Following the victory of the Valar against Morgoth in the war of wrath at the end of
the first age, the world was forever changed, with the lands of Beleriand submerged beneath
the waves while the island of Elenna was raised in the middle of the Sea of Belegaer.
Though the First Dark Lord was defeated and his spirit banished from the world, it came
at a heavy cost, with many Dwarves, Elves and men lost in the fighting and its aftermath.
The surviving Dwarves from the Firebeard and Broadbeam clans, abandoned the ruins of Belegost
and Nogrod in the Blue Mountains to join Durin’s Folk in Khazad Dum, while the Noldor, Sindar
and Green Elves settled in the newly formed Kingdom of Lindon under Gil-Galad, the High
King of the Noldor.
Through the port city of Mithlond ruled by Cirdan, other Elves sailed west and returned
to Valinor, their ancient homeland in the Undying lands.
This wondrous, enchanted region in the continent of Aman was home to the powerful Valar and
Maiar, beings older then the world itself, and flowed with a magical energy that made
it a paradise for the Elves.
Yet still, some preferred to stay in Middle-Earth and live within their own realms, with the
more adventurous among them leaving the Kingdom of Lindon to explore further east until coming
into contact with their ancient kinsmen the Silvan Elves, descended from those Teleri
who long ago chose to abandon the great journey to Valinor, instead populating the lands east
of the Misty Mountains.
These Teleri then became the Nandor, tribal forest dwellers who mixed with the Avari of
the far east and in time were called Silvan, sharing not only ancient kinship with the
Noldor and Sindar, but also a more direct connection to the Green Elves of Lindon, who
were among the Nandor that remained behind, only to later follow their leader Denethor
in finally crossing over the mountains and explore the the lands beyond, until finally
settling in Beleriand.
Recognizing their own kind, the Silvan welcomed them with open arms, learning all they could
from the more advanced Elves of the West and even accepting them as rulers, with Amdir
becoming King of Lothlorien and Oropher ruling the Woodland Realm further north, both Sindar
Elves who lived in Doriath during the First Age.
While the Elves and Dwarves resettled in Middle-Earth, the human tribes of the Edain, who fought
for the Valar against Morgoth, were rewarded with longer lifespans and the Island of Elenna,
where they founded the Kingdom of Numenor.
Ruled by Elros, the half elven son of a powerful noble blood line, he gave up the chance to
live as an immortal elf, to instead become a mortal man, founding a royal bloodline whose
descendant lived even longer than their fellow Numenoreans, ruling over them for thousands
of years to come.
When Elros, called Tar- Minyatur, at last died in the year 442, his eldest son Tar-Vardamir
inherited the scepter, but he was already advanced in years, and had no interest in
ruling, and so abdicated in favour of his son Tar Amandil.
Amandil ruled until the year 590, when he abdicated for his son Tar-Elendil whose reign
saw the Numenoreans sailing beyond their waters to rediscover and explore Middle-earth.
In the year 740, Elendil, now well into his elder years, abdicated in favour of his 1st
born son Tar-Meneldur who was the third born overall, with his 2 older sisters passed over
because the law at the time forbid women from ruling.
Nevertheless, Elendil’s first born child Silmarien went on to have a tremendous impact
on the history of their people, as she married the nobleman Elatan, and had a son Valandil,
inspiring her father the king to create the title Lord of Andunie and bestow it on the
child.
As a result, the Lord of Andunie and his descendants became one of the most prominent noble families
on the island who would preserve their legacy of their people into the third age and beyond
Under Tar Elendil as well as his son Tar-Meneldur, Numenor further explored middle-earth, and
through their friendship with the Elves, were contacted by the tribes of their ancient kin
who came to be known as the Middle Men, descendants of the Atanatari who did not pass beyond the
blue mountains during the human migration west.
Since most Numenoreans shared common ancestry with the Middle-Men, through the Houses of
Beor and Marach, they recognized similarities between the speech of these more primitive
people with their own Adunaic, and so established friendly relations, trading and intermixing
with them until their languages combined to create Westron, the common speech of the third
age.
Unfortunately, the Numenoreans did not feel this same comradery with all the tribes they
encountered, as the descendants of the Haladin spoke a different language entirely, and so
were not counted as Middle-men and treated with hostility.
Back on Numenor, the king’s eldest son Aldarion did his duty and married the woman Erendis,
to produce a daughter Aranel.
Yet while Erendis loved her husband in the beginning, his true love was the sea, and
she came to resent him for spending nearly all his time away.
Eventually she left him and took their daughter to her family’s homeland, but when her husband
returned from his latest adventure, he demanded Aranel be returned.
Grudgingly she obeyed his command, but did not return to him until years later when she
travelled to see him as he returned from his final voyage, only to perish in water before
he arrived.
In the year 884 of the second age, Meneldur abdicated and his son Aldarion took the throne.
Estranged from his wife and without a male heir, the king changed the law so his daughter
Aranel could succeed him and when he abdicated in 1075, she rose to become Tar-Ancalime,
the first Queen of Numenor.
Unfortunately, the tumultuous relationship of her parents greatly influenced her outlook
on marriage, leading her to arrange a loveless political marriage with the nobleman Hallacar,
done only to produce an heir, their son Anarion, after which they lived entirely separate lives.
In later life, her distain for marriage remained and she forbid her granddaughters from being
wed.
In the year 1280, Ancalime abdicated in favour of her son Tar- Anarion, and he did the same
in 1394 for his third born child Surion, as his 2 elder daughters refused the crown.
Surion ruled until 1566, when he abdicated for his daughter Tar-Telperien, the second
ever Queen of Numenor.
While the descendants of the Edain thrived on their far away island, the peoples of Middle-earth
struggled against a rising threat, as Sauron, the Maiar spirit who once served as a Lieutenant
of Morgoth, survived their defeat in the War of Wrath and 500 years later began to spread
his influence and grow his power.
By the year 1000, Sauron settled in Mordor and started building the tower of Barad-dur.
Determined to rule over the continent, Sauron grew his strength, breeding armies of orcs
and trolls as well as recruiting human warriors from the Easterlings and Haradrim, men he
tricked, coerced or corrupted into his service.
Yet the Second Dark Lord knew that armies alone might not bring him victory, and so
he used cunning, manipulation and subterfuge to help weaken and undermine his enemies.
The Elves meanwhile, continued to settle the west, founding the realm of Eregion in the
year 750, led by Galadriel, the lady of light, and her husband Celeborn until they left in
1350 to live in Lothlorien further east.
After their departure, Celebrimbor took power, renown for his skill as a smith, and his ancestry,
as the grandson of Feanor, one of the most famous and powerful Elves to ever live.
Celebrimbor’s love of crafting was shared by his people, and they became unique among
the Elves by developing amicable relations with the dwarves of Durin’s Folk, bonding
over their shared love of smith work and teaching each other their skills.
Yet Eregion soon came under threat when Sauron appeared before them posing as Annatar, the
Lord of Gifts, an envoy from the Vala Aule, sent to teach them secret crafting knowledge.
Though some did not trust him, many of those within Eregion were eager to learn this secret
knowledge, and with Annatar’s encouragement, they used their new skills to start crafting a set of rings.