The War of Last Hopes

by Turnar

Prologue

It is the Seventh Age of Middle-earth. Men dominate the entire land: fields, mountains, rivers, and cities. Hobbits, infected by a deadly plague at the end of the Fourth Age, have become extinct. The memory of their triumph against Sauron has now been forgotten. Dwarves, too, are now gone. After the dwarf-houses of old were reunited under King Flôrm, they departed for new mines in the East and were never seen again. But saddest of all the lost races are the Elves. Although their power was greatly diminished at the end of the Third Age, many Elves still stayed on the shores of Endor, ever dreaming of the West. One by one, the Elves took ship and sailed away to the Blessed Realm. Finally, Cirdan the Shipwright left his Havens and sailed away to Elvenhome. The Elves that were left, far sundered from the rest of their kindred, slowly passed away from grief, and came in time to the house of Mandos, where they now wait. All that remain of the lost peoples of Middle-earth are the Half-elves, which are slowly dwindling, and the Orcs, who have now found room in the land with the depletion of the other races.

Always desiring more land and power, Men have expanded their empire into a country long abandoned: Mordor. It is still a place of evil, yet they do not see the evil of Sauron that still lives there. The remnant of the slaves of Sauron still live, but they are not destroyed as they should be. The first Men to attempt to resettle Mordor were corrupt, only interested in their own gain, and thus they were ensnared by the promise of new trade. As more Men came into Mordor, they accepted the new trend. Now the two races have become alike to one another.

The line of kings still holds, but like everything else, its power has been diminished. The race is almost pure-blood now, all strains of other races erased by time. But there still exists a small part of the blood of the Elves, from Queen Evenstar, and above all the blood of the Ainur, handed down from Luthien. Now, though, it has been forgotten. The most recent king, Amandil VIII, was like a king of the Elder Days. He made a bold attempt to reinstate the old customs, at his own peril, but realized it was of no avail. Now he has departed for Elvenhome, remembering his forefather Earendil, to try and convince the Valar to save Middle-earth before it is too late. But like Amandil the First, his quest his useless. Men could not be saved by that sort of messenger a second time. But the union of Orcs and Men has now become known to them, for it was hidden before. Manwe, after praying to Iluvatar, has now learned that the time of the War of Endor is at hand. He and all the other dwellers of Aman are watching anxiously to see what will unfold.

Amandil VIII had no heir, and Middle-earth was thrown into chaos after he departed. Guards of the cities are attacked when they attempt to keep order. Archers can no longer use their bows, for fear that they might hit a peasant, starting a revolt. If a swordsman draws out his blade for any reason, it is seen as an attempt to attack the people. And most importantly, there is no punishment for broken laws. But one Man has now stepped forward, claiming the kingship and returning order to the land. No one knows where he comes from. But the Valar, ever watchful, saw this Man emerge from the tunnels of the abandoned Angband with a black flame about him. They know that the War has now begun.

And yet, amidst so much fear and doubt, two of the Elves of Aman have decided to go to Middle-earth and warn the Men there of their peril. Elentir and Morikemen, the messengers, have now begun to construct a vessel to take them to Endor, a land that they have never seen. But the ship will take time in the building, and fate has decreed that this Man will have control of all the peoples of Middle-earth by the time that they arrive on the shores of the Hither Lands. But still they go, into their peril…