With the aid of the Dark Lord Sauron, posing as Annatar an emmisarry of the Valar, the
Elves of Eregion crafted 16 magical rings, while another 3 were forged exclusively by
their leader Celebrimbor.
When they were completed, Sauron travelled to the fires of Mount Doom, and made his masterwork,
the One Ring of Power, One Ring to Rule Them All.
Believing this was the key to conquering Middle Earth, Sauron gave it immense power by imbuing
it with part of his soul, thereby linking his lifeforce to the One Ring.
Placing this creation upon his finger Sauron expected to gain mastery over the Elves wearing
the lesser rings, but they immediately felt his dark presence, removed them and thereby
resisted his influence.
His plan a failure and identity exposed, the Dark Lord confronted the Elves of Eregion,
demanding they surrender the rings.
When they refused, the armies of mordor slaughtered their people, capturing Celebrimbor as he
made fought last stand alongside his warriors.
Finding 9 rings of power, Celebrimbor revealed the location of the other 7, yet despite suffering
excruciating torture, would not give up the final three.
Eventually he was shot full of arrows and his corpse used as a Banner for Sauron’s
army when it fell upon Elrond and the Elves of Lindon, sent by Gil-Galad to reinforce
Eregion.
Unfortunately they came too late and would have also been massacred if not for the Dwarves
of Durin’s Folk and the Elves of Lorien, who attacked the enemy from behind, distracting
them long enough for the Elrond, his warriors and the survivors of Eregion to retreat north.
With their allies saved, the Dwarves and Elves pulled back into the Misty Mountains, behind
a powerful gate which could not be breached.
Having fought to honor their friendship with the Elves of Eregion, Durin’s Folk also
provided a safe harbour for any refugees who came to their mountain, and helped get them
into the east where they might settle in Lorien.
For these acts of courage and loyalty, the Dwarves paid a terrible price, as Sauron made
Khazad-Dum a permanent target for the Orcs, leading to many years of war and forcing them
to largely remain isolated within the safety of their mountain for the rest of the Age.
Despite this setback Sauron went ahead with a new plan, gifting the 16 lesser rings of
power to 9 human kings and 7 dwarf lords, hoping their minds were more susceptible to
his corruption.
Though the Dwarves proved too resilient, and did not succumb to his will, the rings did
contribute to their eventual downfall, as it made them increasingly greedy and reckless
in their pursuit of wealth.
Yet of all the children of Iluvatar, none proved more susceptible to corruption then
Men, with the nine ring-bearers becoming powerful sorcerers who slowly turned into the Nazgul,
ring wraith loyal to the Dark Lord.
Although his prized creation largely failed to accomplish its original purpose, so much
of Sauron was put into the One Ring it became his focal point, augmenting his natural abilities
to ensure he was as powerful as possible while allowing him to survive any harm to his body
or spirit so long as the ring survived.
But at the same time, should he be parted from it, he would weaken significantly, and
were it destroyed, the Dark Lord would also perish.
Leading the remnants of his army and the survivors of Eregion north, Elrond established the refuge
Imladris which soon became a great elven stronghold, with its leader named Vice-regent of all Eriador,
second only to King Gil Galad.
Yet this new center of Elven power was not enough to turn the tide of battle, and as
the War of Elves and Sauron continued, the dark armies conquered nearly all of the westlands,
save for Imladris and Mithlond which were held under siege.
Yet just as the Grey Havens were set to fall, the ships of Numenor came into the harbour,
bringing forth a mighty host to drive the Dark Lord into retreat.
Though Tar-Telperien was reluctant to involve herself in the affairs of Middle-earth, her
nephew and heir Minastir at once answered the call for reinforcements sent by Gil Galad
in Lindon.
Sending the commander Ciryatur with a vast army and fleet, he split their force in two,
sending half to defend the Grey Havens, chasing the enemy east to defeat them again at the
Battle of Sarn Ford.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Numenoreans landed at the mouth of the Gwathló river, cutting
off Sauron’s retreat and defeating them him once more.
Finally, with his army all but destroyed, the Dark Lord was attacked in the East of
Callenardhon, left to flee back into Mordor, broken and humiliated.
In the North the orc army surrounding Rivendell was trapped between the warriors of Elrond
and Gil-Galad, bringing the Elves victory against the Dark Lord, though it came at a
high cost, with many of their people killed and their lands utterly devastated.
When Tar-Minastir inherited the sceptre from his aunt in 1731, he set out to secure Western
middle-earth from further invasion by establishing permanent settlements, guarded by their ships
and soldiers, which might work with their allies the Elves.
However his son Tar-Ciryatan had no love for the Eldar, and when he took power in 1869,
dedicated his reign to expanding their imperial power, sending ships to sail and colonize
every corner of the world, establishing costal colonies which demanded tribute from the peoples
of middle earth.
It was under Tar-Ciryatan, that Numenoreans started to deride the Valar, resenting them
for the ban placed on sailing westward, as no mortal man was meant to set foot upon the
Undying lands.
Some even argued that because they were now a mighty people, they should be allowed to
voyage west and be granted immortality.
Since the Elves of Tol Eressea often sent ships to visit and trade with Numenor, the
Valar soon heard about what was being said and sent messengers to try and persuade them
away from these dangerous notions.
However the Numenoreans only grew more stubborn and hostile, causing the Elves of the Undying
Lands to stop visiting, and when Ciryatan’s son Tar-Atanamir the great, inherited the
sceptre in 2029, matters only grew worse, as he furthered their imperialist policies
and vitriol against the Valar.
Atanamir became the first king to refuse abdicating in his elder years, and instead ruled until
his death in 2251, when he was succeeded by his son Tar-Ancalimon.
Under Ancalimon, those loyal to the growing Imperialist mindset of Numenor began to heavily
populate the colony of Umbar, while those who remained Faithful to Eru, the Valar and
the Elves founded the city of Pelargir.
In 2386, the king died was succeeded by his son Tar Telemmaite, who was then followed
by his daughter Tar- Vanimelde in 2526.
Throughout much of her reign, her husband ruled as regent and so when she passed 2637,
he usurped power, taking the name Tar-Anducal and ruling until his death 20 years later.
Nevertheless, their history books did not count him as an official King, and so the
next true ruler was his son Tar-Alcarin, who reigned until 2737, when his own son Tar-Calmacil
inherited the sceptre.
Tar-Calmacil, was the first King to record his name not only in the tradition Quenya
of the Elves, but also their own language Adunaic, calling himself Ar-Belzagar.
In 2825, his son Tar-Ardamin took power, known also as Ar-Abattarik, who was then replace
by his son in 2899, the first king to take the sceptre with a title in the Adunaic language
rather the Quenya, named Ar-Adunakhor, meaning Lord of the West, an insult directed towards
Manwe, King of the Valar, who shared the title.
Under his rule, Quenya was banished from Numenor, and only the Faithful, led by the Lords of
Andunie, remained in contact with the Elves.