The Witchking

Sauron’s Deadly Servant – Part Three

Hail and well met everyone!

Last week we left off with the Nazgul fleeing to Mordor and Sauron preparing for his final battle against the Free Peoples of Middle Earth.

The Siege at Gondor

The final Battle of Osgiliath came swiftly on 3019 in the Spring of the Third Age against Faramir and his rangers. Faramir’s forces could not hold the Orc hordes under the control of Gothmog. Faramir pulled his forces back to Minas Tirith with the Nazgul chasing them, they lost many of their forces in the retreat. Faramir went out with his rangers for a second time, and from that assault only Faramir returned to Minas Tirith gravely wounded. With Gondor’s defeat at Osgiliath, nothing stood in the way of Sauron’s ambitions of destroying Minas Tirith and the Free People’s hopes.

Just two days later, Orcs, Haradrim, and Easterling forces numbering over 200,000 marched on the gates of Minas Tirith. Sauron had now bestowed the Witch-king with new found strength, making his appearance on a black horse, and presence casting a shadow of utter fear upon anyone he met. Speaking in some forgotten tongue, he enhances the power of Grond, and weakens the already damaged gate of Minas Tirith. The ram breaks open the gate, and the defenders inside flee from pure terror of his presence. However, his march is hindered by Gandalf, the only one able to withstand his power. There is a duel of words between them, and the Witch-king tilts his hood revealing a crown on empty air, mocking Gandalf and bidding him to die, the Witch-king draws his black blade but Gandalf holds firm, ready to do battle. Before the two clash with one another, the horns of Rohan sound, signaling the arrival of aid. The Witch-king then withdraws to order the defence against this new threat.

Death of The Servant

The Witch-king mounted his Fell beast and rallied his troops against the furious charge of the Rohirrim. The army of Rohan slowed the initial charge blunted by their encounter with the Mumakil, allowing the hosts of Mordor to re-organize. In that time, The Witch-king took this opportunity to strike down King Theoden while his troops were in confusion. Flying on the back of his fell beast, he advanced upon Theoden. The Rohirrim horses panicked as his beast attacked. Theoden’s horse, Snowmane, became frightened, was struck by a black dart and fell upon Theoden pinning him.

As the Witch-king hovered over Theoden, Eowyn and the hobbit Merry stood in his way ready to protect the king with all they had.

Eowyn demanded the foul creature be gone and to leave the dead in peace! The Witch-king spoke that no one comes between a Nazgul and his prey and that no living man may defeat me. Eowyn said you do not look upon a man but upon a woman. I am Eowyn the daughter of Eomund and in a single strike with her sword she severed the neck of the Fell Beast. The Witch-king arose, and with a cry of hatred he shattered her shield and broke her left arm with his mace. As he towered over her ready to delivery his death blow, Merry stabbed the Witch-king with his black blade. While distracted, Eowyn drove her sword into the head of the wraith destroying him.

The prophesy of Glorfindel so many centuries before had come to pass. For not by the hand of man had he failed, but by those of a hobbit and a woman. Now, with his death, the tide of the battle had changed, and ultimately the outcome of the War. No more than ten days later, Sauron himself was finally defeated when the One Ring was cast back into the fires of Mount Doom and all his power unmade.

Though we are finished with the series on the Witch-king stay tuned as we continue our journey through the great villians of Middle Earth.

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 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!