Chapter Summaries

Chang Wei unleashed his fire magic at Helm's Deep, burning through the Uruk-hai army and stopping three Ringwraiths who tried to intercept him. He froze the Ringwraiths in place as the battle continued.

• Gandalf secured the Ents' support for Rohan and hurried toward Helm's Deep.
• Chang Wei revealed his Flame Sword and burned hundreds of Uruk-hai as Aragorn's forces defended the breached gates.
• King Théoden and Aragorn defended Chang Wei against Rohan's complaints, explaining that he was not obligated to fight for them and that it was their war.
• The Uruk-hai panicked and fled as their arrows burned to ash before reaching Chang Wei.
• Three Ringwraiths charged Chang Wei, but he burned their Nightmare Steeds and froze all three Ringwraiths into ice sculptures.

After Chang Wei defeated the Ringwraiths, Rohan routed the Uruk-hai and pursued them across the plains. Gandalf arrived to find the battle already won, and Chang Wei proposed attacking Isengard while Saruman's forces were weakened.

• Chang Wei drove the Uruk-hai from Helm's Deep, and King Théoden led Rohan cavalry in pursuit using mounted archery.
• Rohan reinforcements joined the chase, while Gandalf and three hundred Ents arrived to find the Uruk-hai already fleeing.
• Chang Wei told Gandalf that Rohan was hunting the Uruk-hai and planned to attack Isengard.
• Aragorn reported that ten thousand Uruk-hai had been killed, and Théoden embraced guerrilla mounted archery after pursuing them for ten hours.
• Gandalf and the Ents joined the campaign against Saruman, and the Uruk-hai lost more than three thousand additional men during the pursuit.

Chang Wei warned the Fellowship that Saruman’s magic, Uruk-hai, and newly invented Explosives made him far more dangerous than they had realized. Gandalf, Aragorn, and Legolas resolved to stop Saruman before he could expand production and threaten all of Middle-earth.

• Chang Wei told the Fellowship that Saruman was more powerful than Gandalf, who admitted his inferiority in magic while Chang Wei teased him about swordsmanship and socializing.
• Chang Wei explained that Saruman had created Uruk-hai stronger than Soren’s Goblins, alarming Aragorn and the others.
• Aragorn recalled the weapon used against Helm’s Deep, and Chang Wei identified it as Saruman’s Explosives, whose production was still limited.
• Chang Wei warned that mass-producing Explosives could let Saruman rule Middle-earth, and Gandalf, Aragorn, and Legolas vowed to stop him.

Chang Wei devised a plan to defeat Isengard by diverting and releasing river water, using the Ents and his Frost Magic rather than assaulting the fortress directly. The chapter ended with the Ents and Rohan cavalry building the floodworks while Gandalf felt overshadowed by Chang Wei.

• The Rohan cavalry reached Isengard and saw Saruman's imposing Orthanc Tower.
• Gandalf asked Chang Wei how to break the fortress, and Chang Wei warned that a direct assault would be too dangerous.
• Chang Wei identified Isengard's weakness and proposed flooding it by gathering water from the River Isen and nearby streams.
• Chang Wei persuaded the others that the Ents could build canals and dams, while Gandalf reacted in disbelief at Chang Wei's plan.
• The Ents and Rohan cavalry worked through the day to gather water, and Chang Wei froze a towering wall to hold back the river.

Chang Wei unleashed a flood that destroyed Isengard’s surface defenses and underground industry, then froze the waters so the Fellowship and Rohan could approach safely. Saruman remained alive in Orthanc as Gandalf warned that he was still a grave threat.

• Chang Wei opened the ice wall, and the released flood overwhelmed Isengard, killing its Uruk-hai and Goblins and drowning Saruman’s underground facilities.
• Saruman appeared on Orthanc Tower’s terrace and watched the flood devastate Isengard, while the tower remained protected by ancient magic.
• King Théoden prepared to attack, but Chang Wei froze the flood and turned Isengard into an icy landscape.
• Gandalf warned the group that Saruman still posed a danger equal to an army, and Chang Wei and the Fellowship rode on the Ents toward Isengard.

Gandalf confronted Saruman at Orthanc Tower, but Saruman refused to surrender despite losing his army and allies. Chang Wei struck him with lightning, sending him tumbling from the tower to his death on a waterwheel spike.

• Gandalf called on Saruman to come down and face judgment, but Saruman appeared in his many-colored robe and insulted him.
• Saruman attacked Gandalf with a fireball, but Gandalf dispelled it, revealing that his strength rivaled Saruman's.
• Saruman tried to beguile King Théoden and recruit Gandalf, but both refused him, and Gandalf shattered Saruman's staff.
• Chang Wei asked how much longer they would wait, then struck Saruman with lightning before Gandalf could stop him.
• Saruman fell from Orthanc Tower and was impaled on a waterwheel spike.

After Saruman’s defeat, Chang Wei claimed Isengard and learned through Saruman’s Palantír that Soren planned to attack Minas Tirith. Aragorn agreed to lead Gondor and was sent toward the Paths of the Dead, whose history Chang Wei began explaining.

• Saruman’s spirit rose from his body, was turned away from the West by a cold wind, and vanished.
• Chang Wei claimed Isengard, offered Treebeard a place there only if the Ents submitted to him, and watched them leave when Treebeard refused.
• Chang Wei revealed that Soren’s next target was Minas Tirith and crushed Saruman’s Palantír.
• King Théoden refused to aid Gondor while Denethor II remained in power, but agreed to answer the beacon fires after Aragorn declared he would become Gondor’s king.
• Gandalf sent Aragorn to the Paths of the Dead, and Chang Wei explained the mountain road, its oathbreaking spirits, and their origins.

Aragorn led his companions through the Paths of the Dead and summoned the oathbreaking Men of the Mountains at the Black Stone of Erech. Chang Wei frightened them into submission, and Aragorn commanded their gathered army to march against the Corsairs of Umbar.

• Aragorn led the group into the Paths of the Dead, where they found Baldor's remains and encountered the undead.
• Chang Wei used the white light of his Steel Sword to hurt the undead, then falsely claimed it could imprison them forever; they dropped to their knees.
• Aragorn presented Arwen's Royal Banner and called on the Men of the Mountains to fulfill their oath, and they agreed in exchange for release.
• More than twenty thousand undead gathered south of the White Mountains and pledged themselves to Aragorn.
• Aragorn ordered the Undead Army to march against the Corsairs of Umbar.

Aragorn gathered Gondor’s supporters and led the Undead Army to destroy the Corsairs of Umbar, then continued toward Minas Tirith to rally the kingdom. Meanwhile, Chang Wei established Lothlórien at Isengard, declared himself its Witch-king, and created three new peoples to serve as its future force.

• Aragorn reunited with the Dúnedain, received Arwen’s flag of Gondor, and learned that Gondor’s people in the south had joined him.
• The Corsairs of Umbar landed to raid the harbor town, but Aragorn’s Undead Army surrounded and slaughtered them.
• Chang Wei advised Aragorn to display Gondor’s flag, and Gondor’s followers began boarding the ship as it passed coastal towns.
• Chang Wei arrived at Isengard, renamed it Lothlórien, and proclaimed himself its Witch-king.
• Chang Wei created the Sarkaz, Vayfana, and Drac as Lothlórien’s peoples, and they bowed to him.

Chang Wei ordered the newly created races to clean up Isengard, which he had renamed Lothlórien, and the Drac arranged to hire homeless Rohirrim rather than burn away the pollution. The Rohirrim arrived and were told they would receive food and lodging for work, with a chance to earn citizenship.

• Chang Wei ordered the Sarkaz, Vayfana, and Drac to clean up Lothlórien.
• The three races discussed how to remove Orc corpses and floodwater without harming the environment, and the Drac proposed hiring Rohirrim civilians.
• The Drac planned to use food left by Chang Wei and Saruman to pay the Rohirrim and have them plant potatoes.
• The Rohirrim arrived, startled by the Sarkaz and Vayfana, and a Vayfana silenced them.
• The Vayfana offered the Rohirrim food and lodging for work, warned that disobedient workers would be expelled, and explained how work credits could earn them citizenship in Lothlórien.

Chang Wei and his followers expanded Lothlórien by recruiting Rohirrim, organizing labor, and establishing food and waste systems. As the settlement prepared to support thousands of newcomers, Aragorn arrived at Minas Tirith with the Undead Army, bringing the final battle closer.

• The Rohirrim increasingly joined Lothlórien after citizens received more potatoes for their work, and the settlement diverted floodwaters, buried the dead, and organized waste disposal.
• Chang Wei praised his subordinates and learned that one thousand Rohirrim had applied for citizenship while nearly three thousand more had come to work.
• Drac the Black Dragon reported that Lothlórien’s potato planting should sustain its growing population and urged Chang Wei to establish laws.
• Chang Wei learned that Aragorn had reached Minas Tirith with the Undead Army and realized the final battle was about to begin.
• Goblin guards saw fifty Umbar pirate ships approaching, realized the pirates had been wiped out when Aragorn disembarked, and prepared to attack the humans.

Aragorn led the Undead Army ashore and advanced toward Minas Tirith as the Gondor and Rohan forces fought the Orcs on the Pelennor Fields. Rohan’s cavalry gained the upper hand, but the Haradrim’s war elephants arrived and forced Éomer to retreat under a storm of javelins.

• Aragorn drew the Holy Sword, and the Undead Army poured from the ships and attacked the Goblins at the harbor.
• Chang Wei had Gondorians proclaim Aragorn King Elessar, and Aragorn ordered the army to advance on Minas Tirith.
• Éomer led Rohan’s heavy cavalry through the Orc lines while the Rangers harassed and finished off scattered enemies, and Gothmog was severely wounded.
• Thirteen Haradrim war elephants charged onto the battlefield, scattering the Gondor and Rohan forces and driving Éomer to circle around them.
• Haradrim javelin throwers launched hundreds of spears at Éomer as he tried to maneuver behind the war elephants.

Aragorn led the Army of the Dead to crush the Goblins and Haradrim on the Plains of Pelennor, though Éomer had already died. After the ghosts demanded that Aragorn honor their covenant, he released them from their oath and granted them peace.

• Aragorn arrived with the Army of the Dead, which destroyed the Goblin army and routed the Haradrim, including their Mammoth Elephants.
• Aragorn apologized to Théoden for arriving too late to save Éomer, while Soren watched from afar and Chang Wei wondered why Soren had not created his own Army of the Dead.
• The Army of the Dead killed Gothmog and dispersed after the Goblins and Haradrim had been defeated.
• The King of the Ghosts demanded that Aragorn fulfill the covenant, while Gandalf, Chang Wei, the Fellowship, and the people of Rohan stood beside Aragorn.
• Aragorn drew Andúril and released the Army of the Dead from its oath, telling them to rest in peace and be free.

Chang Wei bound the freed Army of the Dead to his newly forged Ring of Death Hades, claiming it could restrain the Nine Ringwraiths. Sauron sensed the unfamiliar ring and ordered the Nazgûl to kill Chang Wei and seize it, sending the Witch-king of Angmar against him.

• Aragorn freed the Army of the Dead from its oath, but Chang Wei stopped the ghosts from departing.
• Chang Wei revealed Ring of Death Hades and bound the dead spirits to it, promising them eternal souls in exchange for obedience.
• Gandalf recognized the ring's growing power as it absorbed the spirits, and Chang Wei said it could restrain the Nine Ringwraiths.
• Sauron sensed Chang Wei's ring through the Nazgûl and ordered them to kill him and take it.
• The Witch-king of Angmar became the first of the Nazgûl to face Chang Wei, and the chapter recalled the prophecy that he would not die by the hand of man.

At dawn on the Pelennor Fields, Chang Wei confronted the Witch-king of Angmar and revealed his Holy Sword, the Sword of Promised Victory. He held his own against the Witch-king while Gandalf and the others faced the remaining Nazgûl, and the chapter ended as the Witch-king launched a powerful attack from behind.

• The Witch-king of Angmar threatened Chang Wei, who mocked his claim of being impossible to kill by pointing out that Soren had been killed by humans.
• Chang Wei drew his golden Holy Sword, the Sword of Promised Victory, and introduced it to the astonished Witch-king and their companions.
• The Witch-king clashed with Chang Wei and used Deathly Aura, but Chang Wei's sword dispelled it.
• Aragorn tried to help Chang Wei, but the Witch-king knocked him aside, and Gandalf told Aragorn to leave the fight to Chang Wei and help with the other Nazgûl.
• The Witch-king appeared behind Chang Wei in black smoke and unleashed a torrent of black sword energy.

Chang Wei defeated the Witch-king of Angmar and used the Ring of Death Hades to bind him as an undead servant. The other Nazgûl surrendered too, leaving Soren without his most powerful followers.

• Chang Wei used the Golden Sacred Sword and the Ring of Death Hades to overcome the Witch-king of Angmar’s defenses and pin him down.
• As Gandalf and the Fellowship defeated the other eight Nazgûl with an enchanted sword, the Witch-king offered to submit to Chang Wei.
• Chang Wei accepted and demanded that the Witch-king swear an oath to the Ring of Death Hades in exchange for an undying soul.
• The ring pulled the Witch-king inside and bound him to Chang Wei, while Soren failed to regain control of his servant.
• After seeing the Witch-king become Chang Wei’s loyal servant, the remaining Nazgûl also surrendered.

After the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Aragorn, Gandalf, and the leaders of Gondor and Rohan gathered to discuss the war against Mordor. Gandalf warned that Soren was still raising armies, leaving the battered kingdoms to face a new campaign despite their losses.

• Chang Wei kept five powerful Ringwraiths, including the Witch-king of Angmar, under the Ring of Death Hades and dismissed Gandalf's warning against his methods.
• Aragorn, Boromir, Faramir, Théoden, Éowyn, and other leaders met in Gondor's council hall, where Éowyn saw Chang Wei for the first time and Théoden noticed her interest in him.
• Boromir served as Gondor's Regent King and refused to be crowned until Mordor was destroyed.
• Gandalf reminded the gathered leaders that the Battle of the Pelennor Fields had cost Éomer's life and said the true war had only begun.
• Gandalf reported that Soren was still gathering troops behind Mordor's walls, while Gondor and Rohan were exhausted and needed time to recover.

Gandalf and the leaders of Rohan and Gondor debated whether to attack Mordor, but Chang Wei argued that destroying the One Ring was the real priority. He proposed that the Fellowship draw Soren’s attention while he escorted Frodo to Mount Doom, and Éowyn volunteered to accompany him.

• Gandalf warned that Soren would eventually destroy Rohan and Gondor if they let Mordor recover, while the generals argued over whether to attack or rebuild their defenses.
• Chang Wei dismissed the unimportant attendees and told the remaining leaders that they had to fight and prioritize destroying the One Ring.
• Chang Wei proposed sending the Fellowship into Mordor as a decoy while the real One Ring traveled to Mount Doom.
• Chang Wei volunteered to escort Frodo alone, explaining that a larger group would let Soren concentrate his forces against them.
• Princess Éowyn volunteered to accompany Chang Wei because she was not a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Chang Wei refused Éowyn's request to join him and Frodo, while Rohan and Gondor prepared an army to draw Sauron's attention. Chang Wei and Frodo entered Ered Wethrin, where Chang Wei summoned five Ringwraiths to hunt dinner as they continued toward Mordor.

• Éowyn asked to accompany Chang Wei, but he refused because she would hinder his mission and prevent him from escaping with Frodo if necessary.
• Théoden and Boromir assembled more than ten thousand soldiers to attack the Black Gate and distract Sauron while Chang Wei and Frodo traveled toward Mount Doom.
• Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, and Éowyn said goodbye to Chang Wei, and Aragorn promised to send people to help rebuild Isengard if Chang Wei returned.
• Chang Wei and Frodo entered Ered Wethrin, intending to cross the mountains and reach the Gorgoroth Plains in Mordor.
• Chang Wei summoned the Witch-king of Angmar and four other Nazgûl to hunt prey, and Frodo prepared dinner while they stood guard.

Chang Wei and Frodo crossed into the Gorgoroth Plains and hid from Sauron's searching Eye while waiting for a chance to reach Mount Doom. Meanwhile, Chang Wei prepared a new assault by ordering Gul'dan and the Balrog to attack Gondor and Rohan.

• Chang Wei led Frodo across the Shadow Mountains and warned him to be cautious on the Gorgoroth Plains, where Sauron's Eye watched for The One Ring.
• Chang Wei repeatedly guided Frodo out of Sauron's Eye's gaze as they traveled along mountain paths and hid near Mount Doom.
• Chang Wei left Frodo with a clone and went to the Misty Mountains, where Orcs and a Balrog had gathered.
• Chang Wei ordered Gul'dan to lead the Orcs and the Balrog in an assault to wipe out Gondor and Rohan.