The Fall of Isengard

The Fall of Isengard was a victorious attack on Isengard by the combined races of Huorns and Ents. Lead by Treebeard, the Ent, they charge against Isengard and tear down its stronghold, though they are unable to take down the tower Orthanc. The assault was somewhat made possible due to the entire Uruk-hai's engagement in Rohan. Thus, lesser Orcs remained to protect Isengard. Treebeard destroyed the doors of Isengard as numerous Orcs escaped and were slaughtered by the countless Huorns encircling Isengard. When the attack started, Saruman escaped in the tower of Orthanc, barely missing capture by Quickbeam the Ent. As Saruman reached the tower, he began revving up the engine built beneath the ground, setting many Ents ablaze with the flames and smoke generated. Treebeard soothed the angered Ents then set them off to destroy the dam, freeing the river as well as washing Isengard of the filth of Saruman.

For three days, the Entmoot, a group of Huorns and Ents, rallied towards the stronghold of Isengard, causing a great disturbance. On March 2, the Entmoot reached their destination and executed their wrath. It was the perfect timing for the forest creatures. As they entered, Saruman was sending off Isengard for the last battle with Rohan. For this reason, there were hardly any enemies protecting Isengard other than Saruman. Upon the departure of the forces of Isengard to Rohan, the Ents began their assault on the fort. Some of the enemy archers shot at them. However, it only angered the assailants even more. And so in an instant, most of the South walls and Gate fell into rubbles.

The Hobbits Pippin and Merry were in Isengard during the assault, and so they narrated to their fellows the pursuit of the Ents afterward. The Ents are mighty enough to throw punches that could crush iron like soft sheets of foil and can break massive rocks as if they were crumbs. A gathering of Huorns also encircled Isengard, slaying all Orcs who tried to flee. As the walls and gates broke into ruins, a juvenile Ent called Quickbeam called out as he found Saruman, calling him the Tree Killer in the Westron language. The Ent-folk, as well as the Fangorn woods, have agonized over the chopping down of trees burned to keep the forge of Saruman running. The Ents pursued him, but the wizard hid in the tower of Orthanc. As he went inside, Saruman triggered the tubes and apertures of Isengard, burning much of the Ents. Unfortunately, the scorching fires enveloped one of the Ents named Beachbone. He died in the flames of Saruman, and with this, the multitude of Ents went amok. As Pippin and Merry retold the conflict, the wrathful Ents bellowed with such intensity it could break rocks. They decimated the structures and engines on the ground, but unable to shake the tower. Because of this, the Ents gathered and devised another strategy of assault. The Huorns and Ents decided to redirect the torrent of the river Isen by excavating pits and demolishing the dam.

While the Ents labored to wreck the dam, Gandalf arrived in the evening and spoke to Treebeard and the Hobbits. Gandalf discussed with Treebeard bringing the participation of the Huorns in the Battle of the Hornburg. The Ents completed the ravaging of the dam by midnight, and so the river deluged the great pit of Isengard, engulfing all except the tower, then drowning the crevices and tubes of the war engine of Saruman. Hence, the Ents and Huorns triumphed in the devastation of Isengard. Still, Saruman remained unharmed in the Orthanc, and several men of Dunland conceded and permitted to vacate. The utter loss of Saruman's army in the Battle of the Hornburg and the desolation of Isengard brought the wizard to a standstill, powerless to provoke the West with more threat. Still, he maintained the enchantment in the sound of his voice to influence and control people, which he is still capable of using to cause peril. If the Ents did not decimate Isengard, he would endure through a siege with his surviving warriors and fortified walls, even though he had lost his army. Afterward, Saruman would again replenish his forces and wait for a time to threaten and battle again. Hence, the Ents and Huorns immensely contributed to Middle-earth by halting the means of the evil wizard.

The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers [1] by Peter Jackson features the destruction of Isengard, but there are several changes in the movie as compared to the book. Saruman looks on from high upon his tower of Orthanc, together with Grima Wormtongue, as the Ents attacked. A significant number of Uruk-hai and Orcs remain in Isengard as well, which the Ents crushed. Meanwhile, the Huorns move towards Helm's Deep. Pippin and Merry actively fight in the attack, riding on the wooden Treebeard and hurling stones at Wild-men and Orcs. The film features a conclusion scene in the extended edition. Gandalf, Aragorn, Theoden, Legolas, and Gimli come to the base of the Orthanc tower to draw information from Saruman. But the wizard only attempts to use the power of his voice against them. Saruman tries to persuade Theoden to submit to his proposition of peace. However, Theoden declines. Saruman cunningly attempts to slay Gandalf. But he fails as Gandalf breaks his staff. Theoden also tried to win over Wormtongue and abandon the evil wizard. Saruman smacks Wormtongue out of hatred. Because of this, Wormtongue thrusts a dagger on Saruman's back. The wizard falls from the tower, and his body falls impaled on a sharp projection. Then Legolas kills Wormtongue with his arrow.

In the role-playing game The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, [2] the Ents and Rohirrim fight in Isengard. The Rohirrim seize Isengard's trenches, slaughtering the Uruk-hai commander and wrecking the war engines of Saruman. The Ents no longer received any burns anymore because of this. The Rohirrim slays Wormtoungue, retrieves the keys of Isengard, and hands them over to Treebeard. The Ents raged, breaking down the towers and taking the entrance of Orthanc. Afterward, Gandalf descends the tower and slays Saruman.

1. ^The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).
2. ^The Lord of the Rings: Conquest™.