from pieces of other weapons, Suladan reserved for himself the finest armour, swords and poison darts, and used them with the deadly efficiency expected of a Haradrim leader. He is said to have been killed by King Theoden, during the Battle of Pellenor Fields, though this is uncertain, and the only possible proof that he was present at the time lies in the mention of a warrior, whom [[Theoden refers to as "the black serpent".

"Farewell, Master Holbytla! My body is broken. I go to my fathers. And even in their mighty company I shall not now be ashamed. I felled the black serpent. A grim morn, and a glad day, and a golden sunset!" -King Theoden of Rohan, last words.

Little more is known of his war against Gondor, or the battles he fought in, nor the real truth of his death, or its circumstances, which still remain as mysterious as the man himself.

Apearance
It was no coincidence that Suladan was considered a monster, even among his own troops, for his face, which for all we know might have been horribly disfigured, was always covered by a golden war mask, and even his highest ranking underlings had never seen beneath it. Added to this, his dress was highly extravagant, with purple and red robes, inlaid with jewels, and serpentine symbols. His sword was a crooked scimitar, angled so as to decapitate a foe with ease.

Legacy
Few had ever heard the name of Suladan, and indeed it was not uttered for many years after his passing, but he was briefly mentioned in The Return of the King, or at least, the "black serpent" was. Appart from this, he only appeared in a number of fairly minor battles with Gondor.