Background Guide

Lord of the Rings

IsarMUN 2017

A Brief History of Middle-Earth

Elrond’s note: This is an excerpt of “A

reckoning of the lands and peoples of Middle-

Earth”, written by Thorondir, first of his name

and son of Belecthor, second of his name,

Steward of Gondor on TA 2875. It has been

carefully reproduced from its original in the

Citadel Library of Minas Tirith, with permission

from his Grace Denethor, second of his name,

Ruling Steward of Gondor, Lord of Gondor,

Lord of Minas Tirith, may He reign wisely,

awaiting the return of the Line of Isildur. I have

found it here at library of Imladris and have

decided to extend it to the different attendees

of our White Council meeting.

“Therefore Ilúvatar gave to their vision

Being, and set it amid the Void, and the

Secret Fire was sent to burn at the heart

of the World; and it was called Eä.”

Valaquenta

The Land Before Time

iddle Earth was once much

larger than it appears

today. From what we can

gather from our ancient

records, as well as the

knowledge carefully extracted from the

Elven scribes of Rivendell, the lands that

the first Elves saw from their boats on the

West extended far beyond the Blue

Mountains. Elven tradition speaks of a

time even before the sun and the moon,

where somehow trees gave light to the

world and before men “awoke”. This is, to

our knowledge, spurious.

What is however, beyond dispute,

is the existence of Beleriand, West of

what today is the coastline of our Middle-

Earth. These lands under the waves were

submerged after the banishment of

Morgoth to the Void by the ancient Lords

of the West, along with an alliance of Men

and Elves. These men, our very ancestors,

were then awarded the island of Númenor

to make their abode, since their ancient

lands had been inundated.

Our reliable records start with the

end of the so-called Second Age and the

start of our current Third Age. While little

survives from noble Númenor, we know

our ancestors were the shining light of

Middle-Earth, managing to capture and

humble Sauron the Dark and bring him

back to the island. Only through treachery

and dark magic was the Cursed Enemy

able to free himself, and bringing about the

ultimate destruction of mighty Númenor of

old. He had hidden his Ring of Power,

often called Isildur’s Bane and used it to

wreak untold havoc upon our birthright.

The noble Elendil and his family,

high of birth and vision, managed to flee

the catastrophe in nine ships. When he set

foot on the shores of our lands he

pronounced his famous oath: “Out of the

Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In

this place I will abide, and my heirs, unto

the ending of the world." Elendil and his

sons, Isildur and Anárion then founded the

kingdoms of Arnor in the North and

Gondor in the South. Isildur made Gondor

his abode on both sides of the Great

River, in the cities of Minas Ithil, now the

accursed Minas Morgul, Osgiliath and

Minas Anor, now Minas Tirith. Even after

Arnor decayed and disappeared, has

Gondor stood fast in its watch against the

Enemy, who also returned to Middle-Earth

after the Fall of Númenor.

The Last Alliance of Elves and Men

he Dark Lord’s hatred for

Elendil and his kin ran

deep. Once he had retaken

his lands in Mordor, he

raised an army to strike

down the Númeroneans that had escaped

his treachery. Orcs and men seduced by

his promises of power flocked to his side

to rid Middle-Earth of those who would

oppose their black master. Though large,

Elendil’s power was not enough to stand

alone against the might of Sauron wielding

his accursed ring of power. In those days,

however, the elves still had great numbers

residing in their realms and a High King to

lead them. Gil-galad was his name and he

forged with Elendil, High King of Gondor

and Arnor an alliance like the world has

not seen since. Atop Amon Sûl, today

vulgarly called Weathertop, they decided to

wage war against the dark forces gathered

against them.

It was truly a time of great deeds.

The Elven kings of Greenwood, now

Mirkwood and Lórien joined forces with

their kin. Anárion and Elendil descended to

meet Isildur and his forces in the South

and stormed the Morannon. There, on the

plains of Dagorlad, was the great battle of

our times fought. The brave scions of

Númenor have not fought a more valiant

battle since. Mordor’s forces were routed

decisively and the path was clear to

advance into Mordor. The last alliance of

Elves and Men laid siege on Barad-dûr,

the Dark Tower, the very seat of Sauron’s

power. The siege would last seven years.

Mordor is a volcanic plateau, harsh

and inhospitable. The costs of laying siege

to a tower as fortified as the Enemy’s

were high. Anárion was killed by a

projectile on its sixth year, leaving Isildur

as the sole heir of the two great kingdoms

of men. Near the end, Sauron strode forth

in a desperate attempt to break the forces

of the alliance. Great still was his might

and with his ring he was nigh-unstoppable.

He seared Gil-galad’s body and left the

Elven host leaderless. Elendil rushed to the

aid of his ally, wielding his mighty

longsword Narsil in his hands. He, too,

was felled by the Dark Lord and shattered

Narsil, its pieces strewn across the

ground. When all seemed lost, Isildur

grasped Narsil’s hilt and in a moment of

hubris by the great Enemy, swung at his

hand. Sauron’s mighty hand was maimed,

his ring finger severed from his body.

Without his ring, Sauron’s body scattered

to the winds, his remaining forces were

routed and the Dark Tower collapsed.

Isildur returned victorious, but with

a heavy heart. The golden age of the

kingdoms of Men would follow the defeat

of Sauron, with many years of peace and

prosperity in Arnor and Gondor. For the

elves, this marked the start of their decline.

Gil-galad had left no heir and thus no High

King to guide them. They became more

hostile and isolated, hiding among trees

and severing ties with Men. Many have

since passed into the West. What became

of Sauron’s trinket is unknown. It passed

away from our reckoning along with

Sauron himself after Isildur’s death.

Rise and Decline of the Two

Kingdoms

espite Isildur’s early

demise, the kingdoms he

left behind flourished as

the Third Age began. Of

Arnor not much is told in

this present reckoning. The Northern

Kingdom reached its peak before the 9th

Century and had many dealings with the

Elven populations that Gil-galad had once

ruled over. Internal strife cleaved the realm

in three after the death of its tenth king,

Eärendur. The three resulting kingdoms –

one for each son of Eärendur - waged war

against one another and condemned

themselves to their eventual fall. To this

day, small human populations still live

around lake Evendim, in the shadows of

the once great city of Annúminas. The

Rangers of the North make their meager

lives there, clinging on to the history of a

kingdom forgotten by most.

As Arnor waned, Gondor waxed.

The Southern Kingdom would reach the

highest extent of its influence and power

under the four ship-kings, between 830

and 1149. In its furthest extent, Gondor

controlled all the land between the Sea of

Rhûn to the Mouth of the Isen, from the

forest of Mirkwood, to South Gondor. Its

military might and riches were undisputed

across the whole of Middle-Earth.

The Golden Times were not to last.

During the second millennium, three great

calamities struck the kingdom, much

diminishing it from its former glory. The

first was the Kin-strife, in which Gondor

fell into a similar problem as had befallen

its Northern brothers. During this conflict,

Osgiliath burned and Umbar was lost to

the forces supporting the would-be

usurper.

Next came the Great Plague, a

scarce 200 years after the Kin-strife.

Coming from untold regions in the East, it

spread across Middle-Earth, affecting all.

The populations East of the river Anduin

were the hardest hit and Gondor was

forced to retreat from many of the

fortresses it had erected to watch over the

shadow-lands of Mordor. Once again

Osgiliath was much affected, which caused

the seat of the king to be finally moved to

Minas Anor to the West. Osgiliath would

fall into much disrepair, especially on the

Eastern side of the river.

Finally, there was a large-scale

invasion by Wainriders from the East near

the end of the second millennium. Gondor

would thus assume the form we know

now, with few to no territory East of

Anduin and the Rhovanion or the

Wilderland in a state of anarchy.

The Line of Stewards and Rohan

fter the defeat of wicked

Angmar in the North, the

realm was dealt a great

blow with the

disappearance of the last

heir of Anárion. The dark

powers had returned to Mordor and a

force led by Ringwraiths had captured the

by then much weakened city of Minas Ithil,

across the Anduin from Minas Anor. The

city became a tower of dark sorcery, and

named anew Minas Morgul, while Minas

Anor became Minas Tirith, eternally on the

watch for the Enemy across the river.

Eärnur, then king, rode out to meet the

chieftain of the Ringwraiths in single

combat, who had taunted him for years. He

was never heard of again.

Having left no legitimate heir,

Gondor was faced with the dreadful

prospect of another war of succession not

unlike the Kin-Strife. With dark forces

gathering East of the Anduin, this would

have meant certain doom for the weakened

kingdom. The line of Anárion was thus

deemed to have ended and the Stewards

were to left to rule. Each new Steward

then swore to return the throne, should a

legitimate heir from Isildur’s line claim the

throne. The Northern line of Arnor had

essentially disappeared with the dissolution

of the kingdom and has, to this day not,

resurfaced.

Constantly besieged, Gondor came

under one of its direst threats in the

middle of the third millennium. The

Balchoth, an especially warlike Easterling

tribe descended upon the Northern reaches

of the kingdom and threatened to assault

Minas Tirith directly. Cirion, the Steward

at the time, knew his armies were not

enough to defeat the Easterlings in open

battle and sent for a messenger to its

allies of old, the Éothéod. Having settled in

the Northern vales of the Anduin, the noble

horse lords had enjoyed much prosperity

in the last centuries, partly due to

Gondor’s watchful gaze across the water.

The chieftain of the Éothéod, was Eorl, a

boy of barely 16 summers of age but wise

beyond his years. It was clear to him that

the fall of Gondor would have meant the

decline of all free men of Middle-Earth.

The armies of Gondor met the Balchoth in

open battle on the Field of Celebrant. The

might of old Númenor was strong but the

Eastern men were large in number, their

horde seemed to be on the brink of victory.

When all seemed lost however, a mist

descended upon the battlefield from the

North, coming from Lórien. Out of the mist

thundered thousands of hoofs, shields and

spears and Eorl’s men smashed the

rearguard of the foreign invaders. The

Balchoth were soundly routed and Cirion

decided to give the land of Calenardhon to

the horse lords to settle and guard their

Western flank. Eorl then swore an oath of

eternal friendship to Gondor and committed

his descendants to come to the kingdom’s

aid should the need ever arise again. The

Éothéod became the Rohirrim and their

land the Mark of the Riders.

To this day, Gondor stands tall and

proud. The Stewards, protectors of the

land and people keep their vigilant watch in

the Citadel of the White Keep. Against all

odds has the ancient kingdom stood as a

shield guarding the lands of Men against

the powers of darkness.

For the sake of thoroughness,

foreign scholars are invited to learn the

Song of Gondor, sung proudly by our

legions across the land. It goes as follows:

“Gondor! Gondor, between the

Mountains and the Sea!

West Wind blew there; the light

upon the Silver Tree

Fell like bright rain in gardens of

the Kings of old.

O proud walls! White towers! O

wingéd crown and throne of gold!

O Gondor, Gondor! Shall Men

behold the Silver Tree,

Or West Wind blow again between

the Mountains and the Sea?”

Long live the blood of old Númenor.

Other Realms of Men

riador, the land West of

the Misty Mountains,

never recovered from the

fall of Arnor in terms of

population. This fact,

coupled with the slow decline of the Elven

populations of old Lindon after the death

of Gil-galad, has left the region mostly

unpopulated. Isolated populations of Men,

most notably the Rangers of the North still

carry on but have little importance for most

of the other peoples of Middle-Earth.

Many halflings lead their peaceful lives on

the ruins of old Arnor.

Rhovanion, East of the Misty

Mountains, was always a wild land. After

Eorl’s Oath and the Rohirrim’s migration

into Calenardhon, few civilized human

populations remained. The constant threat

of Easterling invasions from Rhûn do not

make it particularly inviting. Esgaroth upon

the Long Lake manages to eke out a living

with trade between the different kingdoms

of Men, Elves and Dwarves despite the

fall of the Lonely Mountain to the Northern

wyrm Smaug.

East of Rhovanion lay Rhûn. It is

mostly populated by Men who historically

have been bitter enemies of the Free

People of Middle-Earth. The fates of the

Easterlings have been heavily tied to those

of Mordor, since they often have sworn

fealty to the Dark Lord. There are many

different tribes hailing from the lands

around the Sea of Rhûn, but not much is

known of their history or politics, since

they are in continuous strife. Whenever

they do organize, they are a meaningful

threat, as history has shown with the

Balchoth and the Wainriders.

Harad, to the far South of the

lands of Gondor has a similar history to

Rhûn in the East: their hate of Free Men

and their relationship with Mordor are

renowned. A particularly important realm in

Harad is Umbar, which was founded

originally by Men of Númenor, before its

fall. Later corrupted by Black Númenoreans

that helped Sauron plot the cataclysm.

Umbar has been an embittered enemy of

Gondor for centuries. They are well-known

for their naval prowess and ship-building

capabilities. Umbar poses the most credible

threat to Gondor’s embattled fleet.

Of Elves

ternally a mysterious and

noble race, the Elves of

Middle-Earth have

traditionally been the

allies of the Men of

Wersternesse and their

descendants. Noble, fair and most notably

immortal, the Elves were the undisputed

lords of the land for millennia but have

since departed to the Eternal Lands in the

West. Many tomes have been written

about their history and ways, so this work

will give a small overview of the Kingdoms

of Elves that remain on our shores.

Lindon was once the mightiest

Elven Kingdom after the sinking of

Beleriand. Founded at the start of the

Second Age by Gil-galad, High King of the

Noldor, it spanned the land between the

see, past the Blue Mountains and into

Eriador. For a long time it stood as a

beacon of culture and knowledge and they

had many dealings with the Númenor of

old. Mithlond, also called the Grey Havens,

was the most important Elven city for

most of its history in Middle-Earth. The

death of Gil-galad during the War of the

Last Alliance, together with the mass

exodus into the West have diminished the

Port City greatly. Today, Círdan the

Shipwright is the lord of the Grey Havens

and presides as a kind of caretaker over

the once great city, preparing the boats

that will take the last of his kind back to

the West.

Rivendell, nestled in a valley just

West of the Misty Mountains is often

called the Last Homely House East of the

Sea. This is of course, preposterous and a

shining example of Elven arrogance. Still,

Rivendell is renowned as a place of peace

and learning by many scholars. It was

founded and still ruled by Elrond the half-

elf, brother of the first king of Númenor,

Elros Tar-Minyatur. The forces of

Rivendell, while modest, have proven their

valor many a time in the fight against both

Angmar and Mordor.

Older than both those kingdoms, the

Woodland Realm stands hidden in the

woods of Mirkwood, earlier Greenwood

the Great. Populated by a more taciturn

race of Elves, the Silvan Elves have very

few dealings with the outside world. Still,

their participation in the War of the Last

Alliance should not be forgotten, which

resulted in the death of their then king,

Oropher. His son, Thranduil, rules the halls

of his city since his father’s death.

Lórien, or more formally, Lothlórien

is a golden forest between the rivers

Gladden and Fangorn, next to the lower

Misty Mountains. It is ruled by one of the

eldest Elven couples remaining in Middle-

Earth, Galadriel and Celeborn. Similarly to

the Woodland Realm in Mirkwood, they

have very few dealings with the outside

world. Some men living around the forest

have some ridiculous superstitions about

magical goings-on in and around Lórien.

Of Dwarves

warves, much more than

Elves, have always been

a very isolated race.

Masters of stone,

hammer and chisel, the

dwarves love little above mining, smithing

and crafting. The little contact that Men

and Dwarves have often comes in the form

of trade: they are not as proficient in

sowing and farming as they are in mining

the gold with which to pay for sustenance.

Their hatred of orcs and goblins is

legendary, since often share similar spaces

between and underneath mountains. They

had a hand in the defeat of Sauron during

the War of the Last Alliance, but have

since been stricken with a number of

tragedies that have made their numbers

dwindle. As with the Elves, this work

shortly describes their realms in our age.

Since before the fall of Númenor,

the largest and most powerful kingdom of

the dwarves was Khazad-dûm, now better

known as Moria. Ruled by the scions of

Durin, one of the legendary Seven Fathers

of the Dwarves, it was the glittering jewel

of their domains. When the shadow of

Sauron fell over Middle-Earth it was the

strength of Moria who kept Durin’s Folk

from his grasp.

Some time before the end of the

second millennium of the Third Age,

disaster struck. The records are vague and

Dwarven emissaries have not been

forthcoming about information, but our

sages hypothesize some kind of seismic

disaster caused by mining too deep

doomed Moria irreparably. Its inhabitants

scattered and it is now a place of gloom

and danger. Most dwarves fleeing from

Moria found refuge in the halls under the

Grey Mountains, in the far North. The

King of Durin’s Follk chose, however, to

settle the Lonely Mountain, Erebor, West

of their cousins. The Blue Mountains to

the far West and the Iron Hills to the far

East were also common destinations.

Dragons were the next calamity

that struck the Dwarves. Descending from

the frigid North, cold drakes laid waste to

most of the settlements in the Grey

Mountains. The Dwarves living there were

driven into the Lonely Mountain. This was

a short-lived respite, since the riches of

Erebor soon reached the ears of the

largest living dragon in Middle-Earth

during the Third Age, Smaug the Terrible.

In TA 2770, he descended upon the Lonely

Mountain and laid waste to it, claiming all

its riches for its horde.

The much embattled Dwarves that

could flee did so to the Iron Hills and the

Blue Mountains, the last bastions of

Dwarven rule. As of TA 2873, Thorin II

rules the Blue Mountains and styles

himself King in Exile under the Lonely

Mountain. His cousin, Dáin II rules as Lord

of the Iron Hills.

Timeline of the Looming War

Elrond’s Note: Gandalf left behind some of his journal papers with me. This piece of it seems to be a

quite comprehensive timeline of the signs pointing to an inevitable conflict. I had to translate his

notes from a myriad tongues, from Sindarin to certain small fragments in Rohirric and Khuzdul. Please

excuse any other irrelevant information. I have also tried to censor his colorful swearing at points.

Every day I feel more and more convinced that the expedition to the Lonely Mountain all

those years ago was well worth it. Even forgetting the particular incident with Sméagol and

the <unintelligible>, Erebor has become a bastion of the Free Peoples in the North. Perhaps

the only one. With Smaug dead, the Enemy cannot bend a true dragon towards their

purpose, which gives me much calm. No longer shall the spawn of Ancalagon join forces with

Melkor’s lieutenant. Still, this has much strengthened the Men of Dale and amplified the

Dwarves’ defensible positions. Now I must turn my gaze back South, to Gondor. There the

hammer will fall the hardest.

Many will not want to believe the imminence of Mordor’s threat. I must be prepared to

provide facts. In the following I have tried to collect the impressions from my diaries that have

lead me to the road I am on.

TA 2941

TA 2941, March 15 Met Thorin Oakenshield at the Prancing Pony. I drank that old oaf

him under the table, (so much for dwarven fortitude), but we finally

agreed on the Quest for Erebor. I decided on Bilbo as a companion

the next day.

TA 2941, April 27 Start of the Quest for Erebor from Bag End, the Shire

TA 2941, July (?) <unintelligible> found by Bilbo. Investigate further!!!

TA 2941, October 1 Death of Smaug. <Expletive> finally, the <expletive> died a horrible

death. Hope he felt that arrow all the way up in his <probably an

expletive (?)>.

TA 2941, October 10 Battle of the Five Armies

TA 2942/2943

TA 2942/2943 (?) Sauron must have returned to Mordor around this time. I was in

Rivendell doing a ton of pipe-weed accompanying Bilbo, but my

discussions with Saruman and Radagast point to around this

moment. This has been further confirmed by Orcs captured by

Rangers around Ithilien.

TA 2951

TA 2951 Sauron reveals himself in Mordor. Barad-dûr starts being rebuilt.

The reports are pretty clear on this. Stone movements from the Ash

and Shadow Mountains, along with reinforcement at the Morannon

and emissaries from the South and East can be no coincidence. By

this time, Sauron felt confident enough to show itself.

As if this were not enough, Mount Doom started spewing fire again

by TA 2954. Amon Amarth awake in our times, what a dark portent.

Be careful about this information! Many will not believe it out of fear.

TA 2953

TA 2953 Last meeting of the White Council. I remember Saruman’s comments

being extremely dismissive of the possibility of an actual return to

power. When talking about the One Ring, he postulated that it must

have washed into the sea after tumbling around the Anduin for so

many centuries. While this seemed plausible to most, I had knowledge

about Bilbo’s exploits, but held my tongue. I did not yet know which

ring of power had come under his possession.

For the next years, I would much advanced my research in <This is

beyond my ability to translate>. The realms of the Free People

seemed peaceful and a dead Smaug gave me much calm. I also got

absolutely wasted worked with Aragorn more and more, trying to

find Gollum and find out more about the <unintelligible>.

TA 3001

TA 3001 Bilbo’s farewell party. Gave the old hobbit about a pound of the finest

Longbottom Leaf I have been able to get my hands on. Rarely have I

seen danker better quality leaf.

The damned fool pulled the trick with the ring at the end. I managed

to wrest it from him and give it to his nephew, young Frodo. He has

much of Bilbo in him and then again much that is not like Bilbo at all.

I will have to keep an eye out on the young Hobbit.

After this, I delved deep into many libraries to find reports of how the

One Ring looked and behaved. Perhaps Isildur’s diaries?

TA 3015

TA 3015 October Lord Denethor was not especially receptive of my inquiries, but he let

me access the depths of his library. In it I finally found the scroll of

Isildur, written by his own hand, concerning that Ring that would

prove to be his doom. I’ll copy the passage here:

“It was hot when I first took it, hot as a gled, and my hand was

scorched, so that I doubt if ever again I shall be free of the pain

of it. Yet even as I write it is cooled, and it seemeth to shrink,

though it loseth neither its beauty nor its shape. Already the

writing upon it, which at first was as clear as red flame, fadeth

and is now only barely to be read. It is fashioned in an elven-

script of Eregion, for they have no letters in Mordor for such

subtle work; but the language is unknown to me. I deem it to be

a tongue of the Black Land, since it is foul and uncouth. What

evil it saith I do not know; but I trace here a copy of it, lest it

fade beyond recall.”

“The Ring misseth, maybe, the heat of Sauron's hand, which was

black and yet burned like fire, and so Gil-galad was destroyed; and

maybe were the gold made hot again, the writing would be refreshed.

But for my part I will risk no hurt to this thing: of all the works of

Sauron the only fair. It is precious to me, though I buy it with great

pain.”

Isildur was right. The inscription is Black Tongue and can be

translated roughly as:

“One ring to rule them all,

One ring to find them,

One ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them.”

<Expletive>, this text troubled me greatly. I had to return to the Shire

as soon as my duties allowed me to.

TA 3017

TA 3017 Feb – Apr Aragon captures Gollum roaming in the Dead Marshes and brings

him to King Thranduil in Mirkwood. I got there as fast as I could and

proceeded to interrogate him.

Say what you will about the creature, he is resilient. His mind has

much deteriorated from so many years, but I got much information

from him after threatening him with fire. He was once a hobbit-like

creature living on the East side of the Misty Mountains. This must

make him older than most living mortal creatures, at around 400 (?)

years of age.

He had found his “precious” in the Anduin. The ring seemed to have

a will of its own. It was obviously the one stolen by Bilbo, was it

however the One?

I left for Hobbiton immediately.

TA 3017, April 12 I arrived at Hobbiton and immediately put the ring to the fire. The

letters shone out as if etched in the fires of Amon Amarth itself.

Because they were.

The One Ring, right under my nose for generations. By the Valar,

was I a fool. I was a <really colorful expletive here> fool.

The Ring needed to be moved out of the Shire immediately, but first I

needed to consult Curumo <Saruman in Quenya>. I told poor Frodo to

keep it safe and departed South the very same night.

TA 3017, June 20 Coordinated attack on the Woodland Realm and Osgiliath. Not in

centuries had the Enemy shown such a display of power. Heavy

losses in the Southern Front, but Sauron’s prize was in Mirkwood.

Orcs captured Gollum and took him in the direction of Barad-dûr.

What that poor creature must have suffered there cannot be

expressed by words. Sooner or later, the enemy must have learned

about the Shire and a thief by the name of Baggins. The Nazgûl

were presumably dispatched from Minas Morgul after this

information was received.

TA 3017, July 10 A black day for the order of the Istari. Manwë warned us. He warned

us not to turn towards the dark path. But alas, Curumo, you chose to

join your brother. I cannot imagine the shame on Aulë’s face, the

sorrow in his eyes.

After arriving at Isengard, I sensed something was amiss. He

proclaimed himself Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colors,

not simply the White. He accosted me, suspecting that I knew the

location of the One Ring. He proposed to me that we join powers

with the Enemy, to hold power as the days of the Elves ended and

the days of Men began. Words such as those I have only ever heard

from emissaries of Sauron, peddling darkness and deception.

I refused. He imprisoned me atop Orthanc and I watched the days go

by listlessly, knowing that the Nazgûl were riding again, looking for a

certain hobbit from the Shire.

TA 3017, Sept. 18 Radagast the Brown, bless his name. He still has friends in high

places, quite literally. So it was that when summer waned, there came

a night of moon, and Gwaihir the Windlord, swiftest of the Great

Eagles, came unlooked-for to Orthanc; and he found me standing on

the pinnacle. Then I spoke to him and he bore me away, before

Saruman was aware. We flew to Rohan and its capital, Edoras. I

needed a swift steed.

I warned Théoden about Saruman as best I could and departed on my

now faithful companion, Shadowfax.

TA 3017, October 3 After a short stay in the Shire I found out my merry band of hobbits

were looking to travel to Rivendell with Aragorn guiding them. While

this gave me great relief, I had to consult with Elrond about

Saruman’s betrayal and the fate of the Ring. I rode ahead, leaving

marks along the way for Aragorn to find.

This night, I was attacked by the Black Riders near Amon Sûl, called

Weathertop. I escaped by the grace and speed of Shadowfax, along

with something from my bag of tricks. Still I cut it too <expletive>

close. I sped off towards Rivendell with a heavy heart.

TA 3017, October 18 I arrive at Rivendell from the North and send Shadowfax back to

Rohan. Upon learning from Elrond that Glorfindel has already

departed to find and accompany the hobbits back, I decide to stay in

Imladris and discuss the next plans of action with Elrond. A council

was to be held soon, from emissaries from across the land.

TA 3017, October 20 Frodo and the company have arrived. He has been stabbed with a

Morgul blade, but if anybody can heal him, they are here in Rivendell.

Elrond was not boasting emptily about the attendants to his council.

From far and wide have they come, representatives from all the Free

Peoples.

Truly are great times upon us.

TA 3017, October 25 Council of Elrond

About the Quetilondi (Speaking Stones)

Dearest and most esteemed guest,

I hope you have found comfort under my roof. Here at Imladris, we pride ourselves on our

hospitality. Should anything be missing from your chambers, please inform my household

promptly, we will do our best to accommodate.

My sons should have gone around handing you a small, round stone wrapped in velvet.

These may look like ordinary river stones and indeed they once were. In your hands you have

condensed the work of decades in the research of the ancient lore of the Noldor, who once

made the Palantíri. While these stones are nowhere near the level of workmanship that

Fëanor’s once achieved, I am quite proud of them. I present to you as a gift, a Quetilondo, or

Speaking Stone.

With them, you will be able to communicate with other holders of the stones, no matter the

distance. Mind you, this will not allow you to see at all, just to speak with the other

attendants of the Council. A one-on-one connection between two Quetilondi cannot be

intercepted by any other. Only the individuals holding the stones in their fist can hear the

conversation happening. In this way I hope to bind all our efforts together during the coming

conflict.

Thank you, my lords, for your time.

Elrond, Lord of Rivendell

PS: A small note to the Dwarf-lords: we have ceased to import Khuzdul Ale from the Blue Mountain

Brewery after a series of incidents with drunken revelry deep into the night disturbing our other

guests’ sleep. Please stop raiding our pantries thinking we are hiding it. You drank it all. I swear.

Note from the Crisis Directors

We will be dealing with an incredibly extensive and well-crafted universe in this crisis. The

above listing of events is in no way definitive nor exhaustive. Up to this point we have been

dealing with events exactly as they happen in the canon. Small liberties regarding the characters

present have been taken for the Council of Elrond in order to avoid unnecessary work. Canon is

defined as The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (Fellowship if the Ring, Two Towers

and Return of the King), including appendixes. The Silmarillion is not always an internally

consistent document, nor is it intended to be one. Please note that any text sources always take

precedence before the movies. If in doubt about history or continuity, please ask the backroom.

From the departure of the Fellowship of the Ring from Rivendell, delegates will decide

what course history takes. As long as it makes sense within the world the backroom and the

delegates jointly create, almost anything can happen. Use your imagination, your cunning and

your diplomacy skills. Above all, have fun. It is a Lord of the Rings crisis after all.

As always, you can contact us whenever you want. Looking forward to exploring Middle-

Earth with you all,

Isabel and Arturo

Map of Middle-Earth as of TA 3017