Chapter Summaries

Gul'dan led the Orcs out of the Misty Mountains and conquered Rohan with little resistance. He left Grom Gorehowl to hold Rohan while he marched on Gondor.

• Elrond learned that the Orcs were heading toward Rohan and Gondor, allowed them to pass, and sent an Elven squad to warn Aragorn.
• The Orcs reached Rohan, where Trolls smashed through the capital's gates and the defenders at Helm's Deep were overwhelmed.
• Gul'dan complained that Rohan had offered no real fight, while Grom Gorehowl reported that some people had fled before the attack.
• Gul'dan ordered Grom to garrison Rohan and set out to conquer Gondor.

After conquering Gondor and Rohan, Gul'dan's Orcs faced little resistance, while an Elven party warned Aragorn that both kingdoms had fallen. Aragorn decided to divide the human army before attacking the Black Gate, and Théoden volunteered to intercept the Orcs approaching from behind.

• Gul'dan's Orcs occupied Gondor after its castles surrendered, while Grom held Rohan.
• An Elven squad reached Aragorn's army near the Black Gate and Mige told him that Rohan and Gondor had been conquered by powerful Hulk.
• Aragorn, Théoden, Boromir, and Gandalf discussed the danger of the Orcs attacking their rear while the Goblin army faced them at the Black Gate.
• Aragorn decided to split the human forces so the main army could attack the Black Gate and draw Soren's attention.
• Théoden volunteered to lead the rear force against the Orcs because Soren wanted Aragorn and the Fellowship to face him.

Théoden and Théodred parted as Théoden led Rohan’s cavalry to fight the Orcs, while Aragorn’s diminished army reached the Black Gate to confront Sauron. Aragorn killed the Mouth of Sauron during negotiations, triggering a mass Goblin attack.

• Théoden told Théodred that he was now King of Rohan, then led part of Rohan’s cavalry to establish a defensive line against the Orcs.
• Aragorn’s army lost many soldiers to fear on the march through Gorgoroth, and fewer than ten thousand reached the Black Gate.
• Aragorn, Gandalf, and their companions rode to the Black Gate to demand that Sauron disband his armies and leave Middle-earth.
• The Mouth of Sauron mocked their demands, and Aragorn cut off his head with the Holy Sword.
• Vast numbers of Goblins poured from tunnels and hiding places around the Black Gate.

Aragorn and the Fellowship faced Soren’s Goblin army while Chang Wei and Frodo flew toward Mount Doom on Landroval. Soren’s Eye detected the One Ring, leaving Landroval to realize that Soren had discovered the real threat.

• Soren ordered the Goblins surrounding Aragorn and the Fellowship to kill them as his Eye turned its attention toward the battlefield.
• Chang Wei and Frodo met Landroval, who carried them toward Mount Doom after the Eye’s attention shifted away from them.
• Landroval flew straight through the Fellbeasts, and Chang Wei cut them down with Wind Blades.
• Chang Wei destroyed the Goblins and statue monsters near Mount Doom with Final Lightning Strike.
• The Eye of Sauron sensed the One Ring on Frodo, and Landroval realized Soren had identified the Hobbit as the true threat.

Chang Wei brought Frodo into Mount Doom to destroy The One Ring, but its temptation made Frodo claim it before a hidden Nazgûl stole it and returned it to Soren. Soren reclaimed the ring and was remade as the Dark Lord as Mount Doom began to tremble.

• Chang Wei leaped from Landroval with Frodo, evaded the Eye of Sauron's attack, and used a Levitation Spell to reach Mount Doom.
• Chang Wei urged Frodo to throw The One Ring into the lava, but the ring tempted Frodo into putting it on.
• A hidden Nazgûl pinned Frodo in the Wraith-world, took The One Ring, and carried it back to Soren.
• Frodo apologized to Chang Wei after realizing he had given the ring to Soren, and Chang Wei warned that they now faced a Dark Lord.
• Soren put The One Ring back on, regained its power and will, and Mount Doom began to tremble.

Soren returned as the Dark Lord after Frodo was tempted by The One Ring and a hidden Nazgûl stole it at Mount Doom. Soren revived Smaug as an Undead Dragon and confronted the Western Allied Forces, singling out Chang Wei as his main threat.

• The Nazgûl placed The One Ring on Soren's black arm, restoring him to human form as the Tower of the Evil Eye collapsed.
• Gandalf and the Fellowship learned from Frodo that he had put on The One Ring near Mount Doom, allowing a Nazgûl in the Wraith-world to steal it.
• Soren summoned Smaug's corpse from the ruins and raised it as an Undead Dragon to serve as his mount.
• Soren addressed Chang Wei, praising his power and comparing him favorably to Saruman, while Chang Wei dismissed Saruman as unworthy to carry his shoes.
• Soren welcomed Chang Wei's arrogance, believing it meant Chang Wei might accept power, and recognized him as the chief obstacle to his plans.

Chang Wei rejected Soren’s offer of power and immortality, revealing that his Ring of Death Hades could make him live forever. Soren declared him an enemy, and the battle at the Black Gate began with Gandalf’s Great Light Spell eventually being overwhelmed by Soren’s darkness.

• Soren tried to tempt Chang Wei with authority, power, wealth, and immortality, but Chang Wei refused and said his Ring of Death Hades had already granted him eternal life.
• Soren abandoned his admiration for Chang Wei and declared him an enemy as the Undead Dragon Smaug’s roar weakened the forces on the Black Gate battlefield.
• Gandalf unleashed the Great Light Spell, devastating Mordor’s army and the Black Gate while freeing the Western Allied Forces from their weakness.
• Aragorn ordered the Western Allied Forces to retreat as Soren used The One Ring’s Darkness Power to shield Smaug from Gandalf’s light.
• Gandalf charged Soren with his radiant sword, but Soren’s darkness broke the spell’s balance and began to suppress it.

Soren defeated Gandalf with Undead Dragon Smaug’s power and pressed his attack against Aragorn and the others. Chang Wei’s 100% Pick-Up Soap repeatedly distracted Soren, leaving the battle unresolved as Soren went to retrieve it again.

• Soren and Undead Dragon Smaug shattered Gandalf’s Great Light Spell, and Gandalf fell wounded as Frodo cried out.
• Chang Wei threw his 100% Pick-Up Soap, causing Soren and Smaug to fight over it until Soren seized it and briefly froze.
• Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli attacked Soren, but Andúril cracked against his defenses, Legolas’s arrows failed, and Soren grabbed Legolas by the throat.
• Chang Wei hit Soren’s helmet with another bar of soap, and Soren released Legolas and went to pick it up.

Chang Wei battled Soren with the Golden Sacred Sword while Aragorn and Legolas distracted Smaug by throwing soap. Chang Wei's golden power overpowered Soren's darkness, and the fight continued amid the ruined battlefield.

• Aragorn struck Soren's helmet with Andúril while Chang Wei distracted him, and Soren threw soap bars that drew Aragorn and Legolas away from their weapons.
• Soren restored Smaug and its Death Dragon Flame, but Aragorn and Legolas avoided fighting it directly by running around and throwing soap.
• Chang Wei unleashed the Golden Sacred Sword's power, tearing open the dark clouds above Mordor and bringing sunlight to the land.
• Chang Wei and Soren clashed with golden and black power, and Chang Wei's strike broke through and purified Soren's darkness.
• Soren realized Chang Wei's divine equipment might explain his strength and vowed to take it, while Aragorn and Legolas kept Smaug occupied by targeting the wound on its neck.

Soren fought Chang Wei while coveting the Death Ring after learning it held Saruman’s soul and could imprison powerful spirits. Chang Wei revealed his true strength and trapped Soren beneath overwhelming Golden Light, but Soren used Smaug to block the killing blow.

• Chang Wei showed Soren Saruman imprisoned in the Death Ring, and Soren became determined to take the ring for himself.
• Soren and Chang Wei exchanged devastating sword strikes that tore apart the mountains and plains, forcing Aragorn, Legolas, and the others to flee.
• Chang Wei noticed Gandalf returning and stopped holding back, immobilizing Soren with the Golden Sacred Sword’s power.
• Soren realized Chang Wei had been hiding his strength and dragged Smaug from beneath the rocks to shield himself from the descending Golden Light Sword.
• The Golden Light Sword’s purifying power made Smaug scream in agony.

Chang Wei defeated Soren by destroying The One Ring, then trapped Soren’s soul in the Death Ring. With Mordor collapsing, the Fellowship flew to aid King Théoden, while Chang Wei arranged for the Orcs to capture the fleeing Goblins.

• Chang Wei cut down Soren and destroyed The One Ring with the Golden Sacred Sword, as Gandalf transformed into Gandalf the White and watched too late to stop him.
• The Ring’s destruction ended Sauron’s hold over Middle-earth, but Chang Wei used the Death Ring to absorb Soren’s soul, where Saruman and the Witch-king of Angmar confronted him.
• Aragorn and the Fellowship celebrated their victory, then flew on Great Eagles to support King Théoden’s ongoing battle against the Orcs.
• Chang Wei contacted the Orcs and ordered them to capture the fleeing Goblin army and the escaped Uruk-hai.
• Mordor and Barad-dûr collapsed, and the chapter described the scattered Orc survivors and their fate after Sauron’s defeat.

Chang Wei left Aragorn and Théoden after the destruction of The One Ring, intending to return to Isengard and confront Gandalf under a new identity. Meanwhile, Gandalf prepared the human coalition to face the Orcs, Goblins, and Uruk-hai, and Chang Wei granted Rings of Power to his Orc leaders.

• Gul'dan followed Chang Wei's orders and sent Orcs, Goblins, and Saruman's Uruk-hai to search for and capture fugitives from Mordor's army.
• Aragorn and his companions arrived by Great Eagles and found King Théoden and his people unharmed; Aragorn confirmed that The One Ring had been destroyed and Soren eliminated.
• Chang Wei announced that his escort mission was over and left to collect Isengard as his reward, while Éowyn hesitated too long to follow him.
• Gandalf urged the others to face the Orc threat themselves, noting that the human coalition had dwindled to a little over six thousand.
• Chang Wei summoned Gul'dan, Grom Gorehowl, Huon, and the other named Orcs, then gave them Rings of Power.

Gul'dan's Orc army confronted the human alliance after it crossed the Dead Marshes, and Gandalf fought Grom Gorehowl in a duel. Gandalf discovered that Grom wore a Ring of Power bestowed by the mysterious Dark Emperor Apophis.

• Gul'dan and his followers gained Rings of Power, which increased their strength.
• Aragorn and Théoden prepared the human alliance to face the green-skinned Orcs and Mordor's remaining forces.
• Gul'dan led the Orcs in a charge and called on the Blood God and Dark Emperor Apophis, leaving Gandalf and the others uncertain who Apophis was.
• Gandalf fought through the Orcs before Grom Gorehowl challenged him to prove who was the greater Sword Saint.
• Gandalf blinded Grom with a Light Spell and attacked, but Grom countered with his saber and knocked Gandalf back.
• Gandalf recognized the Ring of Power on Grom's hand, and Grom said the Dark Emperor had given it to him.

Gandalf’s forces retreated to the Dead Marshes after the Orcs overwhelmed them, and the coalition began seeking reinforcements. Éowyn proposed going to Isengard to hire Chang Wei, while the Orcs fortified their position outside the marshes.

• The Dark Emperor’s Orc leaders wielded magical weapons, and Huon dominated the battlefield alongside Gul’dan and Kil’jaeden.
• Gandalf killed Grom with his sword after the Great Light Spell failed to harm him, shocking the Orc leaders and lifting his allies’ morale.
• Aragorn’s coalition withdrew to the Dead Marshes, where the Orc army stopped and began building fortifications.
• Legolas offered to ask his father for troops, while Aragorn and Gandalf also planned to seek reinforcements from their allies.
• Éowyn proposed traveling to Isengard to hire Chang Wei, and Théoden hoped Chang Wei might accept her appeal.

Aragorn persuaded Éowyn to delay seeking Chang Wei, and the leaders planned to summon aid with the Great Eagles. In Lothlórien, Gandalf and Galadriel discovered that the Dark Emperor wielded ten immensely powerful One Rings, and they were left confronting his invading darkness.

• Aragorn persuaded Éowyn that Chang Wei would be difficult to find at Isengard, and the group planned a pincer attack while Théoden held their position.
• Aragorn, Legolas, and Gandalf rode Great Eagles to seek aid, and Gandalf went to Lothlórien to ask Galadriel for help against the Dark Emperor.
• Galadriel used her mirror to look for the Dark Emperor and saw him wearing ten real Rings of Power stronger than Sauron's One Ring.
• The Dark Emperor noticed Galadriel watching him, and his darkness burst through the mirror as Gandalf defended her with a Great Light Spell.
• Gandalf and Galadriel resisted the darkness, but the Dark Emperor demanded that they bow before him.

After the Dark Emperor’s power overwhelmed Galadriel and Gandalf, the Three Great Powers destroyed the intrusion and began gathering allies for the coming war. Elves from Rivendell, Lothlórien, and Mirkwood prepared to march, while Gandalf and Aragorn sought aid from the Ents and Dwarves.

• Celeborn joined Galadriel and Gandalf in destroying the Dark Emperor’s invading Darkness Power, but Galadriel realized the Mirror of Galadriel could not contain more of it.
• Gandalf warned Galadriel that the Dark Emperor was a formidable new enemy, leaving her shaken and uncertain whether to remain in Middle-earth or retreat to the Undying Lands.
• Aragorn asked Elrond for troops, and Elrond agreed to send soldiers after Galadriel told him Lothlórien was preparing to do the same.
• Legolas argued with Thranduil about sending aid, then led more than three hundred Elves from Mirkwood, while Thranduil accepted the risk as a calculated bet.
• Gandalf and Aragorn went to seek the Ents’ support, with Aragorn promising them land if they helped win the war, and they also planned to approach the Dwarves through Gimli.

Gimli brought Durin's Folk, including the Eighth Clan, to join the war, while Gandalf and Aragorn secured the Ents' support and the Middle-earth Alliance gathered at Gondor's front. Chang Wei strengthened Mordor's army by transforming many Orcs and creating Green Dragons.

• Gimli returned with Durin's Folk, including the Eighth Clan, to join the battle.
• Gandalf and Aragorn persuaded the Ents to enter the war in exchange for land they could keep forever.
• Galadriel, Celeborn, Elrond, and other leaders gathered as the Middle-earth Alliance crossed the mountains to Gondor's Orc-held front lines.
• Chang Wei used Gul'dan's bubbling green Holy Blood to transform many of Mordor's Uruk-hai, Goblins, and Orcs into stronger Orcs.
• Chang Wei gained ten thousand battle-ready Orcs, including more than a thousand Orc Boy, and created Green Dragons.

The Middle-earth Alliance discovered that the Dark Emperor commanded a vast army of green Orcs and sent dragons to intercept the Great Eagle carrying their signal. The Alliance attacked anyway, and the battle revealed that the Dark Emperor also had a green Balrog.

• Celeborn questioned Gandalf about the unexpectedly large number of green Orcs, and Aragorn urged the Alliance to defeat them at Gondor.
• A Great Eagle appeared to signal Théoden, but three Green Dragons intercepted it as Théoden prepared to attack.
• The Green Dragons chased the Great Eagle toward Gandalf’s forces, then turned back after Gandalf’s Super Spotlight Technique struck them.
• The Middle-earth Alliance charged the Orc army from behind, and its Elves and Dwarves fought the strengthened Orcs in a fierce battle.
• The Alliance saw a green Balrog confronting the Ents, and Gandalf failed to recognize it.

Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond defeated a green Balrog, though it killed several Ents before Gandalf finished it off. As the Middle-earth Alliance turned toward the Dark Army, Gul'dan stepped forward wearing a Ring of Power.

• The green Balrog burned and attacked the Ents, killing one before Galadriel used Nenya to extinguish the flames.
• Galadriel and Elrond combined the powers of Nenya and Vilya to freeze the Balrog, and Gandalf finished it with the Holy Fire.
• The Balrog's assault left seven or eight Ents dead and the rest wounded, while the Dark Army grew afraid after seeing its champion fall.
• Galadriel attacked the Dark Army with water projectiles, and Gul'dan emerged carrying a Golden Axe and wearing a Ring of Power.
• Aragorn identified Gul'dan as the Orc leader, and Elrond called for the Alliance to kill him.

Gul'dan and his nineteen blood brothers confronted the Middle-earth Alliance with Rings of Power and enchanted weapons, while the Dark Emperor's power raised the battlefield's dead as undead. Gandalf condemned the Dark Emperor's blasphemy as the alliance faced a new threat.

• Gul'dan attacked Galadriel with a golden radiance, and Galadriel and Elrond used Nenya and Vilya to slow it while Gandalf later split it apart.
• Celeborn enchanted an arrow and fired at Gul'dan, but Gul'dan used his Golden Axe and Ring of Power to deflect it before being knocked back.
• Gul'dan led nineteen powerful Orcs, each carrying a Ring of Power and a Golden Axe or Silver Axe, against the Middle-earth Alliance.
• Dark clouds and mist descended over the battlefield and vanished, after which a slain Elf named Vizz and other dead Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs rose again.
• Gandalf denounced the Dark Emperor for raising the dead to fight.