A series of original fan fiction novels set in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.
~ CELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS ~
November 14, 2004 - November 14, 2024
***
IN MEMORY OF ANGMAR
He may have passed beyond the Circles of the World,
but his memory lives on through his writings.

n an alternative universe set in the Third Age of Arda, the West was defeated at the Battle of Pelennor Fields and the war swept over Southern Gondor. To the dismay of all the Free People of Middle-earth, the Dark Lord Sauron regained the One Ring, His rising power threatening to plunge the world into a Second Darkness.

Come journey to the exotic lands of the East and South - Khand, Harad, Nurn, Rhun and Umbar... and beyond.

Chapter 25, "Logical Explanations," has just been added to Book 9! When Esarhaddon returns to his villa, he is faced with two choices: either tell the truth about the supernatural horrors which befell him in the Thraqum Wood, or lie about what happened. He chooses the latter.

I have decided to go back and add a chapter which would fall between "The Mandrake Root" and "The Shadow of the Stage." Because of this, I have had to change the chapter numbers and edit the order of succession.

In the 2006 version of the story, a chapter about Goldwyn and Tushratta immediately followed the birth of Esarhaddon's son, but this chapter was never completed and was later discarded in the 2013-14 rewrites. Angmar had originally intended for there to be a love triangle of sorts between Goldwyn, Esarhaddon, and Tushratta. However, as the story progressed, Goldwyn's role became less prominent, and the concept of the love triangle was scrapped. I think that Angmar simply became overwhelmed at the number of side stories in this book. The material which is in "Beneath the Nurnian Sky" was some of the first material we wrote for The Circles, and at this time, Angmar was still toying with the idea of starting up another roleplaying game. Goldwyn would have been portrayed by a random roleplayer, and they would have helped shape her role in the campaign. When Angmar and I decided to turn The Circles into a fanfiction series, we were left with a character that almost seemed like an afterthought at times as other characters and plotlines rose to prominence.

I am taking a hybrid approach to editing Book 9, in which I combine the best parts of the original 2006 version and the 2013-14 rewrites. In addition to both versions of the story, I work a lot from memories of discussions that Angmar and I had about various characters and subplots. One of my goals in editing Book 9 is to give Goldwyn a story that is worthy of her headstrong and resourceful personality.

I hope to finish this "in between" chapter as soon as possible, and return to the current storyline concerning Esarhaddon and the wight of the Thraqum Wood.

If you'd like to get in touch with the author of "The Circles," write to Elfhild or post comments to The Circles Discussion Forum.

Chapter 23, "The Thraqum Wood," has just been added to Book 9! After hearing the desperate screams of a woman in peril, Esarhaddon rushes into the forest in an attempt to save her. However, he soon finds himself caught in a web of dark magic which pulls him ever deeper into the haunted wood.

This chapter sets many of the story mechanics for Book 9 and beyond in stone. In the original drafts, a lot was left ambiguous or underdeveloped. Angmar was never certain whether he wanted the shaman to be a human conman or an eccentric, twisted elf, and how the character was portrayed varied from chapter to chapter. Given the fact that the forest is inhabited by the undead, I felt it was better to finalize the shaman's identity as an elf so that he might have a certain degree of innate magic that a human wouldn't possess. I also established that the forest is a deeply magical place, inhabited by magical beings. In the original drafts, Angmar backtracked at the very end of the chapter and implied that some of Esarhaddon's experiences might have been "just a dream" or hallucination caused by inhaling the fumes of hallucinogenic plants. Because of the extreme bullying that Angmar experienced from toxic fans, he was left with a lot of self-doubt when it came to including more fantastical elements in his Middle-earth stories. He really wanted to try his hand at writing fantasy magic, but was often intimidated by the prospect of breaking some "rule" made up by ignorant fundamentalists. Many times he included an alternate possibility (hallucinations, dreams, etc.) to appease the critics.

In both this chapter and the earlier "Mandrake Root" (Chapter 17), I established the dark, tragic history of the Thraqum Wood. Angmar introduced the concept of a cursed village in Book 10, but the exact reason why the woodsmen were cursed was left a mystery. I felt it was best to introduce this concept earlier in the story, because the legend of the Thraqum Wood would be quite famous in that part of Nurn. For the history of the woodsmen, I was inspired by the tale of Isildur and the Oathbreakers, as well as Sauron's powers of necromancy.

[...] In glamoury
that necromancer held his hosts
of phantoms and of wandering ghosts,
of misbegotten or spell-wronged
monsters that about him thronged,
working his bidding dark and vile [...]
— The Lay of Leithian, Canto VII

I am quite aware that the concept of human ghosts in Middle-earth can be a controversial one. (So too is magic – there are those who believe that Middle-earth contains very little magic, even though the very nature of Arda is infused with it.) However, if one reads the texts, there are numerous accounts of human spirits: Gorlim's wraith, the ghost of Helm Hammerhand, the Oathbreakers, the Legend of Theoden's Howe from "The War of the Ring," etc. It is possible that some of the Barrow Wights might be human spirits, although many fans believe the wights to be houseless elves or even umaiar possessing the bodies of ancient kings. The dead faces of the Dead Marshes might also be human ghosts as well, but it is also possible that they are merely illusions. There are also established human cultural beliefs in spirits and ghosts to consider as well.

Angmar theorized that parts of Laws and Customs of the Eldar could also apply to Men – at least in an alternative universe setting. Upon death, Elven spirits have a choice: they can heed the call of Mandos, or they can linger upon the earth. Tolkien left the fates of Men much more vague. After a time in Mandos, their spirits pass beyond the Circles of the World, and not even the Valar know their ultimate fate.

"The fea is single, and in the last impregnable. It cannot be brought to Mandos. It is summoned; and the summons proceeds from just authority, and is imperative; yet it may be refused. Among those who refused the summons (or rather invitation) of the Valar to Aman in the first years of the Elves, refusal of the summons to Mandos and the Halls of Waiting is, the Eldar say, frequent. It was less frequent, however, in ancient days, while Morgoth was in Arda, or his servant Sauron after him; for then the fea unbodied would flee in terror of the Shadow to any refuge - unless it were already committed to the Darkness and passed then into its dominion. In like manner even of the Eldar some who had become corrupted refused the summons, and then had little power to resist the counter- summons of Morgoth."
— "Laws and Customs of the Eldar, Morgoth's Ring

Angmar theorized that the spirits of Men might also choose to linger upon Middle-earth after death, especially if they had some purpose that they were unable to fulfill in life. Human spirits might also be bound to Middle-earth through dark sorcery – the kind wielded by Morgoth and Sauron, and powerful servants of darkness such as the Nazgul. Of course, these tethers would not be permanent ones, and if the chains upon these spirits were broken, they could at last answer the call of Mandos and then depart from Arda forever.

(While the fate of Men after death is considered an in-universe mystery, Tolkien was quite clear about the afterlife in his earlier writings. For an interesting take on what happens to Men after they die, see Tolkien's early drafts from The Book of Lost Tales. There were four fates for the spirits of Men: Some stay in the Halls of Mandos; most go to a place in Aman called Arvalin to wait the Great End; a small number of spirits are chosen to live with the Valar; and truly terrible spirits are driven back to Middle-earth to endure the torments of Melkor. There is a reason why Udûn, the Sindarin name of Utumno, is also known as Hell.)

Angmar used this chapter to introduce the magic system that he created for both the Second Darkness RPG and The Circles fanfiction series. In his early explorations into Tolkien’s universe, Angmar theorized that there might be other ways for the living to enter the Unseen Realm than through a Ring of Power. Intrigued by the allusions to necromancy in "Laws and Customs of the Eldar," he theorized that it might be possible for a sorcerer to create a temporary portal to the spirit realm by means of a heavily bespelled magic circle. These circles would draw the sorcerer into the unseen world like the One Ring, and the magic spells which imbued the circle would protect the sorcerer from houseless spirits which might not always be friendly. Undead with a physical presence could also cast circles to bring the living into the unseen realm, sometimes so they could reveal their spiritual forms, other times so they could exert even more power over their victims.

Since the circles of power are inspired by the mechanics of the Rings of Power, I made some minor revisions to ensure that Angmar's magic system could theoretically fit in with the constraints of Tolkien's lore.

Dear Reader, for the first time in twenty years, the true meaning of THE CIRCLES has at last been revealed. Angmar and I never actually came up with a name for our fanfiction series; "The Circles" was meant to be a working title for a RPG campaign set in Minas Morgul which would heavily feature Angmar's magic system. When we decided to turn the RPG campaign into a fanfiction series, we continued to call the story by its working title, even though the story would take an entirely different direction. When you spend all your time and energy worldbuilding and maneuvering characters and complex plotlines, you sometimes run out of creativeideas for dynamic titles...

Even though the focus of the story would move away from magic, Angmar and I justified our decision for keeping "The Circles" name by using the logic that the various characters are somehow interconnected with each other through circles of influence. Elfhild and Elffled are at the center of the circle, while other characters, such as Esarhaddon and the Witch-king, make up the secondary circle, since they have had direct interactions with the twins. The tertiary circle of influence would be made up of characters who interact with those in the secondary circle, even though they might never meet the twins. So all of the characters in The Circles have either interacted with Elfhild and Elffled, or have some connection to characters who have.

The Circles could also refer to the Circles of the World as well.

If you'd like to get in touch with the author of "The Circles," write to Elfhild or post comments to The Circles Discussion Forum.

Chapter 22, "The Dancing Girl," has just been added to Book 9! On a whim, Esarhaddon attends a harvest celebration put on by the vineyard laborers at Shakh Sandana's estate. While there, he has an amorous encounter with a seductive dancing girl.

This chapter gets a little spicy, although the heat is pretty mild.

About that ominious ending... After several chapters of subtle foreshadowing, the threat of the Thraqum Wood is about to become very real. The horrors have only just begun...

If you'd like to get in touch with the author of "The Circles," write to Elfhild or post comments to The Circles Discussion Forum.

Chapter 21, "The Wine Harvest," has been added to Book 9! Esarhaddon and his family enjoy attending a wine festival on the estate of a very unconventional Nurnian vintner.

Sometimes when writing a story, mistakes from the first draft get carried over into the second draft. While editing this chapter, I discovered that this was unfortunately the case. Esarhaddon's sons and his love interest were written as attending the wine festival with him, with the implication being that they would return home first. However, they just sort of disappeared out of the chapter, which led to a lot of confusion when I was editing it. When revising the chapter, I explicitly stated - in two different places - the order in which the characters are to return home.

Originally Esarhaddon's love interest was a minor side character, but I gave the role to Goldwyn as she is more important in the story. Angmar had actually omitted this side character from the 2014 version of the chapter, but I thought that the addition of Goldwyn would help integrate her own tale into the other major stories in the book. Goldwyn was another character whose role was greatly reduced in the 2014 rewrite, and I have been borrowing elements from the 2006 version in an attempt to restore her importance to the story.

In the 2006 and 2014 versions of this chapter, both Abaru and Kabtu travel with Esarhaddon to Shakh Sandana's villa. Since I decided to have Abaru become Sandana's apprentice, I thought it would be better for him to be waiting at the vineyard to greet his family. (The reason I decided to have Abaru serve an apprenticeship to the vintner is because Angmar wanted Sandana to be an important character in the story, and I felt that this would give him a more personal connection to Esarhaddon's family. In scenes where Sandana is interacting with Abaru, he was originally interacting with various servants.)

Although Angmar and I wrote little about Sandana's wife, Angmar envisioned her as being an arrogant, quarrelsome woman who kept high maintenance dogs which required constant grooming and dedicated servants to tend to their needs. At one point, Angmar considered writing a storyline in which Elfhild and Elffled become the handmaidens of Sandana's wife, and have to groom her dogs. While this concept might have been abandoned, I wanted to pay homage to Angmar's ideas by introducing Lady Zorvani and her dogs.

I chose the Afghan Hound for inspiration, as this is an Central Asian breed known for its long, luxurious hair.

Setting up chapters like "The Wine Harvest" can be very difficult, because they require complicated choreography to establish where all the characters are, and who is doing what at what time. If there is not enough attention to detail, characters will seem to disappear out of the chapter, which might not be a good thing if you don't want that effect. I tried to create the image of Sandana's estate as being quite busy due to the wine harvest festival, with guests milling about and looking at all the attractions and participating in various activities.

I think that this combination of old (2006), slightly less old (2014), and new (2025) makes for an interesting blend!

If you'd like to get in touch with the author of "The Circles," write to Elfhild or post comments to The Circles Discussion Forum.

Book Five: Through the Valley of Death Recaptured by the Haradric slave traders, Elfhild and Elffled once again find themselves forced to resume their journey to the Dark Land of Mordor. Once they pass over the Anduin, all hope of escape is lost, and each mile that passes brings them ever closer to the culmination of their fears. Home is behind them; slavery lies ahead. Torn between loyalties and tormented by grief and guilt, the twin sisters struggle to accept the fate which seems to await them at the journey's end. Before the twins and their captors ever reach Mordor, however, they must pass through the ethereal mists of the Morgul Vale, a place so terrifying that even the minds of brave men succumb to madness. In this realm of mists and shadows, nothing is as it seems, and the boundaries between reality and illusion are blurred to obscurity. What strange sights and experiences await them in the treacherous Morgul Pass? Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only. Click Here to Read Book Five

Book Six: Across the Wide Hamada After being freed from the dungeons of Cirith Ungol, twin sisters Elfhild and Elffled come at last to the Plateau of Gorgoroth, where they are reunited with the rest of the Rohirric captives. The tumultuous heart of Sauron's realm, the desolate, rolling hamada is a land of feral beauty, where the ground trembles with the Dark Lord's might, and mountains spew forth fire. While the captives are lost to all hope, far away in their war-torn homeland, the forces of the West steadily drive the hordes of Mordor back towards the Mering Stream. In the Throne Room of the Eye, the Dark Lord stares into the Palantír and witnesses one defeat after another, and the Mountain of Doom churns with the fury of His wrath... Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only. Click Here to Read Book Six

Book Seven: Land of Treachery Southern Gorgoroth can be a harsh and unforgiving land, yet both Men and Orcs call this region their home. The greed of King Thaguzgoth, chieftain of the Kafakudraûg Clan of the Sand Orcs, knows no bounds, and not even Sauron's caravans are safe from his goblin raiders. However, the King would be wise to look to his own household, for there are those who would plot his downfall. When a band of Uruk-hai mercenaries arrive at Kafakudraûg Cavern, this simmering cauldron of intrigue comes to a roiling boil. One day, Prince Zarkfir will become the chieftain of the Dolrujâtar, a tribe of nomadic sheep and goat herders who dwell upon the plains of Lithlad. Pressured by his family to take a wife, the prince struggles to abide by tradition and follow the desires of his heart. Will he find happiness after a chance meeting with a stranger in the desert? A tale of adventure set in dungeons deep and sweltering deserts beneath the Sun... in the Land of Treachery. Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only. Click Here to Read Book Seven

Book Eight: A Mordorian Bestiary A collection of tales set in Mordor, many of which feature various creatures that dwell within that dreadful land. Forced to flee Mordor so they can be together, young lovers Inbir and Aeffe take sanctuary in the Mountains of Shadow, where they find a mysterious valley inhabited by giant cats and fell beasts. The commander of the Fortress of the Setting Sun is an eccentric man with a streak of cruelty, a twisted sense of humor, and a deep and abiding love for ferrets. Imprisoned in the Houses of Lamentation, the Witch-king of Angmar befriends a lowly rat named Murg, inspiring him to lead a revolution against the cats of Barad-dûr. Descended from the Mearas, the black horses of Mordor are famous for many things - intelligence, loyalty, an intuitive knowledge of what their riders expect of them, and speed which surpasses that of most other horses in Middle-earth. They can also speak, although there are few who understand what they say. Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only. Click Here to Read Book Eight

Book Nine: Beneath the Nurnian Sky Nurn: A land of pastoral beauty, of lush vineyards, fields of plenty, and a majestic sea of deepest azure. However, despite its fair climate and idyllic countryside, a sense of dark evil permeates the realm, sometimes barely noticeable, other times palpably oppressive. Elfhild and Elffled are new students at the School of Industry, an elite academy dedicated to training female servants of Mordor. The school seems an unexpected boon to them, for they have been given an opportunity to receive an education, something which they never would have had in Rohan. Few things are free in the Land of Gifts, however, and this education comes at a price. When Goldwyn finds herself the concubine of a wealthy slave trader whom she loathes, she laments her miserable existence. Her disdain for her unwanted husband carries over to every member of his household, from his other two wives to the lowliest servant of the house. However, could she find allies where she least expects them? Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only. Click Here to Read Book Nine

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All original characters and their names copyright their creators and may not be used in other stories. All Tolkien characters copyright J.R.R. Tolkien. This fan fiction series by Angmar and Elfhild was inspired in part by Tolkien's collective writings: The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle-earth series. We derive no profit from this venture, and write these stories out of our love for Middle-earth.

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