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[Mathijs]

A New Shadow

TA 3021 –
The Ringbearers leave Middle-earth. Fourth Age begins. Aragorn Elessar now governs Gondor and Arnor as the Reunited Kingdom. Éomer marries Lothiriel, daughter of Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Faramir marries Éowyn, and they settle in the woods of Ithilien.
FA 2 -
Aragorn and Éomer set out on a campaign to destroy the remaining forces loyal to Sauron, primarily in Rhûn and Harad. A truce is established with Rhûn, and peace is made with Harad. Gondorian forces are stationed in Umbar.
FA 5 -
Legolas and Gimli finish their journey through Middle-earth together, and Legolas leads a company of wood elves to live in Ithilien. Gimli brings a contingent of dwarves from Erebor to live in the Glittering Caves, or Aglarond, under Helm's Deep.
FA 6 -
Elessar declares the Shire a Free Land under the Sceptre of the North.
FA 12 -
The renovation of Minas Tirith is completed, making it greener and stronger then before, through the combined aid of elves and dwarves.
FA 13 -
Annunimas is rebuilt, and king Elessar once more returns to his former homeland to govern from there. Gimli and his dwarves finish the reïnforcing of Helm's Deep, and now share the fortress with the Rohirrim. The Thain (Pippin) and Mayor of Michel Delving (Sam) were made councillors to his kingdom in the North.
FA 15 -
The King and Queen meet with Sam, Pippin and Merry at the Brandywine Bridge.
FA 21 -
Sam lived in Gondor for 1 year with his wife and children.
FA 61 -
Sam's wife, Rosie Gamgee, dies. Sam sets sail to follow his master Frodo, into the West.
FA 63 -
Éomer called for his knight, Merry, to visit him one last time in Rohan. King Éomer died that year. Under his reign the land of Rohan was prosperous and wealthy, and it's people and herds of horses were increased. His son, Elfwyne, became King.
FA 64 -
Merry and Pippin go to live in Gondor until their deaths.
FA 82 -
Death of Faramir. His son, Elboron, succeeds him as Steward of Gondor and Second Prince of Ithilien.
FA 120 –
Death of King Elessar. The beds of Meriadoc and Peregrin are placed next to the bed of the King. His son Eldarion succeeds him as King of the Reunited Kingdom. Legolas and Gimli sail into the West, ending the Fellowship of the Ring in Middle-earth. Elves remain in Ithilien, now under the rule of Elboron, and the Dwarves of Aglarond elect a new leader, a young dwarf-lord called Farin Steelchin. This name was given to him because he wears a helmet into battle that covers his entire face except his eyes. King Eldarion is a wise King, and maintains the truce and peace with the Men of Shadow.
FA 167 –
A whispering fear blows through the hearts of Men when King Incathín of Dorwinion is assassinated. Voices whisper that this is the work of the Easterlings, but Eldarion puts no blame on them yet. He sends out some troops to investigate the matter, and to council with King Barand of Dale, son of Brand II, son of Bard II, son of Brand. This instilled dismay into the hearts of the Easterlings, for they quickly came to know about the investigations. They had no idea who had killed Incathín, for they themselves did not see Dorwinion as an enemy of Rhûn anymore. The vinyards of Dorwinion had been a great source of trade to them for years.
FA 168 -
A few radical Easterlings, believing the Gondorians suspect Rhûn of the assassination, travel to Dorwinion to see if the Gondorians are still investigating. They locate the Gondorians and confront them with their ideas. The Gondorians get angry at the assumptions, which is seen as an act of violence by the Easterling radicals. They attack the Gondorians, and kill them. A group of five Easterlings return home, bringing new of the erupted violence against Rhûn.
FA 169 -
Lord Khûrthan, reigning emperor of Rhûn, falls in doubt over the truce between Gondor. The Easterling armies are once again great, and a victory wouldn't be impossible to achieve. He sends word to the lords of the Haradrim tribes, in order to rekindle the old allegiances under the Nameless Darkness. (Sauron as the cleansed minds of Rhûn came to call him.) In this year, the Ithryn Luin appear to him and tell him about the misunderstandings of the year before. Khûrthan sends another group of riders through Khand and into Harad, to inform the lords of the Haradrim about the misunderstandings. Peace remains, and King Eldarion meets with Emperor Khûrthan in Dorwinion to strengthen the trust of both nations. The five Easterlings that brought false words to Khûrthan's court are imprisoned for the rest of their lives.
FA 170 -
Elboron of Ithilien dies. His son Barahir succeeds him.
FA 172 -
Umbar is overrun by a young, fanatical warchief named Sêlath. He reclaims the city for Harad, even though many of the lords of the Haradrim do not condone his actions. They fear a Gondorian retaliation, and righteously so. An assault led by Barahir of Ithilien and Eranoth of Dol Amroth leads to an extremely bloody battle, with large losses on both sides. The outcome remains undecided yet.
FA 173 -
Umbar is split in two, the northern half being controlled by Gondor, the southern half by Sêlath's haradrim. The lords of the Haradrim lose their fear of Gondor, seeing as they cannot take full control of a city defended by a young and inexperienced warchief.
FA 174 -
Eldarion dies from a mysterious cause. His son Eldaravir becomes King of the Reunited Kingdom. Eldaravir is only 22 years old, and inexperienced in governing and tactics. He turns to King Éothain of Rohan for help, and convinces him to aid him in a campaign to retake Umbar. A large army, existing of Gondorians, Rohirrim, wood elves, soldiers of the Southern Fiefdoms and even some Dwarves of Aglarond, led by Farin Steelchin, wipe out the Haradric occupation. Sêlath escapes. Eranoth and Barahir are relieved of duty and go home to rest. Éothain returns home as well, leaving Umbar in the hands of Eldaravir and his forces. The young King decides to extend his realm further into Harad, in order to punish the betrayers.
FA 175 -
The lords of the Haradrim gather under one banner, led by Sêlath, and push back the Gondorian invasion. Gondor retreats until Umbar, and the Haradrim army ceases their assault, hoping this will be enough to maintain a further peace. Emperor Khûrthan grows agitated when he hears of the actions of Eldaravir, but his will is tempered by the Ithryn Luin, who now begin a council of wisdom in order to prevent the old hatred to rekindle in the hearts of the Easterlings. Brûdhan, son of Khûrthan, doesn't approve of this and wishes nothing more then to wage war against the Men of the West.

The Corruption of the East

FA 176 -
The five Easterlings who had initially lied to Khûrthan about the Gondorian violence suddenly disappear from their prison cells. They have been freed by a mysterious figure, who brings them far into the North-east, and into the Withered Heath. The Easterlings are brought to a large complex of underground caves. The mysterious figure reveals himself as Prince Brûdhan. Once deep into the complex, a terrible sorcerer appears to them, and corrupts their minds and bodies. The five Easterlings become the first wraiths of their new master, Khôragan the Black. Prince Brûdhan returns to the court of his father, telling him that he had been travelling throughout the East and South in order to rethink his opinions. This was not too far from the truth.
FA 177 -
Prince Brûdhan is sent by his father to investigate the beginnings of a civil war in the North-east. He takes his private army with him, consisting of one thousand brave Easterling warriors. When he arrives, the Dark Lord Khôragan has already taken the few villages that were engaged in the civil war, instigated by himself. Brûdhan reveals his allegiance to Khôragan to his private army, and promises them great wealth and riches, and unmeasurable power if they would only join him and serve the Dark Lord. Most of his army swears allegiance to Khôragan, blinded by their master's words and their sense of allegiance to him, and their minds are lost forever. Those who recognise the Nameless Shadow in Khôragan, and thus wont join him, are killed.

I will go into much more detail at important events, such as the Battle for Umbar and then how Brûdhan meets with the Ithryn Luin. After that I will continue the storyline and eventually finish it.

Opinions?

Edited by Matias, 10 August 2007 - 01:03 PM.

[Bebbe]

Awesome story.

[Mathijs]

Thanks for the reply Bebbe.

*loses all motivation to continue story*

[Lauri]

did I really forget to reply?

anyways, awesome, as you know I love it

*feelin' yah on loosing motivation*

[cahik_]

i somehow missed that it is kinda good story and worth of going into more details for sure

[Lauri]

yeah, it has, or had, alot more details... but then, Matias didn't want to write to much (or something), and decied to go into timelines instead, to sum it up....

[Mathijs]

I'll go into further details on large events. First I need to figure out how Khôragan is going to fit well in all this.

[adummy]

i would have sworn i posted something earlier.

either way, love it

[cahik_]

after the Battle of the Morannon and fall of his master Mouth of Sarun fled to east into the land of Rhun. there in secret he starts to teach few of Rhun's captains and tribal leaders Dark Magic. after the death of Aragorn he realize that the peace between east and west doesnt have deep roots and a small incident can throw both sides to war once again. he arrange murder of Incathín of Dorwinion and send his most trusted servant to the king of Rhun to puzzle his opinion about Gondor. but that mission wasnt successful but if was the first time when Khôragan came up on the scene. at that time he wasnt strong enough to resist Ithryn Luin who came to Lord Khûrthan to settle the the problem. in the same year Mount of Sauron dies because of age. he spend more than 3000 years in Sauron's services and his life was prolonged by dark magic and Sauron's will. without his Lord he couldnt manage to do that for too long and so he died. Khôragan realize that it is his turn now.

just my two cents. i think tam MoS fits well in that part

[GothmogtheOrc]

Very nice... believable too.

-Gto

[Mathijs]

after the Battle of the Morannon and fall of his master Mouth of Sarun fled to east into the land of Rhun. there in secret he starts to teach few of Rhun's captains and tribal leaders Dark Magic. after the death of Aragorn he realize that the peace between east and west doesnt have deep roots and a small incident can throw both sides to war once again. he arrange murder of Incathín of Dorwinion and send his most trusted servant to the king of Rhun to puzzle his opinion about Gondor. but that mission wasnt successful but if was the first time when Khôragan came up on the scene. at that time he wasnt strong enough to resist Ithryn Luin who came to Lord Khûrthan to settle the the problem. in the same year Mount of Sauron dies because of age. he spend more than 3000 years in Sauron's services and his life was prolonged by dark magic and Sauron's will. without his Lord he couldnt manage to do that for too long and so he died. Khôragan realize that it is his turn now.

just my two cents. i think tam MoS fits well in that part

Well Khôragan IS the Mouth of Sauron in my story, I like to believe Sauron taught him the way to prolongue life, and that his ability to do that wasn't depending on Sauron's lifeforce. And yes, the death of Incathín is arranged by Khôragan, and his dark intentions also had a part in the sudden illness and death of Eldarion. I will probably have Khôragan completely corrupt Brûdhan, son of the Emperor of Rhûn, and from there gain power over Rhûn and the United Tribes of Harad. I don't think I will allow the Ithryn Luin to survive, for they stand against Brûdhan's will. I will probably have Khôragan stay out of sight and knowledge for a long time, at least until Rhûn has gathered under Brûdhan's banner.

And GtO, your comment really gave me a will to continue, since I really, REALLY want it to be believable. To honor Tolkien.

[m@tt]

Both imaginative and believable, actually. As in it fits in with the ME style, without ripping off other events, as far as I'm aware of anyway.

[Mathijs]

Well...

The splitting up of Umbar can be traced back to the Berlin wall... something Tolkien would have loathed. I added that element because Tolkien disliked the consequences of industrialisation, and added such an element into some parts of his works, like the corruption of Saruman and the scouring of the Shire.

[Bebbe]

.... in the same year Mount of Sauron dies because of age ....

Sorry , I just had to

[MorrisB]

Very nice story, Matias.

Aaanyway, one of my suggestions could still cause some problems.

The "Soldiers of Western Rhun" (if Lauri is thinking of adding them, which I would appreciate greatly ) - people from Rhun who are closer to Gondor because of the stronger Gondorian influence. Not to mention their leader, Valranur the Renegade Captain.

(PS: see them at the suggestion)

Edited by MorrisB, 26 June 2007 - 10:35 PM.

[Eonwe]

Pretty good story matias.

[Mathijs]

Very nice story, Matias.

Aaanyway, one of my suggestions could still cause some problems.

The "Soldiers of Western Rhun" (if Lauri is thinking of adding them, which I would appreciate greatly ) - people from Rhun who are closer to Gondor because of the stronger Gondorian influence. Not to mention their leader, Valranur the Renegade Captain.

(PS: see them at the suggestion)

Soldiers of Western Rhûn would still just be Easterling soldiers, and there wouldn't be any Gondorian influence because Gondor lies to the south. They would be influenced by the dwarves of the Iron Hills, and by Dorwinion. I think they are a bit redundant, and I don't see any difference to Easterlings living close to Dorwinion or not, because when Khôragan rises up and envelops Rhûn in a new shadow of evil and corruption, they will all equally hate the West and everyone allied with them.

[MorrisB]

Well... here are the descriptions for the Soldiers of Western Rhun and Valranur:

"Altrough the common Rhunic hatered against Gondor, not all people of Rhun is evil and easly corrupted. When Khoragon, the new dark lord emerged, some of Rhun's people were afraid of his terrible power and feared that even if Khoragon would win a war against Gondor, he would be just a tyrant like Melkor or Sauron once was, bringing eternal suffering to the people of their country. Therefore, altrough many of Rhun's people joined Khoragon in his dark crusade, some decided to overthrow his rule. But such thing cannot be done without allies, and so under the leadership of the Renegade Captain, Valranur, these men of Rhun had joined Gondor's side in the battle against Khoragon."

The people who live closer to Dorwinion/Gondor understand them much better, and slowly but surely discover that they aren't so bad. Also, the Easterlings - I think - wasn't too pleased by Sauron's rule (I think many evil men served Sauron because of fear rather than hatred for others. But who cares ? Hatered, fear - all tools of evil ).

And you can't say "every easterling hates the west" - since there's a common hatred, but this doesn't mean that EVERY easterling hates Gondor and accepts Khoragon's rule.

Besides, Lauri found the idea of Easterlings who try to overthrow Khoragon to save their people from tyranny rather interesting.

[Lauri]

but, when we come to think of it... When every other easterling fights for Khôragan, I doubt that they would stop the fighting if he dies So, technically, the Western soldiers of Rhun, would be fighting their own race.... and yeah, it doesn't take much to change my mind

[Mathijs]

Well... here are the descriptions for the Soldiers of Western Rhun and Valranur:

"Altrough the common Rhunic hatered against Gondor, not all people of Rhun is evil and easly corrupted. When Khoragon, the new dark lord emerged, some of Rhun's people were afraid of his terrible power and feared that even if Khoragon would win a war against Gondor, he would be just a tyrant like Melkor or Sauron once was, bringing eternal suffering to the people of their country. Therefore, altrough many of Rhun's people joined Khoragon in his dark crusade, some decided to overthrow his rule. But such thing cannot be done without allies, and so under the leadership of the Renegade Captain, Valranur, these men of Rhun had joined Gondor's side in the battle against Khoragon."

The people who live closer to Dorwinion/Gondor understand them much better, and slowly but surely discover that they aren't so bad. Also, the Easterlings - I think - wasn't too pleased by Sauron's rule (I think many evil men served Sauron because of fear rather than hatred for others. But who cares ? Hatered, fear - all tools of evil ).

And you can't say "every easterling hates the west" - since there's a common hatred, but this doesn't mean that EVERY easterling hates Gondor and accepts Khoragon's rule.

Besides, Lauri found the idea of Easterlings who try to overthrow Khoragon to save their people from tyranny rather interesting.

Alright, let me put it differently.

I am not going to rewrite or rethink the material I have so far because of your idea, even if Lauri likes it.
I am the one who has to fit everything in, and I already had to rewrite it three times because Lauri wanted new heroes or units to be fit in with the story, and that's why it still isn't done. I am simply not going to write it again or edit new stuff in because I like how it is now.

And the Easterlings who live close to Dorwinion and the Iron Hills (NOT GONDOR) DID indeed like the ''Dorwinidhrim'', they traded with them. However, after Gondor started to suspect Rhûn of the murder of Incathín, they got angry because Dale and Dorwinion didn't oppose this idea.