Uncovering the Necromancer’s true identity as the Dark Lord Sauron, the White Council
gathered for a final meeting in 2953 TA, where Saruman once again attempted to dispel their
fears, by claiming the One Ring of Power was lost forever, carried from the Anduin river
into the Sea of Belegaer.
Believing his lies, many in the White Council failed to adequately prepare for the coming
conflict, unlike Saruman, who fortified Isengard and began his own preparations for war.
Though he already fell to corruption, the White Wizard’s thirst for conquest grew
more pronounced in the following decades, breeding his own orc army in 2990 and communicating
directly with Sauron through a palantir in the year 3000, thereby solidifying their alliance.
Though he forged and wore his own lesser ring of power, Saruman considered his loyalty to
Sauron, merely a temporary measure, as his true goal was to take the One Ring for himself,
and reign as master over the entire continent.
Further north, nearly 50 years after the Dwarves of Durin’s Folk re-established the Kingdom
Under the Mountain, Balin son of Fundin, undertook a journey to reclaim their ancestral homeland
of Khazad Dum, lost centuries earlier to Durin’s Bane, the last known Balrog of Morgoth.
Becoming a refuge for Orcs and wicked creatures loyal to Sauron, the realm now called Moria
was teeming with dangers, but even so, Balin was determined to make the journey, and so
was joined by many of his loyal friends, including Óin, Ori, Náli, Frár, Lóni, and Flói.
Fighting their way into the misty mountains in 2989, the Dwarven company slew many Orcs
and settled their colony in the Twenty First Hall, where Balin was declared Lord of Moria.
Surviving for 5 years, they recovered many of the ancient treasures of their people,
before falling to the continued onslaught of their enemies.
Though they fought valiantly, the Dwarves were slain and the colony lost.
Unaware that his old friend Balin met a tragic fate, Bilbo Baggins continued to live a life
of prosperity in the Shire, celebrating his 111th birthday in 3001 TA.
Joining in the celebration, Gandalf the Grey attended and showed off his fireworks, only
for his happiness to fade after speaking privately with Bilbo concerning the fate of his magic
ring.
Over the decades since finding this precious prize on their journey to Erebor, Gandalf
noticed Bilbo continued to possess a relatively youthful appearance despite his advancing
age.
This worry then grew more serious, when Bilbo discussed his plan to take a permanent holiday,
leaving all his possessions to his nephew Frodo Baggins.
Though he originally planned to leave the ring to Frodo, Bilbo grew increasingly agitated
and aggressive when discussing it with Gandalf.
Believing he should keep the ring for himself, the Grey Wizard attempted to council his friend
against it, eliciting a hostile response from Bilbo, who accused him of wanting to take
his property and even started to reach for his sword.
Shocked by the severity of this unhobbit like behaviour, Gandalf enhanced his size and voice,
snapping Bilbo out of his anger, and at last convincing him to leave the ring behind.
Departing on his long awaited journey into retirement, Bilbo left the Shire, while Gandalf
remained to speak with Frodo, warning him to keep the ring safe and out of sight.
Startled by what he observed in Bilbo, the Grey Wizard started to suspect this magic
ring was more than previously imagined, and might even be the One ring forged by Sauron.
Yet suspicion was not certainty, and so sought to uncover the truth by embarking on a journey
of his own.
Over the next 17 years, Gandalf became aware both the creature Gollum and the Dark Lord
were searching for the One Ring and studied ancient texts learning all he could about
this terrible weapon.
After discovering that Gollum was captured by agents of Sauron and therefore must have
revealed the names Hobbit and Shire, Gandalf returned to find Frodo, sending him and the
ring on a journey to Rivendell.
Seeking to help Frodo throughout his travels, the ring bearer was joined by Samwise Gamgee,
Meriadoc Brandybuck, Perigrin Took, and later the ranger Strider, aka Aragorn, a friend
of Gandalf who met the party in Bree, leading them to their destination.
Surviving this harrowing journey in which they were pursued by Nazgul, the hobbits eventually
arrived in Rivendell where Frodo attended the council of Elrond, alongside representatives
from the free peoples of the west.
Though they differed over how to proceed, it was ultimately decided that Frodo Baggins
must go to Mordor and destroy the one ring of power, as he stood the best chance of resisting
its corruption.
Joined on this mission by the hobbits Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck,
as well as the Wizard Gandalf the Grey, the human ranger Aragorn, heir of Isildur and
rightful king of Gondor, the human Boromir, son to the Steward of Gondor, the Sindar Elf
Legolas son to King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm, and the Dwarf Gimli son to Gloin of
Durin’s Folk, these nine companions formed the Fellowship of the Ring.
In the meantime, the free peoples were tasked with resisting the armies of Sauron for as
long as possible, thereby giving the fellowship time to complete the quest.
Despite their best efforts, the fellowship eventually broke apart, as Gandalf died protecting
them from the balrog of Moria, while Boromir fell in his defense of Merry and Pippin, shortly
after succumbing to temptation by trying to take the ring.
Believing this dark corruption would take his other companions as well, Frodo decided
to continue the mission on his own, though he was forcibly joined by Samwise Gamgee,
who refused to be left behind.
Meanwhile, Sauron’s armies marched west, beginning the war of the ring with two large
scale campaigns, ultimately seeking the capture of Minas Tirith, by weakening the alliance
between Rohan and Gondor as well as destroying any potential reinforcements from the Elves
and Dwarves.
In the North, the Dark Lord’s Orcs armies in Dol Guldur attacked the Elves of Lothlorien,
and the Woodland Realm, while a massive Easterling host was sent to sweep through Dwarven lands
and join the fighting in Mirkwood.
The combined Easterling and Orc forces would then finish off the Woodland Realm, Lothlorien
and Rivendell, before finally marching south towards Rohan and Gondor.
Yet their plan did not succeed, as the Dwarves of Erebor and humans of Dale resisted conquest
with unexpected fervour.
Although King Brand, King Dain Ironfoot and the city of Dale were lost, the dwarves and
humans held back the Easterlings for three days before barricading themselves inside
the mountain to endure the Siege of Erebor, lasting long enough to prevent the enemy host
from reinforcing their dark allies in Mirkwood.
As a result, the Woodland Realm under King Thranduil repelled the Orc army sent against
them in the Battle under the Trees, while Lothlorien under Celeborn and Galadriel both
defended their home and pressed the attack forward, destroying Dol Guldur.
Though it cost thousands of lives, the line held across the entire Northern theatre of
war, a victory that may have been aided by the mysterious Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando,
as some stories say they spent centuries in the east and south, limiting the influence
of Sauron wherever possible, thereby reducing the size of the army he marched west.
While all this occurred in the north, the Southern Theater faced its own hardships,
as Saruman sent his forces against Rohan, consisting of Orcs, Uruk-hai and the wildmen
of Dunland who he convinced to join their campaign.
Despite the death of his son Prince Theodred in the Battle of the Fords of Isen, King Theoden
of Rohan was unable to respond properly to the situation, as he fell into decline under
the spells of Saruman, allowing his traitorous advisor Grima Wormtongue to take control over
the royal court.
Fortunately, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli soon arrived, accompanied by the reborn wizard
Gandalf the White, who was returned to physical form by the creator Eru Iluvatar so he might
complete his mission to help defeat Sauron.
After being healed by Gandalf, Theoden led his armies to war, but soon learned their
borders were overrun, and so instead retreated to Helm’s Deep, where they made their last
stand in the battle of the Hornburg, emerging victorious when Gandalf and a host of footmen
arrived as reinforcements.
The free peoples then saw more victories when the Ents and Huorns of Fangorn forest joined
the war effort, leading to the defeat of Isengard and death of those retreating from the battle
of the Hornberg.
Meanwhile, Sauron had the Corsairs of Umbar raid Southern Gondor, thereby forcing local
lords to keep their armies at home, allowing only a fraction of their men to head north
for the defence of the capital.
With Gondor’s allies weakened and defenses reduced, the Dark Lord sent his forces to
capture Osgiliath, before preparing a final assault against Minas Tirith.
The War then culminated in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where Sauron’s forces were
led by the Witch King of Angmar and might have achieved victory if not for the riders
of Rohan and Grey Company of Dunedain Rangers, who arrived as reinforcements.
Though the free peoples were victorious, the Witch King grievously injured Theoden by shooting
his horse with a black dart, causing the creature to collapse upon the king.
Seeking to defend her dying uncle, Eowyn courageously stood before the witch king, creating a distraction
which allowed the hobbit Merry to stab him in the back of the knee with the enchanted
blade, thereby breaking the spell protecting his body.
Eowyn then drove her sword through his head, killing the lord of the Nazgul.
This was only possible, because the barrow-blade held by Merry was a gift from Tom Bombadil,
crafted many years earlier by a weaponsmith of Arthedain for the specific purpose of defeating
the Witch King.
In this way the prophecy of Glorfindel was fulfilled, for the Witch King did not die
at the hands of a man but by those of a woman and hobbit.
As for Southern Gondor, they too beat back the enemy with the aid of an undead army which
long ago betrayed their word to the king of Gondor, and thus agreed to fight with Aragorn
in exchange for the release of their spirits into the afterlife.
Yet even after all these victories, the threat was not over so long as the one ring of power
continued to exist, and so the men of Gondor and Rohan mounted a final assault directly
against Sauron in Mordor, thereby giving Frodo and Sam the necessary time and opportunity
to reach Mount Doom.
Nearing the end of their journey, tragedy struck when Frodo was captured and nearly
killed by Orcs, leaving Samwise Gamgee to take the ring, determined to complete the
quest on his own.
Yet it did not prove necessary, as Sam was able to save his friend and possessed sufficient
will power to voluntarily give back the ring.
With both now marked as Ring bearers, they at last reached the crack of Mount Doom, only
for Frodo to fail in the final moments, having grown so attached to his precious prize, he
refused to see it destroyed.
Yet as fate would have it, the creature Gollum soon arrived, engaging in a violent struggle.
Obsessed with reclaiming the one ring, Gollum followed the hobbits for much of their journey
and even helped guide them to Mordor, before betraying them to the Great Spider Shelob.
Though the Hobbits escaped this peril, Gollum returned when they reached Mount Doom, and
at last met his end after biting off Frodo’s finger, when both he and the ring accidently
fell into the fiery chasm.
With the one ring destroyed, Sauron was utterly vanquished, leaving his immortal spirit diminished
to such an extent he could no long interact with the world.
In the North, upon learning of the Dark Lord’s defeat, many of the Easterlings abandoned
their siege of Erebor, allowing for the combined armies of men and dwarves to charge from the
Lonely mountain and beat back the remaining invaders.
With the war over, King Thorin Stonehelm III became King of Erebor, while King Bard II
rebuilt and ruled over the Kingdom of Dale.
As for the Elves, most chose to leave Middle-earth for the Undying lands of Aman, though this
was not the case for many of those in the Woodland Realm, who elected to remain under
the rule of King Thranduil.
Lothlorien however was largely abandoned, with some following Celeborn to resettle in
East Lorien, formerly known as Dol Guldur, while others sailed with Galadriel and Elrond
to Aman in the West.
In the south, Faramir became heir to the ruling stewards of Gondor after his father Denethor
was driven to madness, ending his own life during the battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Yet Faramir recognized a new age was upon them, and so surrendered leadership to Aragorn,
renamed King Elessar of the reunited kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.
Though he did not rule like his ancestors, Faramir was content as he retained the title
of Steward, was named Prince of Ithilien and married the beautiful shield maiden Eowyn.
King Elessar also found happiness by finally marrying Arwen, daughter of Elrond, the elf
maiden, who like Luthien in the first age, gave up her immortality to live a mortal life
with her human husband.
Despite Aragorn descending from the Kings of Arnor, who long ago were rejected as rulers
of Gondor, his actions during the War of the Ring won the hearts of his people, allowing
Elessar and Arwen to usher in an era of peace and prosperity alongside his allies in Rohan,
now led by King Eomer, nephew of Theoden.
Despite his defeat at Isengard, Saruman the White survived the war but was brought so
low he ended his days as a small time crime boss in the Shire, where his army of ruffians
was defeated by Hobbit forces under the command of Merry, Pippin and Samwise, who by this
point were battle-hardened veterans.
In the end, Saruman was killed by his minion Grima Wormtongue on the front steps of Bag
End, and even in death could not find peace, as his spirit was blown away by a strong wind,
forbidden from returning to Valinor.
Yet where Saruman was rejected, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins were granted a rare exception
as ring bearers, and in 3021, the final year of the Third Age, joined Gandalf, Galadriel
and Elrond on a ship sailing west to the Undying Lands of Aman.
Samwise Gamgee meanwhile, the last ring bearer in middle-earth, inherited Bag End as well
as the red book of westmarch, where both Frodo and Bilbo wrote about their adventures.