Raynor watched a rider wearing grey was riding to a place in Middle-earth he had not been to during his time on the planet. The rider passed through a gateway in the wall and there were trees surrounding a tower.

"Smoke rises from the mountain of doom, the hour grows late, and Gandalf the Grey rides to Isengard seeking my counsel," Raynor recognized the voice as Saruman's. "And for that is why you have come? Is it not, my old friend?"

"Saruman," Gandalf bowed.

"You are sure of this?"

"Beyond any doubt."

"The Ring of Power has been found."

"All these long years, it was in the Shire under my very nose."

"You did not have the wit to see it; your love of the Halfling's leaf has clearly slowed your mind."

"At least we have time, time enough to counter Sauron if we act quickly."

"Time? What time do you think we have?" Saruman then took Gandalf into the interior of the tower. "Sauron has regained much of his former strength, he cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit has lost none of his potency concealed within his fortress. The Lord of Mordor sees all especially the people of James Raynor caught in a war between two creatures we have seen before; his gaze pierces cloud, shadow, space, star, earth, and flesh. You know of what I speak, Gandalf? A great eye lidless wreathed in flame."

"The Eye of Sauron."

"He's gathering all evil to him even a project that hybridizes the two space creatures which is beyond our capability. Very soon, he will summon an army great enough to launch an assault upon Middle-earth."

"You know of this? How?"

"I've seen it," Saruman eyed something.

"A Palantir is a dangerous tool, Saruman," Gandalf knew what was underneath a cloth.

"Why? Why should we fear to use it?" The white wizard took off the cloth revealing a sphere.

"They're not all accounted for, the lost seeing stones. We do not know who else may be watching," Gandalf put back the cloth.

"The hour is later than you think," Saruman sat on his throne. "Sauron's forces are already moving, the Nine have left Minas Morgul."

"The Nine?"

"They crossed the river Isen on mid-summer's eve disguised as Riders in Black."

"They reached the Shire?"

"They will find the Ring and kill the one who carries it."

"Frodo," Gandalf attempted to leave but Saruman closed the doors with magic.

"Frodo? Who is he?" Raynor wondered.

"You did not seriously think that a Hobbit could contend with the will of Sauron? There are none who can, the gaze the power of Mordor. There can be no victory, we must join with him, Gandalf. We must join with Sauron, it would be wise my friend."

"Tell me, friend. When did Saruman the Wise abandon reason for madness?"

The wizards attacked with magic blasts; however Saruman managed to grab Gandalf's staff. "I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you elected of no way of paying me." The white wizard sent the grey wizard flying all the way up to the top of the tower imprisoning him there. "The power of Isengard is at your command, Sauron Lord of the Earth," Saruman communicated with Sauron via Palantir.

"Build me an army worthy of Mordor," Sauron ordered and gave the White Wizard orcs.

"No," Raynor thought

"What orders from Mordor, my lord? What does the Eye command?" an orc asked.

"We have work to do," Saruman replied.

Gandalf woke up and witnessed orcs constructed lumber mills that the trees were being converted to resources. Isengard was being cleared of the trees for orcs to construct furnaces that the lumber were fed to; armory where blades were forged and heavy armor were made; a factory; and pits for breeding humanoid creatures similar to orcs but they were taller and muscular. Saruman saw the first of those creatures strangled an orc to death.

Raynor saw a familiar moth flying to Gandalf and the wizard gave a message. Saruman went to the top of the tower tormenting his former friend, "Friendship with Saruman is not lightly thrown aside, one ill turn deserves another. It is over! Embrace the power of the Ring … or embrace your own destruction!"

After Gandalf was being thrown into the floor, "There is only one Lord of the Ring! Only one who can bend it to his will. And he does not share power!" He noticed the moth had brought a reply message and jumped off from the tower so that a giant eagle could carry him on its back.

"So you have chosen death."

Raynor was shown that Gandalf had set out from Rivendell with nine companions: Legolas; a dwarf who looked similar to Gloin that was one of Raynor's former travelling companions; three men and one of them appeared similar to Raynor, and four hobbits that Raynor guessed one of them was Frodo.

Hours later, a large flock of crows flew into the caverns of Isengard to report to Saruman, "So, Gandalf, you try to lead them over Caradhras. And if that fails, where then will you go?" He took position in the top of the tower causing an avalanche on Gandalf and his companions. "Moria, you fear to go into those mines. The Dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum, Shadow and Flame!" The white wizard looked into a book and in one page was an image of an unknown being hidden in darkness and flame.

The next day, Saruman said to the first of the humanoid creatures he bred from the pits, "Do you know how the Orcs first came into being? They were Elves once, taken by the dark powers, tortured and mutilated, a ruined and terrible form of life. And now perfected, my fighting Uruk-hai. Whom do you serve?"

"Saruman," the Uruk-hai replied.

4,000 Uruk-hai were fitted with the heavy armor becoming warriors that wielded swords and shields. The White Hand was used as the insignia of Saruman's Isengard army and was printed into the black clothes of banners. The first Uruk-hai was given a sword and bow.

"Hunt them down! Do not stop until they are found, you do not know pain, you do not know fear. You will taste man flesh!" Saruman gave his speech causing the Uruks to roar. "One of the Halflings carries something of great value, bring them to me alive and unspoiled. Kill the others especially Johnny, son of James Raynor."

Raynor was surprised to see that his son was alive and was shocked to see what Saruman had become.

"Run Hobbits, run!" a man shouted.

"Protect the Hobbits!" another man shouted. "Merry! Pippin!"

"Let's find the shortcut, come on this way!" said a hobbit.

"Bring me the Halflings!" the Uruk leader ordered. "The Halfling who possessed the Ring hide in these forests, search the surrounding area for the Hobbits, kill anything that gets in our way. Let's go, you maggots!"

Raynor remembered Legolas was a skilled knife fighter and archer. The dwarf was powerful using an axe along with axes that he threw. The man fighting along with the dwarf and Legolas was a skilled swordsman. Raynor was impressed seeing his son was a skilled swordsman and archer.

"Hey! Hey you! Over here!" A hobbit shouted grabbing the Uruks' attention.

"Hey!"

"Over here!"

"This way!" the Uruks all ran after the two. "It's working!"

"I know it's working!"

"They're fleeing to the east, let us claim them for the glory of Saruman," the Uruk leader ordered.

A man protected the two hobbits and slashed the Uruks with his sword. He blew the horn drawing more Uruks especially their leader to the trio. The two hobbits threw ball-sized rocks to pick off the Uruks in a distance.

"Kill the human and bring me his head," the Uruk leader ordered and crippled the man with three arrows: one on the shoulder, second on the stomach, and third on the chest.

The two hobbits took out short swords to melee the Uruks leading to their capture and the Uruk leader finished the man off with a headshot. Though the Uruks were aware that Frodo and another hobbit escaped the onslaught, the Uruks gave up the chase and brought the prisoners to Saruman. Johnny, Legolas, the man, and dwarf were left with no direction after the attack.

Saruman oversaw the army production and was not impressed, "I want them armed and ready to march within two weeks!"

"But my lord, there are too many! They cannot all be armed in time, we don't have the means," an orc supervisor reported.

"Build a dam block the stream, work the furnaces night and day," Saruman ordered.

"We don't have enough fuel to feed the fires," the supervisor spoke with concern.

"The Forest of Fangorn lies on our doorstep. Burn it!" Saruman saw the solution.

"Yes!" the supervisor then passed the order.

Saruman was approached by a wild man of Dunland, "We will fight for you."

"Swear it."

The wild man cut his palm, "We will die for Saruman."

"The horsemen took your lands, they drove your people into the hills to scratch a living off rocks," the White Wizard gave a speech to the wild men of Dunland.

"Murderers!" a wild man shouted.

"Take back the lands they stole from you, burn every village!" Saruman ordered. The wild men equipped with torches accompanied by orcs and Uruks pillaged the villages. "It will begin in Rohan; too long have these peasants stood against you and no more."

The Uruk hunting party who took the two hobbits was butchered by horsemen wielding pikes and the Uruk leader retreated to Isengard while the two hobbits went into Fangorn.

"We have much work to do, feed our forges with wood from the great forest of Fangorn. With enough fuel, we shall breed a mighty army," Saruman led a group of Uruks with crossbows that had flaming bolts and orc laborers into the forest. They were given one hell of a welcome from humanoid trees that hurled boulders at long distances and crushed infantry with melee attacks.

"We should burn every Ent to the ground," said an Uruk crossbowman.

"The Ents draw their strength from the Ent Moot, they will succumb to the flame," Saruman ordered as he led attack on the Ents.

"You Orcs, you cannot pass," said an Ent that could talk.

The white wizard casted a fireball at the talking Ent while the Uruk crossbowmen caught the Ents on fire causing them to run around then fell into the ground motionlessly. "No, protect the Ent Moot," despite the Ent's efforts, the Ents were slain and the Ent Moot was destroyed so that the whole forest would be cut down.

Saruman eventually prepared an army of 20,000 Uruk-hai. Besides warriors and crossbowmen, the Uruk infantry also included pikemen that were armed with long pikes to skewer opposing cavalry and berserkers that wore just helmets filled with blood wielding two-handed swords. A battering ram, ballistae, and siege ladders were manufactured from the factory. The pits also served as breeding grounds for wargs so that there could be warg riders that wielded swords.

The Uruk leader led the army; 10,000 warg riders; and 5,000 wild men of Dunland to Edoras, a city in Rohan, "Destroy any horsemen that oppose us, crush their defenders at their city, leave no building standing in Edoras."

The Rohan cavalry consisted of riders wielding bows and pikes charged at the Uruks, but the Uruk pikemen stopped the riders on their tracks. The yeomen archers fired at the Uruks, however there were more Uruks to replace the fallen. After the Uruk crossbowmen returned the fire at the yeomen archers, the Uruks brought siege ladders for warriors and berserkers to climb. The spearmen and peasants were no match for the Uruks. The Uruk crossbowmen covered the crew that operated a battering ram used to destroy the gate and Uruks brought ballistae to lay waste on the defense towers. After the gate fell, the warg riders ran over the yeomen archers on ground with ease. The wild men set fire onto the city and pillaged every structure. The Uruk leader crippled a beautiful woman who was bravely leading the defenders and slew her.

After the Edoras was destroyed, the Isengard army regrouped. Saruman prepared explosives by pouring black powder into large spiked balls as he knew that the remaining people of Rohan had took refuge in a fortress, Helm's Deep. He then gave a speech, "A new power is rising, its victory is at hand! This night, the land will be stained with the blood of Rohan, march to Helm's Deep! Leave none alive! To WAR! There will be no dawn for men." The Uruk-hai, warg riders, and wild men began their way to the fortress.

"Let this be the hour, we will have victory," said the king of Rohan. His people had received aid from elven warriors that could switch between bows and swords. The elves and their leader took position in the wall, while the king and his men were at the keep.

"Now we take what the horse lords own dear, slay all of them," the Uruk leader ordered. The Uruks all charge towards the wall and the elves fired at them. The Uruk crossbowmen returned fire and covered the Uruks that brought the explosives to the grate. A berserker lit a torch and detonated them so that the wall was breached. The Uruks brought siege ladders for warriors and berserkers to engage the elves on the wall, while the warg riders ran over the elves on ground behind the wall. The Uruk leader clashed blades with the elf leader and managed to slash him. At the same time, the Uruks brought battering ram to destroy the gate and the Uruk crossbowmen fired at the yeomen archers in the keep. After the gate was breached, the Uruks and orcs overwhelmed the men while the wild men pillaged the keep. "Bring me the head of the king," the Uruk leader ordered. The king of Rohan slashed the Uruks and the Uruk leader eventually decapitated him.

Raynor was horrified to see Saruman had destroyed the people of Rohan in the Overmind's vision.