Using the secret knowledge provided by the Dark Lord Sauron, Numenoreans devised new
engines and built greater ships, growing their wealth through their colonies in middle earth
which plundered and enslaved their neighbours, performing ritual sacrifices to honor their
god Melkor.
Yet their pursuit of material wealth and military power only furthered their corruption and
fear of death, and the Dunedain began to lose the blessings bestowed upon them, suffering
from madness, illnesses and shorter lifespans.
As they interacted with one another, they grew increasingly greedy, jealous, angry and
violent, quarrelling and killing each other over minor provocations.
As the Dark Lord travelled throughout the island, he spread further hatred and stirred
up rebellions against the nobility, which in turn caused the Lords and King of the Island
to take cruel revenge upon the people.
For years Ar-Pharazon ruled as the greatest Tyrant since Morgoth in the First Age, though
in truth Sauron ruled from the shadows.
Despite having everything a man could want, the King’s fear of death intensified as
he grew older, and ready to prey on this vulnerability, Sauron one day approached him to reveal yet
another secret truth.
Ready to begin the final stage of his plan, Sauron explained the Lords of the West lied
about the nature of eternal lives and that if a being as mighty as Ar-Pharazon were to
conquer the Undying Lands, he would gain immortal and rule the world in place of the Valar.
For nine years, Ar-Pharazon prepared his Great Armament and planned the invasion of Valinor,
and in response, signs were sent to warn them of their folly, like earthquakes, darkened
skies, violent winds, torrential rain, hail storms, and clouds in the shape of eagles
with lightning beneath their wings.
Yet in the face of all this Ar-Pharazon remained defiant, claiming “The Lords of the West
have plotted against us.
They strike first.
The next blow shall be ours!”
When at last the Great Armament was complete, a final warning fell upon them, when the Eagles
of Manwe came forth arrayed as for battle with a terrible red sky behind them, shining
so bright that the Numenoreans glowed as if lit with a flame of great anger.
But the King ignored the sign and hardened his heart further, boarding his ship and sailing
for war.
As all this occurred, the Lord of Andunie watched from afar, knowing that the King was
bringing doom upon them all, and devised his own plan to save their people.
Leaving his son Elendil in command, he sailed in secret to the Undying Lands, in hopes of
replicating the success of his ancestors Earendil, who convinced the Valar to save Middle-earth
from Morgoth in the First Age.
Though he knew it was dangerous to defy the Ban of the Valar, he hoped that because his
people remained Faithful to Eru, he might yet convince them to save Numenor.
Following his father’s instructions, Elendil then prepared a fleet of ships at the port
of Romenna, and readied the Faithful to depart if necessary, taking with them as many island
treasures as possible.
To explain their actions, they claimed Amandil left to prepare a new home for their people
in Middle Earth, and the other faithful were preparing ships to follow.
Departing the island on a small ship with his 3 most loyal servants, the Lord of Andunie
was never heard from again, and while the Valar once answered the call of a man in the
First Age and saved the Edain, they would not do so a second time.
With Amandil gone, Elendil was called by the king to bring his warriors forth and join
the Great Armament, but he refused, and so after the ships departed Sauron sent his soldiers
against the Faithful who retreated to their ships and sailed eastward, waiting to see
what was to come.
In the year 3319 of the Second Age, Ar-Pharazon and his mighty fleet arrived in the Undying
Lands, finding it haunted by an eerie silence, as the Elves who lived along the coast pulled
back to a nearby city.
Though the King hesitated and wavered, nearly turning back at the last moment, his pride
would not allow it, and so he marched into Valinor and declared himself ruler of the
continent, before ordering his men to make camp around Tirion.
In response to the High Men of Numenor ignoring their warnings, violating the Ban and invading
their homeland with weapons of war, Manwe, King of the Valar called upon their creator
Eru who unleashed his terrible power, causing Numenor to fall beneath the waves and the
Undying Lands to physically detach itself from the world.
As all this occurred, the ships of the great Armament were swallowed by the sea, while
Ar-Pharazon and his warriors were buried beneath falling hills, trapped within the forgotten
caves until the final battle at the end of the world.
In later years, when men once against began sailing west, hoping to find the fabled land
of Aman or else the remains of Numenor, they failed to do so and instead reported back
that all roads are now bent, meaning their once flat world was now round and populated
with new lands and seas.
Yet while the mortal races could no longer travel to the Undying Lands, a hidden, Straight
Road remained, accessible only to the elves, though some humans told stories of great mariners
who stumbled upon this secret path, and were able to glimpse the shores of Valinor before
they died.
While Eru reshaped the world, the people of Numenor were destroyed, including their Queen,
the Faithful Miriel, who died trying to escape the waves by climbing Meneltarma, her dying
screams lost in the roaring winds.
Though Sauron was fearful when he felt the fury of Eru, it soon turned to mirth, laughing
at the ruin he brought upon his enemies.
When his Temple finally collapsed and his body died, the Maia spirit within emerged,
still in possession of the One Ring of Power, and made its way to Middle-earth and his home
of Mordor.
Having lost the ability to take fair form, Sauron made himself a body to inspire fear,
and started rebuilding his armies to conquer middle-earth.
Yet the peoples of the west continued to oppose him, not only the Elves, who under King Gil-Galad
grew mighty during the years of the Dark Lord’s absence, but also Elendil, son of Amandil,
and his followers the Faithful of Numenor who survived the doom.
Standing aboard their ships, during the reshaping of the world, the Faithful saw their island
home collapse into the sea, before the tempest overtook them.
Though it cannot be certain why they were sparred, some believe Amandil’s voyage to
the Undying Lands was not entirely in vain, and for his sake the Valar protected the Faithful
from the terrible storms and brought them unharmed to the shores of Middle earth.
With their ships split in two groups, Elendil and his followers sailed into the Kingdom
of Lindon and were greeted warmly by the Elven King, while Isildur and Anarion arrived at
the mouth of the river anduin.
In the north they established the Kingdom of Arnor, populated settlements like Annúminas,
Fornost, Cardolan, and Rhudaur.
While in the south they formed the Kingdom of Gondor, with the brother kings ruling from
the capital of Osgiliath, though Minas Ithil was the home of Isildur and Minas Anor the
home of Anarion.
Though the Sceptre of the King was lost when Ar-Pharazon attacked Valinor, the Faithful
were able to save the Sceptre of Andúnië which was then held by the Kings of Arnor,
as well as many other Numenorean treasures, like the 7 Palantiri gifted by the Elves.
Stones which allowed the user to see and communicate over great distances, with those of great
power able to use them to see almost anything.
The Faithful also saved the white tree groein from the seedling of Nimloth, and it was planted
in Minas Ithil with Isildur and his people.
Furious that his Numenorean enemies survived and were prospering in the west, Sauron launched
his attack earlier then originally planned, and descended upon Minas Ithil, burning the
White Tree and forcing Isildur into retreat, though he was once again able to save a seedling
before departing to seek reinforcements.
The Dark armies also attacked Osgiliath, but Anarion led the defense and held his ground,
though it was clear they could not last much longer.
Learning of the attacks, King Elendil met with King Gil Galad and formed the Last Alliance
of Men and Elves, gathering the largest army assembled since the War of Wrath to engage
Sauron’s armies at the Battle of Dagorlad, where it seemed as though all the races and
beasts of Middle Earth were represented on both sides, save for the Elves who were entirely
in opposition to the Dark Lord.
Fighting for Last Alliance, was King Elendil with the Dunedain of Arnor, the Kings Anarion
and Isildur with the Dunedain of Gondor, King Gil Galad and Lord Elrond with Noldor and
Sindar Elves of Lindon and Imladris, as well King Amdir and King Oropher with the Silvan
Elves of Lothlorien and the Woodland Realm.
Fighting for the Dark Lord were Orcs, trolls, wicked beast and men of the east and south,
both those who served him and Morgoth in the past and the Black Numenoreans who now populated
the coasts, Dunedain who were in the colonies and therefore survived the doom of their island.
While some of those colonists were Faithful, like those in Pelargir, the Black Numenoreans
of the south were King’s Men, and easily won to the side of Sauron.
Among these recruits were the men of Umbar as well as Herumor and Fuinur, who became
great Lords of the Haradrim.
Though few Dwarves participated in the war, some few served Sauron, while the Longbeards
of Durin’s Folk emerged from their mountain to join the Last Alliance.
Though the battle of Dagorlad was won by the Last Alliance, it was a devastating conflict
made worse because the Silvan Elves did not feel any particular loyalty to the Sindar
and Noldor of the West, and therefore disobeyed orders and attack prematurely, resulting in
the death of King Oropher, while Amdir and half his army were slaughtered in what came
to be called the Dead Marshes.
Despite winning the battle, the war was not over and so they entered mordor and laid siege
to Barad Dur.
For seven years the Dark Lord mounted an impressive defense, peppering them with projectiles and
raids resulting in significant casualties including the death of King Anarion, but at
long last Sauron finally emerged, prepared to face his enemies directly.
Answering his challenge, the Kings Elendil and Gil Galad fought valiantly and gave their
lives to slay the dark Lord.
With all three fallen, Elendil’s last surviving son Isildur, picked up the shards of Narsil,
his father’s broken sword, and cut the one ring of power from Sauron’s finger, destroying
his physical body.
However Sauron’s spirit survived as it was linked to the One Ring, and so both Elrond
and Cirdan urged Isildur to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom.
But the corruption of the ring and the allure of its power quickly took over his mind, and
he kept it as wergild for the loss of his father and brother.
With the death of Gil Galad, the Noldor Kingdoms of Middle Earth were at an end, and so many
decided to leave and return the Undying Lands.
Of the Elves who remained behind, some lived in the Grey Havens under Cirdan, or else Imladris
under Elrond, Lothlorien under Amdir’s son Amroth and the Woodland Realm under Oropher’s
son Thranduil.
The Dunedain lived under Isildur as King of Gondor and Arnor, while Durin’s Folk returned
to Khazad Dum, and the servants of Sauron scattered into the east and south.
Defeated but determined to have his revenge upon the free peoples of Middle Earth, the
Dark Lord slowly recovered and made new plans, awaiting the day he might return to full strength
by reuniting with the One Ring of Power.