Battles of the Third Age: Part Four

 The Siege of Gondor

and the Battle of Pelennor Fields

During the Second Age, Sauron suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Because of this defeat, all of Sauron's forces were destroyed, save for the Nazgûl. Sauron had also lost his One Ring, with which he drew power from the other nineteen rings of power. In addition, Sauron's body and his fortress at Barad-Dûr were both destroyed. Despite all of this loss, Sauron was by no means finished. Though Sauron could not access his Ring, it was not destroyed, which meant that Sauron's spirit could exist without his body. This meant that he could still control the Nazgûl and plan his revenge. And though the Dark Tower was destroyed, the foundations still remained. These things meant that Sauron was able to grow more powerful during the Third Age. At the same time, Elves and Men, believing Sauron to be dead, disbanded their alliance and allowed themselves to become weak. Many Elves departed from Middle Earth to leave for Valinor, which meant that Sauron was able to take the fortress of Amon Lanc in southern Mirkwood, which he renamed Dol Guldur. The Dwarves, who were made more greedy by their seven rings, fell into ruin as well. In their greed, they accidentally uncovered a Balrog in Moria, which meant that their kingdom was taken by Goblins. The race of Men declined especially, despite establishing the kingdoms of Arnor, Rohan, and Gondor. Arnor was toppled by the Nazgûl, who had founded the kingdom of Angmar for this exact purpose. Gondor, who had lost their king at the Battle of Gladden Fields, decayed under the leadership of the Stewards. Though Gondor had built fortresses to guard Mordor, they grew lax in their watch, which meant that they could be taken by Sauron. These Fortresses included the Towers of the Teeth, which Sauron used to make his Black Gate, and Minas Ithil, which was made into a home for the Nazgûl and renamed Minas Morgul. A decade or so before the War of the Ring, numerous, smaller Orc attacks where able to wrest Ithilien from Gondor's control. While his enemies rotted, Sauron grew very powerful. He created millions of Orcs and Trolls, who rebuilt the tower of Barad-Dûr. Sauron also created alliances with the Men from the south and the east. Sauron also found a servant in Saruman, the White Wizard, who began to build an army from his tower at Isengard, so that he could destroy Rohan. As they were created by his master, Morgoth, the dragons in the north would also come to Sauron's call, if only he could contact them. By the time of the War of the Ring, Sauron was ready to take over Middle Earth. He would start by taking the Gondorian cities of Osgiliath and Minas Tirith, so that Gondor would be defeated once and for all. With Gondor gone, Sauron can launch attacks on Erebor, Mirkwood, Rohan, Lorien, and Rivendell. He could also contact the dragons in the Withered Heath and the Goblins in the Misty Mountains. Most importantly, Sauron would be able to conduct more in-depth searches for the One Ring, which would seal his victory.

    Fortunately, Sauron's enemies knew of this. The Men in Rohan, led by their king, Théoden, defeated Saruman's army and destroyed Isengard with the help of the Ents. And, thanks to a Hobbit, Peregrin Took, they found out that Minas Tirith was Sauron's target. With this knowledge, the Wizard, Gandalf the White, rode to Minas Tirith and warned its ruler, Denethor, of the coming invasion. Unfortunately, Denethor was mourning the loss of his eldest son Boromir, and his despair weakened his leadership. Yet Denethor lit the beacons to call for Rohan's aid and summoned troops from all over Gondor. He sent all of these forces, including his youngest son, Faramir, to mount their defense at Osgiliath, as it was one of the only places that Sauron's army could cross the river Anduin. Sauron mustered a large portion of his armies for the coming invasion. This army was led by the Witch-King of Angmar, Sauron's most powerful servant and Lord of the Nazgûl. The army included Orcs, Trolls, Easterlings from the east, and Haradrim from the south. Also included in the attack were the Corsairs of Umbar, who would sail up the Anduin from the south and meet with the rest of the army. Prior to the attack, Sauron created an enormous storm that covered Gondor, as Orcs cannot fight in direct daylight, while Trolls become stone when the sun touches them. Despite Gondor's defense, the Men were pushed out of Osgiliath and the Orcs claimed the once-great city. Gondor then shifted their defense to Minas Tirith, which was their last line of defense. Faramir was severely injured in the battle and Denethor, believing Faramir to be dead, mourned the loss of both his sons instead of leading the defense. Seeing this, Gandalf took his place. Before long, Sauron's army surrounded the White City and began a siege. They began by firing volleys of catapults into the city. The first volley were flaming stones that passed over the walls and set fire to the city. The second volley were severed heads from the Men that were killed in Osgiliath, each with the Dark Lord's symbol, a flaming eye, carved onto its forehead. Though both salvos inspired great fear in the soldiers, they could not compare to the Nazgûl. They flew about on Fellbeasts, and by some dark sorcery, terrified the Men so much that they ran from the fighting. After the catapults had finished, the army sent forth a battering ram called Grond. It was easily a hundred feet long and so massive that it could only be pulled by giant mûmakil, and wield by Trolls. Its housing was very strong and could not catch fire. In a few hits, the gate crashed to the ground, and the army prepared to invade the city. But before they could do so, horse-riders appeared in the north. They were the Rohirrim, Rohan's army, led by King Théoden and his nephew Éomer. The Rohirrim charged forth and cut through the legions of Orcs with ease. They were challenged by the Haradrim, who had built fortresses on their mûmakil. During the battle, Théoden was attacked by the Witch-King and his Fellbeast. But a soldier, who revealed herself to be Éowyn, the king's niece rushed to his defense. She killed the Fellbeast and, with the help of a Hobbit named Merry, the Witch-King himself. Without their leader, the Rohrrim's formation broke, and the black sails of the Corsairs' ships appeared on the horizon. But the Corsairs were not on the ships, but rather Aragorn, the heir to Gondor's throne, and the Dûnedain rangers with him. The armies of Gondor, Rohan, and the Dûnedain all rallied behind Aragorn and won the day.