Gorkil the Goblin King

Gorkil, the Goblin King, is a ferocious Goblin chief, an in-game character of the Evil Campaign in The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II. [1] He is also featured in the game as the King of all the Goblins, mounting a gigantic scorpion. He reigns in the Third Age, succeeding in the throne of the Goblin King Golfimbul. Sauron maintained his connection with Gorkil for his vast number of Goblins, a massive force he could use to fight for his dark cause. Gorkil and his hordes occupied Ettenmoors, a deserted watch station, previously held by the Nazgul's Witch-King, located in Angmar. In the Good Campaign, Gorkil met his demise in the last mission. He falls upon his encounter with Glorfindel (an Elf from Rivendell), Haldir (another Elf from Lothlorien), and Gloin (a Dwarf who was Gimli's father). Gorkil fell in Ettenmoors, shortly after his goblin servants dispersed and became lost upon his death. Sauron also lost his influence over them and their boost on his forces. However, in the Evil Campaign, he battles for Sauron's forces with a fierce Goblin army. He fights and conquers the allied troops in Grey Havens, the Shire, Fornost, and Rivendell. He survives the final battle in Rivendell and triumphs with Sauron's forces at the end.

Gorkil has the typical traits of a villain ruler revealed in the gameplay and story. He is fearless and arrogant in schemes and battles. On his decisions, he is greedy, sensitive, and destructive. He is also ferocious and ill-tempered towards his Goblin minions. He severely mistreats them at times. With mistakes and unpleasing results from his commands, he severely punishes them. But with excellent results in tasks and battles, he is exceedingly pleased with them. He keeps his subjects faithful to him through the unusual lure of his personality. He also prioritizes his objectives and gains more than his allegiance to Sauron and Mordor. Once in his attempt toward the Shire, he readily tried to kill a horde of Uruk-hai and Grima Wormtongue, even though they were his allies when they sought to prevent his attack.

During the Evil Campaign's Second Mission, Gorkil appears right after the arrival of the vessels of the Corsairs of Umbar on the distant shores of Grey Haven. Gorkil, together with his goblin units, the Corsairs of Umbar and Half-trolls, takes down all the Elves and Ents guarding the harbor on their way. Afterward, Gorkil constructs a post and continues traversing the area. Many Elf warriors continued their resistance and perished. As the entire goblin forces reach the Elven harbor, Gorkil calls out for all-out destruction of Grey Havens, its formations, and all its defenders' slaughter. He commands a troop to take down two of the Haven's strongholds, and the Corsairs of Umbar's vessels tear down the third fortress. The offensive forces completely decimate the Grey Havens. The Elves become disheartened with the destruction of their only passage to the Undying Lands. They escape and seek refuge in the forests. Then, Gorkil advances towards the Shire, intending to avenge against the Hobbit's former insult to the Goblins.

In the old days, the Goblin King Golfimbul stormed to the Shire, aiming to conquer it. But he perished in the hands of the Hobbits, known as the Battle of Greenfields. For this reason, Gorkil longed to get even with them and assembled his forces to strike the Shire. He called forth his army to take down four of the Shire's Seat of Powers, which is Hobbits' strength. They established a post and gathered an army with Mountain Giants and Dunland's Wild Men. The Goblin king slays all Hobbits and the Dunedain men aiding them. Then, he successfully took down all the Seats of Power and occupied all of the Shire, including Farmer Maggot's Fields and the Green Dragon Inn. But soon after, an army of Uruk-hai with Grima Wormtongue fought the Goblin army to take over the Shire for themselves. The Goblins overcome them as well, they killed Grima Wormtongue, and the Uruk-hai fell apart and escape. Gorkil triumphantly conquers the Shire and sets all of its inhabitants to their ruin.

Next, Gorkil and his Goblin army set forth towards Fornost, the great city of men. The Goblin chief readies his forces to battle the Dunedain and the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains protecting the realm. He commands the Mountain Giants and cavern trolls to break through Forlorn's front and rear gates concealed along the east barricades. They successfully destroy the walls after suffering heavy losses from the Dwarves' catapults and arrows of the Dunedain. They slay the guards and external resistance and soon head to invade the courts of Fornost. The Dwarves assembled a fierce Earth Hammer, yet the Goblins managed to damage it right before they even began to strike with it. Then they reached the courts of Fornost, wrecked it to rubbles, and slaughtered all resistance within the city. They successfully conquered Fornost and finally occupied the surrounding area of the Misty Mountains for Sauron. Gorkil does not participate in the next quests until the eighth mission in Rivendell.

Gorkil reaches Rivendell upon hearing the word of Frodo's failure in destroying the One Ring. The Ring-bearer dies in Mount Doom, and Sauron finally takes back his Ring of Power and returns with his full powerful form. Gorkil receives the task of destroying Rivendell next. He assembles a massive troop against the defenses of the Elven Realm. The giant Scorpion of Gorkil and the Half Trolls overcome Glorfindel and many Elven riders, slaughtering all of them. They seized a watchtower and gained supplies. The Goblin King and his forces next charged towards the war towers of Rivendell and Elf archers of Mirkwood defending Rivendell's gates. They take down the gates of Rivendell through the strength of Mountain Giants. Sauron and the entire army of Mordor arrive in time for the fall of Rivendell's gates. Then, Gorkil serves as one of Sauron's officers as the Dark Lord takes over the battle against the Elven realm. The merging of Mordor's armies with the Goblins brought an overwhelming force that ravaged Rivendell, slaying Elrond, his daughter Arwen and all of the Eldar. The rest of the Fellowship arrives (except Frodo and Sam, who perished in Mount Doom) to aid Rivendell. They brought the Army of the Dead with them, but they soon vanished, leaving the Fellowship outnumbered. And so Sauron and his army slay them all, and the Fellowship is no more. They continued their battle on Rivendell with Sauron and his officers, including the Witch-King of Angmar, Fell-beast riders, Nazgul, Shelob, and the Mouth Sauron, and Drogoth. Finally, they obliterated the last Elven realm of Rivendell, and Sauron's victory over Middle-earth is complete, dominating the lands and its free-folk for all time.

1. ^The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II.