Partaining to third age

[Angoreth]

After the fall of Sauron

After the overthrow of Sauron following the Battle of Dagorlad and the long and gruesome siege of Barad-dûr, the various hosts forming the army of the Last Alliance took the road back home. All were reduced in number and many lamented grievious losses among their leaders. The Elves of Eryn Galen (the great forest later known as Mirkwood) had lost their king, Oropher, who rushed forward with his best warriors even before Gil-Gald had given the signal for the first assault upon the Gates of Mordor and was slaughtered with most of them. Thranduil, his son and the new king of the Woodland Realm, guided the survivors back to the North.

The Elves of Lòrien, who had come to the war with the Silvan Elves of Oropher, also had lost their king: Amdìr, apparent father of Amroth, was cut off from the main host and driven to the Dead Marshes with most of his followers.

The Noldorin Elves of Lindon were guided back by Círdan the Shipwright, for even their mighty sovereign, Gil-Galad the High King had perished, burnt to death in his fatal struggle with Sauron by the heat of the Enemy’s hand. Others went to Imladris with Elrond, to perpetuate that last haven of Elven lore and wisdom. With them were also Galadriel and Celeborn, and their daughter Celebrían, whom Elrond married in year 109 of the third age.

The Three Rings of the Elves, free for the first time of the dominance of the One Ring, which was held now by Isildur, were used to mend the hurts of the land and cleanse the stain of the evil of Sauron. In Imladris was Nenya, the Ring of Water, held by Galadriel and Vilya the Ring of Air, worn by Elrond Half-Elven; in Lindon Círdan kept Narya the Ring of Fire.

The Dwarves returned to their halls of stone and Durin’s Folk came back to Khazad-dûm; they stood guard on their treasures, seldom coming into contact with the other peoples until evil rose again.

In Gondor, Minas Ithil was retaken and repopulated and its Palantír recovered.

Many of the servants of Sauron among the Men repented and went under the rule of the Kings of Gondor and Arnor, but still more remained subject to his evil influence and waited for the right occasion to wage war to the heirs of Elendil. The Men of the Mountains, who swore their loyalty to the Last Alliance, but fled from battle, were cursed forever by Isildur for their treachery.

The Dark Tower was levelled, but its foundations, having been made with the Ring, could not be unmade until the Ring lasted. The Men of Gondor built many forts and strong castles to guard Mordor and assure that none of the evil creatures that still lurked there could issue from its ashen wastes: the Tower of Cirith Ungol, guarding the high pass on the Ephel Dúath; Narchost and Carchost, the Towers of the Teeth watching the Black Gate in the North, and Durthang Castle, just inside the Gate, high on a branching spur of the Mountains of Shadow.

But the long darkness of the Dark Lord seemed departed for good, at least for the present, and mirth and hope prevailed in Gondor. Isildur himself, who had saved a seediling of the White Tree of Minas Ithil, planted it in the Citadel of Minas Anor, in memory of his brother Anàrion, killed during the siege of the Dark Tower. And there it grew, recalling to all the glory of Númenor and the bliss of the True West beyond.

Isildur's Departure for Arnor

[Angoreth]

Isildur's departure for Arnor:

Isildur dwelt for a while in Minas Anor, where he took the Elendilmir, which is the Star of Elendil, claiming Crown of Arnor. He would order the northern realm and conunselled his brother’s son, Meneldil, to whom he would eventually commit the kingdom of Gondor, reserving for himself the rule of the Northern Kingdom and the High Kingship of the Men of the West. The One Ring of the Enemy he took for his own, in weregild for Anárion’s and Elendil’s deaths, and because he loathed to destroy a thing so fair and already so dear to himself, even if such lore-masters as Círdan and Elrond strongly counselled him to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom and so destroy it and its master forever (weregild was a long honored tradition in medieval timesby which the death of family was repaid). In this the Wise could see the evil workings of the One, already getting hold of Isildur’s mind. It was during this period that he wrote the scroll describing the Ring and the Ring-inscription, so that a record of it should remain in the Southern Kingdom. It was this scroll that more than three thousands years later was found by Gandalf in Minas Tirith and from it he obtained the clue about the true nature of Bilbo’s magic treasure.

When two years had passed after the fall of Sauron, Isuldur finally decided to go to the Northern Kingdom, to take the throne as its King, and Lord of the Dunedain. So, he bade farewell to his nephew Meneldil (who was by no means displesased to see him leave) and, accompanied by his three elder sons Elendur, Aratan and Cirion, escorted by his personal guard of two hundred kinghts and foot-soldiers, Isildur took the road to Imladris, where he had left his wife and Valandil, his youngest son. On a fine chain around his neck he bore the One Ring, destined to be an heirloom of his House for the centuries to come.

The party left Osgiliath and, crossing the Anduin, passed on the Dagorlad, still strewn with the remains of the great and long battle of nine years before. From that eerie plain they continued north, across the empty plains of the Brown Lands, heading for the entrance of the Vales of Anduin, between Lòrien and Amon Lanc in the south-western corner of the forest of Greenwood the Great.

[Angoreth]

Disaster of the Gladden fields


On the thirtieth day of the journey, Isildur and his host were travelling along the ancient path of the Silvan Elves which ran parallel to the river, beneath the steep slopes of the great wood on their right, when suddenly they heard war cries and saw a great host of Orcs coming out of the forest and charging down upon them. They were now near the northern edge of the Gladden Fields, a marshy region where once a lake had been; the sun was setting and they where isolated, caught at unawares and too far from any help.

Isildur ordered a thangail, a shield-wall, to be formed, and waited for the onslaught. Before that came, he gave to shards of Narsil to his squire, Ohtar and ordered him and his young companion to save them at any cost and take them to Imladris. Then the first attack came, and was repulsed. Isildur gave the order to resume the march, leering this time on the left, towards the lower and flatter parts of the valley, so to deny the Orcs the advantage of the steep slopes. Furthermore, as he knew well, farther on the ground gradually rose almost at level with the eaves of Greenwood, and so they would be able to confront enemies on more equal terms.

But the Orcs were animated by a fierce hatred and it is probable that the Ring itself, only two years since its removal from Saurons finger and therefore still heavily laden with his malice, was drawing and inciting their chieftains to destroy the Dúnedain and capture their chief. They silently but relentlessly encircled Isildur’s guard, and when night was about to fall, they moved inwards, closing in the ring around their enemies.

Soon, Men were falling by the dozen and all hope of survival was lost. Cyrion and Aratan, two of Isildur’s sons, were killed, along with many others. At this point Elendur, Isuldur’s heir, went to his father and begged him to flee and take the Ring to the Keepers of the Three, so that it could at last be destroyed. Reluctantly and with grief in his heart, Isildur agreed and, putting on the Ring, with a great cry of pain he disappeared and was not seen again by any living man. Only the Elendilmir, whose brighteness could not be dimmed, shined forth for a while, putting fear in the hearts of the Orcs. At last, Isildur drew his hood over his head and even that light failed.

Elendur and all of the Dúnedain were slaughtered in the battle; only Elendur’s squire, Estelmo, survived. Hit by a club, he was left for dead under his master’s body. He eventually recovered and crossed the Misty Mountains, bringing the dreadful news of the disaster to Rivendell.

Meanwhile, Isildur had reached the bank of the Anduin at midnight and, taking off his armour, had plunged into the water, trying to swim to the other shore. The current, though, was too strong for him and, instead of going north toward the pass to Elrond’s realm, he was steadily drawn south, towards the battlefield and the islets and canals of the Gladden Fields. At last, the current slackened and he found himself struggling through tangles of weeds and reeds. It is in these moments that he realized that the Ring had gone. It had slipped from his finger and was now lost in the bed of the Great River.

Recovering from the first stunning shock, he felt relieved of a great burden and pain; now he could continue his voyage with a lighter heart and a spirit renewed. He heaved himself out of the river on an islet close to the western bank. There his doom fell: the Orc sentries watching the shore for fugitives of the battle saw him and the Elendilmir, brightly shining once more. They shot their arrows at this dreadful figure and Isildur fell into the water again, pierced in the throat and through the heart. So perished Elendil’s Heir, founder of Gondor (with his brother and father) and Second King of Arnor. Anduin was to flow over him and the Ring that was his bane for more than two thousands years. But from its waters no remains came out to be honoured and mourned. No body to be laid to rest in Rath Dìnen or Annúminas renewed.

At least, for the sake of the Dúnedain in Middle-earth, the squire Ohtar achieved his high errand, bringing the Shards of Narsil, the Sword of Elendil, to Rivendell, where they would remain for thousands of years. Valandil, the only remaining son of Isildur, received then the Sceptre and the Kingship of Arnor.



K, Im done for tonight *yawns* G'night ya'll