Light in the Darkness
Prior Reading: Shadow of the White Hand
The following story can be experienced the starting the quest "Book 2, Foreword: Aiding the Order" at Bree-town in Bree-land.
Gandalf raced towards Weathertop. He did not know which road Strider had led the hobbits down but the peak of Amon Sûl would surely reveal it. With great haste, he arrived in three day’s time. From atop the ruins, he could see across the vast lone-lands but there was no sign of the ranger or the hobbits. It was then that he felt the darkness approaching. He turned to find the Nazgûl upon him. The wizard brandished his staff and sword and prepared for battle.
Frodo looked to the starry night sky. They had made camp within the Midgewater Marshes where their presence would unlikely be discovered. Merry and Pippin were still asleep and Sam was busy swatting the flies away. He looked to the distance and saw flashes of Light. “What is the light?” he said to Strider, who had risen, and was standing, gazing ahead into the night. “I do not know”, Strider answered slowly. Frodo laid down and went to sleep. The last images he saw that night were of the white flashes and the tall dark figure of Strider before him.
Orcs encroached Bree-land from the north and Sharkey’s men blockaded trade from the south. The heroes had stemmed the invasions but the evils in the east threatened to besiege Bree-town on all sides. Days before, on his journey east, Radagast the Brown met with Saeradan to request the ranger's’ aid in uncovering the Witch-King of Angmar’s plans. With the immediate threat to Bree-land quelled, the heroes made for the Lone-lands to find and assist the wizard.
At the foot of Weathertop, the heroes encountered Candaith, Saeradan’s kinsman, who had not seen nor heard from Radagast. He revealed to them however, that evil did not only come from the east; goblins roamed the southern Lone-lands and Orcs spread through the Weather Hills like a festering plague. Candaith agreed to seek the wizard on their behalf but asked the heroes to thin the Orc ranks in the meantime.
The Orcs that littered the hills bore the mark of the White Hand. This had come as a great shock as the heroes were certain that they had stopped the alliance between Sharkey’s men and the Orcs.
Candaith returned from his quest with somber news, he had never seen a force of Orcs like this in Eriador before. The time had come to drive the Orcs from the Lone-lands. While searching for Radagast, Candaith was pursued by an Orc War-master and his warband which led the ranger to learn of the Orcs’ stronghold within the Midgewater Pass.
The heroes besieged the stronghold and fought their way towards the Orc War-master, whom they defeated and acquired his marching orders within his camp.
The heroes returned to Candaith in the morning. The ranger told of a growing orc presence upon Amon Sûl, the highest summit of the Weather Hills. The marching orders confirmed his suspicion, the Orcs sough to take control of the Lone-lands. If they sought to drive the Orcs from the Lone-lands, the War-masters atop the hill would need to be defeated. Together, the ranger and heroes infiltrated Weathertop under the cover of night.
They moved silently and swiftly up the hill. Upon the crest of Amon Sûl, the heroes bravely fought against the Orc War-leader and his secret weapon, a mountain troll. The battle was hard fought, but the heroes prevailed.
With the Orc War-leaders defeated, the orcs of the Weather Hills would scatter and dwindle. Their good luck had continued, as word had reached Candaith of Radagast the Brown’s whereabouts. He had come under the protection of the Eglain, Men of the Lone-lands. Wary of outsiders, the Eglain would not be quick to trust the heroes. They would have to help the Eglain drive back the remaining threats across the Lone-lands before they would grant them an audience with the brown wizard…
Further Reading: The Forsaken
The following story can be experienced the starting the quest "Book 2, Foreword: Aiding the Order" at Bree-town in Bree-land.
Gandalf raced towards Weathertop. He did not know which road Strider had led the hobbits down but the peak of Amon Sûl would surely reveal it. With great haste, he arrived in three day’s time. From atop the ruins, he could see across the vast lone-lands but there was no sign of the ranger or the hobbits. It was then that he felt the darkness approaching. He turned to find the Nazgûl upon him. The wizard brandished his staff and sword and prepared for battle.
Frodo looked to the starry night sky. They had made camp within the Midgewater Marshes where their presence would unlikely be discovered. Merry and Pippin were still asleep and Sam was busy swatting the flies away. He looked to the distance and saw flashes of Light. “What is the light?” he said to Strider, who had risen, and was standing, gazing ahead into the night. “I do not know”, Strider answered slowly. Frodo laid down and went to sleep. The last images he saw that night were of the white flashes and the tall dark figure of Strider before him.
...
At the foot of Weathertop, the heroes encountered Candaith, Saeradan’s kinsman, who had not seen nor heard from Radagast. He revealed to them however, that evil did not only come from the east; goblins roamed the southern Lone-lands and Orcs spread through the Weather Hills like a festering plague. Candaith agreed to seek the wizard on their behalf but asked the heroes to thin the Orc ranks in the meantime.
The Orcs that littered the hills bore the mark of the White Hand. This had come as a great shock as the heroes were certain that they had stopped the alliance between Sharkey’s men and the Orcs.
Candaith returned from his quest with somber news, he had never seen a force of Orcs like this in Eriador before. The time had come to drive the Orcs from the Lone-lands. While searching for Radagast, Candaith was pursued by an Orc War-master and his warband which led the ranger to learn of the Orcs’ stronghold within the Midgewater Pass.
The heroes besieged the stronghold and fought their way towards the Orc War-master, whom they defeated and acquired his marching orders within his camp.
The heroes returned to Candaith in the morning. The ranger told of a growing orc presence upon Amon Sûl, the highest summit of the Weather Hills. The marching orders confirmed his suspicion, the Orcs sough to take control of the Lone-lands. If they sought to drive the Orcs from the Lone-lands, the War-masters atop the hill would need to be defeated. Together, the ranger and heroes infiltrated Weathertop under the cover of night.
They moved silently and swiftly up the hill. Upon the crest of Amon Sûl, the heroes bravely fought against the Orc War-leader and his secret weapon, a mountain troll. The battle was hard fought, but the heroes prevailed.
With the Orc War-leaders defeated, the orcs of the Weather Hills would scatter and dwindle. Their good luck had continued, as word had reached Candaith of Radagast the Brown’s whereabouts. He had come under the protection of the Eglain, Men of the Lone-lands. Wary of outsiders, the Eglain would not be quick to trust the heroes. They would have to help the Eglain drive back the remaining threats across the Lone-lands before they would grant them an audience with the brown wizard…
Further Reading: The Forsaken
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