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.
In the midst of this, two young maidens,
twins Elfhild and Elffled, are captured by orcs in a preliminary
raid against Rohan. Their world destroyed, their fate uncertain,
they face the bleak prospects of slavery at the hands of cruel
masters.
The Witch-king of Angmar and his fellows
struggle and suffer to serve a mad God who both loves them and
seeks to destroy them. In truth, they are no more fortunate than
the lowly thralls of Mordor, for they, too, are in bondage, locked in
a silent war for the freedom to live and love as they see fit.
The Dark Lord Sauron, a victim of His own
lusts, wishes to possess Arda and encompass it in His twisted
love. Obsessively, He craves the worship and adoration of all
mankind, but His thirst for total dominion of mind and soul twists
and perverts all His designs. His spirit weighed down with the
frustrations of the ages, still He strives against the Valar to
possess the world that He loves.
A tale of peasants and Powers; of masters
and slaves; freedom and bondage; of adventure, mystery and intrigue;
of wars and bloodshed; of love and loss; of spirits and magic
and the unquiet dead.
Come journey
to the exotic lands of the East and South - Khand,
Harad, Nurn, Rhun and Umbar... and beyond.
December 1, 2024
Chapter 17, "The Mandrake Root," has just been added to Book 9. Unable to conceive and jealous of her sister wife's new baby, Shumeeren sends her handmaiden to purchase a fertility charm from the shaman of the Thraqum Wood.
This is the last chapter directly connected to the birth of Mindin, Esarhaddon's youngest son. I wanted to post the chapter in November in honor of the 20th Anniversary, but I wasn't able to make it in time.
Angmar was never quite certain about the backstory of the shaman. He was torn between making the character a twisted elf from Angband, or a human con artist who is merely pretending to be an elf to appear more mystical. Angmar even considered making the shaman half-elven as a compromise between the two possibilities.
In the original version of Book 9, the primary threat of the Thraqum Wood was the cultists who practiced their dark rituals in the forest. However, in Book 10, a new concept was introduced - the forest is also home to a cursed village inhabited by the undead. When the main threat was the cultists, I feel that the character of the shaman could work as either a human or an elf. However, if there is a significant number of undead also dwelling in the forest, I think it makes more sense if the shaman is an elf, since an elf would be able to withstand the presence of the undead better than a mortal man.
In my edits of Chapter 17, I have tried to blend these two concepts together, as well as hint at the mysterious origins of the darkness which lays over the Thraqum Wood. The shaman is an elf, but he also seems to be running some sort of con game as well. At this point in the story, his motives remain a mystery, but perhaps more will be revealed in future chapters...
Speaking of future chapters: a mutual friend of Angmar's and mine pointed out a logic flaw in the ordering of events in Book 9. After the Mandrake Root chapter, the next section of the book revolves around a celebration Esarhaddon hosts to commemorate the birth of his son. This celebration originally took place a week after the birth of Mindin, but the friend said it would be more logical if Esarhaddon waited a month to hold the celebration, both to ensure that the child and mother were in good health, and to give more time for guests to plan their journey to the villa. I did some research into some of the cultures and time periods which inspired Angmar's worldbuilding, and discovered that indeed it was a custom in multiple cultures and countries to wait over a month before celebrating the birth of a child. I could leave the order of events as is, but knowing Angmar, he would probably be frustrated with himself because he did not think of this when he was writing the story.
Rearranging the order of events in Book 9 would be a relatively easy affair, but it does force me to finish two chapters before I had originally planned. One of the chapters is a bit more difficult than the other, because it is a transitional chapter that serves as a recap of Elfhild and Elffled's first month at the School of Industry. On a more positive note, rearranging the order of events means that the readers will get to the spooky section of Book 9 sooner rather than later. The horrors of the Thraqum Wood await...
If you'd like to get in touch with the author of
"The Circles," write to Elfhild.
***
November 24, 2024
Chapter 16, "The Arrival of Mindin," has been added to Book 9. The long-awaited arrival of Anúrnissa's baby brings both joy and sorrow, for though the child is healthy, his limbs are deformed.
If you'd like to get in touch with the author of
"The Circles," write to Elfhild.
***
November 14, 2024
!!! TODAY IS THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIRCLES !!!
It was the month of November, the year 2004.
For several months, a small group of roleplayers had been involved in a campaign with a unique premise: Sauron, having regained the One Ring, decides to punish Frodo Baggins by rewarding him for the safe return of the Precious. Proclaiming Frodo as a great hero of the realm, Sauron gives him everything that a hobbit could ever want – fame, fortune, a scenic villa, food and drink aplenty, servants to tend to his every need. These unwanted rewards torment Frodo with guilt and shame because they are constant reminders of his failure.
At that particular time, the scenario the roleplayers were playing involved Frodo and his entourage traveling from a seaside city in Nurn to a Mordor-occupied Minas Tirith. On the way, the travelers stop at Minas Morgul. The stay is a brief one, but the Lord of the Nazgul demands that two members of Frodo's party remain in Minas Morgul. Forced to become the reluctant servants of the fearsome Morgul Lord, Elfhild and Elffled are ushered into an enchanted realm of spirits and magic and the unquiet dead.
Intrigued by the concept of the Witch-king taking on two reluctant apprentices, Angmar decided to turn what was initially meant to be a side-plot into a full story. He had originally intended for the story to become a public campaign in his Second Darkness RPG, but later decided that it would be a private project that would eventually intersect with the public RPG. From November 2004 to May 2005, Angmar and I wrote about the adventures of Elfhild and Elffled in Minas Morgul and their often turbulent relationship with the Witch-king. This private campaign was given the working title of "The Circles," referring to certain elements of Angmar's Tolkien-inspired magic system.
The initial chapters that we wrote for the Circles campaign felt truly magical - and not just because the setting was an enchanted city preserved from the effects of Time. The story was set in late October and early November, so the weather in the story matched the weather outside our windows. There is nothing so cozy as writing on a November day, when the world is cold and dreary outside, but warm and toasty inside. To watch the muted light of the overcast afternoon turn into the deep blue shadows of evening as you pass the hours with a beloved friend, embarking upon wild flights of fancy as you listen to the heavy melodies of atmospheric black metal - a truly enchanting experience.
When Second Darkness disbanded in the spring of 2005, Angmar and I decided to turn the Circles campaign into a fanfiction series. Excited by the prospect of greater creative freedom and wanting a fresh start, we decided to take a different approach to this project. The basic premise would be the same as Second Darkness - the Witch-king survives Pelennor and Sauron regains the One Ring - but there would be few similarities beyond that. Angmar did want to integrate parts of the original Circles campaign into the fanfiction series, but this would prove to be a major dilemma, due to the great differences between the fanfiction series and the RPG campaign. It's a dilemma I'm still struggling to solve all these years later, but I do have some fresh ideas concerning the matter.
A twentieth anniversary is a BIG DEAL. I have done much deliberating on how to best celebrate this big day. I had considered posting some rejected drafts and story fragments about the Nazgul, but I fear I would have to do a lot of explaining to make some of these scenes make sense to the reader. I still might post these apocryphal accounts at some point – the "Lost Book of Nazgul Tales" might be an appropriate name for them.
While I did not post any fractured Nazgul stories, I have added THREE new chapters to Book 9!
Chapter 13 - Night of Decision - With little recourse available to her, Goldwyn is driven to play a dangerous game of seduction as part of her strategy to escape Mordor.
Chapter 14 - Labor Pains - In an attempt to distract his mistress from the pains of labor, Guli tells Anúrnissa a folk tale from the Northern Haradic kingdom of Harûnak.
Chapter 15 - A Long Expecting Party - In many regions of Nurn and Harad, it is the custom for women to give birth surrounded by family and friends. Anúrnissa summons a host of women to help her usher her first child into the world through the help of music and ritualistic dance.
The West loses the War of the Ring
and the proud city of Minas Tirith falls to the forces of the
Dark Lord. In these days of darkness and fear, two young maidens,
twins Elfhild and Elffled, are captured by orcs in a preliminary
raid against Rohan. Herded off with other captives, the sisters
know little of their destination, only that they are being driven
ever East towards Mordor, the dreadful land of horror and shadows.
Their world destroyed, their fate uncertain, they face the bleak
prospects of slavery at the hands of their enemies.
The armies of Mordor, driven ceaselessly
by their masters, march ever onward towards the West. The Dark
Lord Sauron sits upon his black throne, eagerly anticipating the
final victory as he watches history unfold through the palantír.
With Gondor fallen, will Rohan
be conquered at last... and then the rest of Middle-earth?
Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only.
After arriving at the ruins of Minas Tirith, the captives are handed over to a group of Haradric slavers, led by Esarhaddon uHuzziya, one of the owners of a slave trading business in Nurn. A man of might and mastery, this handsome, rakish Southron symbolizes everything that the Rohirric women dread.
Orphaned, their land destroyed, Elfhild and Elffled struggle to remain defiant against their foes, even when faced with ghastly reminders of the enemy's might. Goldwyn, stern and proud, refuses to surrender to despair like so many others have done.
Each step on this journey of sorrow takes the Rohirric captives closer to Mordor, the Land of Shadows from which there is no return. Is there any hope of escape, or is slavery to be their doom?
Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only.
BOOK THREE OF THE CIRCLES
To Escape a Dark Destiny
Driven by her pursuers into an old crypt in Osgiliath, Goldwyn finds herself trapped in a nightmare from which there is no awakening. But are the horrors real, or only figments of her guilt-tormented mind?
Having successfully evaded the orcs, Frodwine, Frumgar and Fritha, the three sons of Goldwyn, embark on a quest to return to Rohan. However, this is not some childish adventure - it is a matter of life and death.
Journeying through the wasteland of Anorien, Elfhild and Elffled desperately try to keep one step ahead of the slavers. But perhaps there are others who are far more intimidating than the Haradrim...
Can any of them escape the evil destiny which the enemy has planned for them, or is to attempt to do so utterly useless?
Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only.
As the last wain in the slaver's caravan crosses the Anduin, the fate of the captives is sealed. At the mercy of her enemies and the delusions of her own mind, Goldwyn resolves to kindle her hatred into a burning passion, even if it means spurning those who might truly care for her.
Meanwhile, twins Elfhild and Elffled and the three sons of Goldwyn - Frodwine, Frumgar and Fritha - journey through Anorien, though the courses which they take vary greatly. Danger lies everywhere, but what about friends unlooked-for?
Some chapters may have violent and/or sexual themes. For mature readers only.
BOOK FIVE OF THE CIRCLES
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Delve into the history of the Nazgul...
Learn to speak Black Speech...
Peruse yellowed pages of dusty tomes penned in ages past...
Who knows what you will find in the Library?
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.
~ CELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS ~
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.
