Alright guys, time for the next chapter and to fully begin the next arc. Lots of setup in this chapter and getting the various plotlines started. I'm happy to be back into this, getting through transitions was always the hardest part for me, but after a bit of a break I'm finally back to it, and as excited as ever. I'm a big fan of Shadow of War, so let's see what kind of trouble we can get into with this arc, as we once more focus on the characters, and less so on the world.
Darkness Reborn
Chapter 33: Hunt for the Ringmaker
-Mordor-
Aegon knelt over the body of the Black Hand. Worn and already rotting, it offered little clues as to the current location of it's killer.
Tauriel knelt by his side, examining the corpse with her keen elven gaze.
She lifted her gaze to pass over the surrounding battlements of the Black Gate. Searching for signs, or clues that may indicate how long their missing Ranger had stayed there after killing the Black Hand.
Standing atop one of the battlements was Lilith's homunculus. The demure brunette who gave the impression of a normal, albeit highborn woman, stared intently over the expanse of Mordor, her gaze calculating. Nearby stood Saruman, hooded in a dark gray traveling cloak, his gaze mirrored the Dark Lady's own.
"It's been a long time since I have looked upon Arda with my own two eyes." Lilith spoke, her eyes trailing over the volcanic landscape of the plains of Gorgoroth before settling on Mt Doom, a soft smirk appearing on her face.
That terrible mountain that had become the furnace from which Sauron was able to continue their war on Eru and the Valar, was one of her creations. In the early days before it was outright war, when she was still Melkor, this monstrous volcano had been one of many creations she had warped and twisted to defile the natural order. Though she had never thought to use such a place as one of her bases due to it's distance from her enemies, she could clearly see that this land was one of the finest and most defensible locations from which to wage war upon the world in it's entirety.
The volcano poisoned the plains of Gorgoroth, making it difficult for outsider to survive. The mountains shielded the country from unwanted eyes, and prevented any sort of assault that did not come from the east or pierce through one of the two entrances. One being the Black Gate, and the other being the path of Cirith Ungol.
Even now, the second of those two access points was being forever sealed as their forces fought to capture Minas Ithil. With Minas Ithil under their control, they'd hold control over both sides of that narrow access path, and have full control over all of the ways into Mordor.
At that moment, the country itself would once more become a fortress, impenetrable and domineering as it loomed over the kingdom of Gondor.
"It's obvious that the ranger is no longer here, but I don't believe he fled from Mordor after the battle was won." Tauriel admitted.
"What gives you that impression?" Sauron inquired.
"I'm not sure… I know nothing about this ranger, or about Lord Celebrimbor but something drove this through this journey of theirs. Something kept them together, gave them hope. Such a thing is nearly impossible to come by in Mordor, yet they kept carrying on. They continued their campaign all the way to it's conclusion. I cannot see such a drive fully going out, even with such a victory." Tauriel explained her reasoning to him, earning a thoughtful hum from the dark lord.
"You're right. I don't see them viewing this victory as an end of things. Perhaps an end to what brought them together, but not enough to put down the sword. No… I know Celebrimbor too well, and if this ranger is anything like him, or easily manipulated, this isn't the end. In spite of what could be gained is the ranger carried Celebrimbor's spirit to one of the Elven kingdoms, I doubt they would think of such a path. No… they're still here. Somewhere in Mordor, plotting, planning. They used Celebrimbor's power to warp and control the minds of the orcs, started a massive uprising in Núrn. Knowing the Elf-Lord as well is I do, I know he'll not forget such a success." Sauron spoke, his voice carrying over to Lilith and Saruman, drawing both of their eyes to him.
"You think the errant elf will attempt to mind-control more of our forces?" Lilith questioned him.
"It worked very well, and with the skills of the ranger, he can move unseen and with great speed through Mordor. I can easily foresee a campaign of chaos in our future. Warping the minds of our agents to their cause, and using those agents to disrupt us and hinder our activities here in Mordor." Sauron noted.
"Surely they do not think they could succeed as well as they did in Núrn. Such a success was born out of our ignorance of their plans and abilities, but now that we know, at best all they can manage to do is sow chaos and discord." Saruman questioned.
"He's right in that regard. They cannot hope to succeed as well as they did before. Celebrimbor's powers are great, but he can only truly control the weakest minds in our ranks, and such control is not permanent. Not long after the uprising, the orcs that turned on us, returned to the fold. Orcs follow strength so mind-controlling strong orcs is the key to getting groups of weaker orcs to follow you, however stronger orcs typically have stronger minds, and thus are harder to control with such powers. The Wraith is powerful, but now that powerful. That he even has such a power is a testament to his great strength, but it's obvious this power is new and raw. In time perhaps it may grow, then again, he is dead, so mayhaps the time for that has already passed." Lilith surmised, Sauron and Saruman nodding in agreement with her logic.
"Speculation will get us nowhere. Our best bet is to simply start looking, and keep our ears open. The ranger has a habit of getting himself into trouble, so all we need to do is await for reports on the Gravewalker to start coming in, and we'll know where to focus our search." Sauron declared after a moment of further thought. He then hissed our a command in Parseltongue, summoning Umbra down from the sky. The massive dragon landed upon the walls and allowed for the four of them to climb up on it's back before it took to the skies once more.
Three days passed as the group flew around Mordor meeting with the various war-chiefs and overlords to discuss the disappearance of the Gravewalker. It wasn't until their return to Gorgoroth that they finally caught a break. They met with an overlord who informed them that Talion had infiltrated one of the many forts on the planes of Gorgoroth and stolen a two items from the vaults there. He hadn't killed anyone important or caused much of a fuss, they only managed to catch him as he was sneaking out, and after performing an inventory on the vault they found that two small ingots of precious metal had been stolen.
One was a bar of silver, the other a bar of mithril. They were small bars, the silver one barely caught their notice, though the mithril bar which was only about five inches long and about an inch wide, was worth quite a lot. Why the two had been stolen was a mystery to the orcs, and to three of the four members of the search party, Sauron though, knew instantly why this had happened.
"They're planning on forging a new ring!" He declared as he paced back and forth, worry evident on his face.
"A new Ring of Power? Do you perhaps think that Lord Celebrimbor intends to create a ring that may help him focus his powers of domination?" Saruman suggested, causing Sauron to stop and turn his eyes towards him.
He blinked several times before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.
"Where would he go to create such a tool?" Lilith questioned, knowing full well that the annoyance that Celebrimbor could be with just his powers of domination alone was enough to hunt him down, if he managed to enhance those powers through the creation of a new Ring of Power, that would turn this situation on it's head.
The annoyance of the Dark Lords was quickly being replaced by genuine worry. Celebrimbor was a master smith and had helped Sauron forge the first sixteen Rings of Power, as well as the three Elven Rings on his own. Forging one, specifically made for himself, specifically to amplify one attribute of his, this power of domination, it could raise his strength and level of threat to the point where he could become a genuine rival to the Dark Lords.
"There are a few places in Mordor where Celebrimbor and his human ally could go, yet I know in my heart that there is only one place he would seek to create such a tool." Sauron responded as he turned his gaze towards Mount Doom.
"To forge a Ring of Power upon the same anvil that cast the One Ring, that would create a truly mighty tool." Saruman noted, stroking his beard as his eyes narrowed.
"We should move, reach the forge before they make it there. They have at least two days on us." Lilith spoke, as she began to move, only to pause and glance at Sauron when he didn't immediately move to follow.
"What is it?" She questioned him, his gaze fixated on the blazing volcano.
"Were he to succeed in such a creation, no matter how attuned it would be to him, it would be a ring born of my craft, just like the Three Elven Rings." Sauron noted, causing Lilith to fully turn to him.
"Any ring crafted by your method is bound to the authority of the One. That connection would exist, even if he wasn't aware of it. Just like with the Elven Rings, if you got your hand on this possible New Ring you could bind it to the authority of the One." Lilith read his mind, understanding his moment of hesitance.
As dangerous as such a possibility was, taking such a tool for themselves, and binding it to their will, would be far from a difficult task. In fact it would be as easy as capturing the Ranger. All they had to do was get their hands on the Ring. The nature of Sauron's influence and the power of the One Ring, was that any ring made through Sauron's arts, was bound to the authority of the One. That didn't grant an immediate control over the creations of others, but what it did do is ensure that once acquired, the secrets, powers, abilities, the intrinsic nature of that specific ring would be laid completely bare, before the authority of the One. The only way to forge a Ring of Power, free of Sauron's influence or any ties to the One, was to forge it without any knowledge or influence of Sauron's craft. Such was the magic behind the creation of the Ring's of Power. So if Celebrimbor created a new ring, using knowledge that he learned from Sauron, no matter what he did to change it, or evolve it, at it's core, at it's very foundation, the ring still came from Sauron's existence.
That knowledge then turned her focus towards the idea in and of itself. If they were right, than Celebrimbor would no doubt seek to create a ring that he could use as a focus for his power of Domination. He could already mind-control the weak-minded, but with a ring of power to enhance that specific ability, it might just allow him to control anyone he got his hands on.
If such an artifact was created than the only person in the world, who would be able to manipulate and control it's powers better than Celebrimbor would be Sauron, through the use of the One Ring.
So of course the possibilities of what they could achieve with a power like that was enticing to think about, but that was only if they were right, and that was Celebrimbor's plan.
"It's pointless to wonder about such things when we don't even know if we're right. Lets go and check on the forge." Lilith suggested, gaining an affirmation from Sauron.
The group made their way towards Mount Doom upon the back of Umbra. They tens of minutes away from reaching the mountain when a burst of blue light rippled outward from the upper reaches of the towering volcano.
Sauron's eyes went wide, as did Lilith's and Saruman's. It seems that their suspicion had been spot on.
They moved quickly, Sauron spurring his mount onward, pushing the dragon faster. After such a display of power, he knew that their quarry would quickly go to ground to avoid those Sauron sent to investigate such a display.
Sauron kept his eyes focused on the volcano, his vision fixated on it, searching for any signs of movement.
If they moved fast enough, they could catch the duo before they slipped away and raised all manner of hell.
He caught sight of something, something moving fast at the base of the mountain. A shadow, a wisp of darkness, and within, he spotted the wraith. A blue glow, carried within the shadow westward.
He turned Umbra to begin following the shadow, informing his companions of what he could see.
They followed for nearly an hour, as the wraith made for the westernmost mountains, why he was choosing to head there was a mystery.
Soon though, in the shadows of Cirith Ungol, Sauron lost sight of the wraith.
They circled the area for a short while, scanning for any signs of Celebrimbor or the Ranger. Neither were spotted though and they were forced to go to ground.
"They fled the volcano with great haste, why come here though?" Lilith wondered.
"That is my question as well. My only theory is that they seek to use their newfound powers to break the siege of Minas Ithil." Sauron answered.
"Is it perhaps not wiser then to try and intercept them? We do not know how far Lord Celebrimbor's powers will have grown with this new ring of power, but we can be quite certain that he must at least need to be near his target. No doubt in an attempt to break the siege, they will try and twist the minds of the orcs there." Saruman suggested.
"He makes a wise suggestion. There is little else for them in this area other than access to the pass of Cirith Ungol, and a means to reach Minas Ithil. If they seek to aid the free peoples and do damage to our cause, saving the city would be a major boon for them." Lilith agreed with the White Wizard.
"Alright. You three should head for Minas Ithil, and await the arrival of the ranger and our missing Elf-Lord. Once you arrive, inform the Witch King that he is to dispatch three of the Nazgûl here to continue the search, just in case. I will remain until they arrive, again, just to be sure, in case we're wrong." Sauron agreed, putting forth a plan to cover their possible bases.
"If you are to be searching the area on foot, I should leave Tauriel with you. Her skills in the wild may help you." Lilith offered.
"If that is your wish. I am confident in Lord Saruman's suggestion, Minas Ithil seems like the place they will go now, but I wish to explore all possibilities just to be safe." Sauron accepted her suggestion. We doubted they would find the elusive duo anywhere around Cirith Ungol, but he didn't want to take a chance of them slipping back into the greater expanse of Mordor and starting this hunt all over again.
"Alright then." Lilith spoke her agreement. She turned her eyes towards Tauriel who met her master's gaze, and awaited her instructions.
Lilith seemed to scrutinize her for a moment before approaching her. The movement was delicate, pulling Tauriel into a kiss, and holding her in that kiss for several long moments.
"Try not to get into any trouble my precious mól." Lilith growled as she pulled back, her hand drifting from Tauriel's hair to the side of her head, then down to her jawline continuing to her chin. The action was so tender, almost loving.
Sauron and Saruman both spotted it's reason though. As Lilith's hand trailed the elf's jawline, her finger ever so briefly touched at the slave's collar. Magic passed into it. Changing something about it.
While Saruman wasn't aware of the purpose behind this action, Sauron knew his wife well enough to understand. The time had come to test her precious slave. She had temporarily disabled the collar, giving Tauriel free reign over her thoughts and actions once more.
No doubt some specific criteria were put in place to serve as a backup, knowing Lilith she no doubt thought of everything.
The collar would stay turned off for a certain amount of time, unless specific actions were met. If Sauron had to guess, it was probably some simple things like if Tauriel attempted to flee Mordor, the collar would activate before she could make it beyond the borders. If she tried to tell people her masters' secrets, the collar would probably activate. Things like that were the kinds of security measures that Lilith always put in place when it came to her personal slaves.
She had decided to test Tauriel, to test if she was truly worthy of remaining in Lilith's company and being the 'First' among her slaves. To be the First, one had to have the utmost loyalty to their master. Lilith was giving Tauriel the chance to betray them, in fact she was probably hoping that Tauriel would try and run away while he was the only one around to keep an eye on her. This was a test to see just how far the elven huntress had fallen, and if she could bare to truly separate herself from her master.
The ultimate test would come in the form of the collar. A sign that she was ready and willing to fully cast off Lilith's affections and betray her. No doubt a curse had been placed upon the collar that if Tauriel removed it, she would die. Lilith had never had any sort of desire for those who could so easily cast her aside. Being abandoned was a sore spot for Lilith, and always put her in the worst of moods. If Tauriel removed the collar it would be the end of their relationship as far as Lilith was concerned. This was her test though, to see just what she would do, now that the leash had been loosened. In truth, the leash was no longer a leash, it was now a noose, and it would be by Tauriel's actions that she'd decide to hang herself or not.
"Yes master." Tauriel responded, nodding to her master as Lilith stepped away.
She stepped before Sauron and left him with a tender kiss and knowing smirk. He returned it, and called for Umbra to ferry the two to Minas Ithil while he and Tauriel remained behind.
The two parties split and went to their separate corners, confident that they now had the wraith and his human ally trapped between them.
The search was now on.
For days, Sauron and Tauriel scoured the area. Sauron mostly followed along with Tauriel, who used her knowledge as a hunter, and tracker, to begin searching for any signs of a human running hiding in the area.
Days went by without any signs. Two, then five, on the sixth day they caught a break. In a cave nestled in the mountain where some orcs were attempting to set up a garrison, someone had snuck through, killing several of them using stealthy means.
Tauriel followed what little trail there was leading deeper and deeper in the cave systems.
They came to a halt before a wall of webbing and Sauron let out a sigh, telling Tauriel to halt her search.
"What is the matter, you grace?" She asked him.
"We dare not enter further before asking permission." Sauron spoke.
"Permission from whom?" Tauriel asked him, confused.
"Shelob. These webbings are hers. I'd recognize them anywhere." Sauron replied, sighing once more.
Tauriel glanced at the wall of webs that sat before them and made a face. They looked no different than the webs she had seen the spiders of Mirkwood make. Of course she had heard the stories of the legendary Shelob. The mother of the Mirkwood spiders, as well as the mother of the spiders currently in service to the Two Dark Lords. Well, mother wasn't exactly true, she was more like the ancestor to most of the spiders, but that was how she was known.
Shelob was a frightening being, if the stories about her held any weight to them. A massive spider, that fed on any trespassers who were unfortunate enough to enter her caves. Orcs or men, it made no difference, Shelob would devour them all.
"How do you know these are her webs? I encountered many spiders during my time fighting the spiders of Mirkwood, and their webs were much like these." Tauriel noted.
"Yet these webs reflect no light." Sauron pointed out. He and Tauriel both carried torches with them to light the darkness, and he lifted his higher to allow the light to better shine upon the webs.
Tauriel took notice of what he was talking about. The webs were white in color, yet they reflected no light at all. They did not glisten or shimmer with any of the light shone upon them.
"Shelob's webs are unique. A pale reflection of her mother's webs, which were black as night, and devoured all light that touched them." Sauron spoke, gently reaching out to pluck at the edges of the webs. He then took several steps back and glanced around the chamber. "We should make camp here, and await her response. While I expect she'll wish to see me, I don't think our meeting will of the friendly variety."
"You speak as if you know the spider on a personal level. Did she serve you once?" Tauriel asked him as they stepped away from the wall of webs blocking their path.
"No, she did not serve me. She was my friend though." Sauron responded, his gaze growing distant.
"Was there a falling out between you?" Tauriel inquired as she noticed his troubled, nostalgic look.
He turned his eyes towards her, and for a moment she tensed, sensing that she may have overstepped.
He was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Shelob was… my oldest friend. She was with me since the fall of Beleriand. We traveled together for a long while. She was the one who told me of this place. She had come to live here years before I ever stepped foot in these lands. She was my companion and a close confidant to whom I shared some of my deepest secrets." Sauron explained to her.
"I cannot imagine what could end such a longstanding friendship." Tauriel spoke, watching him with curious eyes.
"That's the problem… our friendship always ran deep, but for most of it, that's all it was to me. She was my friend. Arguably she was my best friend. And though she thought of me as her friend, her desires were always clear between us." Sauron continued on, his look growing more distant, as if he was being pulled back into an ancient memory.
"She loved you." Tauriel realized.
"Yes. For a long time. I never led her on, never pretended our relationship was anything more, and she accepted that. Being near me, being my friend it was enough for her, for a long time. She never grew past her feelings though. I should have reprimanded her when she pulled that little stunt of hers. Had I done so, perhaps I wouldn't have needed to end things like I did." Sauron rubbed at his chin and sighed once more.
Tauriel watched him with curious eyes, hoping he would continue. She was now curious to hear how this story went. What had the spider done to force the Dark Lord to put a wedge between them? One strong enough to end what sounded like a friendship that was thousands of years old.
Seeing her look, Sauron knew that she was curious, so he simply chose to speak, knowing full well that Shelob would probably reveal it anyway just to try and spite him.
"I shared with her many of my deepest secrets, and so… one day, she took the form of the woman I loved." Sauron said to her, causing Tauriel to blink in surprise, her mouth falling open.
Alright, that would definitely do it, Tauriel knew. Seeing the way that Sauron and Morgoth were with one another, it was obvious that their love for each other existed long before she was forced into their service.
Still, she wanted to make sure she was understanding correctly. "She took the form of Queen Lilith?"
"Yes. Very close to it, that is. Her face… her hair, her eyes. The eyes got to me. Seeing those same emerald eyes, I told Shelob that was going to far. So she changed them, but… that was all she changed." Sauron admitted. Though in truth, it wasn't Lilith that Shelob had taken the form of. Or at least, it wasn't the Lilith that Tauriel knew. It wasn't Morgoth.
As he had said, Shelob had been his closest confidant and he had shared a lot with. Eventually, after centuries of friendship, he admitted to her why he could never return her feelings for him. It was his love for his sister. Shelob was an accomplished my reader, and could see the pristine image of Sofia Potter in his mind. She could see her, see Lilith when she was human, and even when she became Morgoth.
Shelob never knew of their connection. Their friendship began after Morgoth's capture at the end of the War of Wrath. She never knew that the sister that Sauron was in love with, was the Dark Lord Morgoth.
All she knew was of Sofia Potter, of the original Lilith, to whom Sauron expressed his deep love for, and the betrayal that saw them separated. He admitted very plainly to the spider that he could never accept her feelings because his love for Lilith had never waned.
He had thought she'd understood this, and for a long time, things continued on between them. Shelob still held her affections for him, but very rarely attempted to pursue anything more. She kept from ever crossing that line and forcing him away.
"Even when she took that form, I did not abandon her or our friendship. I think she understood that she had hurt me by doing so, but at the time, I just couldn't get over how alike they sounded. Her voice rang in my ears and reminded me of Lilith and for a time, despite my anger and disappointment I was also happy. About a century passed, and I felt myself growing closer to her. I knew that this had been Shelob's intention from the beginning. Taking the form of Lilith she had hoped to wear me down, and finally get me to accept her feelings, and realize my own." Sauron spoke, and Tauriel seemed to realize something at his final words.
"You abandoned her when you realized you were falling in love with her. She reminded you to much of Queen Lilith, and you were starting to fall in love." Tauriel realized, earning a rueful smirk from Sauron.
"You're not wrong. I know… had I remained with her, I would have broken eventually. The more time passed, the more knowledge of Lilith she drew from me, the more she became Lilith. She was infatuated with me, and agonized over my refusal to accept her, and I tried what I could to convince her to let go of those feelings but she never could. I never wanted to hurt her, but I knew if she and I remained together, I would eventually cross that line. I would accept one of her advances in a moment of weakness, and break my oath to forever wait for Lilith." Sauron rolled his shoulders and rubbed at his eyes, remembering how things had gone and how tempting it had been at the end.
"What did you do? To end things I mean?" Tauriel asked him.
"I left her. I knew that if I just walked away she would follow me, so I waited for a moment where we were cornered in a fortress by these human soldiers. I then went out and spoke with their leader, offering to let them have whatever they wanted in the fortress and to do whatever they wanted with anyone in the fortress. I did warn them that there was a woman inside, a powerful sorceress, but if they made it past her, they could have the fortress for themselves. I knew that Shelob was in no danger from these mere mortals. But I needed her to understand how serious I was about her staying away from me. She had gotten too close, and I had warned her many years ago that I would never fall in love with another. When she asked me what would happen if by some miracle I did start to fall for her, I told her truthfully that I would abandon her. Only one could ever hold my heart, and I held to that. She stalled and waited and gently pushed for years and years and years, and unfortunately, she finally went too far. So I did what I said I would. I abandoned her, and made her understand that this separation had to happen. I know she probably hates me now. I've tried reconciling over the years. At the very least I wanted her to know that I still cared about her, that she was still my friend, but that I couldn't allow things to continue, and she couldn't let go. I've sent her gifts over the years. Tasty prisoners that I no longer have any need of. She's long kept watch over the pass of Cirith Ungol, and a part of me wonders if perhaps she's accepted my apology. Though I haven't often wondered for long, as usually after I send a bit too many gifts she comes out of her lair and slaughters a troop of orcs. No doubt as a means of telling me that she hasn't forgiven me." Sauron expressed, letting out a small chuckle at that.
Silence hung in the air for a moment as Tauriel considered what she'd learned from this story.
"Do you think she can handle the ranger and the wraith?" Tauriel inquired.
"Maybe. Then again, she's always known how to pick her fights. If she senses danger, she'll simply refuse to show. I don't care how knowledgeable either of them are, neither one knows these cave systems as well as she does. If they even manage to find her, she knows every nook and cranny and can easily escape. Still… I wonder what they're doing down here." Sauron answered.
Tauriel wondered that as well.
The following morning, Tauriel awoke, finding Sauron standing over her, staring off into the darkness of the cave.
"What's wrong?" She asked, slowly sitting up.
"She knows we're here. She sent her children to come keep an eye on us. I'm just making sure they don't get too close." Sauron responded, his eyes fixated on the cluster of about a dozen large spiders nestled in the shadows high above them, staring down at the duo with their black beady eyes.
"Should we leave?" Tauriel questioned as she rose to her feet.
"Yeah. We'll return tonight and see if she's willing to talk. Since she has time to send her minions to watch us, she definitely didn't get into a fight with the wraith and the ranger, so they've most likely continued on to Minas Ithil. This cave system stretches all the way to the city itself. Comes out on the cliffs above the valley, so it wouldn't surprise me to hear that they intend to use that route to get to Minas Ithil without alerting the orcs." Sauron agreed.
Tauriel wondered then, why they needed to return of Sauron now suspected that Celebrimbor and the ranger were using this cave system to reach Minas Ithil? Why wait to speak with the spider, if she was unlikely to give them any information they didn't already know?
Given the look on Sauron's face, she began to wonder if perhaps it wasn't personal. Perhaps he desired to speak with Shelob and maybe mend their broken bond. He now had Lilith back with him, so maybe he was willing to welcome the spider back into his life, with the offer of becoming another of his concubines.
It was obvious to Tauriel, given his actions last night, that Sauron regretted how their friendship had ended, but he was committed to his oath. Now that he had Lilith back in his life, he no longer feared the spider twisting his emotions and pulling him away from his beloved. Tauriel didn't know for certain, but she felt she had a good read on the situation. Time would ultimately tell though so for now, they retreated from the caves and try again later.
-Elsewhere, at Minas Ithil-
Lilith stood upon the battlements of the city's outermost walls, staring out at the carnage as the orcs stormed through the middle city, killing or capturing everyone in their path.
Saruman stood by her side, garbed as an old man in a dark hooded cloak, his face hidden in the shadows of the cloak to keep anyone from possibly recognizing him, even if he doubted any of the defenders or inhabitants would be able to.
"Soon only the main keep will remain. The fortress built by Isildur. The loss of Minas Ithil will shatter the morale of the defenders of Gondor and leave a dark stain upon their hopes for many years to come." Saruman spoke as he watched the assault continue in all it's fury.
These orcs had been spurred on by the presence of the Nazgûl. Though the Ringwraiths had yet to reveal themselves at the front, their presence could be felt, even by the defenders. Dread magic tainted the air like an oppressive force, driving away comfort and filling dreams with nightmares.
The city it seemed, was ready to fall.
Still, the Witch King was Sauron's greatest servant, and much like his master, the Lord of the Nine always had a backup plan. Despite the raw fury of their forces, the Witch King had already begun ensuring the city's demise by bribing the commander of the city.
General Castamir stood in defense of this city, and he was a valiant man, but he had a fatal weakness. His daughter was here, and also stood to defend Minas Ithil as a shieldmaiden of Gondor. She was the one who would bring about his downfall, the Witch King would ensure that the good general knew what would happen to her, should he fail to deliver the city into the Nazgûl's hands.
Their plans were in place, and all was going well. The Nazgûl had yet to unleash some of the more horrific forms of beast upon the city, sticking mostly to orcs, trolls, and graugs. If they needed to, they could unleash the squad of Akul Demonuk that acted as the Witch King's Bodyguards, or begin having the Other-empowered orcs begin raising the dead as wights so serve them.
The Nazgûl had also brought with them a troop of Cargûl to assist them, and they had yet to appear on the front lines either.
A sudden silence filled the air, and a great horn began to bellow throughout the city. Lilith couldn't help but smirk. That horn was of Gondorian make, meaning either the defenders were sallying forth to attack or, more likely, they were sounding the retreat.
"Come, let us watch the roaches scatter." Lilith said to him, the two using their powers to move stealthily deeper into the city. They arrived at a vantage point looking down at the main gates of the innermost walls. Dozens of Gondorian soldier were pouring into the safety of the inner walls, while a small troop fought a backpedaling effort to keep the advancing orcs from following them inside.
Lilith and Saruman observed the effort with amusement, only for both of them to spot him at the same time.
As the gates closed, one man remained outside of them, seemingly by choice. He spoke some words to the defenders within and then turned to face the orcs still gathered outside.
The two watched him fight, summoning forth ethereal weapons as he cut down scores of orcs with incredible ease.
"It's him!" Saruman declared, his eyes fixated on Talion. The Gravewalker had finally been found!
"That it is." Lilith noted with a grin.
"What do you wish to do?" The White Wizard inquired.
"Go, and see to his aid, I have a plan. Find me inside the inner walls in two hours I will be waiting for you. Until then, play these men like the fools they are, and grant them whatever false hope is needed." Lilith instructed, Saruman smirked cruelly and quickly began moving.
On the ground, Talion moved quickly to dispatch another cluster of orcs, but more kept coming.
"Is there no end to them?!" He growled with a fire burning in his eyes, cutting down two more orcs before turning to face another charging group. Even with arrows raining down from above, the orcs would not stop their assault, eager to swarm the walls before the defenders inside could recover.
Suddenly, almost without warning a figure was there among the orcs. A hooded figure in a long dark cloak.
The figure raised the staff he carried, and almost in unison all of the surrounding orcs turned to him in surprise as if noticing him for the first time. Before they could react, he brought his staff down, stabbing it into the ground, releasing a pulse of magical energy that sent every surrounding orc flying through the air.
"Dark are the times we find ourselves in, and this is no place for introductions. Come, let us away from here." The figure spoke to him. Talion offered a slow nod at that and began backing towards the gate, the old man following behind him.
The guards inside raised the gate just enough to let them through as the act of magic had driven off most of the orcs immediately nearby, and the archers kept more from approaching now that their momentum was lost.
"You managed to survive." A young woman noted to the ranger.
"Yes. I do believe I have thanks to offer to you for coming to my aid." Talion spoke to the hooded figure.
"Who are you stranger?" The woman inquired.
Saruman lifted his hood to them, revealing his face. He then calmly revealed the radiant white robes he wore beneath his traveling cloak.
At once, Saruman saw the wraith manifest. The spirit of the elf lord appeared by Talion's side, staring at Saruman with wide eyes, filled with disbelief.
"My name is Saruman. Saruman the White. I am a friend of Gondor, and an ally against the darkness. I have come to this place in search of something important to me, and in the hopes that I may render some aid to Minas Ithil is this most dire of hours." Saruman said to them, his voice echoing with authority.
"The White Wizard? The Keeper of Orthanc? I can scarcely believe it." The girl spoke.
The ranger seemed bewildered, but it was obvious he held only a cursory knowledge of who and what Saruman was. Wizards weren't a common sight in Middle-Earth so that wasn't at all surprising.
Celebrimbor though, it was obvious that the Elf-Lord saw him for what he truly was. Saw the radiant specter of his spirit confined within this elderly body.
To Celebrimbor, what stood before him was no wizard or an elderly man, he saw clearly that before him stood one of the Maiar. Though only a pale reflection of it's true glory, he knew exactly what he was looking at.
Saruman faced the old Ringmaker and inclined his head ever so gently in greeting.
This seemed to wake Celebrimbor from his stupor, and the Elf-Lord immediately dropped to a knee, offering a deep bow of respect.
Talion was the only other person who could see Celebrimbor and seemed surprised by his actions.
"The shadow of Sauron's malice spreads ever further, and I fear that Minas Ithil stands on it's last legs." Saruman spoke.
"We could most certainly use you wisdom, my Lord Saruman. Please, my father, General Castamir he would certainly wish to speak with you. You have offered your knowledge to Gondor many times in our history, I beg of you to do so once more." The young woman implored him.
Once more Saruman inclined his head and gestured for her to lead on.
Talion and by extension Celebrimbor followed close beside him, no doubt the Elven Lord was eager to speak with him once they were alone. For now Saruman would play the part of friend. He had already taken notice of something that concerned him. Talion did not where any ring upon either of his hands. They were quite certain that Celebrimbor would have constructed a new Ring of Power to amplify his own powers, if so though, where was it?
Hopefully he would have that information before he needed to meet with Lady Lilith.
He wondered where she had run off too, and what greater plan had suddenly struck her. For now, he would play his part, and kindle what little hope remained in this doomed city. He would do so for just long enough to get what they needed, then Minas Ithil, the city of Isildur, would meet the same fate as it's creator, and fall into the hands of the Dark Lords.
-To Be Continued-
Alright so quite a bit going on right now, it'll be interesting to see how these events start to converge and what becomes of them. Until next time, I hope you all are having a great time.