Middle Earth – Page 3 – LOTRO Players

A Wizard for Himself

Hail and Well Met Friends!

This week we continue in our series of the Villains of Middle-earth and take a look into the history of a great evil. Everyone enjoy…

The Great White Wizard

His name in Quenya was Curumo or as the Elves called him Curunir in the Sindarin language was an Istari, or wizard, who lived in Middle-earth during the Third Age. Saruman was the first of the five Wizards to arrive in Middle-earth. He was said to be the eldest of the order, and Gandalf acknowledged him as the chief of the Istari. Many feared the White Wizard; even Sauron himself. Saurman made his dwelling in the great fortress of Orthanc in Isengard.

He passionately studied the arts of Sauron, but he soon became enamored of Sauron’s devices, especially the One Ring. Saruman betrayed himself, and his mission, and sought the power of the Ring for himself. He initially advocated an alliance with Sauron, but he soon betrayed Sauron as well, as his ultimate goal was to defeat Sauron and rule Middle-earth for himself. But his plans came to an abrupt end, and his power was broken in the Battle of the Hornburg and of Isengard.

Chief of the Wizards

Saruman, before his fall, was the chief of both the wizards and of the White Council which opposed Sauron and his doings. Sarumans knowledge and skill, especially of Sauron’s devices, was said to be great (the name “Saruman” means “man of skill”). However, his deep study of the One Ring and Sauron’s other magic corrupted him, and his lust for power led to his downfall. He is one of the few characters in Middle-earth who is morally “grey” – serving neither good nor evil. He betrays both sides and ultimately works for his own ends.

Saruman was a Maia known as a servant of the powerful and high-ranked Vala Aule – just as Sauron had once been. In Valinor, the land of the Valar, a council was called by Manwe, leader of the Valar, shortly after Sauron’s defeat by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Though Sauron was overthrown, it would later turn out that he had not been effectively vanquished and his shadow began to fall upon Middle-earth a second time. It was decided to send five emissaries to Middle-earth. These should be the mighty peers of Sauron, yet they were to forgo might, and clothe themselves in flesh, as they were intended to help Men and Elves unite against Sauron, but the wizards were forbidden from matching the Dark Lord in power and

fear.

The other four who were chosen were Aiwendil or best known as (Radagast), Alatar and Pallando (the Blue Wizards), and Olorin or as most fans know him as (Gandalf). Curumo or (Saruman) was appointed overall leader of the group.

Though this week was a short story, keep on the watch as we will continue our look into the history of Saruman these next few weeks.

Until next time, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell!

Sauron’s Deadly Servant – Part Two

Hail and well met friends!

Last week we left off with the short lived seat of power the Witchking had over over Fornost, and the attack from Earnur that left Angmar leaderless after the Witchking fled.

The Return to Mordor

Having ruined the Dunedain kingdoms in Eriador, the Witchking returned to Mordor. Although Sauron was still hiding in Dol Guldur, the other eight Nazgul rallied around the Witchking. Together, the nine of them rebuilt their master’s power in Mordor, gathering huge Orc hordes. In the year 2000 they rose out of Mordor and began attacking Gondor, which was recovered from the Great Plague but devastated by the Wainriders. Two years later they captured Minas Ithil, and took the place for their own. It became known as Minas Morgul and its citadel the Tower of Witchcraft and remained a place of great evil for centuries thereafter.

In the year 2043, King Earnil the II of Gondor passed away and his son Earnur, the Witchking’s old enemy, inherited the throne. Upon his coronation, the Witchking challenged him to combat, but Earnur refused. However, seven years later the Witchking challenged him again—and Earnur accepted. The Gondorian King rode out of Minas Tirith to fight the Witchking at Minas Morgul. He entered the city’s gates and was never seen again, thus ending the reign of the Gondorian Kings and beginning the rule of the Stewards of Gondor. In the year 2063 the Watchful Peace began when Sauron fled Dol Guldur and hid in the East, and the Nazgul remained quiet in Minas Morgul.

Almost 400 years had passed when The Watchful Peace ended as Sauron returned to Dol Guldur and in 2475 the Witchking led hordes of Orcs and Haradrim against Osgiliath and seized its eastern half. The city was ruined, and the great stone bridge linking the east and west banks of the Anduin river was destroyed, dealing a devastating blow to the morale of Gondor.

The Necromancer was finally expelled from Dol Guldur when Gandalf confirmed that he truly was Sauron in disguise. Sauron returned to Mordor and began preparations to find his One Ring. He began the reconstruction of Barad-dur and sent three Ringwraiths to re-capture Dol Guldur. In 3018, with the capture of Gollum, Sauron learned where the land of the Hobbits lay. Unfortunately, Gollum had lied, and the Ringwraiths went to Saruman, who refused to tell them the location of the land of the Halflings. The Witchking chanced upon Grima Wormtongue in Rohan, who, for fear of his life, told the Nazgul where the Shire was. Sauron opened the gates of Minas Morgul and sent forth the Witchking and the other Nazgul disguised as Black Riders to fetch the One Ring.

The War of the Ring

The Witchking and the other eight Nazgl rode swiftly from Mordor to the lands of the Shire. They continued to search for “Baggins” until they tracked him to Buckland. The Nine Riders raided Buckland but could not find the Ring.

The Witchking led four of the Nazgl to Weathertop where they discovered Frodo, Aragorn, and the other hobbits. They attacked the party and the Witchking wounded Frodo with a Morgul blade. Though successfully driven off by Aragorn, Frodo’s wound threatened to turn him into a wraith like the Nazgul. Elrond of Rivendell sent Glorfindel to guide Frodo to Rivendell where Elrond could heal his wound. Glorfindel’s swift pace to Rivendell lured the Ringwraiths into the Bruinen. Here, Elrond released a Great Flood, with Gandalf giving the waves of the torrent the form of horses. This flood destroyed the physical forms of the Ringwraiths, killed their horses, and sent the Wraiths back to Mordor.

With their return to Mordor, Sauron bestowed upon the Nazgul fell beasts as their new mounts. Sauron used the lesser eight Nazgul for his reconnaissance work and dirty deeds that needed power. The Witch-king, however, returned to Minas Morgul and resumed the role of commander of Sauron’s forces. He then began battles to capture Osgiliath, finally issuing the war command from Morgul with a great army. However, at the bridge over Morgulduin he paused, feeling the Ring nearby.

Stay tuned for next week’s series to find out what happens with the Witchkings command of war, and what happens with the Ring?

Until next time I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly

Sauron’s Deadly Servant – Part 1

Hail and Well Met Friends!

Over the next few weeks we will be taking a look into the history of the Witchking.

They Have Arrived

The first sighting of the Nazgul in Middle-Earth was reported in the second age around year 2251. For the next 1200 years, the Lord of the Nazgul would serve Sauron as his second in command. He fought in the war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. It was in the second age when Sauron was finally defeated and the nine Nazgul disappeared from Middle-Earth.

One thousand years into the Third Age, Sauron took a new form as the Necromancer, and founded the fortress of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. This signaled the return of the Nine Nazgul to Middle-Earth.

The Witchking

The Lord of the Nazgul reappeared in the early part of the third age n the north near the lost realm of Arnor. There he founded the kingdom of Angmar. It was after the formation of Angmar and several conflicts with the Dunedain of the North that the Lord of the Nazgul received the title of Witch-king, Lord of Angmar.

He then began his open war campaign with the three divided kingdoms of Arnor (Arthedain, Rhudaur, and Cardolan). The Witch-king invaded the kingdom of Rhudaur and replaced the Dunedain king with a hill chief allied to Angmar. King Argeleb of Arthedain was killed trying to defend Rhudaur against Angmar. In the year 1409 the troops of the Witch-King assaulted the fortress of Amon Sul and burned the tower, during which conflict king Arveleg of Arthedain was killed. The Witch-King then invaded and destroyed the kingdom of Cardolan. Then the Witch-King invaded Arthedain and came close to destroying it but King Araphor with the help of the elves of Lindon and Rivendell managed to defeat the invading forces.

Soon, the only resistance against the Witch-king’s forces was the western kingdom of Arthedain. The Witch-king continued his war for hundreds of years. In year 1636, the Witch-king sent wights to the Barrow-downs in Cardolan in order to prevent the rebirth of the kingdom. The Witch-king claimed ultimate victory in the north many years later, when his forces captured Fornost, the capital of Arthedain. With its capture, the final kingdom collapsed, and with it, the last remnants of the lost realm of Arnor were destroyed.

The Seat of Fornost

The Witch-king gladly took his seat of power in the newly captured Fornost. But his glory did not last long, as general Earnur of Gondor landed at the harbours of the Grey Havens, leading an army of Gondor. His army was joined by the Elves of Lindon and the remnant of the northern Dunedain and marched on the Witch-king.

They did not meet the Witch-king at Fornost, but on the plains west of it toward Lake Evendim, home of the ancient kings of Arnor, Annuminas. The battle would forever be known as the Battle of Fornost. Earnur’s Dunedain army was later joined in the mists of battle by Glorfindel and his Elven army from Rivendell.

The Witch-king revealed himself and challenged Earnur. As Earnur attempted to attack, his horse was overwhelmed with fear of the Nazgul lord and bucked him off. The Witch-king, taunting Earnur, fled the battlefield. When Earnur attempted to follow, Glorfindel stopped him with a warning that would become prophetic in the future: “Do not pursue him! He will not return to these lands. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man shall he fall.” The Witch-king, having destroyed the North-kingdom, fled the North. Angmar was left leaderless and soon collapsed.

Until next weeks series, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell!

A Necromancer Above All – Part Four

Hail and well met everyone!

Last week we left off with Sauron being defeated by Isildur during the Last Alliance which brought the destruction of Sauron’s physical body. Isildur had the chance to destroy the one ring and end the war forever but corruption came over him. Isildur was betrayed years later and killed by orcs and the ring was lost in the Anduin river for centuries.

This week we pick up and learn that Sauron is still alive and has been in hiding for the past thousand years.

The Third Age

Despite his defeat, Sauron was not vanquished permanently. Though greatly weakened, he still existed, due to pouring most of his native power, strength, and will into the One Ring. Thus, as long as it existed, he could never be truly defeated, and during the first thousand years of the Third Age, he lay in hiding, slowly recovering his strength until he was once again able to create a body for himself.

The Necromancer of Dol Guldur

Sauron began his rise in the year 1000 of the third age, taking the stronghold of Dol Guldur, the Hill of Sorcery, in southern Mirkwood. There, he was disguised as a dark sorcerer known as the Necromancer, and the Elves did not realize at first that he was actually Sauron returned.

Around this time, the Valar sent the five Wizards, or Istari, to oppose Sauron and rally the free peoples of Middle-Earth against him.

While Sauron continued to gather his strength, the Ringwraiths reappeared three hundred years after Sauron arose in Dol Goldur and began steadily assaulting the Numenorian kingdoms in exile until, one by one, they fell. Whether the Witch King was acting on his own, or was being guided by Sauron, is not known.

Sauron Reveals Himself to Gandalf

Suspecting that Sauron had returned and was guiding the Nazgul, the wizard Gandalf infiltrated the fortress to confirm his theory, but Sauron fled into the East to conceal his identity. This marked the beginning of the Watchful Peace, which ended with Sauron’s return to Dol Guldur many years later. During that time, the One Ring was finally discovered by Smeagol and his friend Deagol.

Gandalf the Grey made a second intrusion into Dol Guldur around year 2850, and finally discovered that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron. Eventually, the White Council put forth their might and drove Sauron from Dol Guldur permanently. Without the Ring in his possession, Sauron could draw on only the smallest fraction of its strength, so his enemies were able to drive him from Dol Guldur with relative ease. However, the Dark Lord, having had ample time to prepare, was willing to abandon Dol Guldur, and returned to Mordor, where he openly declared himself, and began preparations for his final war against the free peoples of Middle-earth.

Until next week as we wrap up the final series on Sauron, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell.

A Necromancer Above All – Part Two

Hail and well met everyone!

Last week we left off with the Necromancer being defeated by Luthien and fleeing into hiding. He had very little to do with the events that took place in the first age but things in Middle-Earth were not safe as the Necromancer was laying dormant just waiting. This week we pick up with the beginning events of his rise to power in the second age.

The Dark Lord’s hand of Power.

After lying hidden and dormant for 500 years, Sauron began revealing himself once more, and around the year 1000 he gathered his power and established himself in the land of Mordor and began building the dreaded Dark Tower of Barad-dur near Mount Doom. Sauron, like Morgoth, soon began raising massive armies of Orcs, Trolls, and possibly other creatures, as well as corrupting the hearts of Men with delusions of power and wealth, chiefly Easterlings and Southrons.

Although Sauron knew that men were easier to sway, he sought to bring the Elves into his service, as they were far more powerful. By year 1500, Sauron put on a masterful front in the Second Age, and calling himself Annatar, the “Lord of Gifts”, he befriended the Elvish smiths of Eregion, and counseled them in arts and magic. Not all the Elves trusted him, particularly Lady Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor.

Sauron, wearing the One Ring.

To the elves who listened, Sauron gave knowledge and encouragement in forging the Rings of Power, though in secret Sauron forged his own, the One Ring, to rule the Elvish rings. Upon that ring Sauron left the inscription, Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatuluk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul. In Westron the inscription translated into: One Ring to Rule Them All, One Ring to Find Them, One Ring to Bring Them All, and in the Darkness Bind Them. However, as soon as Sauron put the Ring on his finger the Elves sensed his treachery, and removed their rings and hid them. Enraged, Sauron came against them in open war and demanded that all the Rings of Power be given to him. The Elves managed to hide the three greatest of the Rings from him, but the other sixteen Rings of Power were either captured by Sauron, destroyed, or lost. To the Dwarves he had given seven, but to Men he had given Nine, knowing that they would be the easiest to enslave. The Dwarf Lords who received the Rings proved to be very resistant to their power, and neither “faded” nor became enslaved to Sauron’s will. The Rings instead created in them an insatiable lust for gold, which ultimately caused a great deal of grief for the Dwarves.

The Corrupted Nine

As Sauron predicted however, the nine Men were all corrupted by their Rings and became the Nazgul which we just finished our series on last week. These corrupted men were called Sauron’s deadliest servants. Had the Elves not recognized Sauron’s treachery and forsaken the power of their rings, the results would have been catastrophic for the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. It seems that most if not all of the native Men of Middle-Earth succumbed to the power of the Ring once the Nazgul were created; the Numenoreans were spared because of their distance. The Elves, had they been captured in this fashion, would have become the slaves of Sauron, and thus Celebrimbor’s resistance was of immense importance in the history of Middle-earth.

In this era, during which he marshalled and commanded great armies, Sauron became known as the Dark Lord of Mordor and his fortress of Barad-dur was completed. He was very powerful even without control of the Elves, and he conquered nearly all of Middle-earth during the War of the Elves and Sauron. However, the armies of Numenor’s King Tar-Minastir were finally able to defeat him at a last battle near Gwathlo or the Greyflood in the year 1700. Defeated but not vanquished, Sauron retreated back to Mordor and began recouping his strength over the many centuries.

Until next time, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a farewell.