Angmar War

The Angmar War took place over a prolonged period of time spanning five centuries between TA 1300 and TA 1975 between the Dúnedain of the Kingdom of Arnor and the Witch-King of Angmar.

A millennium of peace remained after the War of the Last Alliance, as Sauron vanished and his servants dispersed. But in TA 1300, the forces of darkness returned as the Witch-King and the Nazgul reemerged in Angmar. Eager to continue their master's will and conquer Middle-earth's inhabitants and realms, they began their evil plans against the Dunedain kingdom of Arnor. They raised an army and set their fortress in Carn Dûm, their seat of power.

In TA 1409, they began their conquest of Arnor by subduing Cardolan, one of the realm's territories. After five centuries, the Witch-King's armies struck Arnor's kingdom once more, and they leveled the tower in Amon Sul. Yet Arnor stands as its stronghold in Fornost remained. The Witch-king took his time to plan for his next move against the Dunedain realm. He found his chance when the Great Plague struck Arnor's southern region, Gondor, and more in Eriador. With the plague's devastating impact as many of their people perished, Arnor's power weakened, and the King of Angmar saw it as an advantage.

In TA 1974, the Witch-King attacked Fornost and drove it to its downfall. Then, the Witch-King occupied the city. He established a stronghold in its place and maintained his army in Fornost. After a year, Gondor answered Arnor's call for aid. Gondor's King Eärnur rallied their allies from Arnor's previous domains and the Elves from Rivendell and Lindon and then marched to reclaim Fornost. In the Battle of Fornost, a remarkable encounter broke forth. The allies conquered the forces of Angmar and drove them out of the city of Fornost. However, even with the Fornost reclaimed, Arnor's separated kingdom never recovered. The realm faded away, and its former territories became independent domains. These lands endured under the rule of the Dúnedain Chieftain.

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king [1] by gaming company Electronic Arts featured a detailed and closer look into the Angmar War. It focused on the Witch-King's journey at the peak of his dark ambitions, his building up an army in his Angmar fortress, and his actions to destroy the realm of Arnor. The in-game storyline goes along with these missions to strategize the warfare of Angmar, build its massive army, and carry out its aggressive incursion against the Dunedain's realms and the free folk of Middle-earth.

The Witch-king and his second in command, the Nazgul Morgomir, enter a desolate area close to Ettenmoors in the North. They saw a seemingly rational battle Troll called Rogash and invited him to join their armies. And in exchange, they will aid in Rogash's desire to unify all the Trolls, especially the warring Hill Trolls and Snow Trolls. Rogash accepts and joins the Witch-King as a captain of his forces. The three leaders of Angmar proceeded to the battling Trolls and offered for them to join as well, to which they agree, unifying the Trolls in their cause. Soon after, the Witch-king commands his servants to construct three strongholds in Angmar. The army of Trolls set out to liberate and recruit enslaved Trolls as the forces of Black Numenoreans confront the invaders. Yet the army of trolls and the Witch-king subdues them. Then, the Witch-king compelled the Black Numenoreans to serve him, and so began the rise of Angmar.

In Rhudaur, the chieftain Hwaldar led the Hill-men to a revolt against Arnor's kingdom but afterward arrested. Upon receiving the news, Morgomir set forth to rescue him as an essential instrument for their conquest in Rhudaur. Morgomir, with the help of the Witch-king, slew the Hill-men true to Arnor and enlisted the rebels to join their forces. Then, they recovered Hwaldar and killed the Dunedain watchmen in Rhudaur. They continued to strike Rhudaur's strongholds and managed to destroy one of them. Yet the battle immensely diminished the army of Angmar, and more so as reinforcements from King Argeleb arrived to defeat them. With Angmar's weakened army, Morgomir created a brilliant plan to restore their forces. He instructed his servants, called Thrall Masters, to resupply their numbers and bring forth the downfall of King Argeleb. They returned to attack the remaining strongholds of Rhudaur and succeeded in conquering the city.

King Arveleg prevented the following assaults of Angmar against Arnor through Amon Sul's Palantir, which foretells the enemy forces' next movements. And so the Witch-King set out to seize the Palantir and obliterate Amon Sul. The Witch-King stormed Amon Sul with Morgomir, Rogash, and Hwaldar. First, they struck all five of the Mallorn Trees protecting Amon Sul. Upon the destruction of the trees, they head towards the stronghold of Amon Sul, in which they encounter the aiding allies of Arnor. Angmar's army breaks through the defending forces despite their strength and storms toward the Amon Sul Tower. The Witch-King summons the Mountain Giants, which wrecks the tower into rubbles. But despite the destruction of Amon Sul, Arveleg manages to save himself and the Palantir from the Witch-King. And the Witch-King commands Morgomir to kill Arveleg and secure the Palantir for him.

Morgomir commands a unit of Angmar soldiers to assassinate Arveleg. The Thrall Masters assembled Orcs of Gundabad to take down outposts, and a pack of Wargs charged towards Arveleg. The coordinated attack overpowered Arveleg's army. But King Arveleg shatters the Palantir before he died, which sets a strong blast, wiping out everyone in the area. Soon after, Morgomir arrives with his captains and finds one of the fragments remaining from the Palantir. The forces of Arnor were also aware of the Palantir fragments, and their units recovered some of them. The Palantir's destruction weakened both powers and advantages of Angmar and Arnor, so they sought to recover all the Palantir fragments to restore their strengths. Morgormir acquired most of the shards and attacked Arnor to retrieve the other pieces. They stormed the watch station where they kept the Palantir fragment and killed everyone in it. And so the forces of Angmar obtain all seven Palantir particles and succeeds.

After the fall of Amon Sul and Angmar's acquisition of the Palantir fragments, the Witch-king targeted Cardolan next. He commands Hwaldar to take Royal Barrows, to trap the army of Cardolan by igniting their anger and rash actions. Hwaldar enters Royal Barrows and desecrates the sacred place, and the provoked forces of Cardolan rush to punish the defilers. The Rhudaur soldiers destroyed the initial attackers and the Dunedain, who aided them. The Shamans and Thrall Masters, empowered by the Palantir remnants, supported Hwaldar to his advantage, transforming their foes into foul Wights. The numbers of Angmar's forces increased as more Thrall Masters, Shamans and Trolls came as reinforcements. Then, Morgomir came, and soon after, the Prince of Cardolan joins the fight to support his warriors. But at that moment, Rogash and the Witch-King also came. The Witch-king and his formidable army slaughter the Prince and his warriors, leaving Cardolan overwhelmed.

With Angmar's devastations in Arnor, the Elves, led by Elrond and Glorfindel, decided to aid Arnor by attacking Angmar in its capital Carn Dûm. Upon receiving news of the incoming Elvish onslaught, the Witch King ignited signal fires to recall his forces, such as Rogash, Hwaldar, and workers, to strengthen his capital's fortifications. And so Angmar is ready as the Elf army reached their gates. With the Elves' catapults and powerful blows, they exhausted Angmar's forces. But Morgomir, Rogash, and his troll forces arrive in time right before the Elves conquer Carn Dûm. They prevented the defeat of Angmar and successfully drove off the Elvish army. They also overcame Glorfindel's infantry, and the Elves managed to rescue the Elf Lord in time as they were about to slay him. Glorfindel leads in the Good Campaign of The Rise of the Witch-king game, and he also prepares an aggressive attack against Angmar later on. The battle ends with the Elves exhausting the armies of Angmar, and so Arnor recovers in time. But the Witch-King never ceased his plans to conquer. The Witch-King thoughtfully strategized his next advancement with his almost defeat from the last battle with the Elves. The attack significantly weakened his armies, and the boldness of the alliance infuriated him. And so he prepared a plan which will ensure his advantage against his enemies.

Morgomir advised the Witch-King of a tactic against their foes. He has raised strong Thrall Masters and conjurers from the Black Numenoreans, and with the help of the Palantir shards, they even intensified their powers even more. With their expertise in Dark Magic as a proven advantage during the Battle of Cardolan, they decided to use them to bring forth a catastrophic plague against Arnor. They used the Barrow-downs, being a consecrated place of Arnor and a significant, solemn memorial of the Dunedain, to begin their evil intentions. Morgomir commenced their scheme in Barrow-downs, and the Men of Cardolan discovered their attack. The Captain of Cardolan assembled his forces to prevent them. The Thrall Masters and Conjurers roused the spirits and contaminated them. Then Morgomir ordered them to turn the Cardolan warriors into vile creatures, which consumed the army. Afterward, Morgomir calls forth a ferocious wolf-like monster to extinguish the Cardolan forces. The Conjurers successfully formed the Barrow-wights and unleashed the plague. They cornered the Captain of Cardolan, pierced him using a Morgul-blade, and turned him into the Karsh the Whisperer.

The Witch-King's triumph in Arnor is near its fulfillment as the stronghold of Fornost is its last standing realm. For this reason, the allies gathered in Fornost with the Dunedain to face the dangerous army of Angmar. The Witch-King readies his fortress and strengthens his forces to ensure his advantage and limit risk. Then the Witch-King launches the attack, Angmar's armies pound the gates of Fornost and take down their external resistance. With their numerous soldiers and powerful sorcerers, they destroy the formations of the stronghold. Fornost's defending forces, as well as the advancing army of Angmar, suffered devastating losses. The Dunedain struggled to defend themselves, but Angmar's forces were powerful and relentless. Fornost falls as the battle ends, and Angmar subdues the Dunedain. The Witch-King conquers Arnor and is firmly confident to overpower the entire north.

1. ^The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king.