In the decades after the Battle of Gushan, the North was generally in a period of peaceful development. During this period, melodies about joy and abundance continued to emerge in the north. People lived and worked in peace and contentment and enjoyed various blessings.
During that period, thanks to the Valar's blessing, the northern lands slowly but vigorously recovered. New forests are taking shape in the north, crops and products are harvested year after year, and Lake Nenvi has become clearer and more beautiful, almost reminding people of Lake Ivrin in Beleriand in the First Era. At that time, the beautiful lake was as clear and bright as crystal.
In addition, the sound of the dwarves' continuous forging all night long could be heard in the rolling mountains of the Twilight Hills. Thorin's people discovered rich gem mines and iron ores in the mountains. The elves used these beautiful gems to forge various exquisite and magical ornaments. The dwarves used their superb skills to help the northern kingdom forge a A large number of armaments were built, so the military force of the north was also accumulated during that period.
The new humans are more powerful and taller than their parents. Many of them prefer to explore the unknown world outside, to venture further to Eton Moor and Mount Angmar, and to hunt for treasures in the forests east of Bree, instead of being bound by the land day after day, year after year. Between square inches.
Many of them grew up listening to the legend of the Silver King, and their support for the royal family deepened. Compared with the various dark and tragic deeds experienced by the old people, the new human beings are more lively, confident and powerful.
Therefore, sixty years after the Battle of Gushan, the power of the north began to spread to the south. Traces of humans began to appear in the vast Minsirias area between the Baranduin River and the Cangquan River. Since the war between the elves and Sauron in the Second Age, this area has been basically deserted.
Now, with the rapid development of the Kingdom of Elpera, humans have been able to re-emerge in the north - this is a new force that will, together with the elves returning west in the future, support the changes of an era.
After a long time, Sauron, who occupied the south, finally realized the potential harm of this power. It is said that at that time, the Dark Lord was frightened and angry. Because he didn't expect that the North would recover much faster than he imagined. At that time, because the human race in Gondor had not yet completely fallen, Sauron's rule had not reached the point of being bossy. He still needed the Hurin family to control this great country.
The "Fallen One" Ecthelion, who was supposed to be under his control, became a little strange in the following days after he eliminated the family of his old friend, the Swan Knight of Doamroth.
Especially, in 2980, when news came of the death of another old friend, Sengel, the 16th generation Rohan Horse King, Ecthelion briefly regained his clarity.
He called the crown prince, Denethor II in the future, to him and said some strange and dangerous words: "My son, I'm sorry to involve you, but remember, I was really just I want our people to live a better life! Recover the abandoned glory! But the cursed fate found the Hulin family and found me. I...I..."
At that time, there were only Ecthelion and Crown Prince Denethor in that secret and dark chamber. No one else, not even the king's most loyal guards, knew of the secret room's existence.
In the dim light, Denethor, who inherited the king's heroic temperament and gray eyes, looked at the king covering his head in fear and worry, with an expression that was sometimes ferocious and sometimes painful. He didn't know whether to step forward to help or give up. Might run far away.
Because, as if he noticed that the bug in his hand actually wanted to resist, an evil will began to descend into Ecthelian's heart.
The devil's whispers rang in Ecthelian's ears, and the power of light and darkness continued to tear in the eyes of this fallen man who had both reputations and reputations. Ecthelian covered his head in pain, and beasts roared from his throat. The generally terrifying roar frightened the still young Denethor and hesitantly took two steps back.
I saw my father, who seemed to have changed into a different person, dangerously pulling out the sword that he had never left, and slashing at the air crazily.
The terrifying appearance was almost something he had never seen before. In Denethor's impression, although many ministers and attendants were discussing secretly, the king became more stubborn and gloomy, and there were fewer and fewer people in the court who dared to tell the truth.
But it is undeniable that Ecthelion still left a ray of light in his heart for his family. While roaring like a terrible beast, he tried his best to warn the crown prince: "Don't... listen to the whispers in the darkness. Also... don't indulge in... false power. The throne of the king is cold and dangerous. It does not belong to us! It does not belong to the Hurin family! Leave... leave here... ahhhh..."
Ecthelion waved his sword wildly, falling into the most complete madness.
Denethor escaped from the secret room with a pale face, but he did not tell anyone about it, not even his mother and sister.
Because at that time, the entire royal court was under the control of Prime Minister Orandil. This prime minister, who was more dazzling in appearance and more majestic in temperament than the once noble Númenóreans, received the support of a number of lords, including the pirate king and nobles of Umbar Port, and transferred what originally belonged to the king to The power was completely hollowed out, and the throne of the Hurin family quickly became a joke after the first few decades.
The young crown prince had almost no friends with whom he could make friends, and no forces that he could attract foreign aid to. Ecthelion killed too many loyal generals in order to usurp power. The annihilation of the Do Amroth Territory also became the last ray of trust that the royal family had among the people of Gondor.
It can be said that in the later period of Ecthelion's reign, except for a small number of royal guards in the royal city and a few scattered courtiers loyal to the Hurin family, the royal family could hardly command any legion.
Therefore, even if Ecthelion briefly regained his sanity at the end of his life, his struggle was destined to be in vain.
As if to punish the king for his unwillingness, news spread that night that the king was ill and under house arrest.
According to rumors, every night, the attendants could hear roars like wounded beasts and murmurs of unknown meaning coming from the king's palace. Many palace guards and maids who dared to eavesdrop, or accidentally overheard, were executed the next day.
So, gradually, no one dared to approach the room that many people thought was cursed.
Young Denethor became even more frightened and uneasy.
His father's words kept echoing in his ears, and he was wary of everyone in the court, as if there were enemy assassins hidden among them. Especially, the crown prince became frightened and angry towards the prime minister Orlandil.
In his opinion, no one except Orandil could react so quickly to this change. Thinking of the sad and painful look in Ecthelion II's eyes that night, young Denethor seemed to feel that he had touched a certain truth.
A terrible truth.
But he didn't show it. On the contrary, Denethor became more cautious. His eyes always glowed with a gloomy light, his expression was cold, and the sword at his waist never left his body, like a sensitive and injured little beast.
But obviously, Sauron did not intend to completely throw away the Hulin family at that time, step on the stage himself, and directly rule this human country.
So, in the end, Denethor did not face the thing that worried him most.
"Just a young and insignificant human being." In the increasingly magnificent Prime Minister's Palace, Sauron's beautiful body showed a disdainful expression on his handsome face, he said: "Let him live to serve me first, and wait. He’s useless, huh.”
At that time, a tall figure covered in a black cloak stood quietly in the bright hall. Occasionally bursting lights dispersed the shadows under the mysterious man's hood, revealing a large expanse of nothingness.
Obviously, this is a Nazgul.
And I believe many people would not have thought of his identity. Or maybe I guessed it all.
It is said that after making some disdainful remarks about Ecthelion and his sons of House Hurin, Sauron said to the Nazgûl who had not been transformed for long: "Go and let the legions of Mordor attack. , the human world has become almost corrupted, we need to consume more of their potential, and nothing makes the dead more fascinating than the born!”
"Yes, my master."
This Nazgul made a harsh hoarse sound, and the ghastly figure was like a black cloud, quietly slipping out from the bright Prime Minister's Mansion and the Holy White City, and fled to the east.
Almost the next month.
The barbarians from the east poured out from the gorges of the Ash Mountains and the Shadow Mountains, crossed the Dagorad Plains, and attacked the northern part of Ithilien.
At the same time, the Dongyi people riding huge chariots also went south from the Rovanian Wilderness, crossed the Anduin River, and attacked Rohan.
As a result, war broke out throughout the southern human world.
This is a war destined to be tragic. Because both Rohirrim and the humans of Gondor had severed their alliance with the North at that time, they were unable to receive support from any external allies.
The Rohirrim and the Chariot People were in the northern plateau; the Gondor humans and the barbarians were fighting a huge war in northern Ithilien.
Although the bravery of mankind had not yet been completely discarded at that time, because they were independent in their own affairs at the beginning, Rohan and Gondor were defeated in that war and lost large areas of territory.
But soon, the heroes among the second-born children stood up one after another and led mankind to blow the horn of counterattack.
Among them, the Rohirrim gave birth to warriors such as Théoden and Eomund.
Théoden was the son of Senger. In the first year after he ascended the throne as the seventeenth Horse King of Rohan, he ushered in the invasion of the Eastern Chariot People. As a result, King Théoden, who inherited the bravery and courage of the Rohirrim people, knew that after the victory of Ian II, the king of the chariot people at that time, on the northern plateau, he underestimated the enemy and led a large army from the north to the south, preparing to attack Egypt. Doras.
Taking advantage of the enemy's unfamiliarity with water and lack of boats to cross the river, Théoden gathered the hussars of the southern tribes, ambushed and annihilated the chariot people who invaded Rohan near the crossing of the Onorod River, and killed them. The king of the chariot people at that time, Ian II. Successfully restored the defeat on the battlefield of Rohan.
In this battle, due to the fast-flowing Onorode River, the charioteers from the east had no choice but to dismount and abandon their chariots, preparing to send their troops there, and then find a way to pull the remaining chariots over.
As a result, when the enemy was halfway across the river, Théoden led the more mobile cavalry troops to rush down from the upper reaches, decimating the enemies protected by their chariots, and pushing the remaining enemies down the rapid European river. Norod River!
According to legend, when the first ray of dawn pierced the dark night and fell onto the earth, Théoden was the first to rush out of the darkness.
Wearing bright golden armor and a golden helmet with feathers, he brandished the family sword Herugrim and shouted: "Now is the time! Knights of Rohan, advance! Defeat the enemy!"
And he was the first to crash into the enemies who were frightened by the Rohan hussars who descended from the sky and were panicked!
Behind him, countless Rohirrim people rode tall horses, held up the green flag of the White Horse King, roared loudly, and swept in like a tide.
The rumble of horse hooves accompanied the sound of the rushing water of the Onorod River, drowning out the enemy army invading Rohan.
In this battle, Théoden used 3,000 cavalry to defeat Ian II, who had a strength advantage of more than 20,000, and successfully defended the pride of the descendants of Eorl.
The son of Iomgar, who was executed for treason by Sengel, the father of King Théoden, the sixteenth Horse King, Eomund led a small number of retainers to join the Rohirrim counterattack. The chariot people fought a war, and in the rebellion, they killed the king who led this part of the chariot people, Ian II.
So after the war, Théoden restored the rule of the Io family in Aldburg and re-canonized him as the marshal of East Rohan.
As for Gondor.
It was also during this period that Aragorn, who transformed into Thorongil, fought bravely on the front line of the barbarian invasion and protected many innocent civilians.
According to rumors, a brave northern human, armed with an extremely sharp sword, killed many barbarians who invaded Ithilien, making many evil minions from the east change their minds after hearing this.
He called on people to stand up and fight for their homes and families.
"Behind us are our relatives in our hometown, and we all have no way to retreat!"
When this Middle-earth version of the slogan "Defend Minas Tirith" was shouted, countless people of Gondor who had lost their homes and relatives due to this war and wanted to protect their families from being harmed stood up and followed them. Aragorn, who called himself Thorongil at the time, sounded the clarion call for counterattack.
And indeed achieved a series of victories.
So, gradually, his reputation and prestige grew. The name Thorongil began to spread among the people of Ithilien and Minas Tirith.
It was also at that time that this strange name entered Sauron's ears for the first time. But at that time, Sauron did not associate this name with his greatest enemy in this life. More of his energy was attracted by the changes in the north - at that time, Turka and Fenna left Annuminas and traveled in the north.
Regarding the war in the south, Sauron let his evil humans handle it themselves. He was planning to take advantage of this opportunity to regain his ring - it turned out that although the Silver King had left people's sight, he had not relaxed his surveillance of the north.
Many of Sauron's conspiracies were destroyed by the secret agents of the kingdom in the dark. The roads between the north and the south were covered with the corpses of agents from both sides.
Even so, the people of Rohan and Gondor still cannot see the dawn of victory in this war. Because more enemies are joining in from Rovanian and from Mordor.
Several parties waged continuous wars that lasted for several years, with each winning and losing, but as a result, the human world in the south suffered unimaginable destruction and losses.
Four years later.
In the year 2984 of the Third Era, Ecthelion II, the 33rd Lord of Gondor, known as "The Fallen" by later generations, passed away in a state of madness, ending his lamentable life. Crown Prince Denethor ascends the throne.
