It is difficult to overstate how much Tolkien
influenced our world. He is often accredited with creating the fantasy
as a genre, but beyond that, his influence can be seen in all of literature, in language,
and even in the way many people perceive war and peace, nature and industry, sin and redemption,
good and evil. Saying that the Lord of the Rings is a cornerstone
of our modern mythology and will remain influential meanwhile is an understatement. In this video, we will give the retelling
of t
he War of the Ring that is central in Tolkien’s works. These long videos are extremely difficult
to make and algorithm is not exactly in love The War of the Ring finds its origin in the
Second Age, as following the destruction of Morgoth in the War of Wrath, his lieutenant
Sauron assumed the mantle of Dark Lord. Being a Maiar and thus lacking the sheer might
of a true member of the Valar who had God-like power, Sauron used his guile and innate ability
for treachery to fulfill his ambition. He ch
anged his image, disguising himself as
the benevolent servant of the Valar, Annatar. In the year 1500 of the Second Age, he used
his silver tongue, to trick the forge master Celebrimbor and the other prominent members
of the Noldor Elven community living in Middle-Earth into forging the Rings of Power infused with
magic. There were twenty such rings, three bestowed
upon the Elves, seven to the Dwarves, and nine to the Kings of Men who would later become
the Nazgul. However, Sauron forged his own
ring in secret,
One Ring which would allow him to exert control upon all others. Upon learning of his treachery, the Elven
Ringbearers removed their Rings of Power, as when they wore such items Sauron knew of
their location and was able to wage war upon them. The conflict called the War of the Elves began
in 1693, and Sauron’s power proved to be too much for the Elves. Their Kingdoms were devastated and Sauron
became the effective ruler of all of Middle-Earth. It was at this time that Barad-Dur
and the
Black Gate in the region of Mordor were raised, however, he failed to dominate the Dwarven
Ringbearers due to their stubborn nature. The Elven king Gil-Galad was pushed all the
way to the river Lhûn, prompting him to request the aid of the Men of Numenor in the year
1695. This led to the Numenorean invasion of Middle-Earth,
bringing an army of a scale that has never been fielded by the race of Man in the past. The allied forces won a great victory in 1701
at the battle of the Gwathló. T
he forces of Sauron were driven from the
field and he barely escaped to Mordor. While he was gathering his strength, the Elves
started rebuilding: Gil-Galad’s lieutenant Elrond was appointed the regent of the easternmost
stronghold of the Noldor Elves Rivendell. Meanwhile, the Numenorians reveled in their
victory, and over the next centuries colonized the coast of Middle-Earth, oppressing the
members of their race living on the continent in the process. At the same time, the sources mention thei
r
envy of the Elven immortality and the fact that the Men were not allowed to sail the
Undying Lands of Valinor to live an eternal life. This divided the Numenorian society into two
factions: the Faithful, who remained true to their friendship with the Elves and loyalty
to the Valar, and the King’s men, who were led by the ambitions of their monarchs slowly
drifting towards evil. Sauron used the animosity between the Men
and the Elves to rally dark forces and assumed the title of the Lord of the
Earth and King
of Men. His armies attacked the Numenorian cities
on the continent in the year 3260, drawing the ire of the proud Numenorian king Ar-Pharazôn. The latter strike back in 3261. Numenorian forces were so overwhelmingly powerful,
that Sauron’s minions seemingly abandoned their lord. The Numenorians walked to Barad-Dur unopposed
and brought Sauron as a prisoner in chains to the island of Numenor. However, the latter soon worked his way into
the court of the King of Numenor. The foul m
achinations of Sauron would lead
to the destruction of Numenor, as he acted as an advisor poisoning the minds of the people
and driving them to their own demise instigating an invasion of the Undying Lands in 3319. Ar-Pharazôn and his mighty host landed on
Aman but were buried by mounds of dirt by the Eru Illuvatar, who in his wrath sunk their
island killing the majority of the Numenorean people. Nine ships of the Numenorean Faithful were
able to flee to Middle-Earth and they were led by Elendil
and his two sons Isildur and
Anarion. When their forces were separated the majority
of the contingent landed in the South and would form the Kingdom of Gondor, with the
remaining ships landing in the North of the continent to create the Kingdom of Arnor. The survivors merged with the remaining Numenoreans
who had colonised the regions in question during the apex of Numenorean power. Sauron also survived the Downfall of Numenor,
although his strength was much reduced, he was able to flee to Mord
or and retain the
One Ring. The two Numenorean nations in exile were linked
with the King of Arnor holding the title of High King and maintaining ascendancy over
their Gondorian counterparts. Two fortresses were built in the region of
Gondor to act as a bulwark against Mordor: Minas Ithil and Minas Anor. In the meantime, Sauron had finally regained
enough of his strength in order to take physical form. Becoming aware of the newly established Exile
Kingdoms, he quickly took action to destroy them
. In 3429 his armies attacked Gondor rapidly,
besieging Minas Ithil and the capital of Gondor Osgiliath. Minas Ithil was lost soon after as the cities
defenders were overwhelmed by the Orcish numbers who took the city with relative ease. While Anarion held the line in Osgiliath with
the force that he had hastily assembled, Isildur rushed North to inform his father Elendil
of the attack. Anarion was successful in repelling the invasion
force and sending them fleeing into the woods of Ithilien. Ta
king counsel with the Elven leaders, the
Last Alliance of Men and Elves was formed with Elendil and Gil-Galad providing leadership
for each of their races respectively. Two years were spent raising sufficient forces
in order to match the hordes of orcs that the Dark Lord could bring to bear. With their forces amassing at the watchtower
of Amon Sul at Weathertop, before to Rivendell and joining with the forces of Elrond there. From here the Great Alliance crossed the Misty
Mountains and were join
ed by contingents of Elves from Mirkwood and Lorien, as well as
an army of Dwarves of Khazad-Dum and the army of Gondor led by Anarion fresh from pushing
back the assault on Osgiliath. With this, the war was joined and the Alliance
seemed poised to end the influence of the Dark Lord upon Middle-Earth for good and all. The first pitched battle took place at the
plains of Dagorlad outside of Mordor in the year 3434, with supreme command of the Alliance
forces being granted to Gil-Galad. However, t
his grant of command triggered the
arrogance of the Elves, namely that of the Kings of Mirkwood and Lorien Oropher and Amdir
respectively. As both forces deployed their formations,
one of the main advantages the Last Alliance possessed was their cohesion and discipline,
for which the Elven Swordsmen, in particular, were famed far and wide. Yet the two aforementioned kings angered by
Gil-Galad’s command broke formation and charged wildly at the immense force of Orcs
and foul beasts, attempting to
garner fame and fortune by their exploits. Despite making early gains and driving the
Orcs back by the sheer force of their strength at arms, the numbers and sheer brutality of
their foe soon caused casualties led to the casualties among the Elves. Before long the Elves who had foolishly charged
into the forces of the Dark Lord were pushed back, leaving the fate of the battle on a
knife’s edge. His plan disrupted by the folly of his comrades,
Gil-Galad acted decisively supporting the errant Elv
en contingent with the weight of
the entirety of what the free peoples of Middle-Earth could muster. The leadership of Gil-Galad ultimately saved
the day and the war effort as a whole, as the forces of Sauron were decisively beaten,
leaving the Dark Lord on the backfoot for the remainder of the war. Yet this battle was as costly as they come,
with Amdir, Oropher, and a vast contingent of Mirkwood and Lorien forces lost due to
the folly of the two kings. This left the area permanently scarred by
the mass of Human, Elven, Dwarven, and Orcish causalities which now blighted the landscape,
forever transforming the region into the Dead Marshes, an area avoided by all but the most
desperate. Thranduil and Amroth would take the titles
of Kings of Lorien and Mirkwood from their slain fathers respectively. Taking little time to regroup, Gil-Galad sensed
the golden opportunity which now beckoned, and following the Counsel of the other leaders
of the Alliance, Elendil and Elrond chief among them,
a decision was taken. The Black Gates were besieged and soon breached
due to the sheer might of the force which now moved even further into Mordor, defeating
each force which Sauron sent to face them. While ultimate success was not yet guaranteed,
the forces of Man, Elf, and Dwarf were buoyed by each victory, and with their morale soaring
their greatest challenge now loomed before them. Despite severe losses, they maintained an
advantage, which prevented this war of attrition in a plateau to the
North of Mordor called
Udun, from halting their progress. Initially, attempts were made to storm Barad-Dur,
but this failed almost immediately due to the immense fortifications which Sauron had
erected in order to prepare for just such a situation. This fortress was created by the dark magic
of Sauron which held it together and was composed of battlement after battlement and had taken
close to six hundred years to construct and was without any shadow of a doubt the greatest
fortress in Middle-E
arth. The sight of it drove fear into the besiegers
and cast doubt upon their ability to seize the victory they so desperately required to
end the threat posed to all those who resided within the free realms of Middle-Earth. This fortress was also bound to the One Ring
and as long as the Ring persisted it would remain impossible to fully destroy it, adding
to the mounting logistical complications which such a siege could pose to Gil-Galad and Elendil. The siege would go on for seven years, with
massive casualties dealt to the forces of the Last Alliance. Countless sorties of Orcs were sent out to
drive back the besiegers, which when combined with the volleys of arrows, boulders, and
missiles of the flaming variety that constantly harassed the attackers threatened to decimate
the Alliance forces. In the Sixth year of the siege, tragedy struck
the line of Elendil as Anarion was hit by a missile fired from the walls of Barad-Dur
in the head and was killed instantly. His death caused many
woes among the Numenoreans
who mourned his valour and competent leadership. This however increased the determination of
the race of Men to secure their future in those fiery plains. A year later Sauron and his forces sallied
forth in an attempt to bring an end to the conflict and finish the siege and the Last
Alliance with it. Rows of Elven swordsmen who made up the flower
of the host held the center alongside the most experienced and battle-hardened of the
Numenoreans. With Dwarven contingents
supporting the remaining
warriors of Gondor and Arnor on the flanks. Elrond and Gil-Galad held command of the center
with Elendil and Isildur commanding their own respective forces. The blood of Numenor still flowed freely through
the forces of man at this stage in the exile and as such these warriors remained exceptionally
competent and unyielding in the face of the overwhelming Orcish onslaught. Despite their prowess in battle, however,
the forces of the Last Alliance remained outnumbered. The
forces of Mordor surged forward in a tide
bereft of any true tactics, they attempted to use the weight of their numerical advantage
to overwhelm the organised and tactically astute battle lines assembled before them. While their weapons and armour were deficient
in comparison to those of their opponents, their ferocity and crazed devotion to their
Dark Lord were not to be scoffed at. The battle was joined when the Orcish host
met the Elven swordsmen in the center, their forces having been thinn
ed out by the overwhelmingly
accurate volleys of arrows unleashed by the Elven archers. The lines held as the warriors of the Last
Alliance refused to grant their opponents an inch, as the famed discipline of the Noldor
was able to keep the Orcish host at bay. Despite the increasing pressure which was
placed upon their lines, this stalemate was maintained, with massive casualties inflicted
on both sides. As the battle progressed the Last Alliance
began to gain the advantage standing as a cliff b
efore the oncoming tide, the morale
of the Orcish rabble began to falter and it seemed that victory now was within the grasp
of Gil-Galad and Elendil. It was at this point that Sauron, in his physical
form of a towering warrior clad in plate armour from head to toe and wielding a mace alongside
the One Ring, entered the fray. Making for the center of the Alliance formation
he soon made light work of the valiant warriors who had held his servants at bay for so long. Seeing that their lines might
now break, Gil
Galad and Elendil dueled Sauron, who has not reached his full strength yet, on the broken
plains of Mordor, displaying the great valour inherent within their people, proving to be
a match for the Dark Lord. As the battle raged around them, the two great
leaders of the Last Alliance mortally wounded Sauron, but paid a heavy price for their courage. Gil Galad was cast down with the heat of Sauron’s
armoured hand and Elendil was likewise struck down by the Maiar, who was wounded in t
he
process. The sheer weight of the blow drove Sauron
from his physical form, causing him to take on his ethereal aspect and his disappearance
sent his entire army into a rout. In the aftermath, Isildur, who came upon the
corpses of the great leaders of the Alliance was heartbroken by the loss of his father. He took up the shattered remnant of Narsil
and strode towards the ailing Maiar. Bending down Isildur cut off the armoured
finger which held the One Ring and claimed it as his own as weregild
. Sauron’s spirit fled his physical form,
Narsil however would live long in the memory of the Dark Lord and he would forever bear
an unequivocal hatred for the line of Kings of the Numenorean Exiles. With the defeat of Sauron and his forces at
the siege of Barad-Dur came the end of the Second Age and the beginning of the Third
which would come to be dominated by the Men due to the waning power of the Elves following
the death of so many of them and the decision taken by some to sail to the Undyi
ng Lands. At this stage however, the situation was far
from ideal for the descendants of Númenor, even with the apparent destruction of the
Great Enemy. Even before the Last Alliance entered Mordor,
Sauron sent a contingent of Orcs to hold the passes in the Misty Mountains from the oncoming
host of Elendil and Gil-Galad. Seeing the strength of the Free Peoples of
Middle Earth before them the Orcs fled into the mountains, and were not pursued due to
the necessity of defeating the Dark Lord howeve
r. Following the successful siege of Barad-Dur,
Isildur who took the ring of Sauron as a weregild for the death of his father and brother, made
his way to Gondor. Isildur spent the first two years of the new
– Third Age consolidating his rule and reorganising the realm. He also replanted the sapling of the White
Tree in Minas Ithil in memory of his fallen brother. The Numenoreans, who remained true to Valar,
began to also be known as Dunedain and the “Men of the West” in that period. The greater
part of his army was sent to Arnor
which needed it more at the moment, and the king himself set out for Rivendell in order
to seek the counsel of Elrond. Moving from Osgiliath, Isildur and his retinue
passed through the Vale of the Anduin making their way towards the Cirith Forn en Andrath
which was a high pass in the Misty Mountains inevitably bringing them to Rivendell. The host made its way North to Lórien taking
a path leading towards Thranduil’s domain of Greenwood. The Anduin had however
flooded forcing the
group to take an alternative route along the slopes of the eastern bank of the great river. To the left of the company were an imposing
set of cliffs overlooking the Anduin and to their right were hills and forested areas. The Dunedain had been singing marching songs,
however this ceased immediately as one of their scouts had heard an oncoming horde of
Orcs. Acting quickly, Isildur formed his men into
a Thangail which meant shield fence or wall in Numenorean. This formation w
as two men deep and flexible
on the flanks allowing for quick readjustments and would favour the Numenoreans who estimated
that they were outnumbered almost ten to one. Isildur begrudged the terrain for forcing
him to take such a defensive stance, as if the Orcs had attacked them earlier in the
march, they could have formed a Dírnaith which was a wedge-shaped formation that would
have allowed the superior martial prowess of his retinue to shatter the Orcish lines
sending them into a quick rout.
The battle began with a volley of Orcish arrows,
quickly followed up by an assault at the very center of the shield wall. The disciplined Numenorians stood strong and
used their immense height of which they towered over even the largest orc to push back this
onslaught. Isildur was no fool however and seeing the
overwhelming size of the Orcish horde sent his squire with the shards of his father’s
sword Narsil to Rivendell in order to entrust them with lord Elrond, before continuing the
fight hims
elf. The battle restarted following this brief
pause, and piles of Orc corpses had begun to mount around the Numenorean lines, who
utilising their superior longbows drove the enemy from the pathway. Believing that the Orcs with their craven
nature had been sufficiently demoralised so as to flee the field, Isildur gave orders
to move to a lower more level ground. The Orcs however had greater numbers than
the estimation Isildur had given them and returned in force as the shield wall had begun
to m
ove. During this secondary assault the Orcs attacked
in a full crescent formation in order to place immense pressure upon the entirety of the
Dunedain defensive formation. With their massive numerical advantage, the
Orcish pressure began to pay off and men began to die, their formation beginning to collapse. Isildur’s sons Ciryon and Aratan were slain
in this assault, with the third son to accompany him on the journey - Elevndur urging his father
to wear the ring and flee across the Anduin to ma
ke it to Rivendell using another road. Isildur said: “I cannot use it. I dread the pain of touching it. And I have not yet found the strength to bend
it to my will. It needs one greater than I know myself to
be. My pride has fallen. It should go to the Keepers of the Three.” But he was convinced by his son. Isildur put on the ring of Sauron, which granted
invisibility to the wearer, and fled down the valley, as his retinue paid with their
lives to give their king a fighting chance at escape, dyi
ng almost to a man. That included Elendur who fought a rearguard
action to buy his father more time. Abandoning his arms and armour bar a short
sword, Isildur plunged into the Anduin, yet in its flooded state the strength of the river
began to overwhelm the High King and he was pulled further and further towards the marshes
of the Gladden Fields. He became tangled in the reeds and rushes,
and the One Ring was pulled from Isildur’s finger, who initially felt unmitigated loss
at this but soon afte
r a feeling of an immense burden being taken from him. This feeling of absolution was not to last
however, as emerging from the river a group of Orcish archers spotted this imposing mountain
of a man and feathered him with arrows rather than meeting the unarmoured warrior in hand-to-hand
combat. Isildur’s body fell back into the river
never to be recovered. His arms and armour were found in the aftermath
of the battle but the ring itself would not be discovered again until hobbit Déagol happened
upon it in TA 2463. In the meantime, a force of Woodmen who were
friends of the Beornings and dwelt within the Western part of Greenwood had come to
relieve the Dunedain rearguard. They arrived too late however and would only
save three of the Dunedain. The Disaster at the Gladden Fields had led
to the death of Isildur and his three sons. Isildur’s youngest son Valandil was named
King of Arnor, however the most important decision taken during his reign was to refuse
the Kingship of Gondor, whic
h caused a split between the two Kingdoms. The two Kingdoms however would continue to
prosper under the Kings of Númenorean blood, however following the death of King Eärendur
in TA 861 the Arnor was torn asunder by infighting and civil war: The Kingdoms of Arthedain,
Cardolan and Rhudaur emerged from this conflict, with the King of Arthedain claiming unrecognised
High Kingship over the latter. In the years that followed, the Kings of the
respective Northern Kingdoms wasted their strength in foo
lish and unnecessary conflicts
which left each nation weakened. In the meantime, enemies began to gather to
the outskirts of these nations eager to take advantage, presenting the greatest threat
to the land once known as Arnor. Meanwhile the Kingdom of Gondor began to prosper,
becoming a wholly separate political entity and prospered. Gondor had to deal with an invasion of the
Easterlings, who were men corrupted by Sauron and Morgoth. This initial invasion sparked a sixty-year
conflict which was
brought to a conclusion by Turambar, the Ninth King of Gondor who
successfully defeated the Easterlings and annexed a large area from Rhovanion to Mordor. Gondor entered a Golden Age following this
victory, helmed by the four Ship Kings who ruled wisely beginning with the reign of Tarannon
Falastur in TA 830 and ending with the death of Hyarmendacil I in TA 1149. The latter expanded Gondor to its greatest
extent, ruling a nation which stretched from the fringes of Mirkwood in the North to Umbar
in the South. The military might of Gondor ensured this
superiority, with many visitors at the time remarking, “In Gondor precious stones are
but pebbles for the children to play with”. Yet this Golden Age was about to end, as the
defeat of Sauron was not as everlasting as the Great Alliance had hoped. During the reign of King Malvegil of Arthedain,
Sauron’s lieutenant the Witch King of Angmar, head of the Nazgul and bearer of a Ring of
Power had emerged at the head of a large host of Orcs and
other creatures. He drove the Dwarves from their holds and
established a nation of Angmar. Malvegil’s successor Argeleb managed to
unite Arthedain and Cardolan, but was unable to sway Rhudaur which had already fallen to
the taint of the Witch King. Hostilities commenced when the men of Rhudaur
were forced to march on their kinsmen in Arthedain in TA 1356. In the Battle of Amon Sûl which decided the
conflict, many were slaughtered on both sides, chief among them the would-be Uniter of the
North,
Argeleb. The following years were to prove utterly
devastating for the Northern realms. In TA 1409, Rhudaur was annexed by Angmar
and with this added strength the Witch-King attacked Cardolan. The country was devastated, with most of its
settlements being destroyed. Amon Sul was razed and the survivors fled
westward. Arthedien was invaded next and its capital
Fornost was besieged, but the Elves of the Grey Havens, Lorien and Rivendell relieved
it. United armies of the Elves led by Elrond defeate
d
Angmar, but not completely, and the conflict left Arthedain as the last human Kingdom in
the North locked in a bitter struggle with Angmar for six hundred years. The matters to the South were also far from
idyllic: the Easterlings continued to be a threat, but Gondor’s military superiority
allowed Rómendacil I to utterly rout of the Easterling host in TA 1248, with the aid of
the men of Rhovanion who would later become the Rohirrim. Internal discord also played its part: the
nobles despised ki
ng Valacar for marrying a princess of Rhovanion and when he died in
TA 1432, his son King Eldacar was overthrown by Castimir the Captain of the ships. He proved an incapable ruler who caused the
decay of much of the Country. Eldacar returned in 1447 and with the help
of the Rhovanion horsemen and regained his throne, however Osgiliath was sacked and its
Palantír alongside its splendour forever lost. In the meantime, the sons of Castimir following
the death of their father fled to Umbar establish
ing their own Kingdom which would trouble Gondor
for centuries. These problems didn’t allow Gondor to help
Arnor when itsaid may have proved pivotal in stemming the tide. Both nations managed to recover some of their
former power, with King Telemnar even planning a conquest of Umbar, however the Great Plague
struck in 1636. In the North, Cardolan was finally left bereft
of any human population and Barrow Wights from Angmar, which were spirits of a malicious
nature, were sent by the enemy to take
over the former settlements. Gondor’s cities were decimated and many
tasked with watching over Mordor were abandoned. The White Tree died in Osgiliath and a sapling
was brought to Minas Anor which became the capital in 1640. It was said that had an enemy attacked at
this point, all of Gondor would have fallen, yet said foes were in as bad of a shape as
Gondor following the plague. Arthedain with its sparser population was
not as badly affected by the Plague, however its population continued to
decline during
this period with some of its best farmland being granted to the Hobbits in TA 1601 forming
what would become the Shire. Gondor and Arthedain survived this dire situation,
however, with King Araval of Arthedain, alongside his Elven allies Lindon and Rivendell, defeating
the Witch King in Cardolan in TA 1851, earning his kingdom what was to be its final repireve. Araval’s prowess as a diplomat allowed for
increased ties with Gondor and had circumstances not played their part could h
ave brought about
the salvation of his realm. However, the forces of the Dark Lord had other
contingencies in place it seemed and both nations were to be forever changed by the
conflict to come. In TA 1851 a confederation of Easterling tribes
called Wainriders began to raid Gondor and Rhovanion, enslaving many of the latter and
destroying much of what was their home. After five years of these raids the King Narmacil
II led a force alongside Marhari of Rhovanion to meet the Wainriders in the fiel
d and. The Battle of the Plains was a complete disaster
for Gondor as King Narmacil was slain and Marhari leading a desperate rear-guard in
order to save the remnants of the host was also killed, effectively ending Rhovanion
as a nation. The remnants of Marhari’s people fled into
Gondor where they would become known as the Éothéod under his son Marwhini. However, the majority of Rhovanion was enslaved
by the Wainriders, who had won a decisive yet pyrrhic victory with their casualties
being so se
vere so as to check their advance further into Gondor. The Wainriders were to rule in Rhovanion for
forty-five years, and weakened Gondor was unable to turn its eyes to the North, where
Angmar had gathered its forces for one final push into Arthedain. During this period the Éothéod and Gondor
continued to grow in friendship through their opposition against the Wainriders. The Éothéod in particular learned of the
Wainriders’ plans to attack Gondor by TA 1899 through the enslaved populace which st
ill
owed them loyalty. This led to a pre-emptive strike by King Calimehtar
from Northern Ithillien, disrupting Wainrider plans to assault the Éothéod in Calenardhon. With this, Marwhini gathered his horsemen
and marched to Gondor’s aid in what would become known as the Second Battle of Dagorlad,
where the allied armies defeated the Wainriders. The King chose not to pursue them however,
allowing for a slave revolt in Rhovanion to further weaken them instead, however they
were not fully defeated a
s the revolt was not fully successful. The decision not to pursue the Wainriders’
would come back to haunt Gondor, as they made alliances with the men of Khand and Harad. The Éothéod again warned Gondor of this
dual threat in both the North and South. King Ondoher alongside King Arvedui of Arthedain
realised that the attacks of Angmar and the Wainriders must have been coordinated by an
overwhelmingly menacing force and this led to the ties between nations renewed in TA
1940 as Arvedui married On
doher’s daughter Fíriel. King Ondoher marched North while his most
trusted General Eärnil marched South. Ondoher hoped to fight in Dagorlad again,
but was surprised outside the Black Gate by a combined force of Wainriders and Rhûn who
destroyed his army, killing him and two of his sons. The Wainriders’ believed Gondor had been
completely defeated and took their time sacking lands along Ithilien, yet this was not the
case as Eärnil’s smaller force had won to the South. Accumulating the survivors
of the Battle at
the Black Gate Eärnil fell upon the Wainrider camp utterly routing them. Those who survived drowned in the Dead Marshes,
effectively ending the war. Eärnil was named King of Gondor despite Arvedui’s
claim to the Kingship which would have united both nations under a common banner giving
them the strength to resist this Northern advance by the Witch King, as the Council
of Gondor preferred the former’s claim. Rhovanion was freed with its people mostly
joining the Éothéod, however
the War weakened Gondor at an absolutely critical moment resulting
in the loss of territory. Throughout the entirety of this period Angmar
continued to assault Arnor who resisted fiercely yet hopelessly, making their foes pay for
every inch. In TA 1974 the Kingdom was finally overrun
with the Witch King sweeping across the country driving all before him and taking the capital
of Fornost, causing King Arvedui and his remaining followers to flee. Arvedui drowned in the Icebay of Farochel
during th
e rout. He was the last King of Arthedain. The Witch King now seemed poised to form his
empire in the North. King of Gondor Eärnil sent a force commanded
by his son Eärnur with as many soldiers as he could spare to relieve Arvedui when the
attack just started. This army arrived a year too late as the Kingdom
of Arthedain had already been destroyed. With the Prince of Gondor came men of Rhovanion,
Elves from Lindon and other such Northern Elven Kingdoms, the survivors of Arthedain
among them Prin
ce Aranarth and according to Shire Historians a company of their finest
archers. Seeing that the burned-out shell of Fornost
would provide countless opportunities for ambush, Eärnur moved his forces to a plain
to the West of the city near Lake Evendim to meet the Witch King in open territory. The Armies of Angmar rushed to meet them and
seeing this the Prince of Gondor sent his cavalry North into the Hills of Evendim to
ambush the over confident foes. With this the battle began as the might of
A
ngmar crashed into the Gondorian centre. This assault could have proved catastrophic
if it was not for the battle-hardened lines of infantry who had repulsed the Wainriders
in the not-so-distant past. The fighting was brutal with casualties beginning
to mount on both sides, it is at this point the cavalry sensing the pivotal moment in
the battle charged down from the hills crashing into the rear of Angmar’s line. The battle shifted immediately with the surrounded
warriors of Angmar falling in sw
athes. Realising he was all but defeated the Witch
King attempted to retreat to the East. Yet he would earn no reprieve there, as the
Elven hero Glorfindel led a second host from Rivendell up from the South, so caught between
the rock and a hard place the army of the Witch King was utterly destroyed. Eärnur then challenged the Witch King to
single combat as the army of Angmar fell apart around him, his stalwart heart however was
not matched by that of his horse, as it panicked under the Witch Ki
ng’s gaze and fled. The Witch King taunted the young Prince before
fleeing the field himself, it is at this point that Glorfindel uttered the famous words to
his young friend and ally that, “not by the hand of mortal man would the Witch-king
be slain”. Sauron was immensely pleased by this result
as the destruction of Arnor was of far greater import than the loss of Angmar, and as distracted
Gondor lost the pivotal fortress of Minas Ithil to the Ringwraiths as their forces were
tied down in the N
orth. It would later be renamed Minas Morgul or
the Tower of black Sorcery, while Minas Anor was renamed Minas Tirith or the Tower of the
Guard in the common tongue. In the North, Aranarth bearing witness to
how few of his people had survived declined to re-found Arthedain, instead becoming the
First Chieftain of the Dúnedain maintaining this rule for 131 years in the wilds of Eriador
in order to protect his people from Angmar’s evil. Following the death of his father Eärnur
became king in TA 20
43. He was immensely capable, but his vanity soon
got the better of him. The Witch King played upon this fatal flaw,
challenging the childless King to single combat. Remembering the shame he had felt at Fornost,
the King was going to accept it if it were not for the wise counsel of his Steward Mardil
Voronwë. The second challenge came in TA 2050 accusing
the King of cowardice, and this time Mardil was unable to sway the King from such a foolish
action. Leaving his crown on the tomb of his, Eärnu
r
marched out with a small escort of Knights in the plains of Minas Morgul, never to be
heard from again. With this ended the line of Anarion and Gondor
was left Kingless in the hands of the Stewards who ruled with varying degrees of competency. They were to rule, “Until the King Returned”
as Eärnur had never been confirmed as deceased nor had he named an heir, and the stewards
refused to claim the crown fearing another civil war. While Gondor persisted during this period,
it came extremely clos
e to destruction when a group of Easterlings called Balchoth attacked,
influenced by Sauron. Seeing that Gondor could not prevail alone,
Steward Cirion sent word to the Éothéod and their ruler Eorl the Young, however hopes
that the messengers might get through were slim. Regardless, the army of Gondor prepared to
meet the Balchoth on the Field of Celebrant even without any true hope of victory. This battle took place in Calenardhon as Cirion
knowing the defences of the area knew that he had to f
ight or allow the Balchoth to put
the populace of the region to the sword. Six riders had been sent to Eorl. Five of them were killed on the way North,
with the sixth Borondir arriving just in time. Eorl realising that if Gondor fell his people
could soon return to the pitiful existence they were forced to endure under the Wainriders,
marched his seven thousand horsemen and hundreds of mounted archers along the almost 500-mile
road that led to Calenardhon. Unfortunately for Cirion his hopes that
the
river Anduin will slow down the enemy didn’t come true. Before he could arrive, the Balchoth built
hundreds of boats and started crossing the river. The defenders of the fortifications guarding
the Western bank did their best to slow down the foe, but were killed and the fortification
taken. The Steward attempted to relieve the battered
defenders, but his forces were easily repelled. Cirion started retreating North, but here
he was assaulted by a group of orcs and his forces were pushed tow
ards the Anduin. The situation looked extremely bleak as the
Balchoth and orcs descended upon the now hopeless Gondorians. A defence was mounted but they were continuously
pushed closer to the river. It was at this point that Eorl’s host entered
the fray. His army crossed the Undeeps and he led a
massed cavalry charge right into the rear of the enemy force. The prospect of victory urged the Gondorians
on, who with renewed vigor provided the anvil upon which the Éothéod could destroy the
enemy ho
st. Those who fled from the field were pursued
by the Éothéod who slaughtered as many as they could, forever ending the threat posed
by the Balchoth. Following on from the battle bonds between
the Éothéod and Gondor were formalised, as they were granted the almost deserted province
of Calenardhon which was soon to become Rohan and its people the Rohirrim or Eorlingas in
their own tongue. Eorl swore an eternal oath of friendship to
Gondor, that if Gondor called for aid the men of Rohan would answ
er. A relationship which would prove to be the
determining factor in the fate of both nations. Meanwhile, in the Northern part of Middle
Earth, the Dwarven peoples began to rise in prominence following the culmination of the
War in the North and the destruction of the Kingdom of Arnor at the hands of the Witch
King. This brave and hardy folk provided a counterbalance
to what could have potentially formed an overwhelming force of Orcs and Goblins in the Northern
realms. Chief among Dwarven realms
in wealth and significance
was the Kingdom of Erebor, situated in the Lonely Mountain overlooking the human settlement
of Dale. While Durin’s Folk had discovered significant
mineral deposits and begun the early process of establishing a settlement here as far back
as the Second Age, the importance of this realm was only truly felt following the fall
of Khazad-dûm, more commonly known as Moria. The Dwarves in this Kingdom had delved too
deep and too greedily and had awakened a remnant of the Fir
st Age, a Balrog of Morgoth who
drove the Dwarves from their homes in the Misty Mountains. So in the year TA 1999 King Thráin I led
his people to the Lonely Mountain becoming the first King under the Mountain. The minerals and precious stones they found
here made the people of Erebor immensely wealthy. Chief among their possession was the Arkenstone
- a jewel of incredible beauty which was discovered deep within the mountain and for the next
two hundred and eleven years would be the emblem of th
e Kingdom. This was until King Thorin I led his people
to the Grey Mountains to rejoin their kin: they were soon set upon by the dragons who
lived in this region, and the costly conflict forced the dwarves to abandon the Grey Mountains
in TA 2590. The Dwarves went their own ways with Grór
I and his followers settling in the region of the Iron Hills and Thorin’s great-grandson
Thrór returning to the Lonely Mountain to assume the title of King under the Mountain. Once more the Kingdom prospered be
coming the
envy of all who came in contact with it, among them those with dark intentions. Thrór continued to rule ably, joined by his
son Thráin II and grandson Thorin II who ensured that the line of succession would
be maintained in the coming years. The future seemed to be bright despite the
increasing greed of the dwarves, in particular, Thrór who now saw the Arkenstone as taking
precedence above all else. Everything was to change in TA 2770. on a warm afternoon as Thorin was out hunting:
a
gigantic shadow engulfed them and they glimpsed the immense shape of a Great Drake, the last
Great Dragon of Middle Earth Smaug. Riding towards Erebor, Thorin witnessed what
had hours earlier been determined impenetrable defences, torn asunder. The city of Dale lay in ruin, having been
devastated by waves of flame and the people of Erebor now found themselves exiled from
their homes once more. Great death and destruction ensued as Smaug
carved his way, making his home in the great vault of Erebo
r which was filled with gold
and jewels, along with the Arkenstone. Thrór, his son Thráin and several companions
managed to escape through a side door and join up with the thousands of survivors, who
Thorin had successfully brought to safety following his delayed return from his hunting
trip. The majority of the survivors relocated to
the Iron Hills joining their cousins, while the rest led by Thrór exiled themselves in
the hills of Dunland. Thrór found himself immensely depressed by
his inabili
ty to find a true home for his people, so he gave the last surviving Dwarven
ring of power and a detailed map of the Lonely Mountain, which included the locations of
several secret entrances and passes alongside a key to open such to his son, and alongside
one companion Nár traveled towards Moria. Arriving at the Eastern Gate Thrór despite
the urging of his companion passed through the open entrance to the ancestral home of
the Dwarven folk. Thrór was killed by the local Orcs, while
Nár was capt
ured. He was allowed to return to his people with
a message that dwarves will only find death in Moria, which was now ruled by Azog. The message was returned to Thráin III, who
sat in silence for seven days before deciding that the murder must be answered, beginning
the War of Dwarves and Orcs. Between TA 2790-2793 he amassed all the warriors
that the other Holds could spare, Thráin led his men to avenge his father. As they marched the Dwarves took every Goblin
hold from Methedras to Gundabad, s
laughtering their denizens. The War’s climax came in the year TA 2799
as the Dwarven host emerged upon the same valley that Thrór had been slain years earlier,
battle-hardened and prepared to do what was required. This would become known as the Battle of Azanulbizar
and the fighting was fierce with neither side willing to give an inch, the fury of the Dwarves
matched by the cruel strength which had been gifted to the Orcs. Yet the wound of Thrór’s death and the
deaths of so many others during th
e preceding war pushed Durin’s folk ever onwards. The battle hung on a knife’s edge, with
Thorin almost dying in the melee as his shield was shattered, before hefting a large piece
of oak and beating back his foes with it earning the moniker Oakenshield. It was at this point that the Dwarves of the
Iron Hills arrived, crashing the right flank of the Orcish host, driving them all the way
back to the Gate of Moria. With casualties mounting on either side, Lord
of the Iron Hills Náin cried out for
the Orcish leader who fled into Moria to fight
him. Returning from his flight Azog engaged the
Dwarven leader in single combat. Despite his valour, the elderly Dwarf could
not match the sheer strength of Azog and was slain as his son Dáin II Ironfoot looked
on helplessly. Immediately Dáin rushed up the steps avoiding
the blow of the gigantic Orc, while simultaneously landing a heavy blow to his knee. He then decapitated the slayer of his father
with a fell stroke of his axe, ending the war and c
ementing his legacy amongst Durin’s
folk. Most of the Orcs and half of the Dwarves were
slain in the battle, the aftermath was brutal for the Dwarves with half their number slain,
with many prominent longbeards dead. Thráin himself lost an eye and was left with
a limp. Despite this, he urged his people to continue
the conflict and take back Moria, with only the wisdom of the new Lord of the Iron Hills
preventing them from this ruinous course of action. Meanwhile, the son of Azog Bolg swore venge
ance
against the Dwarves. Thráin then relocated the remainder of his
people to the Blue Mountains, where they began to prosper. The ring has made Thráin restless and in
TA 2841 he left Thorin as the leader of his people and began a journey with a number of
his comrades, hopeful to reconquer the Lonely Mountain. At this point in time, unbeknownst to the
free peoples of Middle Earth Sauron had returned. Posing as a necromancer, he instructed his
followers to kidnap Thráin who was brought to the st
ronghold of Dol Guldur in the South
of Mirkwood. Here he was tortured for information, his
Ring of Power was taken and he was left to wander the land a broken soul. The stirrings of the rings and the appearance
of the Necromancer prompted the Valar to send 5 Maiar to the Middle Earth where they took
the shape of old wizards. One of them - Gandalf the Grey, was sent on
a mission from the White Council, a group of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth
entrusted with its protection, to investiga
te Dol Guldur. He met with the former King and was given
the key and map to the Lonely Mountain which he promised to pass to Thorin. Gandalf also discovered that the Necromancer
was Sauron, and urged the White Council to attack while he was weak, however another
wizard - Saruman urged caution. Gandalf then sought out Thorin who had begun
to work as a mercenary in order to aid his people. It was at Bree he would meet the King Under
the Mountain in Exile. Gandalf promised he would aid Thorin in re
claiming
his home, a cause he spoke of ardently and with such passion it swayed the Wizard. Gandalf began to make his preparations, sending
Thorin with a company of twelve Dwarves; Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori,
Ori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur to meet at Bagend in the Shire. Here they hired an unwilling Hobbit Bilbo
Baggins to operate as their burglar in their plan to infiltrate the Lonely Mountain and
retake their treasure. Setting out from the Shire, the group met
with a multitud
e of perils, nearly being eaten by Trolls until the intervention of Gandalf
as well as being ambushed by Orcs, Wargs, and Spiders. During this early period, they uncovered the
legendary weapons Glamdring and Orcrist which had been forged during the First Age in Gondolin,
with Gandalf taking the former and despite the typical Dwarven misgiving of Elvish weapons
Thorin taking the latter. The company rested in Rivendell, where Elrond
helped Gandalf with the translation of the runes on the map which
Thrór had bestowed
upon his descendants. The side passage was five feet tall and capable
of allowing three Dwarves to walk abreast, though unfortunately the keyhole could only
be found on Durin’s Day when the setting Sun and last moon of Autumn would shine their
light upon it. Gandalf’s group then headed Eastwards towards
the Misty Mountains where they unknowingly camped on the front porch of Goblin-Town and
were captured by the denizens of Moria. Gandalf who had evaded capture orchestrated
an
escape, killing the Great Goblin and freeing the Dwarves who then fought their way out
of the town. Bilbo, however, was knocked unconscious, but
due to his size was ignored by the Goblins and managed to crawl to safety finding a small
ring in the process. Continuing down the tunnel Bilbo met a former
river Hobbit Gollum, who now had been in possession of the ring for well over five hundred years
at this point. This led to a contest of riddles with Bilbo’s
life on the line, which he won. Gollum t
ried to attack Bilbo, but the latter
had discovered the power of the Ring and turned invisible allowing him to escape and reunite
with his companions. Unfortunately, the Company was now being chased
by Goblins and Wargs, and was forced to flee to the top of a number of pine trees. Gandalf began to set pinecones alight and
hurl them at his foes, which unfortunately began to set the surrounding landscape alight. Without the intervention of the Eagles of
Manwe, the Company may not have survived the
encounter. The Eagles brought them to their Eyrie, they
then traveled to the House of Beorn a skin-changer who either appeared as a large hairy powerful
man or a gigantic ferocious bear. At this point, Gandalf departed to join the
White Council in an assault on Dol Guldur. Despite the difficulties, they managed to
drive Sauron to his long-prepared keep of Barad-dûr. Meanwhile, Beorn provided the remainder of
the party with ponies to reach Mirkwood, where they encountered giant spiders and fough
t
them. The Wood-Elves of king Thranduil living in
the area intervened, capturing the Dwarves, citing the previous animosity as precedent. Bilbo, who escaped using the Ring. Bilbo infiltrated Thranduil’s Hall and was
able to break the dwarves out of the prison escape, making use of the barrels to traverse
the river and reach Lake-Town in Dale, now a small settlement of men which Smaug would
attack every once in a while. Support for the Dwarven company was overwhelming,
allowing them to rest and
recuperate there for a number of weeks before pressing on. The Company reached the side door depicted
in Thrór’s map in time for Durin’s Day allowing Thorin to open the door. Bilbo, who went forward alone as a scout discovered
that Smaug was awake. The dragon sensed the Hobbit, but the power
of the Ring kept his presence shrouded. During his surveillance, Bilbo noticed a small
chink in the armour of Smaug’s underbelly. Smaug soon discovered that Bilbo was attempting
to steal a goblet causing him
to go into a rage and fly out of the fortress. Bilbo urged the company to enter through the
side door and seal it behind them, saving their lives as Smaug set the entire area alight. Bilbo told the company of Smaug’s intentions
to destroy Lake-Town, this was overheard by a thrush, whose language the Daleman could
understand, and the bird flew to inform the final descendant of the former Lords of Dale
- Bard the Bowman. The latter had organised a company of archers
to fight Smaug, who attacked t
he Lake-Town. When Bard was down to his last arrow, the
thrush landed on his shoulder and whispered of Smaug’s weakness. Fortunately for the forces of Good, Bard’s
final arrow was the Black arrow of Dale an heirloom of Lord Girion of Dale forged by
King Thrór himself prior to the fall of Erebor. Bard launched this relic of a former age and
managed to hit the weak-spot dead center. The last great Dragon of Middle Earth died
immediately, falling from the sky and destroying Lake-Town in its entiret
y. Meanwhile, the Company had fortified Erebor
and Bilbo had uncovered the Arkenstone, however seeing the change in Thorin’s demeanour
and evidencing the same weakness which had poisoned his forefathers, Bilbo kept the jewel
from him. Word reached them of the death of Smaug, however,
this joy did not last long. The angered King Thranduil had arrived with
a large force lending his support to Bard and his men in their claims of recompense
due to the destruction of the Town at the hands of the drag
on they had wakened. Greed and hatred had poisoned Thorin’s noble
heart however, and he refused the claims of man and elf alike, preferring to defend behind
the walls of Erebor, while simultaneously sending a raven to his relative Dáin Lord
of the Iron Hills for support. In the meantime, he ordered the company to
search for the Arkenstone, while also pulling Bilbo aside to award him with a shirt of mithril
- an exceedingly expensive material, as a reward for his bravery throughout the quest. Thi
s affection did not last, as Bilbo, hoping
to avoid conflict, gave the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil before returning to the
Mountain to inform Thorin of his actions. The latter perceived this as treachery Bilbo,
banishing the Hobbit, who re-joined the newly returned Gandalf among the Elven host. Meanwhile, Dáin organised a company of 500
heavily armoured battle-hardened veterans of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs and soon
arrived leading to a stalemate between the three armies assembled. On
the Elvish side were 1000 highly competent
and peerless Elven spearman and swordsmen, supported by some 500 archers and accompanied
by 300 militiamen of Lake-Town led by Thranduil and Bard respectively. A battle almost ensued between both companies
had it not been for the intervention of Gandalf, who informed them that innumerable hordes
of Goblins led by Bolg were now marching directly towards them incited by previous hatreds alongside
slaying of the Great Goblin. Dáin, Thranduil, and Bard agre
ed that the
oncoming host of Orcs, Wargs, and Bats which outnumbered them massively, should be their
core concern. The generals lined their forces at the spurs
of the mountain, with the Dwarves and Men on the left and the Elves on the right. A light rear-guard was placed in between the
two forces, in order to entice the orcs to attack allowing them to be encircled and destroyed. Bilbo attempted to sit out the battle on the
Elven-held Ravenhill, where he was accompanied by Gandalf. The fighting e
nsued as the Orcs and Wargs
crashed forward, with the Bats supporting them like a sea of locusts. Initially the allied plan worked perfectly
as the enemy vanguard rushed to the choke point in the center taking massive losses. However, the sheer weight of the numbers ensured
this advantage was not held for long on the part of Allied forces. The second wave was far worse, with orcs scaling
the sides of the spurs to attack the Free Folk from the side and rear while the main
wave engaged them from t
heir initial starting point. The allies were hard-pressed and were barely
surviving the onslaught, and it seemed that the battle would soon be over. It was at this point a great shout went up
from the Lonely Mountain. Thorin Oakenshield finally realised the folly
of his ways and crashed forwards with his fellow companions. Their emergence upon the battlefield inspired
the Free Folk. Their charge was so unexpected and the weapons
and armour uncovered within Erebor so effective, that the company p
ushed its way through the
entirety of the Orcish center, rallying their faltering allies as they passed. Here they reached the monumentally sized bodyguards
of Bolg through whom they could not force their way. Battle lines and tactics soon devolved into
an unorganized and chaotic melee with no quarter being given on either side, and it seemed
as if a stalemate had ensued, which would ultimately favour the Orcs who outnumbered
the valourous of the Dwarves, Men, and Elves who stood together on tha
t day. It was at this point Bilbo let out the cry,
“The Eagles are Coming”. Indeed, the lord of the Great Eagles Gwaihir
had led hundreds of his kind to aid the Free Folk in their desperate conflict, just as
the tide had begun to turn against them. This shout was taken up by the entirety of
the allied force, before Bilbo was unfortunately knocked unconscious by a stray rock to the
head. The battle began to swing finally in favour
of the Free Folk, as the Eagles decimated the Orcish lines in swoo
ping maneuvers relieving
much of the pressure placed upon both spurs and Thorin in the center. However, the engagement, that would be later
called the Battle of the Five Armies was truly won when Beorn arrived in his form as a bear
of gargantuan size and crashed into the goblinkind. Just at this point Thorin attempted to break
through and slay Bolg, but was mortally wounded in the attempt. Beorn seeing this brushed through the Orcish
lines, in order to carry Thorin’s broken body to safety. Seein
g the wounded King Under the Mountain
and further enraged by it, Beorn returned to the fray filled with wrath and seeking
vengeance. He smashed the ranks of Bolg’s bodyguards,
before slaying the mighty Orc himself in single combat, destroying the morale of the Orcs
who were left as easy pickings for the battered, but unbroken Free Folk to decimate. Panicking and scattering they were slaughtered
en masse, with many more losing their lives in Mirkwood as Thranduil’s people showed
them no mercy. So
on after the battle, Thorin succumbed to
his wounds, before he did so however he reconciled with Bilbo ultimately stating, “If more
of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But, sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell.” The Battle had been won but at a massive cost,
the Free Folk suffered heavy casualties including Thorin King Under the Mountain and his nephews
Fili and Kili, among many other Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Whereas, on the part of the Or
cs the casualties
were catastrophic with very few of them surviving forever shattering the power of the Orcs in
the North and denying Sauron a further power base for the Great War which was to come. The Kingdom Under the Mountain was reformed
with the titles of King Under the Mountain and King of Durin’s Folk passing to Dáin,
while the Kingdom of Dale was restored with Bard as its new King who went on to rebuild
Lake-Town which became a thriving capital. These two newly reformed nations would be
come
true bastions of the North in the ensuing war against Sauron, while Gandalf had achieved
all of his goals, foremost among them the destruction of Smaug who Sauron could have
used to devastating effect during the War of the Ring. Throughout the Third Age, the Kingdoms of
Gondor and Rohan continued to grow closer as allies. However, the increasing influence of Sauron
led to coordinated attacks against the remaining human kingdoms preventing them from helping
each other. The Dunlendings, who w
ere the original inhabitants
of Calenardhon, which became Rohan, were driven north by Eorl’s people, and proved to be
a threat. Invading the region from the West they took
the abandoned Numenorean fortress of Isengard in 2710 of the Third Age. Rohan was then ruled by king Helm Hammerhand. One of his vassals - Freca was growing strong
in the west and in 2754 demanded the hand of Helm’s daughter for his son Wulf. The king refused and mocked Freca, which prompted
a duel between the two, during whic
h the noble was killed. Enraged, Helm declared Freca’s family the
enemies of the king, forcing Wulf to run away and join the Dunlendings. We don’t know how, but Wulf soon became
the leader of the Dunlendings, and built an alliance with the Easterlings and the Corsairs
of Umbar, possibly helped by Sauron. During the so-called Long Winter of 2758,
Corsairs and Haradrim attacked Gondor, preventing it from coming to Rohan’s aid, while Wulf
and his allies attacked the horse-lords. Unable to defend ag
ainst the overwhelming
numbers, Helm was defeated at the Crossings of Isen. The majority of the Rohirrim fled to the fortress
Súthburg, which would be known as Hornrbug or Helm’s Deep afterwards, while Edoras
was defended by the king’s son Haleth. Wulf soon killed Haleth and took the capital
declaring himself the king. His armies besieged Súthburg leading to a
long and costly winter investment. It is said that Helm fought ferociously, leading
countless sallies against the enemy, but hunger and d
windling numbers were too much and sometime
in early 2759 the king died, along with many of his people. The details are lost, but the siege was lifted
either by the Rohirrim or because the Dunlendings got tired of maintaining it. Regardless, the Long Winter was finally over
in March of 2759 and Helm’s nephew Fréaláf Hildeson used the spring floods and led a
contingent of Rohirrim down from Dunharrow, where a group of his people had survived,
towards Edoras. Taking the Dunlendings entirely by sur
prise,
they routed the defending force, killing Wulf and successfully reclaiming their capital. It is at this point a force of Gondorians
joined with Fréaláf’s troops and their combined might prevailed over the invaders
sending them back to the Western wastes. Fréaláf was then crowned King with an unlikely
visitor coming to the coronation, Saruman the White greatest of the Wizards of Middle
Earth bearing gifts and expressing admiration for the courage of the Horse Lords. Seeing the weaknesses in
the Western defences
of Rohan, Steward of Gondor Beren bestowed the fortress of Isengard to Saruman alongside
the Palantir and all other items which could be found within its ancient walls. Fréaláf was happy with this arrangement,
as the war had been costly in terms of men and horses while Saruman would provide a stable
ally and wise counsel. Further issues arose for the Rohirrim as the
orcs who had been driven from the North during the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, found their
way to Rohan. Thi
s led to numerous raids and much suffering
on the part of the Horse Lords, until the destruction of the last great Orc hold in
Rohan by King Folca in TA 2864. It was under the reign of Folca’s son Folcwine
that Rohan finally returned to its earlier stability and strength. Fortunately, this was just in time for the
Rohirrim to aid Gondor when the Haradrim invaded yet again in 2885. Folcwine sent his sons Folcred and Fastred
to lead the forces of Rohan against an immense army of the Haradrim. Alth
ough the combined forces of Gondor and
Rohan ultimately prevailed at the Battle of the Crossing of Poros, the allied losses were
immense and both Folcred and Fastred were slain, so it was Folcwine’s youngest son
Fengel who took up the crown of Rohan, weakening the Kingdom by squabbling with his advisors
and warriors alike, undoing much of the work of his father. Meanwhile, in what was formerly Arnor, the
descendants of the Last King Arvedui now known as the Dúnedain protected the remaining inhab
itants
of the region from the horrors surviving these Great Northern Wars. They were known as the Rangers of the North,
highlighting the ignorance of the men and hobbits who populated the land. Aranarth the son of the last King of Arnor
had taken up the mantle of Chieftain of the Dúnedain and since his passing there had
been sixteen more such Chieftains. Hunters in the Dark and protectors of the
people they slew orcs and abominations unwilling to surrender to the tide of evil. With each conflict
, their numbers dwindled
and by the Chieftainship of Arathorn the once mighty defenders of the North were a mere
shadow of their former prowess. However, Arathorn’s son Aragorn II would
prove to be the greatest of their number. Following the death of Arathorn during a battle
with an Orc raiding party, the two-year-old Aragorn was sent to Rivendell to be fostered
by his distant relative Elrond, however at the request of his mother his lineage was
kept a secret. When he was twenty it was revealed
that he
was the last descendant of Anarion and Isildur’s one true heir, with Elrond bestowing upon
the young man the Shards of Narsil. It is also around this time the young Chieftain
met and fell in love with Elrond’s daughter Arwen. Aragorn met with the wizard Gandalf the Gray
in 2956, and the latter advised him to instruct the Dúnedain to guard the Shire, where the
hobbits lived, at all costs. From 2957 to 2980, Aragorn served in the army
of Rohan using the name Thorongil, under the newly crow
ned King Thengel and met the young
Prince Théoden. He fought with such valour that it increased
the morale of the Free Peoples and actively countered the rising strength of Mordor in
the East. Unfortunately, at this time Saruman’s use
of Palantir led to his corruption by Sauron by his use of the Palantir. He began to make trouble for the Rohirrim
and openly declared himself to be the Lord of Isengard. Sauron, fully ensconced in his fortress at
Barad-dûr was breeding massive armies of Orcs and dr
awn to him were his most powerful
servants - the Nine Ringwraiths. His preparations for the coming war were nearing
completion. Aragorn then moved to Gondor becoming a Lieutenant
in the army and beloved by his men, he led a force to Umbar in 2980, burning the corsair
fleet and preventing an invasion of Gondor. However, soon after he left his post to the
disappointment of his men and went East. Arriving in Lorien he asked Arwen to marry
him. His proposal was accepted, but Elrond refused
his permi
ssion until such a time that Aragorn would be King of Arnor and Gondor. Meanwhile, Gandalf visited his old friend
Bilbo during his 111th birthday in 3001 and convinced the hobbit to leave the ring to
his nephew Frodo, with Bilbo embarking on one of his final journeys to Rivendell where
he would enjoy some well-earned rest. Gandalf at this stage had become increasingly
suspicious of the Ring fearing that it may in fact be more than just a mere Ring of Power. Gandalf asked Aragorn to leave Rangers
to
watch over the Shire and hunt down the previous owner of the ring - Gollum. In 3017 Aragorn captured Gollum in the Dead
Marshes and brought him to the Halls of Thranduil in Mirkwood. Gollum was questioned by Gandalf here, revealing
that he had earlier been captured and interrogated by the Dark Lord, revealing the words “Shire”
and “Baggins” during his torture. Alarmed by this Gandalf made with all haste
to the Shire and in his absence an Orc attack allowed Gollum to escape and make his way
t
o the Mines of Moria. Gandalf’s suspicions started to be confirmed:
the full strength of Mordor had returned and the weakened states of Rohan and Gondor were
at a severe disadvantage as Sauron both had superior numbers and managed to surround them
by enemies on all sides. Sauron was also an adept strategist and while
his initial plans to utilise Smaug had been rendered impotent by Gandalf and his company,
he still held the upper hand. The Dark Lord decided to use his strength
to destroy the King
dom of Gondor which was his strongest opponent despite years of decay
and stagnation at the hands of the Stewards. Osgiliath was a shell of its former glory
following years of war and the increased importance and focus placed upon the new capital of Minas
Tirith would be vital in any such attack on Gondor. Positioned on the Anduin River, it provided
the only proper crossing point for hundreds of miles either up or downstream. Half of the city lay on either side of the
river and as such, it would
prove no easy task to take the fortress city. If the city should fall it would open up the
Gondorian capital to a direct assault, which at this stage of the war may have proved fatal
given the disunity of the forces of an. Sauron however, was extremely patient and
rather than reveal the utmost extent of his forces preferred to use the assault as a probing
one in order to test the strength of the Steward Denethor II, who he had begun to influence
through the Palantir years earlier. This also pro
vided the perfect cover for the
Nazgul to cross the Anduin unnoticed in their journey towards the Shire in search of the
Ring. The first true battle of the War of the Ring
began with a massive army of Orcs, Easterlings, and Haradrim led by the Witch-King of Angmar
himself, assaulting the Eastern bank. The sons of the Steward and Captains of Gondor
Boromir and Faramir were entirely blindsided by this assault, but they managed to hastily
mount a defence, showing skill and valour. Soon, the untold
numbers began to weigh upon
the disciplined professional soldiers of Gondor, who were supported by the Rangers of Ithilien. Unable to hold ground in fear of the Witch
King, the Gondorians were pushed to the river bank by the former King of Angmar’s forces. Seeing no other alternative Faramir and Boromir
gave the order for the last bridge over the Anduin to be destroyed, while they led a desperate
rear-guard action, hoping to buy enough time for the bridge to be brought down. The fighting was fie
rce as the stalwart Gondorians
refused to give an inch, willing to fight to the last man as each and every one of them
were aware of what the consequences of their failure might be. Fortunately, it was just enough to save the
Western portion of the city, and seeing that the bridge had been destroyed the two brothers
alongside the surviving two soldiers of their company launched themselves into the powerful
flow of the Anduin and just about managed to swim to the other bank. The Eastern portion o
f the city was now fully
under Sauron’s control opening up the possibility of the entire city falling. Gandalf at this point received news from another
Wizard - Radagast the Brown, that his presence was requested by his superior Saruman the
White. Gandalf wrote a letter to Frodo urging him
to leave the Shire with all haste before making his way to Isengard. His message never arrived, and Frodo decided
to leave for Bree himself. Accompanied by fellow Hobbits Samwise Gamgee,
Peregrin Took and Meri
adoc Brandybuck, he barely evaded the Nazgul who had been sent
to capture him. When the Hobbits reached the Prancing Pony
inn in Bree, they were dismayed to discover that Gandalf was not there. They were instead greeted by a mysterious
Ranger known as Strider. Unbeknownst to them, Saruman had been swayed
by the Dark Lord and desired the power of the Ring for himself, and when Gandalf refused
to join him Saruman imprisoned the Gray wizard on the highest level of his tower - Orthanc. Gandalf was r
escued by his dear friend the
leader of the Great Eagles Gwaihir. Meanwhile, Aragorn was escorting the Hobbits
towards Rivendell. At the watchtower of Weathertop, they were
attacked by the Nazgul: the Witch-King stabbed Frodo, before Aragorn and the hobbits drove
them off. This put Frodo’s life in immediate danger,
forcing the group to move with all haste towards Rivendell in order to avail of Elvish healing,
with the Ringwraiths in pursuit. They were met by the Elf-Lord Glorfindel,
who drove of
f four Nazgul chasing them, escorting the party to the Ford of Bruinen. Here Elrond unleashed a flood driving off
the servants of Sauron and buying them enough time to save Frodo’s life. So began the Council of Elrond on October
25th 3018, wherein the representatives of the free peoples discussed what to do with
the ring. Eventually, it was decided that it had to
be destroyed in Mount Doom, where it was forged. Dwarf Gimli son of Gloin, Elven prince of
Woodland Realm Legolas, and Boromir of Gond
or joined Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Aragorn,
and Gandalf becoming known as the Fellowship of the Ring. On the 25th of December, they set out from
Rivendell upon a quest that would determine the fate of all of Middle Earth. Unable to traverse the Gap of Rohan due to
the proximity of Saruman and also blocked from taking the Pass of Caradhras due to a
snowstorm conjured by the afore-mentioned Wizard, they were forced to take the path
of the Mines of Moria. They barely survived an attack by the Wat
cher
in the Water, and their journey continued and a number of days later they came upon
the Chamber of Mazarbul, with Gollum tailing them through the entire ordeal. Wherein stood the Tomb of Balin, who had served
in the company of Thorin Oakenshield, and attempted to retake his ancestral home but
died with his comrades in the process. Unfortunately, Pippin’s clumsiness alerted
to the presence of the Fellowship and a battle ensued as a company of Orcs led by a troll
attempted to storm the chambe
r. The group won the battle and fled, however,
it was not just Orcswhich Pippin had awoken, Durin’s Bane the last of the Great Balrogs
of Morgoth now pursued them. Reaching the Bridge of Khazad-Dum, the Balrog
revealed itself and Gandalf the Grey stepped forward to meet it, shouting aloud, “You
cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder
of the flame of Anor! You cannot pass! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of
Udûn! Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass!” Baiting the Balrog
on to the narrow bridge
above the chasm he smote it with his staff and cast the fiery beast down, before being
caught by its whip and dragged in. His last words to his companions were “Fly
you Fools”. Elsewhere, Saruman had finally forged an army,
in order to set himself up as an equal to Sauron. In doing so he had torn down the trees within
Isengard and the surrounding area in order to fuel his forges of industry. He ordered Orcish and Dunlending raids upon
the ailing Kingdom of Rohan, whose Ki
ng he had begun to corrupt and sway towards inaction
and frailty. The culmination of his experiments on the
Orcs was the Fighting Uruk-Hai, a breed of half Orc half humans, who were many times
stronger than their Orcish brethren. Yet the true core of their strength lay in
the fact that unlike the Orcs, they were totally unaffected by sunlight, making use of this
vital characteristic he dispatched the strongest of his experiments to hunt down the Fellowship. Aragorn, who was now leader of the com
pany,
brought them to Lothlorien, where they were greeted by Galadriel the fairest of all the
Elves. Frodo offered her the Ring, but she resisted
the temptation, instead aiding the Fellowship, bestowing upon them a number of gifts. The Fellowship passed the famous statues of
Argonaths and continued down the River Anduin, setting up camp on the Western Side of the
Lake of Nen Hithoel. Unfortunately, Boromir had slowly been seduced
by the power of the Ring; despite his innate virtues, the weakness
that swayed Isildur
so many years before was alive in him. Giving in to his weakness he attempted to
take the Ring from Frodo, but the hobbit put on the ring and used the invisibility it was
granting to hide from the captain of Gondor. Realizing that his actions were due to the
taint of the One Ring, Boromir returned to the camp sorrowful for what had just transpired
between himself and the Ringbearer only to be confronted by Aragorn. Attempting to present his version of events,
the rest of the
Fellowship clearly believed that there was more to the argument however
Aragorn refused to press the issue further. The Fellowship then scattered in a misguided
attempt to find the Ringbearer with Boromir being tasked with protecting Merry and Pippin,
while Aragorn raced after Sam who feared desperately for Frodo’s safety. Fleeing from the initial encounter with Boromir
and believing he should now take the ring by himself, Frodo met with Samwise Gamgee
who refused to let his dear friend depart
without him and both of them crossed to the
Eastern Bank. This was only allowed by the distraction caused
by Merry and Pippin who had run into a group of Uruk Hai, Boromir came to their aid and
was initially able to drive off the party of Orcs. More and more Uruks came to assault the group
however believing the two hobbits to be the ones they had been tasked with retrieving
by Saruman. Fighting like a man possessed Boromir held
off swathes of Uruk-Hai warriors while the two Hobbits threw stones
at the oncoming enemy
forces in order to earn their companion some more time. Unable to defeat Boromir in hand-to-hand combat,
the Uruk-Hai proceeded to shoot at him with black arrows from behind, eventually bringing
the Gondorian down though not before he broke his blade in combat, slaying one more Uruk
before he could stand no longer. He did not die though and was forced to look
on as the Hobbits were taken, the Uruk-Hai now taking them to their master in Isengard
and what they believed to be
the ringbearer. Aragorn arrived first with all of the Uruk-Hai
having already left and came upon his now dying Companion who lay against a tree pierced
all over by black arrows and carrying his broken sword. His final words to Aragorn before he passed
urged the Heir of Isildur to take up the mantle only could truly carry, “Farewell Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed.” With this passed Boromir the eldest son of
the Steward Denethor. The remnants of the shattered fellows
hip prepared
a short funeral for their fallen brother, placing his body alongside his shattered horn
and sword before allowing the tide to bring him over the falls and unto rest, before turning
towards Rohan and giving pursuit in order to recover the captured Hobbits. Meanwhile Frodo and Sam continued their journey
ever Eastwards, stalked by a cunning Gollum and entirely unsure of the way they must take. Following the fierce confrontation between
Gandalf and the Balrog of Morgoth at the Bridge o
f Khazad-dûm, they both fell into the depths
of the mountain. Gandalf was burned by the flaming entity on
this long fall, before plunging into an icy cold lake which almost stilled, but continued
the fight. Weakened by the ice-cold water the Balrog
fled up the Endless Stair before arriving upon the highest point in Durin’s Tower
where the final fight happened. The fighting was brutal, but Gandalf drew
upon his last ounce of strength and struck down his enemy, finally bringing to an end
the hatef
ul legacy of Morgoth, master of Sauron and the greatest of all evil. The battle had taken ten days and Gandalf
lay broken up the rocks, his life force slowly fading away following the duel. His body eventually gave in to the weight
of time and the immensity of his wounds, yet his spirit did not perish. He was the Istari sent to Middle Earth by
the creator of the world, and his mission was deemed to be incomplete in the face of
the rising tides of darkness in the Third Age, so He was returned to
Middle Earth, with
far greater strength than he had upon his initial landing in Middle Earth. Gandalf was later found by the Lord of the
Eagles Gwaihir and brought to Lothlórien, where the remainder of his wounds were healed
in their entirety. The Elves bestowed upon him new robes of white
signifying that in the face of the betrayal of Saruman he was now chief among the Istari. Armed with a new staff of immense power Gandalf
the White set out to turn the tide of the War of the Ring. In the meant
ime, Frodo and Sam, having been
lost in the crags of the Emyn Muil for some time, were ambushed by the former wielder
of the Ring Gollum. They defeated the broken shell of a hobbit,
but despite Sam’s urging, Frodo refused to kill the deranged being - pity which had
stayed Bilbo’s hand years earlier guiding him. Instead, Gollum was forced to swear an oath
on the Ring to serve its master Frodo and act as a guide to the two hobbits. With his guidance they soon reached the location
of the great batt
le of Dagorlad fought during the War of the Last Alliance. This area now known as the Dead Marshes was
disorienting, and without Gollum’s finding a hidden path, they would not have been able
to cross the swamps. Yet even here the eye of Sauron was as keen
as ever, with the Lord of Nazgul flying overhead upon a Fellbeast searching for the Ring. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas made
their way to Rohan, once a realm of honour, now altered fundamentally due to the treachery
of Saruman, its mili
tary unrecognizable to Aragorn who had served with it decades before. King Théoden who, had shown such promise
at a young age, had grown old and weary as by the time of the War of the Ring he had
reigned for forty years. Unbeknownst to the noble king, his chief counselor,
a native of Rohan, Grima, who soon was to be nicknamed Wormtongue was in the employ
of Saruman and was slowly poisoning Theoden’s food, slowly corrupting his mind and weakening
both the King and the Kingdom. His strategic advic
e of constant retreat left
the countryside defenceless. The king himself was kept in the palace leaving
the protection of the realm in the hands of Théoden’s son Théodred and his nephew
Éomer. Saruman recognised the need to remove this
last bastion of heroism and valour in Rohan and soon set in motion his plan to destroy
the Rohirrim. The defenders of the realm knew that they
had to keep the crossings over the river Isen, in order to prevent the unification of the
enemy forces. The crossing poin
t on the River Isen was crucial
as it was the only such point in which a large army could cross, and Saruman had already
managed to sneak a small force across to gain a foothold. Théodred learned of this and secretly moved
the troops directly under his command to get rid of that threat. On February 23, 3019 of the Third Age, the
riders of Rohan scored an easy victory here, destroying the enemy unit. In the aftermath, Théodred initially displayed
the tactical acumen of his ancestor Eorl and decid
ed to defend the crossings against any
future incursions. However, soon the young Prince heard of a
great force gathering in Isengard. On the 24th of February, attempting to pre-empt
this massive force assaulting Rohan, Théodred left three companies of cavalry to guard the
ford, taking with him eight companies of cavalry and a company of bowmen to meet the forces
of the wizard. Unfortunately for him, Saruman had already
amassed his forces and was able to send a detachment to the west to lie in w
ait for
the force of Rohan. Théodred unwittingly walked into the trap
laid for him. Initially, his horsemen crushed a force of
Orcs twenty miles north of the Fords, but with that, the prince dashed headlong into
the main Isengard host. The riders of Rohan still had a chance to
win this engagement, but soon they were attacked by the ambushing force. Their flank lost cohesion and they suffered
many casualties. Seeing his position was untenable, Théodred
ordered a retreat to the Fords with the Orcs
and Uruk-Hai in fierce pursuit. Here, Grimbold was given command of the troops
on the Western side of the river, with Théodred forming up on a small hilly islet in the center
of the Fords in order to cover Grimbold should he be forced to retreat. But Isengard had another army on the eastern
side of Isen and a flanking force of Wargs and two battalions of Orcs attacked the Rohirrim
here, forcing the riders to flee South along the river being chased by the Orcs the entire
time. The remainder of t
he Orcs on the Eastern bank
alongside a large number of Dunlending raiders then crashed into Théodred’s rear, while
Grimbold’s forces were simultaneously attacked on the Western bank. Surrounded and outnumbered, Théodred cried
for help exclaiming, “To me Éorlingas!”. His call was answered by Grimbold who led
a small contingent towards the hill to save his Liege. Grimbold however would arrive too late, only
to see Théodred mortally wounded by an Orc who Grimbold in his fury struck down. The de fa
cto leader of the Rohirrim now found
himself in the same position as the son of the King, surrounded and likely to be slaughtered
at any given moment. That is until a horn was sounded on the Eastern
Bank with the rising of the Sun. Another distinguished Captain of Rohan, Elfhelm
led four companies of cavalry from Edoras and surprised Saruman’s forces, who were
blinded by the burning light of the Sun, always dangerous for the Orcs. Isengard’s soldiers believed that they had
been attacked by a far
greater host with many fleeing. Two companies were sent to slaughter the fleeing
Orcs, while Elfhelm led the remainder of his forces to relieve Grimbold on the hill, thundering
into the Dunlendings who threatened to overwhelm the beleaguered defenders. The Dunlendings were slaughtered to a man
and Elfhelm arrived just in time to prevent Grimbold’s death at the hands of a Dunlending
pike. Unfortunately, Théodred lay dying and the
two Captains of Rohan knelt beside him as he gave his final words
before dying moments
later: “Let me lie here to protect the fords, until Éomer arrives”. Théodred’s body was buried where he fell
so he could guard the Fords in perpetuity, while his death made Éomer the heir to the
throne of Rohan. Still, Isengard had more than enough forces
to threaten Rohan. After the first battle of Isen, the command
of the forces garrisoned there was given to Erkenbrand of the Westfold, however until
such time as he would arrive from Helm’s Deep command was shared between E
lfhelm and
Grimbold. Erkenbrand, a warrior of high esteem, who
had previously retired from service, but returned to his post seeing the threat posed to Rohan,
left a force of a thousand warriors to guard Helm’s Deep and ordered a general retreat
of the populace to the fortress before heading out to assume his command. While he was on his way, Grimbold was still
leading the force at Isen. He stationed his foot soldiers at the Ford
and the remainder of his men with Elfhelm on the Eastern Bank wher
e he assumed the attack
would come. The force sent by Saruman was comparatively
small but still far outnumbered the Rohirrim garrisoned there. In early March, the wizard’s soldiers attacked,
forcing Grimbold to retreat across the Ford with heavy casualties. Rohan’s infantry, helmed by its leader made
their last stand here assuming aid would come from Elfhelm, however Warg-Riders had made
their way through the gap in the two flanks and threatened to surround Elfhelm’s force. Elfhelm, aware of the
danger posed to Grimbold
still sounded the retreat in the face of inevitable encirclement. Seeing torches on the other bank Grimbold
now knew the full might of Isengard was set to bear down upon his position. He also retreated back to his camp, where
a shield wall was formed. The forces of Isengard broke upon this redoubt
time and again, yet the Captain of Rohan knew he could not maintain this line indefinitely. Forming two groups of riders, he sent them
to simultaneously attack both the North
and South enemy flanks and in the ensuing confusion
his troops were able to flee the battlefield and join up with the remnants of the army
now commanded by Erkenbrand. While the army was preserved by the brave
conduct of Grimbold, Rohan now lay open for invasion. Still, Saruman’s plan had been delayed,
which probably saved the Rohirrim. The army of Erkenbrand was still in the field,
but it wasn’t capable of stopping Isengard’s advance and Rohirrim slowly dispersed around
the countryside. While t
hese battles were raging, Éomer and
his Éored, which was a company of one hundred and twenty riders of Rohan, had been tracking
down a company of Uruk-Hai and Orcs who had been carrying Merry and Pippin to Isengard. The mounted Rohirrim were fast, and the fact
that there was no unity among the enemy forces helped them gain ground. Indeed, the group about to be attacked by
Éomer consisted of Saruman’s Uruk-Hai and a mixed group of Orcs from Moria and Mordor
led by Grishnákh. These factions had th
eir own disagreements
as Morian Orcs wanted to kill the Hobbits to avenge their brethren killed by the Fellowship,
while the leader of Uruk-Hai Uglúk had orders to bring them to Saruman. At the same time, Grishnákh suspecting that
Uglúk’s prisoners are connected to the Ring and was eager to bring them to his master
in Mordor. At this point, the Orcs stopped and started
arguing on their course of action, allowing Éomer’s scout to notice them and gallop
to his commander to bring the news. The argu
ment the enemy was having ended in
the only way it could have and Uglúk killed some of the Orcs to show how serious he is
about fulfilling his master’s orders. The Orcs and Uruk-Hai would have probably
continued fighting amongst themselves, but they noticed the approaching Rohan horsemen
and decided that it was time to flee. Their best hope was to enter the nearby forest,
which they hoped would negate the speed of the Rohirrim. Éomer was outnumbered almost 2-to-1, but
his troops were clearly sup
erior. To not allow the Orcs to escape, the horsemen
hemmed the enemy in along the river Entwash and started pushing them northwest. The Orcs, already tired from their long trek,
started to slow down as the pursuit continued. The stragglers were shot by the Rohirrim arrows,
as the horsemen moved in to kill and then retreated to avoid the Orcish bows. Finally Uglúk creatures reached a small hill
outside of the Forest of Fangorn, which they encamped on. Éomer didn’t attack immediately, probably
no
t wanting to lose any of his men, but still surrounded the Orcs on 3 sides. Not really fond of the forests, the Orcs were
not eager to enter Fangorn, but Uglúk still sent a few to scout ahead. None of them returned and Uglúk decided to
abandon his initial idea. Hoping that the hobbits can be used as hostages,
he loudly ordered his Orcs to kill them if the Rohirrim attempt to attack. Éomer sent in a few of his scouts, who crawled
into the Orcish camp, killing a few and then disappearing. This dis
tracted Uglúk and his rival Grishnákh
used that to try and escape with the Hobbits. However, he was discovered by a rider of Rohan
and killed. The whole commotion in the Orcish camp made
the Rohirrim close in a little bit and it was then a new unit of Uruk-Hai entered the
fray. Mauhur was leading one of the scouting parties
sent by Saruman to find Uglúk and assist him, but he would ultimately fail, as Éomer
sent in his reserve, whose charge easily scattered the Uruk-Hai. At dawn, the Rohirrim fi
nally attacked the
enemies on the hill and Uglúk’s soldiers shot the last of their arrows, killing a few. Uglúk amassed his best warriors and attempted
to break out of the encirclement. Initially, his counter-attack worked and more
riders were killed, but soon Éomer approached the leader of the Uruk-Hai, dismounted and
started dueling him, soon slaying the killer of Boromir. The last few Orcs who attempted to flee were
slaughtered. In the confusion of the battle the two Hobbits
had escaped into
the Forest and here they were met by chief of the Ents Treebeard and
Gandalf the White, who let them accompany Treebeard to the Entmoot which would decide
whether they would fight in the War to come. Outside of the forest, Éomer met with Aragorn’s
group the next day and provided them with two horses, before returning to Edoras where
he recounted his meeting with the Ranger, the Elf and the Dwarf. For failing to capture and bring these fugitives
to Edoras, he was beaten and imprisoned. Left dishe
artened and believing the Hobbits
to be dead, Legolas and Gimli were despondent, a stark contrast to Aragorn, whose superior
tracking skills led him to believe that the Hobbits yet lived. The three entered the forest, but instead
of the Hobbits, they found the newly resurrected Gandalf. The wizard knew that he needed to help Rohan
in this war if the forces of the good hoped to win, so summoning the greatest of all Horses
in Middle Earth Shadowfax and with all haste the four of them made their wa
y to Edoras. Arriving at the Great Hall and seeing a defeated
people, Gandalf realized that Théoden was being corrupted. He deposed King’s advisor Grima, casting
him out from the city, freeing Éomer and healing the effects of the poison on Théoden. With the king healed and now of clear mind,
they had to decide what to do next to save Rohan. Gandalf knew that Theoden doesn’t have enough
troops to fight an open battle and advised him to move to the impregnable Helm’s Deep,
while he himself rode to
find Erkerbrand. Initially the king wanted to ignore the wizard’s
council, so he left 1000 soldiers to defend Edoras, while the civilian population was
ordered to move to Dunharrow under the command of his niece Eowyn. The king’s host moved towards Isen to reinforce
it, but met the survivors of the battle of the Ford. It was clear that defending at the Helm’s
Deep was the only choice the Rohirrim had left, so Theoden started moving there. Despite being advised by Grima that the walls
of the for
tress were impenetrable, Saruman had devised a solution with his sorcery: the
Fires of Orthanc - immensely destructive explosives. If placed in the weak spot of the Deeping
Wall, a culvert that allowed water to pass from the Glittering Caves out of the fortress,
the Fires of Orthanc would destroy it. While the armies of Rohan and Isengard were
on their way to fight a decisive battle at the Helm’s Deep, the ancient race of Ents
was deliberating what actions they should take and after three days t
he Entmoot decided
that they would attack Isengard in what came to be known as the Last March of the Ents. Théoden arrived at Helm’s Deep and met
with the commander of the fortress in the absence of Erkenbrand, Gamling the Old who
had a force of thousand defenders of varying quality as the majority of the finest fighters
had followed Erkenbrand to the Fords. With the forces of Théoden, the Rohirrim
numbered just under three thousand soldiers, allowing for the defences to be fully manned. Saruman
’s army consisted of Uruk-Hai, the
Wild Men of Dunland, Orcs and Half-Orcs and due to casualties suffered at the Fords was
reinforced prior to arrival meaning the ten thousand Uruk-Hai and their auxiliary forces
arrived on the 3rd of March. Despite the best preparations of those now
standing atop the walls of the Hornburg, the situation remained a desperate one, causing
Legolas to finally turn aside the lifelong enmity of the Elves towards their Dwarven
counterpart and speak faithfully to his co
mpanion, “But you comfort me, Gimli, I'm glad to
have you standing nigh with your stout legs and your hard axe. I wish there were more of your kin among us. But even more would I give for a hundred good
archers of Mirkwood.” Newly made friends decided to test each other’s
mettle by counting the enemies they would kill in the upcoming battle. The battle began with the Uruks attacking
the first line of defences of Hornburg known as the Helm’s Dike. This was an ancient trench and rampart about
a qu
arter of a mile below the fortress and stretched for a mile or more across the valley. It was immensely steep in some places reaching
twenty feet high at its peak and the gap in the middle was also extremely wide, allowing
for Théoden’s rearguard to exact heavy casualties before abandoning the fortification. They were able to fill the trench with the
corpses of Uruks and men of Dunland before retreating back to the fortress proper. Passing the dike, the Uruks launched a hail
of crossbow bolts an
d arrows at the fortress but received no reply. Deceived by the eerie silence of the defenders
they approached the fortifications and were surprised by a hail of arrows and rocks forcing
them to lose cohesion and break ranks. Yet even in this disordered state and despite
heavy losses, the weight of their numbers allowed them to push forward and assault the
main gate using tree trunks as battering rams. The gate barely held creaking and buckling
under the pressure. Requiring time to shore up thei
r defences
Théoden sent an advance party of Aragorn, Gimli and Éomer through a small side gate
and out on to the Causeway in order to buy time. The ploy was successful and the heroes managed
to cause casualties, but then were counterattacked. As Aragorn and Éomer attempted to retreat
through the side gate, the horse lord was set upon by several Orcs and if not for the
intervention of Gimli would have been slain. Dwarf's timely attack pushed the enemy back
yet again, allowing the trio to retreat.
Despite the best attempts of the uruk-hai,
the gate was still standing, so the attacking force hefted hundreds of ladders up against
the Deeping Wall and set about scaling the sprawling fortification. The defenders who were already exhausted by
the persistent fighting at this point, threw back assault after assault upon the battlements. Again, seeing the valour of men, a number
of smaller Orcs were sent by their Uruk commanders to crawl through the culvert and attack the
defenders from behind.
Gimli and Gamling led a company of men from
the Westfold and slaughtered the Orcs who had crawled through bringing Gimli’s tally
to twenty-one kills while Legolas now had twenty-four. The company then set about blocking the culvert
with stones and rocks to prevent such an attack, however it is at this point that the sorcery
of Saruman played its part. Placing the Firs of Orthanc by the wall, a
berserker was sent to set it ablaze. Although Legolas did the best he could with
his bow, he wasn't abl
e to bring down the torchbearer in time. The explosion brought down the culvert along
with a large part of the Deeping Wall, leaving Gimli and his company isolated while also
bringing the fortress’ defences to its knees. A massive host of Uruk-Hai poured through
the breach and the defenders on the ground led by Gimli, Éomer and Gamling were pushed
back into the Glittering Caves. Meanwhile Aragorn and Legolas who were atop
the wall at the time of the explosion engaged in a fighting retreat toward
s the Keep, barely
avoiding being overrun, with Legolas being forced to save Aragorn’s life from an Orc’s
blade. At this exact same time the Entish assault
on Isengard began, with Treebeard leading from the front, accompanied by Merry and Pippin
who acted as rock throwers from on high. The rage of the Ents was incomparable, as
they had first been created at the request of Yavanna, one of the Ainur and Valar in
order to protect her trees from the newly created race of the Dwarves and been taught
the common tongue by the Elves of old. Their strength was also unmatched with Treebeard
boasting that when roused to violence they were stronger than any troll, with Morgoth
having created the Trolls in order to produce a force capable of matching them and failing
in this regard. Following on from the Entmoot within Fangorn
Forest in Derndingle, the Ents decided to vent the fury at their failure to fulfill
their duty in shepherding the trees and with a common purpose of vengeance never before
wi
tnessed among the Ents their fury drove them to enter the War of the Ring. With Isengard having been emptied due to the
assault on the Hornburg, their defences were no match for the might of the Ents accompanied
by a sizable contingent of Huorns. Huorns were an ancient race of slow-moving
trees who the Ents had cared for throughout the Second and Third Ages. Obeying their shepherds they descended upon
Isengard as a great dark forest, striking fear into the hearts of the token garrison
left in Is
engard as the majority of the force had marched to join the Battle of the Hornburg. Treebeard and company tore down their walls
of Isengard and created a dam over the Wizard’s Vale, destroying the pits, mines and weapons
of war which Saruman had accumulated, effectively cleansing the taint of darkness from the Valley. Yet they were unable to break down the tower
of Orthanc, which had been forged by the Numenoreans and as such Saruman was effectively left as
their prisoner. When news reached Saur
on of this setback he
planned upon the reclamation of Isengard following on from his ultimate victory, to grant the
Tower of Orthanc to his loyal Black Numenorean servant the Mouth of Sauron. The situation in Helm’s Deep was far grimmer. Gimli, Éomer, Gamling and their company barely
kept the Uruk-Hai at bay during the night within the Glittering Caves. While Théoden, Aragorn, Legolas and the surviving
defenders were holed up in the Keep, as the Uruk-Hai prepared to make one final push through
t
heir defences the following day. Aragorn appeared just before dawn, to offer
parley stating that if the Uruk-Hai lay down their weapons they would be spared. Laughing at this suggestion they attempted
to feather the last of the line of Isildur with arrows, almost killing him in the process. Theoden now began to despair before being
reminded by his comrades of the need to fight on in spite of the current desperate circumstances,
the descendant of Eorl pondered upon what had become of the Rohirrim
:
“Where now are the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the
bright hair flowing? Where is the harp on the harpstring, and the
red fire glowing? Where is the spring and the harvest and the
tall corn growing? They have passed like rain on the mountain,
like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind
the hills into shadow. Who shall gather the smoke of the deadwood
burning, Or behold the flowing years from the Sea re
turning?” Seeing that the defenders were desperate the
Uruk-Hai broke down the gate of the Keep, but were surprised to hear the Horn of Helm
Hammerhand sound in the deep. Their surprise did not last long, as Théoden
leading his riders alongside Aragorn and Legolas burst forth and pushed the Uruk-Hai back along
the Causeway. The men of Rohan were roused to particular
fury as the words of their King now restored to the full strength of his character and
willing to lead them through whatever darkne
ss lay ahead: “Arise now, Arise, Riders of
Theoden! Dire Deeds Awake, Dark is it Eastward. Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded! Forth Eorlingas!” Simultaneously, upon hearing the Horn of Helm
Hammerhand, Gimli, Éomer and Gamling led their force out of the Glittering Caves driving
the Uruk-Hai before them until they had retreated beyond the Deeping Wall. The Uruk-hai attempted to reform just beyond
Helm’s Dike, as the two forces of Rohan converged to meet what was still a numerically
superior f
oe in the field. The battle hung on a knife’s edge, with
the White Hand of Isengard still holding a significant advantage in terms of the force
they could bring to bear. It is at this point that Gandalf upon Shadowfax
with the rising Sun behind him. He had brought with him Erkenbrand and a force
of one thousand footmen, battle-hardened survivors of the conflicts on the River Isen, led by
their valiant Captains Grimbold and Elfhelm. Likewise, an entirely newly arrived forest
of strange trees bloc
ked off the final avenue of escape. Following Gandalf’s lead, the Eorlingas
charged into the rear of the Uruk-Hai, while Théoden and Éomer’s forces supported the
attack, crashing against the besiegers with all of the strength their exhausted soldiers
could muster. The sons of Eorl would prove their valour
once more, attacking the entrapped Fighting Uruk-Hai with a ferocity inspired by the men
lost at the Fords of Isen and in the previous raids on their country. The Uruks soon lost cohesion and b
roke ranks,
ensuring their slaughter, with the survivors fleeing into the newly emerged forest, to
their detriment. Less than half of the ten thousand Uruks were
able to flee into the forest, where they were all annihilated by the Ents and their younger
saplings the Huorns, ending the Uruk threat for good and all in the Riddermark. The battle was a costly victory for the Men
of Rohan, yet the power of Isengard was utterly shattered in the process. The Dunlendings laid down their weapons and
were
granted amnesty by King Théoden which came as a massive surprise to the Wild Men
who had been told by Saruman that any men who surrendered would be burned alive by the
Rohirrim. Those who surrendered were put to work repairing
the Hornburg by Erkenbrand before being sent back to their homes in Dunland. Saruman’s power was now broken as he remained
a prisoner within Orthanc unable to influence the events of the War of the Ring ever again. The most important consequence of the Battle
was the esta
blishment of Dwarven martial prowess over the Elves, as Gimli overtook Legolas
to win their contest by forty-two Uruks killed to forty-one. While these battles were raging Frodo, Sam
and Gollum had safely traversed the Dead Marshes and made their way to Ithilien, where they
were captured by the elite unit of Gondorian army - the Ithilien Rangers. During an interrogation conducted by Faramir,
Sam accidentally gave away the information that Frodo bore the Ring, but fortunately
for all involved the
Captain of the Rangers proved his quality to be of the highest order. Recognising the importance of their quest
he allowed the company to continue on their journey, which headed towards the Morgul Vale
and from there into Mordor. He would face massive consequences for such
an action from his father, but considered it a slight price to pay, stating, “But
fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by
the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and
I alone could save her, so, usin
g the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo
son of Drogo.” Seeing his ally utterly destroyed, Sauron
now turned his eye firmly upon Gondor and the gleaming white bastion of Minas Tirith. If Sauron’s true strength could be brought
to bear upon the city before Rohan could answer its call for aid, the Age of Man would fall
soon to be replaced by a final Dark Age of Sauron. Yet despite the might with which he could
bring to bear upon the Gondor
ians, Sauron still knew fear as the Ranger from the North
looked set to take up his rightful mantle as King of Gondor and the One Ring remained
beyond his grasp and inching ever towards destruction. Following on from the Battle of the Hornburg,
Gandalf accompanied by Théoden, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Treebeard, Merry, and Pippin
approached the imposing might of Isengard which the Ents could not breach due to its
superior Numenorian design, and confronted Saruman, who spiteful and proud even in d
efeat,
refused the pleas of Gandalf to surrender, forcing the white wizard to reluctantly expel
his former friend from the Order destroying his staff and leaving him powerless. Grima Wormtongue also refused the mercy of
King Théoden, instead hurling Saruman’s Palantír at the King narrowly missing him. Ever curious, Pippin dived into the watery
depths now encompassing the fortress, recovering the Palantír which had been corrupted by
Sauron. The young hobbit came face to face with the
Dark Lord hi
mself, but paralysed by fear said nothing. Still, his presence confirmed the defeat of
Saruman, driving an icy shard of fear into Sauron’s. In the meantime, Saruman was left to his own
devices, with the Ents to serve as his keepers. Upon returning to Helm’s Deep the group
was met by the Grey Company, consisting of the remaining thirty-one members of the Dunedain
led by Aragorn’s lieutenant Halbarad and the twin sons of Elrond; Elladan and Elrohir. They brought with them advice from Galadriel
and
Elrond, as well as a standard made by Arwen, depicting the White Tree upon a black
background with a crown placed above the tree symbolising what was to come. The decision was made that the Heir of Isildur
must make his presence known to his greatest adversary. Gazing deep within the Palantír and holding
the reforged blade Anduril Flame of the West, Aragorn confronted the Dark Lord revealing
that the heir of Isildur was soon to return as King of Gondor. Believing that Aragorn was now in possess
ion
of the One Ring while also about to unite all of the Free Folk of Middle Earth behind
his banner, the Dark Lord panicked. His well laid plans were hastened as he now
saw the need for a pre-emptive strike on Gondor before Aragorn could assume the throne. Having been shown the sheer might of Sauron’s
forces through the Palantír, Aragorn was also forced to take desperate measures, in
this instance departing the now rallying Rohirrim to walk the Paths of the Dead in order to
save his people. Gan
dalf left the King to continue his muster,
taking Pippin with him to Minas Tirith with all the haste his mount Shadowfax could muster
and before long they came before the Rammas Echor or the Long Wall as it was often called. This fortification served as Minas Tirith’s
second line of defence should Osgiliath fall, consisting of a large wall which took an elliptical
course across the plains of Pelennor. At its centre stood the causeway forts, twin
towers which could be held against large numbers,
yet as was a sign of the decaying strength
of the Kingdom, these walls had been left to the elements for many years and when passing
through Gandalf and Pippin witnessed hasty and desperate attempts to patch up the fortifications. Further adding to the woes of the Gondorians,
they no longer possessed enough soldiers to man the unwieldy defences. Arriving at the city, Pippin was overtaken
by its sheer size and majesty, yet Gandalf was not as impressed seeing a city resigned
to its defeat, as the
majority of the citizenry had been sent out into the fiefdoms of the
Kingdom and a rallying call had been sent out by the Steward Denethor. However, the threat of an incoming fleet of
corsairs from Umbar had severely limited the numbers sent from the outlying regions of
Gondor. The muster itself amounted to 200 well-armed
men from Lossarnach, 300 from Ringlo Vale, 500 bowmen from Morthond, 150 scantily equipped
levies from Anfalas, 50 hillmen from Larnedon, 100 fisher-folk from Ethir Anduin, 300
from
Pinnath Gelin and 1200 men from Dol Amroth. The latter were led by the Prince of Dol Amroth
Imrahil, who immediately assumed a leadership role in the defence of the city. He brought with him the very flower of the
Gondorian forces, the heavily armed and armoured Swan Knights - the only known horsemen in
Middle Earth who could potentially best their Rohirrim allies. While each of these men did not lack for valour
or the willingness to die for their land, their strength and numbers were lowe
r than
anytime before. Arriving within the Tower of Ecthelion, Gandalf
was left even more worried by the mental state of Denethor Steward of Gondor, who appeared
to be completely distraught due to the death of his son Boromir, as well as the pervading
influence of Sauron through his usage of the Palantír of Minas Tirith. Pippin feeling responsible for the loss of
Steward’s son at the hands of the Uruk Hai at Amon Hen, immediately pledged himself to
the Steward and was brought into Denethor’s ser
vice,
Meanwhile, Faramir had ordered his company of Rangers of Ithillien to reinforce the garrison
of Osgiliath, and then returned to Minas Tirith chased by the Fell Beasts of the Nazgul and
barely made it inside the walls due to the timely intervention of Gandalf who flew through
the gates of the city upon his steed Shadowfax. He revealed his true power upon that day,
driving back the Nine with the might of his power and even making the Witch King recoil
in what resembled fear if he could still
feel such a human emotion. Faramir then informed his father as well as
Gandalf and Pippin of the survival of Frodo and Sam as well as their continued travels
towards the Morgul Vale. Denethor was furious with the failure of his
son to bring the One Ring to Gondor and lamented that he had lived and Boromir had not, before
sending his son to hold the Western portion of Osgiliath at all costs. A strategy which Faramir disagreed with knowing
that it most likely would cost him his life. Ever the mos
t dutiful of sons Faramir took
up this responsibility, but not before saying to his father "Then farewell! But if I should return, think better of me!"
and hearing "That depends on the manner of your return" in response. Faramir returned to Osgiliath that same day
and began to make ready the defences of the city of which they only maintained control
of the Western portion. The Eastern portion lay in the hands of a
massive horde of Orcs which was estimated to number between seventy and a hundred
thousand,
while overall command was given to the Witch King of Angmar, his lieutenant Gothmog was
an adept strategist. He had commanded the Orcs stationed on the
Eastern bank of the Anduin to create as many barges as they could in order to ferry their
forces over the mighty river. On the ninth and tenth of March, the Dark
Lord sent a foul cloud from Mordor covering the lands of Rohan and Gondor in darkness
for two days, sapping the strength and will of the Men of the West as the dawn never arriv
ed. On the same day a behemoth force emerged from
the Black Gate and force-marched itself all the way to Cair Andros, capturing the island
in the hopes of cutting off the Rohirrim relief force which had completed its muster at Dunharrow,
while simultaneously another smaller army marched from Minas Morgul to bolster the forces
at Osgiliath. Théoden had honoured the pledge of Eorl the
Young and assembled six thousand cavalrymen among them his niece Eowyn and Merry disguised
among his riders. This
was all all he could manage in the time
allotted to him, but it remained uncertain as to whether or not they would arrive in
time. Meanwhile, Aragorn was leading the Grey Company,
Gimli and Legolas through the Paths of the Dead. His plan was to recruit the Dead Men of Dunharrow,
who betrayed their oath to Isildur during the War of the Last Alliance. As the Heir of Isildur, Aragorn had the ability
to release them from their oath and undead existence, so the Dead Men joined him. At the same time,
the Orcish host alongside
their Haradrim reinforcements attacked Osgilliath on the 11th of March. The Rangers of Ithillien and Gondorian regulars
made the hordes of Orcs pay for every step they took through the former capital and proved
their worth despite the unfavourable odds. After a day of fighting however the weight
of numbers soon took its toll pushing the Men of Gondor from the city and forcing them
to take up further positions along the Rammas Echor. The fighting was at its fiercest at t
he Causeway
Forts, as Faramir personally led the defence here and knowing that time was of the essence
refused to give an inch of ground to the forces of Mordor. The Rammas Echor was too large a bastion to
hold given the numbers provided to the young captain of Gondor and having held another
day here they were forced into a retreat on the 13th of March. What started as an orderly withdrawal soon
turned into a rout as the battered and broken forces of Gondor attempted to make their way
back to th
e White City, yet the Pelennor Fields offered no cover to Faramir or his men. They were overtaken by the forces of the Dark
Lord and a fierce mêlée ensued in which Faramir was struck down by a poisonous dart
commonly used by the forces of the Southrons and left near death. His men loyal to their captain above all else
shielded his body and stood willing to fight to the last man if it meant saving their leader. This proved unnecessary, however as Prince
Imrahil led a sortie of his Swan Knights af
ter getting Denethor’s approval. The sheer ferocity and strength of these scions
of an age long since passed saved the lives of the remainder of the garrison of Osgilliath,
their Swan shaped helms driving fear into the hearts of the Orcs and Southrons who themselves
turned to rout. With Gandalf once more driving off the Nazgul
who had grown to fear the light of the Istaari once more, Imrahil coming upon the stricken
body of his friend and nephew, hoisted Faramir upon his horse and rode back to t
he city with
all haste in search of a healer. Upon hearing of his son’s injury Denethor
finally gave way to madness, locking himself within the White Tower preparing a pyre for
himself and his son to burn upon despite Pippin’s protestations. That left the defence of the city to Gandalf
who was aided by the immensely capable Prince Imrahil, with the regular forces of Gondor
joined by the survivors of the Rammas Echor. While the defeat at Osgiliath had been resounding
and Faramir’s injury deprived
them of another capable leader for the battle which was to
come, the time he had bought in his desperate defence would prove pivotal in giving time
for the Rohirrim to arrive and fulfil their oaths. This had been symbolised by the Red Arrow
of Eorl which had been presented to King Théoden at Dunharrow, a gesture which once again called
upon the old oaths of friendship to be fulfilled. Not long after the defeat at the Rammas Echor
and the near mortal wounding of one of the last great Captains of
Gondor Faramir, the
forces of Mordor amassed upon the plains of Pelennor. The Witch-King brought with him tens of thousands
of Orcs and men of Khand, Rhun, and Harad, alongside oliphants and trolls. They began to build siege equipment and dug
trenches, while a sizable portion of the army consisting of both Orcs and Easterlings was
sent to protect the Northern Roads from the arrival of the Rohirrim. Here they also dug trenches and placed wooden
spikes within them in order to negate the advantage
of the Rohirrim cavalry which remained
famed throughout all of Middle Earth, before settling into their fortifications. The siege began on the thirteenth of March,
as the Witch-King attempted to soften the defences of Minas Tirith with a massive bombardment
of their walls. This initial attempt failed miserably as the
outer wall of the city - Othram was built by the Numenoreans using black rock and was
as impregnable as the tower of Orthanc. This forced the forces of Mordor to change
tactics and
incendiary ammunition was fired over the wall setting the Lower City ablaze. The Orcs also began firing salvoes of the
decapitated heads of the fallen at Osgiliath in an attempt to destroy the defender’s
morale. In response to this, Gandalf accompanied by
Prince Imrahil made circuits of the Othram, inspiring all who they met to remain steadfast
despite the sheer size of the enemy at their gates. On the same day, Aragorn meeting with the
Southern Gondorian army took command and made his way to m
eet with the corsair fleet which
was now bearing down on Minas Tirith. This force consisted of archers from the Blackroot
Vale near Erech, infantry from Lebennin and Lamedon and a number of other less distinguished
units, yet their support would prove vital in the battle to come. The forces of the King intercepted the Corsair
fleet at the famous port city of Pelargir in what would later become known as the Battle
of Pelargir, which was Aragorn’s first battle on Gondorian soil since he served in
the employ
of Denethor’s father under the name of Thorongil many years past. The Corsairs who were not famed for their
discipline had erred in stopping to loot and plunder every port town they came across during
their journey towards Minas Tirith, and Aragorn’s forces caught them right in the middle of
just such an operation. The latter quickly divided his troops among
his respective commanders and they began to pick off the smaller looting parties of the
corsairs. At the same time, the forces o
f the Dead cut
a bloody swath through the Corsairs, who were struck by such fear that many jumped from
their ships at the sight of the Men of Dunharrow rather than face them. In this way, Aragorn quickly liberated the
city, and now bolstered by the mariners of Pelargir his troops could swiftly make their
way up the Anduin to relieve the besieged Gondor. Aragorn was, however, a man of his word, and
first released the Oathbreakers from their torment announcing that their oaths had been
fulfilled,
before setting his makeshift flotilla on its way. While the first attempts at breaking the morale
of the Gondorians had failed due to the leadership of Gandalf and Imrahil, the Easterlings using
their Mumakil had pulled the siege towers closer to the wall during the night and the
next day would prove pivotal. The men of Gondor held firm however repulsing
each wave of Orcs and Easterlings respectively, destroying many of their siege towers in the
process. Unfortunately for them, the necessity of
defending
the wall in its entirety from the siege towers meant that the Great Gate, which was the only
weakness in the otherwise impenetrable wall, could not be defended sufficiently. Here Gandalf and Imrahil positioned themselves
and led the defence of the gate, with the casualties on the part of the besiegers immense
due to the unwillingness of the defenders to give any ground in spite of the unending
waves of foes they faced. While the odds seemed stacked against them
as no messenger had been
received accounting for reinforcements, the Rohirrim had progressed
farther than one would have expected in their attempts to reach the city. This was due to the aid of Ghân-buri-Ghân
who was the chief of the Drúedain of Drúadan Forest, an ancient race of men who dwelt within
the forest and refused to succumb to the corruption of the Dark Lord despite his growing influence
among the Men of the West. Though small in number and in stature they
had warded off a large Orcish force using hit and run
tactics, as well as exceptionally
potent poisoned arrows. When Théoden and his six thousand arrived
at the eves of the forest they were greeted by Ghân-buri-Ghân and a company of his men,
who warned him of the force which now blocked his path to Minas Tirith. Sensing the urgency of the situation the Chieftain
wasted no time in leading the Riders of the Mark through the forest, bypassing the force
of Orcs and Haradrim, allowing them to arrive at the Rammas Echor at dawn on March fifteenth. The s
ituation in Minas Tirith despite the
valiant efforts of its defenders was worsening. The forces of Mordor had brought forth a great
battering ram known as Grond named in honour of the Warhammer which the original dark lord
Morgoth had wielded in battle in times long since passed. This Hammer of the Underworld had been forged
in the foundries of Barad-dûr specifically for the purpose of bringing down the Great
Gate of Minas Tirith. The siege work itself was sixty feet in height
and one hundred an
d fifty long, created of harsh metals it maintained a permanent flame
in its wolf-like maw evidencing the vile sorcery used in its creation and would require a great
many trolls to even operate it. Despite its sturdiness, the Great Gate was
no match for the greatest of siege equipment of the Third Age and was weakened by the Witch
King’s sorcery. According to our primary source on the battle,
“thrice the great ram boomed. And suddenly upon the last stroke, the Gate
of Gondor broke. As if stricke
n by some blasting spell it burst
asunder: there was a blast of searing lightning, and the doors tumbled in riven fragments to
the ground.” The gate had been destroyed utterly and the
forces of the Dark Lord seemed poised to storm the city by force, the Witch-King upon his
fell beast entered the city first believing the battle to be all but won. Standing before him in the Courtyard of Kings
was Gandalf the White mounted upon Shadowfax, who confronted the greatest servant of the
Dark Lord and his
endless tides which were ready to destroy the greatest city of man. The Witch-King was at first uncertain, having
seen first-hand the power the White Wizard could bring to bear, so the standoff continued
for what seemed like an unceasing moment in time. Just as the two looked set to finally test
the prophecy uttered so long ago in Arnor, a horn was heard far off in the fields of
Pelennor, a horn both the Witch-King and the White Wizard recognised: the sons of Eorl
had come forth with the future
of Middle Earth now resting upon their intervention. The Witch-King quickly fled the courtyard
sensing the gravity of the situation his forces now faced, however, Gandalf could not give
pursuit as he received ill news from Pippin of the fate of Faramir. Denethor having made use of the Palantír
one last time finally had succumbed to the madness and with his will now broke sought
to commit suicide. Unfortunately believing his son was now dying
he sought to end Faramir’s life alongside his and had
ordered a pyre to be constructed
on which he would have them both burned. Pippin protested and was ejected from the
room, in a panic he ran to Beregond of the Citadel, whose love of Faramir overrode his
sense of duty to the city and he rushed into the burial chambers of the Kings of Gondor,
preventing the pyre from being burned while Pippin sought out Gandalf’s aid. When Gandalf arrived with Pippin they saw
that Beregond had been forced to slay several of the attendants in an attempt to delay t
he
murder-suicide. Gandalf was able to save Faramir, however,
the despair of Denethor was so great that even in knowing his son would survive, he
elected to cast himself upon the pyre. So ended the life of Denethor, who would be
remembered as a strong ruler, who was corrupted by evil. King Théoden of Rohan emerged upon a hillock
on the edge of the Pelennor Fields at the head of six thousand Riders of Rohan, where
he looked upon the doom of his age and did not falter despite the immensity of the
fight
which now awaited the aged warrior king. The ranks of Orcs and Southrons now turned
to face the new foe which had emerged seemingly from nowhere, they had been caught unawares
and could not effectively reconfigure their formations to face what was to come. Théoden turning to his men organised his
commanders asking of them that they fear no darkness that day, before addressing the six
thousand now numbering as one of the greatest Kings to ever have sat upon the throne of
his forefathers. “A
rise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered,
a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!” The chant of “Death” was taken up by the
warriors of the Mark, as a cacophony of shouts, cheers, and horn blasts filled the air, further
breaking the morale of the forces of the Dark Lord. Before Théoden pulled his horse Snowmane
once more to face the might of Sauron, with a light jolt to the side of his trusty mount
the horse jolted forwa
rd, and with this came a thundering of hooves that had never before
been heard upon the field of Pelennor. The six thousand of Rohan crashed forward,
first meeting the hordes of orcs which hastily arranged in a pike formation. The servants of Sauron were powerless to stop
the flowing tide of cavalry and were swept under the hooves of the King and his men with
ease. Sensing the desperation of the situation,
the great chieftain of the Haradrim mounted a counter-charge meeting Théoden head-on
in br
utal single combat. The fight dragged on yet the old king did
not falter and struck down his enemy with all of the vigour of a man half his age. The Haradrim was further slaughtered as the
Rohirrim pushed ever onwards destroying everything in their path killing their king, until Théoden
looked upon his final foe. The Witch-King of Angmar on his fell beast
swooped downwards mortally wounding the King under the weight of his beloved steed. The sheer terror the Lord of the Nazgul instilled
caused T
héoden’s honour guard to rout, save for one who was known to his comrades
as Denhelm throughout the march to Minas Tirith. It was in fact the King’s niece Éowyn disguised
as a man alongside the hobbit Merry. Unwilling to bow before the terror of the
Nazgul she boldly stood her ground displaying the same courage her King had moments earlier. The Witch-King then confidently stated that,
“No living man can kill me” to which the Shieldmaiden of Rohan removed her helmet and
responded: “No living man
am I! You look upon a woman! Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. Begone if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you,
if you touch him!". Now she alone stood before the Lord of the
Nine and struck down his fell beast in defence of her beloved uncle, cleaving the beast’s
neck in one fell swing of her blade. The infuriated Witch-King attacked Éowyn
with great malice hefting a large mace and shattered her shield breaking her arm in the
process and forcing her back. It is at this
point that Meriadoc Brandybuck,
stabbed the creature in the leg with the barrow-blade he had picked up so long ago in his journey. The dagger this was of the make of the land
of Arnor and caused the Nazgul immense pain bringing him to his knees, while also breaking
Merry’s arm with the force of the impact. Éowyn then regaining her footing thrust her
blade through the Witch-King’s helm finally fulfilling Glorfindel’s prophecy at the
Battle of Fornost that not by the hand of man would the leader o
f the Nine be defeated. Badly weakened by the fight she succumbed
to the black breath which was a result of direct contact with a Nazgul, leaving her
hovering close to death. Merry then dragged himself closer to the now
dying King of Rohan and was there to hear the dying words of Théoden Lord of the Mark,
“Farewell, Master Hobbit! My body is broken. I go to my fathers. And even in their mighty company I shall not
now be ashamed.” Éomer despite his heartbreak at the loss
of his beloved uncle and
the perceived loss of his sister, now assumed control of the
Rohirrim. The charge slowed, but not stopped, continuing
to wreak devastation among the forces of Mordor. The men of Gondor began their own sortie from
the gates catching their foes unawares and also inflicting heavy casualties upon the
forces which were closest to the gate. First among them was Imrahil and his mounted
Swan Knights who cut a bloody swathe through the forces of the Dark Lord in an attempt
to reach Éomer. The fighting gr
ew bloody and desperate as
the immense weight of the Mumakil and Haradrim alongside the reserves of the Orcs kept the
Men of the West separated, allowing the numerical advantage to once more turn the battle in
favour of the servants of the Dark Lord even in the absence of their overall commander. It was at this point that the hearts of every
Man of the West sunk as the ships of the Corsairs of Umbar arrived. Despite thinking that their defeat and destruction
were inevitable, they fought on. Neit
her side expected Aragorn alongside the
Grey Company and the Southern Army of Gondor to emerge from the ships, yet the impact of
this sudden appearance symbolised by the unfurling of Arwen’s banner by Halbarad was felt by
both sides of the conflict. The newly arrived Men of the West with Aragorn
at their head wielding the blade Anduril drove a wedge through the forces of the Dark Lord,
separating those closest to the city from those nearer to the Anduin. None among the servants of Sauron could s
tand
before the might of Anduril that day as Aragorn swept aside all who stood in his way cutting
deep into the host which threatened his city. Capitalising upon these unexpected reinforcements,
Imrahil and Éomer marshaled their flagging forces time and again through repeated cavalry
and infantry charges, cutting off divisions of the great horde and slaughtering them en
masse. Most of the host of Mordor was slain, with
the Orcs now seeing that victory had slipped from their grasp fleeing and bei
ng cut down
in the thousands with many more drowning as they attempted to cross the Anduin to safety. A large force of Easterlings whose hatred
for the men of Gondor outweighed their own instincts for self-preservation refused to
flee the field and fought to the last man, earning the bitter respect of the Men of the
West. Some of the more disciplined Orcs rallied
a rearguard of sorts and were successful in inflicting heavy casualties upon both the
Gondorian and Rohirrim forces, but soon they wer
e overrun, too, with Aragorn finishing
the last ones off, effectively ending the Orcish resistance and the Battle of the Pelennor
Fields. The losses on both sides were considerable
with nearly the entirety of the forces of Mordor utterly destroyed. This was of little consequence to Sauron,
however, as he still possessed large numbers of Orcs within the plains of Gorgoroth alongside
his experimental new Uruk-Hai units. It was the loss of his chief lieutenant the
Witch-King of Angmar which he rued
most as he remained irreplaceable in the eyes of the
Dark Lord. Casualties suffered by the Men of the West
were also substantial, with Théoden chief among their number. Éomer estimated that less than four thousand
Rohirrim were now capable of battle with a large number of his force’s dead, injured
or having lost their mounts. All in all, however, Aragorn estimated that
even with the soldiers he would need in the coming conflict, the garrison of Minas Tirith
with the addition of the Southern Arm
ies was now greater than it had been before the siege. Despite his triumphant return to the lands
of his forefathers as Isildur’s heir, Aragorn taking counsel from those around him opted
not to immediately take the crown. The possibility for counter claimants or those
who would actively oppose the Return of the King was too great a chance to take at a stage
where the fate of Middle Earth still hung upon a knife’s edge. Aragorn sought to act as a healer to his people,
immediately curing Faramir a
nd Éowyn who barely clung to life. Before turning his attention to the others
who had fought so bravely in the defence of the city, saving many lives and easing the
suffering of his people everywhere he went. While these selfless acts immediately won
over the likes of Faramir, it was his humility and self-sacrifice exhausted as he was that
won over the people of Gondor. This also fulfilled the prophecy of Ioreth
the chief healer within the city at the time, “The hands of the King are the hands o
f
a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known.” He continued to heal people between March
fifteenth and sixteenth within the walls of the White City, thereafter symbolically leaving
the city and refusing to return until the future of Middle Earth had been resolved in
the favour of the free folk, as preparations were already being made for a final conflict
to match that of the sheer immensity of the final days of the War of the Last Alliance. Sauron attack on the northern realms was foresee
n
by Gandalf many years earlier, leading the then Grey Wizard to aid Thorin in his quest
to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf had seen through the guise of the
Necromancer of Dol Guldur much earlier and predicted that Sauron would make use of the
sheer destruction Smaug could unleash in order to destroy Gondor. The Dragon’s death at the hand of Bard severely
dented the Dark Lord’s plans, giving the free peoples of Middle Earth a fighting chance
in the war to come, while the newly re-establish
ed Kingdom of Dale and Kingdom Under the Mountain
provided a vital Northern Bulwark against the forces of Sauron. In TA 3018, Glóin revealed to the Council
of Elrond that messengers had arrived at the gates of the Lonely Mountain sent on behalf
of Sauron seeking information on the Shire and the Hobbits, while also asking for them
to turn over Bilbo’s Ring. Further, they asked for the submission of
the Kingdoms to Mordor’s overlordship, and when these entreaties were refused dire consequences
had
been threatened. Messengers likewise approached King Brand
of Dale and when similar requests were refused, Easterlings loyal to the Dark Lord began to
gather on the outskirts of Dale. Likewise in the realm of Thranduil and that
of Lothlorien, the numbers of foul creatures encroaching ever further from Dol Guldur into
Mirkwood alerted the Elves to the fact that they would not be left unscathed in the coming
conflict. Thranduil, Celeborn, and Galadriel made what
preparations they could, however m
any of the finest warriors of the Elves had at this stage
committed to sailing West to Valinor leaving the respective Elvish forces weakened. This Northern Theatre of the War of the Ring,
therefore, pitted the last of the declining races of Elves and Dwarves against the ascendant
forces of the Dark Lord, with the outcome of pitched battles remaining exceptionally
uncertain. War would first come to Dale however, as on
the seventeenth of March TA 3019 the massive Easterling host crossed the border
s of the
Kingdom intending to invade and capture the city. The Easterlings were mainly composed of well-equipped
and well drilled warriors from Rhûn, surprising the forces of Dale and the Lonely Mountain
with the speed at which they crossed the Redwater River given their numbers. Kings Brand and Dáin II quickly assembled
their forces, and it could be estimated that there were two and a half thousand Dwarves
of Erebor and of the Iron Hills, alongside three and a half thousand men of Dale, compare
d
to that of the twenty thousand strong force of Easterlings. This assault coincided with the siege of Minas
Tirith in order to prevent any aid coming to Gondor from the North, tying down these
forces in a manner Saruman was unable to achieve with the Riders of Rohan. The two kings met the Easterlings in open
battle on the same day the Easterlings crossed the river hoping to prevent the destruction
of Dale, putting their faith in the fact the foundries of Erebor gave them a massive advantage
in
terms of their arms and armour. Three days of heavy fighting ensued, wherein
the steadfastness of the Dwarves and Men of Dale was eventually eroded by the numerical
advantage possessed by the men of Rhûn, forcing them to retreat. Seeing that Laketown would be indefensible,
the combined force of Men and Dwarves attempted to retreat behind the impregnable gates of
the Lonely Mountain, with Kings Brand and Dáin leading a desperate rearguard action. The two kings managed to buy enough time for
their
forces to fall back into the mountains, however, Brand was struck down by an Easterling’s
blade before the gate of the Lonely Mountain. Dáin enraged by the death of his close friend
and ally, stood over Brand’s corpse and refused to give an inch despite the intense
pressure exerted by the far more numerous Easterling force. After a prolonged defence of the King of Dale’s
body, the Dwarven King under the Mountain was also slain despite the piles of Easterling
casualties that mounted around the s
talwart King. The forces of the deceased leaders then locked
the gates of the Mountain and prepared for a prolonged siege. While the men of Dale and Dwarves of Erebor
and the Iron Hills remained besieged behind the gates of the Lonely Mountain, their primary
hope for victory lay with the Men of the West led by the soon to be King of Gondor Aragorn. Even earlier, Lothlórien had been invaded
by a host of Orcs coming out of Dol Guldur first on the Eleventh of March TA 3019, then
again on the Fiftee
nth and a final assault was then made upon the Elvish lands on the
Twenty Second of March. Meanwhile on the Fifteenth of March TA 3019,
Thranduil’s realm was invaded by a large horde of Orcs beginning what would become
known as the Battle Under the Trees. This was done to secure the flank of the assaults
on Lothlórien and prevent the great rulers of the Elves converging and forming a unified
front against the Orcs of Dol Guldur. The Easterlings of Rhûn were to reinforce
the assault, however they
had been slowed immeasurably by the stubbornness of the defenders
of Erebor. The Galadhrim led by Celeborn and Galadriel
repulsed each assault relying heavily upon the courage and potency of the renowned Elvish
swordsmen alongside the power of Galadriel’s Ring to counteract the vast numerical advantage
of Dol Guldur. While Thranduil also proved his competency
in personally leading the Elven counter attack, the Elvenking whose forces were more renowned
for their deadly archers emerged victorious
after a battle which caused a, "great ruin
of fire" throughout the woods. This victory caused Thranduil to declare a
new year of the Elves shortly after their victory. At this point Frodo and Sam alongside their
guide Gollum had made their way to the passes of Cirith Ungol, where the treachery of Gollum
was revealed. Turning the Hobbits against one another, before
leading Frodo into the clutches of Shelob a great spider of immense proportions and
one of the last true descendants of the original
Dark Lord Morgoth’s ally Ungoliant. Shelob pricked Frodo with her stinger causing
him to become immobilised and easy prey for the great spider. Sam however wielding Sting and the Light of
Earendil fought off the foul beast saving Frodo’s life once more. However, believing his dear friend to be dead
he took the Ring and despite his despair intended to finish their quest regardless. At this point, a group of Orcs and Uruks from
the garrison of Cirith Ungol came upon Frodo’s body and remarked that
he was still alive
before bringing him to the tower for questioning. Sam then took it upon himself to save the
Ringbearer’s life once more and taking advantage of the fact that the Garrison had engaged
in a mild civil war between the Orcs and Uruk for the ownership of Frodo’s mithril shirt,
was able to reach Frodo before he could come to harm. Here he returned the Ring, counting himself
among only the company of Bilbo having handed over the One Ring while also being the only
individual to have
ever done so willingly. From here the two hobbits, disguising themselves
as best they could, began the perilous journey across the Plains of Gorgoroth which was inhabited
by thousands of Orcs, in order to complete their quest and cast the Ring into the fires
of Mount Doom. Meanwhile, following the successful defence
of Minas Tirith, Aragorn gathered to him all of the wise men of Gondor, as well as his
companions and the most prominent of the men of Rohan in order to discuss their final moves
in
the dying embers of the War of the Ring. This came to be known as the Last Debate and
was conducted outside of the walls of the city, as Aragorn refused to enter until the
war had been won and he could be properly proclaimed king. Many men who were well acquainted with tactics
and warfare such as Imrahil and Éomer put forward their opinions as to the best course
of action. Yet it was the counsel of Gandalf which swayed
Aragorn, with the Wizard remarking: "We have not the Ring. … Without it we ca
nnot by force defeat his
force. But we must at all costs keep his Eye from
his true peril. We cannot achieve victory by arms, but by
arms we can give the Ring-bearer his only chance, frail though it be. … We must push Sauron to his last throw. We must call out his hidden strength, so that
he shall empty his land. We must march out to meet him at once. We must make ourselves the bait, though his
jaws should close on us. … We must walk open-eyed into that trap,
with courage, but small hope for our
selves." Knowing that Frodo and Sam were now within
the depths of Mordor, they were left with no other choice but to march out and meet
the Dark Lord. By sacrificing their lives, they could buy
the Ringbearer enough time to complete his quest and save Middle Earth for good and all. Each and every one of those gathered at this
Last Debate knew that it was likely death awaited them, yet it was the only course of
action now left to them, a garrison of a size greater than had originally guarded the
city
was left and the Captain of the West took with him seven thousand soldiers of Gondor
and Rohan alongside his Grey Company. The impossibility of victory was not lost
on the Men of the West, however, with Imrahil laughing aloud before stating:
"Surely this is the greatest jest in all the history of Gondor: that we should ride with
seven thousands, scarce as many as the vanguard of its army in the days of its power, to assail
the mountains and the impenetrable gate of the Black Land! So might
a child threaten a mail-clad knight
with a bow of string and green willow!" The Host of the Men of the West left Minas
Tirith on March Eighteenth and bypassed Minas Morgul heading straight for the Black Gate. Sauron falsely believing that Aragorn now
possessed the Ring and would use its power against him fell for this ploy and began to
send all of his warriors to the Black Gate. Aragorn then left a force of just under one
thousand men at the cross roads in order to guard the road to Minas Tirith
should the
battle go poorly. Midway through Ithilien they were then assaulted
by Haradrim and Easterlings. These soldiers were quickly detected by the
Rangers of Ithilien however and driven off with little casualties. As the Men of the West approached Dagorlad
a number of the farmers of Lossarnach and some of the fainter of heart among the Rohirrim
baulked at the prospect of assaulting the Black Gate. Aragorn displaying his compassion allowed
them to leave instead sending them to liberate Cair
Andros weakening the army even further,
so that they maintained a strength of barely six thousand men. Yet as the Host of the West continued ever
onwards, they soon came to see the extraordinary vastness of the Black Gate and even the most
valiant among them began to feel the cold tendrils of fear creep through their veins. Heralds were sent upon Prince Imrahil’s
suggestion to announce the coming of King Elessar. In response the Black Gate opened a fraction,
allowing for a delegation of the Dark
Lord to emerge. At their head was a Dark Numenorean of the
ancient faction of King’s Men who had survived the fall of the Kingdom and fallen into the
service of Sauron. He was known as the Mouth of Sauron and demanded
the surrender of the Host, producing Frodo’s mithril vest and cloak to the despair of Pippin
among Aragorn’s retinue. Gandalf then asked for the terms of surrender,
which were to be Sauron’s recognised dominion over Isengard and Rohan as well as the vassalage
of Gondor, to which t
he Men of the West refused in the plainest of terms. Enraged by their unwillingness to surrender,
the Mouth of Sauron withdrew behind the Black Gate which now opened allowing a force of
between 60 and 100 thousand Orcs, Trolls and Uruk Hai to emerge. On top of that, thousands of Orcs surfaced
from the hillsides surrounding the Plain of Morannon, with another force of Easterlings
appearing from the former Gondorian garrison tower of Carchost ensuring that the Men of
the West now knew the true str
ength of Mordor. These denizens of the dark proceeded to surround
the Host of the West ensuring that retreat was no longer an option. In the early stages of the battle, the Dark
Lord’s warriors found it difficult to reach the Men of the West due to the large slag
pools and pits of waste that surrounded the Black Gate. This bought Aragorn enough time to organize
his soldiers: he placed two forces of three thousand each upon the two slag piles in the
center of the Plain of Morannon, which were mad
e up of piles of rubble and waste. The contingen upon the right hill was commanded
by Imrahil and Éomer in the front line, while consisting of the Knights of Dol Amroth and
elements of the Tower Guard among the regulars of both Rohan and Gondor. While the hill to the left was led by Aragorn
alongside Gandalf, the remaining members of the Fellowship, Elladan and Elrohir sons of
Elrond and the Grey Company with Arwen’s banner flying on its front line. The Dark Lord with his eye fixed firmly upon
t
he battle urged his subjects forward. His forces crashed into the Host of the West
like a tide breaking upon the cliffside. The Men of the West held, utilizing their
superior discipline and martial prowess, as well as the height advantage afforded by the
slag piles to hold back the Orcs, Trolls and evil men. While this valiant defence caused far greater
casualties on the part of the Dark Lord, it was not sustainable and the Men of the West
were hard pushed to keep up this immense effort. The rem
aining Nazgul then emerged threatening
to dismantle the disciplined lines of the Host of the West, before the Great Eagles
entered the battle led by their Windlord Gwaihir. The Eagles and Nazgul fought for the aerial
superiority, with Pippin echoing the sentiment of Bilbo during the Battle of the Five Armies
by repeating aloud, “The Eagles are coming.” As the initial attack of the forces of Sauron
failed, armoured trolls wielding crude maces and cudgels were sent forth. Their attack managed to e
ffectively break
down the lines of the Men of the West, allowing Orcs to swarm through, making Aragorn’s
position borderline untenable on both slag piles. The Orcs further took example of the Easterlings
and engaged in flanking manoeuvres attempting to make the most of their encirclement. It was only by the valour and steadfastness
of Aragorn’s soldiers that the defence of the slag piles could be maintained, despite
overwhelming pressure from all sides. Meanwhile, Sam and Frodo having disguised
themselves as Orcs had at this point reached Mount Doom and looked poised to bring the
battle to a premature end. Coming to the slopes of the Crack of Doom
Frodo’s strength gave out however and he fell, only for Sam to carry him upon his back
across the last few steps. At this point, Gollum attacked the two Hobbits,
with Sam managing to fight him off as Frodo stumbled towards the depths of Mount Doom. Sam having delayed Gollum long enough made
his way to the Crack of Doom, where to his horror Fr
odo had renounced the quest and claimed
the Ring as his own placing it upon his finger. Sauron now realizing that the Ring was within
the depths of Mount Doom pulled his gaze from the Plains of Morannon and towards the Crack
of Doom, calling the Nazgul to him. This earned the hard-pressed Men of the West
a reprieve as without the will of the Dark Lord driving them onwards, his forces began
to falter allowing the warriors on either slag pile breathing space with which they
could reform their line
s. A shocked and despairing, Sam was caught unaware
when Gollum attacked him from behind knocking him unconscious with a rock, before attacking
Frodo. The struggle was brief as Frodo had been weakened
by possessing and resisting the will of the Ring for as long as he had, ending with Gollum
biting off his finger and taking the One Ring from him. Gollum celebrated reclaiming his precious
by dancing maniacally, however, he slipped upon the blood pulsing from Frodo’s finger
causing him to fall into
the Crack of Doom unwittingly destroying the One Ring. This caused the destruction of Barad-dûr,
the Black Gate, and the Towers of the Teeth, while Mount Doom erupted violently with the
two Hobbits barely escaping to the mountainside where they were now surrounded by lava and
ash seemingly doomed, before being rescued by Gandalf Gwaihir and his Great Eagles. With the destruction of the Ring, Sauron's
being and his power were forever lost and the threat of his dominion ended forever. On the Plai
ns of Morannon, the Orcs panicked
and began to flee being cut down in droves by the resurgent Men of the West. While some of the Easterlings and Haradrim
bearing an undying hatred towards their Western counterparts fought to the last man being
utterly destroyed on that day, others surrendered and were pardoned by King Elessar. Orc strongholds remained within the Plains
of Gorgoroth however, necessitating Aragorn to lead his forces which were still capable
of fighting immediately into the depths
of Mordor to ensure the purging of the area was
complete. Aragorn then freed the slaves of Núrn, granting
them this extremely fertile area in the far South of the realm of Mordor to be ruled as
they wished following their years of enslavement under the cruel reign of Sauron. News of the demise of the Dark Lord spread
quickly, with the Easterlings besieging the Lonely Mountain soon hearing of their Overlord’s
destruction, which sapped them of any degree of morale. The Armies of Dale and Erebor no
w led by their
new Kings Bard II and Thorin III Stonehelm, led a sortie consisting of all of the forces
remaining to them still capable of fighting and on the Twenty Seventh of March drove the
Easterlings from their lands ending the Siege of the Lonely Mountain. While this was ultimately a victory for Dale
and Erebor the casualties were high, lowering what were already scarce numbers of Dwarves,
assuring the ascendancy of man. The Elves using their victory at the battle
Under the Trees and the f
act that the Nazgul were gone with the defeat of their master,
attacked Dol Guldur led by Celeborn, Galadriel, Thranduil. We don’t know much about the ensuing battle,
but what we know for sure is that in one of the last true examples of the magic in this
world, Galadriel came to the gates and cast down the walls, foul pits, and crevices. The Dol Guldur was finally destroyed and the
forest was cleansed. In the aftermath of the battle of Black Gate
and the destruction of the One Ring, Aragorn was
returning to Gondor to be duly crowned
as King Elessar having been given the name by Galadriel on May First TA 3109. The ceremony was vast in nature with people
from all over Middle Earth coming to witness the events. Faramir met with the soon-to-be King outside
the walls of the city before announcing the Return of the King to his people: “Here
is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, chieftain of the Dúnedain of Arnor, Captain of the Host
of the West, bearer of the Star of the North, wielder of the Sword R
eforged, victorious
in battle, whose hands bring healing, the Elfstone, Elessar of the line of Valandil,
Isildur's son, Elendil's son of Numenor. Shall he be king and enter into the City and
dwell there?" And all those gathered cried approval aloud
in one voice, allowing Aragorn to once more enter the city he had saved not long before,
this time not only as a healer but also as King. Frodo was given the honour of carrying the
Crown and Gandalf then placed the wings of pearl and silver which form
ed the likeness
of a seabird upon Aragorn’s head. Faramir, who was now the Steward of Gondor
cried aloud, “Behold the King” a cry which was taken up once more by the populace of
the city in one voice. With this, King Elessar entered the city to
the ringing of silver trumpets as the royal banner was unfurled from the highest tower
in the city. Several months later a company of Elves led
by Elrond came to the city. He handed over to Aragorn the symbol of royalty
in Arnor, the Sceptre of Annúminas,
confirming his status as King of Arnor. Shortly afterward Aragorn and Arwen were married,
with the new Queen of Gondor and Arnor renouncing her immortality for the love she bore the
greatest of the line of Isildur. Aragorn became the twenty-sixth King of Arnor,
the thirty-fifth King of Gondor, and the first High King of the Reunited Kingdom. He would found the House of Telcontar and
rule until the year 120 of the Fourth Age. Soon after this, a great host led by Aragorn
went north and while the
king and the rest of the Fellowship stopped in Rivendell, Gandalf
and the hobbits continued onwards to the Shire. Dark events transpired in the region in the
dying days of the war of the Ring, while the Fellowship was in the south. Using the money earned from selling the pipe-weed
to the wizard Saruman, a relative of Bilbo and Frodo Lotho Sackville-Baggins initiated
a massive land grab, allowing him to take the place of Chief of the Shire. The former White Wizard sent Dunlendings and
Goblin-Men
- who the locals started calling Ruffians, to assist in this process providing
the necessary support to maintain rule over the Hobbits, who were left without protection
when the Dunedain went South to support Aragorn. Following the defeat of Sauron, Saruman used
the power of his voice, which was one of the last elements of magic he could yet control,
to convince Treebeard to allow him to leave the tower of Isengard. Then Saruman under the guise of Sharkey came
to the Shire accompanied by Grima W
ormtongue, quickly deposing and imprisoning the former
Chief and taking direct control over his new dominion. He had begun to turn the once content and
peaceful region into an industrialized area similar to what he had achieved in Isengard. However, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin arrived
just in time to thwart his plans to despoil the region in what came to be known as the
Scouring of the Shire. Before entering the Shire, Gandalf, Frodo,
and company stayed the night in the Prancing Pony in Bree a
nd were informed by Barliman
Butterbur that the situation had changed. Strange and harsh men from the South had begun
to settle around Bree, much to the discomfort of the men and hobbits who had previously
lived in the area. This culminated in a fight on the streets
of Bree, where Saruman’s forces led by Bill Ferny were driven out by the men of Bree led
by Mat Heathertoes. Gandalf then took the Hobbits to the edge
of the Shire before leaving to meet with Tom Bombadil, assuring his companions tha
t their
training and experiences during the War of the Ring would mean they could meet the challenge
with which they were about to be posed. The four Hobbits upon arriving in the Shire
were shocked to see what had become of the home they had fought for so long to protect
during the prior events of the War of the Ring. Having grown much in terms of courage and
strength throughout their travels, the returning Hobbits soon took up a leadership role rousing
all who wished to put an end to Sharkey’s
cruelty. Prior to this mustering, the leader of Saruman’s
Ruffians challenged Frodo’s authority, but when challenged by the blades of the Hobbits,
fled, allowing Merry to make use of the Horn of Rohan given to him by Théoden to great
effect. Moving swiftly a force of Shire-folk was assembled
in short order and made what preparations they could to meet the forces of the disgraced
former wizard. In total there were two hundred Bucklanders,
one hundred Tooks, and a number of locals supplementing th
is company, which had to face
one hundred and fifty Ruffians. What came next would be known as the Battle
of Bywater and it occurred on November third TA 3019. As Pippin was still a Knight of Gondor and
wasn’t released from his oath by Aragorn, this could also be seen as the first battle
in the restoration of Arnor. At this point the Shire was still a part of
the realm of Arnor, allowing the Hobbits to engage in combat with the will of the High
King of the Dunedain behind them. After being initi
ally rebuked the leader of
the Ruffians returned with a larger force; however, they were promptly surrounded and
when he attempted to assault Merry, he was struck down by four arrows from the ever-effective
archers of the Shire. As they displayed the same strength which
had allowed them to aid the King of Gondor as far back as the Battle of Fornost. The rest of the Ruffians were then arrested
and imprisoned. More men were dispatched by Sharkey however
the Hobbit forward scouts gave the members o
f the Fellowship sufficient time to prepare
a defence of Bywater. Merry and Pippin took charge utilizing everything
they had learned during their service in the employ of the King of Rohan and Steward of
Gondor. Makeshift roadblocks were prepared using carts
and wagons and when the Ruffians arrived, they entered the center of the built-up area
only to find they had been entrapped. Their greater stature and strength compared
to an individual Hobbit were eliminated in this way. Attempting a breako
ut many were struck down
by the deadly volleys of arrows loosed by the Hobbits and those who successfully broke
through their entrapment were promptly surrounded and cut down. Sam, Merry, and Pippin took an active role
in the combat displaying their martial prowess and inspiring their fellow Shire-folk to hold
the line even though they were not comparable in terms of strength. Frodo meanwhile did not fight but instead
ensured that every Ruffian who threw down their arms and surrendered was not s
laughtered
but instead imprisoned and treated fairly. The Battle was a resounding victory for the
Shire-folk as only nineteen Hobbits were killed with thirty wounded, compared to the seventy
Ruffians who were killed and twelve captured, while the remainder of Sharkey’s men fled
the Shire. The following day Frodo and the other Hobbits
led their force to Hobbiton to confront Sharkey, discovering it was in fact Saruman. The wizard was now powerless and Frodo exiled
him granting him his life if he w
as to leave the Shire and never return. Saruman having been forever tainted by his
former master Sauron, responded with characteristic cruelty decrying the weakness of the Hobbits
before viciously kicking Grima Wormtongue. This was too much for the former man of Rohan
whose patience broke and he lunged for the former despot of the Shire, slitting his throat. Before Frodo could stop them, the archers
of the Shire reacted, piercing Grima with multiple arrows and ending his life immediately. This w
as the last military engagement of the
War of the Ring. The War of the Ring had far-ranging ramifications
for every nation in Middle Earth, none more so than that of Gondor. Aragorn went on to rebuild the Kingdom of
Arnor after so many years of decay, fostering close relations with the other realms of Men,
Dwarves, and Elves, among them Dale and Erebor who continued to prosper in the Fourth Age. He also successfully campaigned alongside
his chief commanders Imrahil and Éomer against the Easterli
ngs and Haradrim forever ending
the threat posed by them. The three men led campaigns beyond the Sea
of Rhun enforcing peace with the Easterlings who dwelt there. Campaigns to the South were also conducted
with the dual might of Gondor and Rohan forcing the men of Harad to give up their possessions
in Southern Gondor. Likewise, an assault was made on the city
of Umbar which Aragorn had last entered while serving under Denethor’s father under the
guise of Thorongil. The Corsairs of Umbar were utt
erly routed
and the port city which had been founded by the Numenoreans so many centuries prior was
returned to its holdings, with the remaining Black Númenoreans who resided there seemingly
killed also, bringing to an end their destructive legacy since the fall of Númenor. The Orcs had also been reduced to insignificant
mountain bands following the destruction of the Dark Lord and the United Kingdom, not
that one, reached its greatest territorial extent since Elendil first arrived in the
West,
ensuring there were no longer any true threats to the High Kingship. Aragorn maintained Minas Tirith as his capital,
leading to a quick repopulation of the region, reconstructed Annúminas to serve as his Northern
Capital, and rebuilt Fornost Erain from the ruins of the desolation of the Witch King
constructing a great city in which many men came to reside. The Kingdom of Arnor once more prospered,
as the corruption wrought by the Great War in the North was finally cleansed from the
region and it
would once more regain the strength it had once possessed during the at its height. Minas Morgul was razed to the ground, as its
corruption would take many years to ever be fully cleansed from the former joint fortresses
of Gondor with a new holding being built in the Emyn Arnen for Faramir and Eowyn to dwell
within. Osgiliath was once more rebuilt also regaining
the splendour which had initially made it the first capital of the Kingdom, becoming
more and more populous as the reign of Elessar c
ontinued. Aragorn named Faramir Prince of Ithilien marrying
Eowyn and the Shire was given independent status from the newly re-established Realm
of Arnor under the Sceptre of Annúminas. The king even added the Westmarch to its territory,
decreeing that no man was ever to enter into the Shire again, himself included. Even after Aragorn’s death following 120
years of wise rule and the accession of his son Eldarion, the descendants of this line
would continue rule wisely and well, maintaining the G
olden Age started by their patriarch
following on from the flames of war. Meanwhile, Arwen would die just a year after
her husband of a broken heart and was buried at Cerin Amroth in Lórien. In Rohan, Éomer assumed the throne, marrying
his dear friend Imrahil’s daughter Lothíriel who he had fallen in love with during his
stay in Gondor. He would prove a gallant ally to the Gondorians
in the campaigns that followed, ensuring the Oath of Eorl would continue in perpetuity. Isengard was granted to t
he Ents, who filled
in Saruman's pits and reforested the area renaming it the Treegarth of Orthanc. While in the Glittering Caves which Gimli
had been forced to take refuge in during the Battle of Helm’s Deep, permission was given
by Éomer for him to set up a Dwarven colony there which prospered for many years due to
the mineral wealth of the caves. The Balrog being now defeated also allowed
the Longbeard Dwarves under Durin VII to retake Khazad-dum after so many years exiled from
their holds. L
egolas would go on to found a colony in Ithilien,
while his father Thranduil alongside Celeborn and Galadriel purged Dol Guldur of corruption
and created a land for the Beornings to reside. However, the destruction of the One Ring ensured
the decline of the Elves, as the Three Rings began to fade in power, causing the Kingdoms
which had been preserved by them to fade also. This caused a mass exodus of Elves across
the Sea to Valinor, with all three of the Ring Bearers departing, Lórien was event
ually
abandoned with the Elves of Lothloríen who did not depart moving to the Southern part
of Mirkwood founding the realm of East Lórien. The majority of the Elves of Rivendell also
departed, leaving only Elrond’s sons, Celeborn, and a small population of Elves to inhabit
the region. Eventually, Celeborn whose heart yearned for
Galadriel took passage to the Undying Lands with his company, and it was said that "with
him went the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth." Frodo never
truly recovered from his wounds
and upon finishing his version of The Lord of the Rings in the Red Book of Westmarch,
in the year of the Third Age 3021 joined Bilbo and Gandalf, who by now achieved all that
was required of him in the Middle Earth, Elrond and Galadriel aboard an Elven ship. Frodo and Bilbo were allowed passage to the
Undying Lands, as they were ring-bearers, in the hopes of healing the damage to their
spirit that bearing the Ring had caused. Sam married Rosie Cotton having thirte
en children
with her and was elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive seven-year terms before
in the year 61 of the Fourth Age leaving to take a ship to the Undying Lands as a former
Ring-Bearer to join Frodo in Valinor. Meanwhile Merry became the Master of Buckland
in the year 11 of the Fourth Age living at Brandy Hall and also Crickhollow and in the
year 13 of the Fourth Age, Pippin became the 32nd Thain of the Shire, a position he maintained
for forty years before renouncing it in the
year 63 of the Fourth Age, when he revisited
Rohan and Gondor with Merry. Merry was 102 years old at this stage and
died in Gondor not long after arriving, being laid to rest in Gondor. Pippin died not long after and was laid to
rest with Merry in Gondor. After the great King Elessar died in the year
120 of the Fourth Age Merry and Pippin were entombed next to him. After Aragorn’s death, Legolas and Gimli
left their respective colonies in the hands of their people. The pair that had grown incom
prehensibly close
despite initial frictions between them then went West, where Legolas built one last ship
at the Havens to take them across the Sea towards Valinor. In doing so Gimli became the first and only
ever Dwarf to make his way to the Undying Lands. Neither of them was ever again seen in Middle
Earth and lived in Valinor with their old friends to the very dying days of the World. We sincerely hope you enjoyed this series
on the world of Middle Earth – we are now working on the series th
at will cover the
First Age of Tolkien’s World. We are also planning to cover the battles
of many other fantasy, sci-fi, and space opera universes, so make sure you have subscribed
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we’ll catch you on the
next one!
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