The End of Days

by JueVioleAdn

The world is in chaos. The end of days is coming. As war loomed on the horizon dragging many great powers of the world into conflict which would bring about death and destruction. Maybe the only things that matter most is Love, Friendship and Determination. Arc 1: War before the Ring. (This is a story set before the Ring was discovered. Events here will lead up the next arc.)

1. Introduction

INTRODUCTION:

Imladris, T.A 2400:

"I have seen the end of days and years from now men will say, Here began the fall of Nilfgaard and Byzantium." The envoy from Mordor adressed the council in Imladris. Orcs have never set foot in Imladris before but here he was, Bringing the message of death and destruction to all the peoples that inhabit the known world in the name of his master, Sauron. At the council were present, Envoys and ambassadors from all corners of the known world. Envoys from the great empires of Byzantium and Nilfgaard, Gondor, Rohan, Numenor and all the Elven kingdoms that inhabited Middle-Earth. They were all invited to listen to the message of Mordor. Another war loomed on the horizon.

It has been a decade of crisis for the Byzantine Empire as nomadic raids and invasions from barbarians have destabilised the borders but the Byzantines have managed to repel them. Others have sensed this as a sign of weakness but the Byzantines are still a global superpower in this time of conflict. From their capital at Constantinople, A jewel on the Bosphorus, They exert influence far and wide which is felt even in Middle-Earth. They have some of the best heavy infantry in the world, The Comitatenses, rivalled only by the Nilfgaardian Legion. The Byzantines are a proud and sophisticated people whose legacy and influence permeates throughout the world. The current emperor of the Byzantines,

Emperor Valerian is ambitious. A friend of the Elves and the various peoples of Middle-Earth. It is him and his Empire that Middle-Earth would first call for help against the armies of Mordor. Mordor would come for all. The Byzantines know of this and it is up to them wether they decide to help Middle-Earth and prevent Mordor armies from reaching Byzantium and ending the war there or to stay out of the war and join forces with the stronger force.

On the other side of the world, On another continent known simply as "The Continent", The Nilfgaardian Empire stands. Sacred Earth where men of greatness conquered. A continuation of the great Elven Empire of Tyrrenia, The Nilfgaardian share much in common with their Elven ancestors. Though much of Nilfgaard is now made of men, The Nilfgaardians themselves believe they were descendants of the first Elves who made contact with the first men of the Continent. The Nilfgaardians are known for their ambition and Imperialism. While all this may make them hated by the various people who don't live in Nilfgaardian territory, To the people of Nilfgaard, The Empire is a symbol of strength and honor. Throughout it's existence, The Nilfgaardian Empire has assimilated the various races of the Continent under it's banner from Elves, Dwarves, People whom they considered barbarians among others. In battle, The Nilfgaardian Legions are known to fight with fanatical bravery which is unmatched in the known world. The Legionary system of Nilfgaard is the world's most rigorously disciplined fighting force, Beacuse of the black armor the soldiers wear and the black flag used by the Nilfgaardians, They are known throughout the world as "The Black Ones". The Nilfgaardians have already made a foothold in Middle-Earth, Entering into various treaties with the peoples of Middle-Earth and establishing realtions. With the threat that is about to appear from the shadows of Mordor, The Nilfgaardians made ready for war.

To the South of Arda futher to the East near far Harad, Lies the Summamid Sultante. Forever and ally of Mordor and great friends to the people of Harad. The Summamids are another threat the people of Middle-Earth must face if they are to defeat this great evil. Though the people of Middle-Earth may be unfamiliar with this new Empire, The Summamids have come out of the desert bent on conquest in the name of their master Sauron. Gondor is a shadow of it's former self, Numenor is too busy with it's own problems, The Elves are no longer a strong force and Rohan is just a society of unwashed barbarians, Who's to stop the Summamids on their conquest of Middle-Earth? The Sultan, Atterbazanes, has always dreamt of conquering Caras Galadhon and Imladris. It is his best opportunity yet.

THINGS TO NOTE:

• There is a lot of lore bending involved and some of you may not like it and I understand but this is a fanfiction so I'm just writing what I have in my mind and I'm writing this to share with you all.

• As I mentioned above about lore bending so this applies to the map too. The area that connects Middle-Earth and the Undying Lands is no more, Instead, It connects the land of the Byzantines and the various people of that continent. I'll explain in further detail as the story progresses. The Undying Lands is not there in this story. It does not exist. Nilfgaard is on another continent to the West which is accessible only by sea unlike Byzantium which has a land route.

* As you may have noticed, I used the words Byzantium and Byzantine which are in fact real world historical names. The Byzantine Empire in real life refers to the Eastern Roman Empire although there has never been people of a Byzantine race. So for that reason, I applied the name Byzantium and Byzantine in this story. You can tell I use real world elements. Also, Constantinople is a city which existed in real life. (Modern day Istanbul). Most of the cities of the Byzantines I mention are of real names of those cities during the Eastern Roman Empire.

* All people of the world in this story are immortal with no life spans. So they share similarities with the Elves of Tolkien's books regarding Elven lifespans.

* Numenor is still standing in this story and it has it's own King and Numenor is a global superpower rivalling even that of Byzantium and Nilfgaard. They have hegemony over Middle-Earth and most of it's Elven Kingdoms. The Elves pay tribute to Numenor in return for their protection.

* The story will take place in two arcs. War before the Ring and War of the Ring.

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NEW CHARACTERS:

• Elariel : The younger daughter of Elrond.

• Alaric : King of Numenor.

• Philip : Heir to the Numenorean throne.

• Atterbazanes : Sultan of the Summamid Dynasty. ( Summamids are basically Harads who are just a bit more sophisticated ).

I will only mention four for now and there are many more new characters but I mentioned them so that you would not get confused at what's going to happen in the story that is to come. The main characters I feel are better to be introduced slowly as the story progresses. There are about 5 main characters made by me and Tolkien's creations like Legolas and Aragorn will feature heavily in the next part of the story that is "The War of the Ring".

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I don't exactly know the timeline of the Lord of the Rings events so I am very sorry regarding that but I do hope you will enjoy the story. I am also aware that many people will be unhappy about the lore bending but please give this a chance. Thank you and I would love to see your reviews to see what I can improve on.