After centuries of warfare, Gondolin stood alone as the last Elven city of Beleriand,
and thus became the singular focus of Morgoth, who already learned its general wherabouts
through his former prisoner Hurin Thalion, but he learned more about the realm and made
specific plans for an invasion after capturing Maeglin, the half Noldor- half Sindar nephew
of High King Turgon.
Leaving the city to search for metals in the mountains, Maeglin was captured by Orcs and
so made a deal promising to reveal details about Gondolin’s location and help them
conquer the city, in exchange for sparring his life and arranging for him to marry his
cousin Idril, daughter of Turgon, despite the fact she was already married to Tuor,
a human hero made Lord of the city.
Though Idril was unaware of this betrayal, she nonetheless worried about the safety of
their people and made a secret, emergency escape plan, constructing tunnels in case
of emergency.
Her fears then proved justified during the Gate of Summer Festival, when Morgoth launched
a full scale invasion, sending Orcs, wolves and Balrogs riding dragons to destroy the
last Noldor realm.
Among the many heroic feats during the Fall of Gondolin, some of the most impressive included
Rog’s defense of the northern gate, where the Lord of the Hammer of Wrath gave a passionate
speech, inspiring his army to tear their way through the enemy, making it beyond city limits
before they were surrounded and killed.
Then there was Ecthelion, Lord to the House of the Fountain, who personally slew three
balrogs in his defense of the southern gate, while his army killed more orcs then in any
battle before.
When dragons arrived, they retreated to the Square of the King, where Ecthelion remained
to hold off the enemy so others could escape.
Though he was already wounded, losing his shield and the use of his left arm, he fought
Gothmog, the Lord of balrogs in single combat, and soon lost the use of his right hand and
sword.
Valiant to the end, Ecthelion charged forth and drove his spiked helm into Gothmog, causing
them both to topple into the Fountain of the King, where they both died.
As for High King Turgon, he oversaw and directed his forces from the Tower of the King until
realizing victory was impossible, at which point he ordered all survivors to evacuate
the city while he remained with his house, fighting until the end.
Though they put up a valiant defense, dragons eventually knocked over the tower, crushing
the High King beneath.
After facing off against and defeating the traitorous armies of Maeglin, Tuor joined
his wife Idril to help evacuate their people through the secret tunnels, aided in their
efforts by Lord Glorfindel, of the House of the Golden Flower.
Yet when they were waylaid outside the city by an enemy army, Glorfindel lost his life
battling a balrog on a mountain cliff, knocking him over the side only to be dragged down
by his hair, both falling to their deaths.
Aided further by eagles who helped hold off the orcs, Tuor, Idril and their young son
Earendil led survivors south to seek refuge near the mouths of Sirion.
A few years later Tuor, joined by his wife Idril, embarked upon his lifelong ambition
of sailing across the sea to Valinor, and though neither were ever seen again, some
stories say they completed the journey, and Tuor, despite being human, was treated as
an elf and granted immortality so he might live alongside his wife in the Undying Lands.
Regardless, with Tuor and Idril gone, leadership of the refugees living near the mouths of
sirion fell to their son Earendil, who married Elwing, daughter of King Dior, thereby uniting
the half elven lines to produce two sons, Elrond and Elros.
An avid sailor seeking to learn the fate of his parents, Earendil often voyaged across
the sea, leaving Elwing in charge of their people, and it was during one such occasion,
in 538 FA, that a final great tragedy befell them, when the sons of Feanor arrived with
the last of their followers, demanding the surrender of the Silmaril they held.
Refusing to give in, the sons of Feanor committed the Third Kinslaying, considered the cruelest
of all because they slaughtered many defenseless refugees.
Though Cirdan and Gil-galad sent reinforcements from the Isle of Balar, the battle was over
by the time they arrived.
Despite losing Amrod and Amras, the last sons of Feanor emerged victorious, but once again
it was all for not, as Elwing threw herself, and the silmaril into the sea rather then
face capture.
Ever a friend to the Children of Eru, the Vala Ulmo saved Elwing from drowning and granted
her the ability to transform into a white bird, allowing her to fly through the air
with the silmaril until finding her husband’s ship.
Transforming back into a woman, she explained all that happened, and after realizing Beleriand
was entirely lost, they sailed west to Valinor, where they might beg assistance from the Valar
who were now the only hope of saving Middle-earth from the Dark Lord.
A great mariner, Earendel navigated his way to Valinor and became the first known mortal
to march upon the undying lands.
Aware he came for selfless reasons, bore a precious silmaril and was a descendant of
an important bloodline, Manwe and the Valar did not punish him for violating their law
by coming to these lands, and even agreed to raise armies to once again wage war against
their old adversary Morgoth.
Assembling a great host, their warriors consisted of Valar, Maiar, Vanyar Elves and those Noldor
who remained behind when Feanor and Fingolfin journeyed to Middle Earth.
The Teleri Elves also contributed to the mission by providing ships for the voyage east, but
refused to fight, as they still resented the Noldor for slaughtering their people in the
First Kinslaying.
Reaching Middle Earth in 545 FA, the armies of the Valar were joined by the surviving
Elves of Beleriand as well as the remaining Men of the West, while many Easterlings fought
for the Dark Lord whose armies grew vast after conquering nearly all of Beleriand.
In addition to possessing great legions of Orcs, their were Balrogs, Serpent Dragons,
wolf-riders, werewolves and other wicked creatures like Trolls, a new form of life made in mockery
of the Ents.
Engaging in the War of Wrath, a long, bloody, 40 year struggle, the Host of the Valar eventually
reached Angband, causing Morgoth to unleash his winged dragons, the last, deadliest weapon
in his arsenal.
Quickly devastated the armies of the Valar, for the first time defeat seemeed liek a possibility
until Earendil flew into battle aboard a sky ship, accompanied by a mighty host of eagles
under Thorondor, destroying many of the dragons including Ancalagon the Black, largest and
greatest among them.
When at last the forces of the Dark Lord were defeated, Morgoth tried to sue for peace but
was instead forceably captured, with his feet hewn from under him, before the Valar unhoused
his spirit and sent it through the Door of Night into the timeless Void, unable to return
to Arda until the final battle of Dagor Dagorath at the end of the world.
With Morgoth captured, the final 2 silmarils were recovered by the Maia Eonwe, but even
now the surviving sons of Feanor could not forgo their vows, sneaking into the victorious
camp to kill several guards and take possession of the jewels, at last fulfilling the oath
of feanor.
Aware this was a suicide mission, Maedhros and Maglor quickly found themselves surrounded
and were prepared for a fight to the death, but Eonwe, instead allowed to leave unharmed
so no more blood would be shed.
Though the War of the Great Jewels was over, and they were victorious, fiinally holding
the Silmarils of their Father, Maedhros and Maglor found no joy or peace, as they lost
everything and commited so many evil deeds the jewels deemed them unworthy and burned
in their hands, bringing only pain and misery.
Unable to live with all they’d done, Maedhros threw himself and his jewel into a fiery chasm,
while Maglor tossed his Silmaril into the ocean, and lived out his days singing songs
of laments while he wandering aimlessly through Middle Earth.
For centuries, the Valar did their best to avoid interfering in the affairs of middle
earth, and once again were reminded why that was the right decision, when they saw the
consequences of the war of wrath.
Seeing countless die in the fighting and aftermath, which was so devastating Beleriand collapsed
into the sea.
Issuing a pardon to the remaining Noldor of middle-earth and invitation to the sindar,
many of the Elves left for the Undying Lands, while others like High King Gil-Galad, Galadriel,
Celeborn, Elrond and Oropher remained behind to found new homelands further east.
As for the human Houses that fought for the Valar, they were rewarded with the island
of Numenor in the middle of Sea of Belegaer, founding a new glorious kingdom under Elros
as their first ruler, the only member of Earendil’s family to that point, that chose the life
of a mortal human.
Though Morgoth was defeated and could no longer directly influence the world, some of his
Orcs, Trolls, Dragons, Balrogs and other creatures fled into the east, as well as his Lieutenant
Sauron, who initially had a change of heart upon witnessing his masters defeat, and offered
his surrender to Eonwe.
But upon learning he was to be taken west and judged by the Valar, he could not bring
himself to display such humility and ultimately fled to eventually become the new Dark Lord
of the Second and Third Ages.