The Lord of the Rings: The Age Ends
Everything is a ‘Cinematic Universe’ these days. Studios can’t get enough of them, they’re such an easy cash cow! It’s easy to be pessimistic about the creative practice of making a cinematic universe, but the phenomenon couldn’t have begun without storytellers deciding that THIS story needed to span multiple mediums and franchises.
That’s why I, a penniless writer, am engaging in the creation of my own ‘Cinematic Universes’ based on various sources. I have no reason to do this beyond being creative.
The Fellowship has formed and fallen, battles have been won and lost, but now all eyes turn East to Gondor and Mordor. This war is coming to its end, and the victor will usher in a new Age. Will it be Light? Or Will Darkness Reign?
This is where:
The Age Ends
Custodians of Middle-Earth (Audio) - Series 02
Relations with Arwen have again collapsed, as his daughter now fights to join her love in battle, or urge Elrond to send further aid. As the days of the elves draw to their end, each and every elf feels themselves fading. While most are able to hold onto their power with the hopes of seeing Valinor, Arwen’s conflicted soul weakens her.
Elrond’s mission shifts. Consulting with the eldest of Elf-Lords he has only one goal. He would see his daughter endure, whether in Valinor or in Middle-Earth. The survival of Men has now become a personal mission.
As Arwen weakens, and the elves continue to prepare for their departure, all hope seems to wane. News of victories seem to embolden Elrond’s daughter, while tidings of losses and the scouring of Fangorn Forest make her weaker than before.
Then, as hope seems to be completely diminished, a fair omen reaches Elrond’s ears. Gandalf has survived his ordeal with the Balrog, and has returned to the woodland elves. All conflict in his soul seems to dissipate as he hears the woodland elves have joined men, including Arwen’s love, Aragorn, in the battle of Helm’s Deep.
Arwen’s improvement is instant, and Elrond finally accepts that his daughter would never endure in Valinor without Aragorn. Riding the high of his enlightenment, Elrond orders the sword of Anduril be reforged. If Arwen will stay, she will be queen.
Riding to Dunharrow himself, Elrond meets with Aragorn. Only, when he presents the sword and his fatherly blessing to Aragorn, the man rejects him. Suddenly, Elrond’s fears return. The fate of his daughter, of all Middle-Earth, rests on the shoulders of a man as weak as his ancestor. Sensing this, Elrond deploys one final plea. He uses the knowledge of Aragorn’s inherited impulsiveness and passion, using his daughters life to force Aragorn to take the sword.
Returning one final time to his home of Rivendell, Elrond feels secure in the knowledge that, whatever the fate of Middle-Earth, he has done what he can for the endurance of his daughter.
Aragorn’s Final Stride (Video Game)
The game begins with an immense ‘tutorial’ battle charting the final moments of the battle of Helm’s Deep. After his identity is revealed to Theoden, and Gandalf departs to request aid from Gondor, Aragorn faces the growing burden of a kingship he does not want.
On the road to Dunharrow, after a brief skirmish that further depletes the Rohirrim’s numbers and claims Aragorn’s sword, the would-be king faces the fact that conventional means alone will not win this war. By the time they reach Minas Tirith, there will likely be no Rohirrim left to fight.
At Dunharrow, Aragorn receives an unlikely visitor, bearing an impossible gift. Elrond has had the mighty sword Anduril reforged. He cannot accept, it is the sword of kings. The aged elf urges him to take it. His daughter, Aragorn’s love, Arwen is fading. If Sauron should win the coming war, she will cease to be.
Aragorn takes the sword, and vows to do what it takes to save Arwen, but he will not take the throne.
Announcing his intent to depart the company is met with scorn and fear. Not only is he leaving them, he takes the Paths of the Dead. His companions Legolas and Gimli join his venture without question.
The Paths of the Dead are a labyrinth that lie beyond the Dimholt road, filled with traps, challenges, and trials of a personal persuasion to each of the heroes passing through it. Each communal trial is presented by a gloating, undead Oathbreaker. The aeons have made them cruel, though they still pine for the return of their rightful ruler.
Separated at one point, each companion must face their own specific trials. Aragorn faces the threat of a world desolated by his inability to accept the throne of Gondor, overseen by the spirit of Isildur. Legolas’s trials take him back to the forests of his youth, only they are vacant of elvish folk. He is alone, and still he feels his fathers disapproval. Gimli’s journey hints to the adventures of his father, Gloin, during his own expedition to reclaim his homeland in Erebor. A dwarfish legend that Gimli can never hope to eclipse.
Reunited, the trio find each to be much-changed as they face the final trials of the Stone of Erech, where the undead once swore fealty to Isildur. The final trial the trio must face is the cruellest of all. They must relive the moment the Oathbreaker’s were cursed.
Passing the trial, barely, the King of the Dead reveals himself to Aragorn’s company. Who is this man? Aragorn reveals his identity, claiming finally to be Isildur’s heir, calling the dead to swear fealty so that he may lift their curse. The King rejects.
Aragorn and the King fight. Initially using his wits, Aragorn finally reveals Anduril and wins the fight. The undead swear their fealty.
The dead fade, waiting to be called upon by Elessar, Aragorn’s birthname.
Leaving the mountain pass, Aragorn faces his first opportunity to unleash the dead. An enormous camp of Orcs prepares to attack an unsuspecting trading town. Placing the dead at strategic points to stop any Orcs from escaping, Aragorn unleashes the Dead.
More opportunities to hone his skills of strategy with the dead present themselves as the trio venture to the southern coast of Gondor, venturing through lands decimated by the Corsairs of Umbar. As they go, Aragorn begins to feel a change within himself. Prophecy is coming for him, though still he resists.
At the port of Pelargir, Aragorn finally finds the source of the desolation, the city is overrun with the Corsairs of Umbar. Oldest and cruellest of Gondor’s enemies. It is Aragorn’s final test of his skill as king. Using the skills of his own sword, along with utilising the skills of his companions both living and dead, Aragorn formulates a plan to rid the city of the Corsairs and acquire their fleet.
The subjugated peoples of Pelargir sense a shift as Aragorn’s powers grow, and he himself begins to feel some power growing inside him. Though he does not wish to be king, he knows he would be good and just. Destiny cannot be avoided.
His plan complete, Aragorn unleashes his army of the dead, along with his newly raised army of the living, on the unsuspecting Corsairs of Umbar.
After a long, bloody, intense battle, the day is won. Aragorn now has the Black Fleet, and has destroyed his peoples oldest foe. With this victory, Aragorn releases the undead from their curse. Witnessing this final act of old magic, the people of Pelargir raise Aragorn up as their true king, heir of Isildur’s throne.
And now, finally, Aragorn accepts. His eyes turn to Gondor, and the city of Minas Tirith up the river Anduin. His home, under siege. Its King is returning.
A Precious Adventure (Anthology Book)
The One Ring has had a long and complex history. As the war for Middle-Earth reaches its climax, this book asks the question; can one ring really be that powerful?
The Ring began as all things do, as atoms with no form. It took the skill, talent, and corruption of the great Elf-Smith, Celebrimbor, to bring the Ring into being. Disguised as Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, Sauron deceived Celebrimbor into creating a number of rings of power.
Sensing the treachery of ‘Annatar’, the Elves remove their rings of power before Sauron can dominate them, but much of the damage is done already as Sauron wields his new One Ring in a war to conquer Middle-Earth. The war is long and bloody, and comes to an end only when the last Alliance of Elves and Men, led by Elven leader Gil-galad and lord of men Elendil, took up arms against Sauron at the foot of Mount Doo. Although Elendil is slain, his son, Isildur, cuts the ring from Sauron’s hand using the sword Narsil.
As Middle-Earth rejoices the death of Sauron, none see that part of his soul remains bound to the One Ring, a ring that Isildur refuses to destroy and instead keeps for a family heirloom. As the army of Men return home, they are ambushed by a cell of loyalist Orcs at the Gladden Fields. Sensing an opportunity to return to power, the Ring betrays Isildur and slips from his finger. It misjudged, however, and instead of returning to the hands of its servants, it instead fell into the Anduin river. With Isildur dead, none remained that knew of the Ring’s last resting place.
The One Ring remained at the bottom of the Anduin for over two centuries. Despite various opportunities of escape, none proved successful. That is until two Stoor Hobbits happen to fish on the bank of where the Ring rested. Smeagol and Deagol are fast friends until they find the Ring. At last, it takes its chance. The two Stoor Hobbit’s fight for custody of the treasure they have found, with Smeagol coming out the victor. Standing over the corpse of his friend, the guilt courses through Smeagol, driving him into the Misty Mountains. The Ring senses weakness in this creature, something it will exploit.
In the East, remnants of Sauron’s soul begins putting plans into motion to retake Middle-Earth. Meanwhile, the Ring works its corruption upon Smeagol, eroding the pleasant Stoor Hobbit’s soul until only a vessel of greed and madness remains, Gollum.
The Ring made a mistake in choosing Smeagol. Its original intention of creating a vessel of power that will transport him back to Mordor has been thwarted by its own hubris. In corrupting Gollum, it has made the creature solely dependent on having the Ring in its possession. Plans in the East rise and fall, the looming threat falling to disparate rebellions. Fate would change for the Ring, however, when another Hobbit fell into its path. Bilbo Baggins. Through powers of dark magic and circumstance, the Ring finally falls into the hands of someone capable of enacting its plan.
The Ring follows Bilbo on his journey to Erebor, the lost home of Dwarves, taking the time to learn of all that has changed in Middle-Earth since entering the Misty Mountains nearly 600 years ago. All the while, the Ring keeps careful influence over the new ring-bearer. It will not make the same mistake twice. As victory comes to Bilbo and the Dwarves in Erebor, the Ring knows. Now is the time to rebuild. Within the next century, the Ring and the soul of Sauron would once again rule Middle-Earth.
After fifty years, the Ring has idly waited in the Shire, watching the errands of small folk from the pocket of Bilbo Baggins. Learning from before, the Ring exploits only a light corruption of the Hobbit. It’s so subtle even the powerful wizard Gandalf doesn’t sense the evil his friend wields. None have identified the One Ring as the source of Bilbo’s incredibly slow ageing, something paramount to Bilbo being able to return the Ring when the time comes. But again, the Ring has misjudged. Though Bilbo’s body has barely aged since that day in the cave, his mind has matured and diminished. The time to return to Mordor grows near. So focused on this end goal, the Ring doesn’t see Bilbo’s plan. Bilbo, without warning, leaves the Shire. Worse, he leaves the Ring to his nephew, a bright-eyed do-gooder called Frodo. All once again seems lost. Sauron may never return. But then, in the darkest moment a light shines down on the Ring. Eyes recognise it for the first time in over a millennia. Gandalf the Grey knows this ring, and he’s going to send it home. Perfect.
The Lord of the Rings: End of the third Age (Movie)
Much like the movie ‘Return of the King’ this will be a multi-strand tale charting the final days of the Third Age of Middle-Earth.
With the battle for Helm’s Deep won, Gandalf the White is keen to reunite his Fellowship and refocus their efforts on defeating the Dark Lord Sauron. After initially succeeding in reuniting with the two troublesome Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, at the fallen tower of Isengard, Gandalf is loathe to learn that Aragorn, his most prized asset, is leaving the party in pursuit of an army of the dead. Had he known of Aragorn’s intentions, he would have stopped such foolishness. Instead, he was distracted by his studies of the Palantir discovered at Isengard, a tool that Saruman had used to communicate with Sauron. Sensing the tide is turning against them, Gandalf rides for Minas Tirith, taking the most taxing Hobbit, Pippin, with him.
Arriving, finally, in Minas Tirith, Gandalf is further infuriated to find the so-called ‘steward’ had done little to progress the capital city’s defences against the rising threat of the Black Gate into Mordor. Denethor’s own son, it seemed, was currently facing an ambush in the ruins of Osgiliath without aid.
Saving Faramir and returning those of his band he could to the safety of Minas Tirith’s walls, Gandalf learns that Faramir has seen Frodo Baggins, the ring-bearer, only two days prior. There is hope yet.
Frodo and Sam, exhausted, shelter from danger in the depths of Mordor, the shadow of Mount Doom looming large above them. Their food is gone, Frodo has lost much of his belongings, they are thirsty, and their former companion has betrayed and deserted them. Despite Gollum’s abandonment, Frodo still senses that he is near and knows they must destroy the Ring soon before Gollum has a chance to strike.
As the threat of Mordor rises behind the black gate, Gandalf attempts to muster the strength of Gondor beneath an increasingly delirious Denethor, the current steward of Minas Tirith. When Pippin, having pledged allegiance to Denethor, reveals the Palantir, Denethor’s madness cements itself in the pursuit of reclaiming Osgiliath. Despairing, Gandalf must watch as more of their dwindling army leaves the city, led by Faramir on a fools errand to gain his father’s love. Their only hope is the timely arrival of the Rohirrim.
Theoden and his army are having troubles of their own. While passing through Druadan forest, they are warned of Orcs blocking the main passage to Minas Tirith, likely an ambush. Theoden can’t afford to lose the men it would take to break the blockade, and is forced to take an alternate route through the surrounding hills. They would lose time, but keep their numbers.
As Gandalf consults ways to survive the coming wars, Pippin draws his eye towards Osgiliath. The Witch King and an enormous army of orcs have descended. Fear surges through the ranks, unable to be quelled even by Gandalf’s strong magic. Only the words of their leader, Denethor, can preserve their resolve. But that hope deserts Gandalf as he sees the body of Faramir being pulled through the closing gates of Minas Tirith. Denethor’s madness turns suicidal. Seeing no need to witness such madness, Gandalf musters all his magic to block the sight of the madness from the sight of men. Pippin, however, remains with Denethor.
With the eyes of the men turned again to the walls of Minas Tirith, the siege begins. Gandalf knows all is lost, but he will not surrender. Besides, there is still hope that Frodo will find his way.
As the forces of Mordor close on the walls of Minas Tirith, Theoden attempts to burn himself and the corpse of his son. Pippin notices that Faramir is alive, and rushes for Gandalf’s aide. As he rushes through slaughter, he recites words of strength that Treebeard once imparted on him.
Pippin finds Gandalf singlehandedly dispatching a score of orcs on the city walls. He pleads for Gandalf’s help to save Faramir. Though he yearns to continue the fight, Gandalf’s last hope leaves him as he sees Sauron’s reinforcements approaching the city from one end of the Anduin river, and Corsair reinforcements on their Black Fleet coming the other. Very well. If hope for the world is lost, then he will save what he can.
Gandalf stops Denethor at the last moment, saving Faramir. Beyond his own redemption, Denethor sets himself on fire and burns to death.
The war is over. Sauron has won. Gandalf and Pippin can do naught but watch from above as men die. But then, they see it. Another army. Theoden and the Rohirrim.
Theoden rallies his army as they head into battle. Unable to stop him, Merry has been allowed to fight, riding with a hidden soldier. As the Rohirrim charge, the army of Sauron is caught unawares. Before they can return fire, thousands are dead. The Witch King worries not, the Black Fleet will deal with these men. But when the ships make land, it’s not the Corsair’s that depart, but a king. Aragorn and his army have arrived, joined as ever by the competitive brotherhood of Legolas and Gimli.
In fury, the Witch King joins the fray. As Gandalf and the army of Minas Tirith find new resolve, the tide of battle seems to turn. The Witch King lays waste to swathes of men, coming eventually face to face with King Theoden, the once reluctant servant of Gondor. Though he fights well, King Theoden falls to the blade of the Witch King. The hidden soldier then reveals themselves to be Eowyn, Theoden’s daughter, and she dispatches the Witch King.
Fighting turns to fleeing after that, as the Orcs retreat behind the Black Gates. Pippin’s joy at victory turns to ash, however, as he realises that the entire army of Sauron is now trapped in Mordor with Frodo and the Ring.
Sam takes more and more of the weight of the journey up the side of Mount Doom, as Frodo becomes increasingly erratic and paranoid. Gollum is near. As time goes on, his fear isn’t that Gollum will stop them from destroying the ring, but that Gollum will take it for himself. Sam tries to remind Frodo of their mission, but feels in his heart that the Hobbit he’s talking to is disappearing into the subjugation of the Ring.
In Minas Tirith, in the shadow of the throne, Aragorn holds council with the survivors of the battle. As the men talk, Gandalf looks on. All he sees is Aragorn and the throne behind him. Aragorn struggles to control the squabbling men’s tempers. Despite their win, hope remains thin. Gandalf approaches, saying nothing. He walks past the council and takes position at Denethor’s seat, in the shadow of the throne. Taking his lead, Pippin takes the seat on the thrones other side. All eyes fall to Aragorn.
Finally, in a moment of deference, Aragorn ascends the throne of Gondor. From here, a vagabond on the throne, he holds power. Learning that Frodo and Sam are still alive and trapped in Gondor, attention turns away from winning battles. They do not need to win, they need to distract the Eye of Sauron. Looking at the room, Aragorn sees the Fellowship reunited. Just as when they set out from Rivendell, they must now work as one.
The armies of the Fellowship and of Men rally to the Black Gate. The distraction seems to work. Even as the Mouth of Sauron taunts the army with Frodo’s belongings, their resolve does not faulter. The Black Gate opens, and battle begins.
At the mouth of Mount Doom, Frodo falters. The eye looks away from the mountain, and Frodo senses the end is near. Can he do it? Sam waits in the opening of the mouth, urging Frodo to join him. It’s then that Gollum reveals himself. Feigning that he is once again Smeagol, he urges Frodo to take the ring. It is too precious. What neither see coming is the third option, that Frodo can keep the ring for himself. Succumbing to the power, Frodo puts on the Ring.
Gollum pounces. He viciously attacks the invisible Frodo. The fight takes them through the mouth and to the Cracks of Doom in the heart of the volcano. Sam tries but is unable to stop Gollum. To win, Gollum bites off the finger that Frodo has placed the ring on. In madness and triumph, Gollum falls into the Cracks of Doom, destroying the ring.
The shock of the destruction is felt all across Middle-Earth, but not more so than at the Black Gate. As the Eye of Sauron crumbles and Mordor descends into anarchy, the army of Orcs scatter.
Victory at last.
As Frodo and Sam recover, Aragorn is coronated alongside his partner, the elf Arwen. As celebrations rage, the Fellowship reunite finally in a quiet corner. Each of them is changed, but at peace. As Frodo joins them, Gandalf sees he is feigning his recovery. The toll of the ring weighs heavy on him.
Perhaps all will be well upon his return to the Shire.
Path of the ring Bearer (TV) - Final Season
The war of the Ring is won. But as the Fellowship journey back across Middle-Earth, Frodo is plagued by nightmares. The first episode is a farewell to the Fellowship, as each member departs to their new lives. It’s also a chance to see how Middle-Earth is recovering from Sauron’s war. Many herald the Fellowship as the Heroes of the New Age. Some (Merry and Pippin) rejoice at the title, while it drives Frodo further and further inwards. The hope that home will restore Frodo’s soul sours as they arrive, however. The peaceful land has turned to anarchy.
In episode two, the Hobbits learn that new powers have risen in the Shire, and now Hobbits live in ugly buildings and are subject to the rules and whims of a corrupt police force. Despite all they have learned of war, Merry and Pippin are loathe to learn this isn’t a war to be won at the point of a sword. Frodo knows what must be done, and he knows it will take his last strength to do it. This is a war of the soul.
As Frodo and Sam investigate who ‘The Chief’ is, Merry and Pippin quietly rally Hobbits to fight back. After learning of a ruler called ‘Sharkey’ that lives in Bag End, Frodo urges Merry and Pippin not to use their army. No battle has ever been fought in the Shire, and he would not see that line crossed.
Despite this, the Hobbits rally at Bywater. Frodo must get to Sharkey before war corrupts his home as it has his friends.
The final episode, Frodo at last finds peace. Unable to stop the Battle of Bywater, both he and Sam use the chaos to sneak into Bag End. There they find an old man, human by the look of him. This Sharkey has no quarrel with the Ring-Bearer. It is not Frodo that brought this once great wizard low. Frodo realises who he is. This is Saruman. Like Frodo himself, Saruman is broken. All that he is and used to be has been stripped of him. Frodo uses powers previously unseen to absolve Saruman of his sins. The dark hold over Saruman is lifted, and he sees clearly for the first time since he fell under Sauron’s power. Only Sam sees that to take the darkness from Saruman, Frodo has taken it into himself.
Riddled with guilt, Saruman steps into the light. He is immediately struck down by Pippin. Saruman holds no grudge for the Hobbit’s actions. He asks only that his body be given to the Earth so that he may contribute to the rebuilding of the world. Frodo promises him this, and Saruman dies.
As the Shire is rebuilt, Sam sees a steeper decline in Frodo’s spirit. The Shire seems to bounce back, though progress is slow. Sam knows that the Elves are leaving Middle-Earth soon, and so as Frodo succumbs to his own melancholy, Sam reaches out to Gandalf.
In a moment reminiscent of Gandalf’s first appearance to celebrate Bilbo’s birthday, the Wizard again arrives in Bag End to find a Hobbit scrawling in a red book. As Gandalf and Frodo smoke in the shadow of Saruman’s tree, Gandalf offers Frodo something he deserves above all others.
Peace.
The war is over. If Frodo remains in Middle-Earth, he will spend the rest of his brief days looking for another. It’s the nature of his experiences. There is a place, however, where those experiences may be absolved. After initially refusing, it takes his closest Hobbits to convince him that his time has come.
The Fellowship reunite, one last time, at the shores of the Grey Havens. Fathers and daughters part ways, brothers, friends, and family. But there is a reuniting. Bilbo stands aboard the ship to the Undying Lands, a fellow ring-bearer waiting to guide Frodo to his well-earned peace.
As the ship sets sail, the tale of the Ring-Bearer comes to an end, finally at peace.
Thank You For Taking the Time to Read This Silly Project! If You Liked it, Let Me Know! If There’s Any Other Cinematic Universes You’d Like me to Create, Get in Contact!
