Though the second dark lord Sauron was an enemy of all the free peoples, his greatest
hatred was reserved for the men of Numenor, humans blessed by the creator Eru with long
life, greater skills and increased wisdom.
Descendants of the Edain who fought against his master Melkor in the First Age, Numenoreans
went on to be the greatest foes of the dark lord during his creation of the one ring and
attempts to conquer middle-earth in the second age, defeating his armies in the War of the
Elves and Sauron, before forcing his submission in 3262 SA.
Taken as a captive to Numenor, the dark lord worked in the shadows to secure his vengeance
and eventually succeeded, by convincing their king Ar-pharazon to attack the Undying Lands
of Aman, leading to the destruction of their island home.
Yet his victory was incomplete, as Elendil, successor to the Lords of Andunie, and leader
of those who remained faithful to Eru, opposed his ascendancy on Numenor and escaped the
destruction by sailing east to found the realms of Gondor and Arnor in middle-earth.
Seeking to finish off his hated enemies, Sauron’s spirit returned to Mordor where he gathered
his legions, summoning Orcs, Trolls, Easterlings, Haradrim, Eastern Dwarves and wicked beasts
to launch a first strike against Gondor in 3429 SA, engaging in the Battle of Minas Ithil.
Burning the White Tree and slaughtering the forces of men, who thought Sauron died on
Numenor and so were not expecting an attack, Isildur, son of Elendil fled with his family,
taking with them a seedling of the White Tree which served as an important symbol of their
house and people.
Seeking refuge with his father in Arnor, Isildur’s young brother Anarion remained to hold the
line against the Dark Lord in the battle of Osgiliath, where he awaited reinforcements
from the north.
Raising the armies of Arnor, High King Elendil reached out to his Elven friends High King
Gil-galad and Lord Cirdan of the Kingdom of Lindon, who brought forth a great army to
form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
Marching to Rivendell, they spent 3 years forging weapons and armor while making plans
for war, before finally departing for the south alongside Lord Elrond and his army.
As they travelled they were further strengthened by the forces of King Oropher and his son
Thranduil, who led the Silvan elves of the Woodland realm, King Amdir and the Galadhrim
of Lothlorien, the Dwarves of Durin’s Folk from Khazad Dum and various blessed beasts
ready to fight against the Dark Lord.
Anticipating the arrival of the Alliance, Sauron sent his armies to burn the gardens
of the Entwives, located north of Mordor, in order to deprive his enemies of supplies
and slow their advance, creating what was later known as the Brown Lands.
Yet this was not enough to stop the Alliance, which grew even larger when joined by Anarion
and the armies of Gondor to at last engage the Dark Lord in the Battle of Dagorlad.
A long and viscous conflict, Sauron gained the upperhand when his enemies made a strategic
error, as the Kings Oropher and Amdir were independent minded and did not wish to accept
the authority of High King Gil-galad, leading them to charge forth before the signal was
given to engage the armies of Mordor.
Though the Silvan Elves of the Greenwood and Lothlorien were courageous warriors, they
were far less armed and armoured then others in the alliance, and so without the support
of their comrades were soon surrounded and massacred.
After King Oropher and 2/3rds of his forces were lost, King Amdir was pushed into nearby
marshlands where he was slain alongside half of his army, leaving so many bodies this region
was later known as the dead marshes.
Despite Sauron’s forces vastly outnumbering the Alliance, and gaining an advantage by
slaughtering the Silvan, they ultimately could not stand against the rest of their enemies,
losing the battle and retreating into Mordor.
Yet the Alliance, not content with this victory, followed them past the black gate towards
the impenetrable Tower of Barad-dur, where Sauron hid with a sizeable host.
Laying siege for 7 years, casualties continued to mount as the Dark Lord sent his forces
to attack and harass the enemy whenever possible, resulting in the death of Anarion from a projectile
weapon.
In the end, when at last his armies were exhausted, Sauron emerged from barad-dur to face off
against Elendil and Gil-galad, engaging in a fearsome fight where the High Kings succeeded
in slaying the Dark Lord, though at a cost of their own lives.
The war over, Isildur picked up a shard of Narsil, his fathers shattered sword, and cut
the One ring of power from Sauron’s hand.
Yet rather than taking this opportunity to destroy it in the fires of mount doom, as
urged by Elrond and Cirdan, Isildur was corrupted by its power and took the One Ring as his
rightful wergild for the death of his father and brother.
Entering into the Third Age, the Last Alliance of Men and Elves won a great though temporary
victory, but suffered many casualties throughout the conflict, which in addition to the many
warriors lost, included the deaths of King Oropher, King Amdir, Prince Anarion, High
King Gil-galad, and High King Elendil.
Taking up their responsibilities, Oropher’s son Thranduil was the new King of the Woodland
Realm, Galadriel and Celeborn ruled over Lothlorien, while Elendil’s son Isildur became High
King of Gondor and Arnor.
When it came to Gil-galad, no other would take his title, making him the last High king
of the Elves, with Lord Elrond gaining sovereignty over Rivendell while Lord Cirdan ruled in
the Grey Havens.
Though Sauron was gone, his spirit remained bound to the One Ring of power and so survived
the war, slowly regaining his strength to one day re-emerge and cover the land in a
second darkness.
As for High King Isildur, he was killed just 2 years later in the disaster of the Gladden
Fields, shot by arrows while trying to escape from an Orcs attack With the Orcs unaware
of its presence, the One Ring of power slipped off Isildur’s finger and fell to the bottom
of the river where it remained for over two thousand years.