The Witch King of Angmar

.The Facade.





Character Name:
The Witch King of Angmar


Name Meaning: He was given this name after forming the kingdom of Angmar in the north where it was believed he was a powerful sorceror.



Age:
4200+


Date of Birth: Unknown for sure but it was believed that before becoming a Nazgul he may have been a Numenorean which would have put his birth some time in the second Age


Race: He was once a Man.



Residence:
Minas Morgul


Profession:
Ringwraith, leader of Sauron's armies


Appearance:
Most of the time he is depicted as a human form wearing a set of heavy black robes with a black hood.  The only visible parts of his body would be his feet and hands which are both covered by heavy, spiked armor.  The hood of his cloak is so deep that it would mask any face he once had leaving nothing but a black void where a human face should be.  In combat he typically wears a suit of armor over these black robes and a heavy black crown of spikes attached to a mask in the shape of a screaming face is placed over the hood to give him a more intimidating appearance. 


Personality:  Cold, in truth it's probably more accurate to say that he doesn't have a personality.  He is a servant of Sauron and the Dark Lord's will is his own.  Though the Ring wraiths have been given some level of autonomy they still ultimately are bound to the dark lord's will and therefore must obey only his will.  What semblance of a personality he has could be described as cold, prideful and commanding.  He is cold because he cares not for the feelings or emotions of others and leastwise his subordinates, not that orcs have much feelings.  He is prideful because he proved himself as a powerful sorcerer and warrior during Angmar's war with the splintered kingdoms of Arnor, and commanding because when he speaks...others listen.  The aura of fear that emanates from him makes all but the sturdiest will recoil, He is the second in command to Sauron himself and his word is obeyed.







Parents:
Unknown


Sibling(s):
Unknown


Spouse:
Unknown


Children:
Unknown


History: The first sighting of the Nazgûl in Middle-earth was reported in SA 2251. For the next 1200 years, the Lord of the Nazgûl would serve Sauron as his second in command. He fought in the war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men between SA 3434 and SA 3441. It was in SA 3441 when Sauron was finally defeated and the nine Nazgûl disappeared from Middle-earth.

One thousand years into the Third Age, Sauron took a new form as the Necromancer, and founded the fortress of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood in TA 1050. This signaled the return of the Nine Nazgûl to Middle-earth.  The Lord of the Nazgûl reappeared in TA 1300 in the north near the lost realm of Arnor. There he founded the kingdom of Angmar. It was after the formation of Angmar and several conflicts with the Dúnedain of the North that the Lord of the Nazgûl received the title of "Witch-king, Lord of Angmar".

He then began his open war campaign with the three divided kingdoms of Arnor (Arthedain, Rhudaur, and Cardolan). In TA 1356, the Witch-king invaded the kingdom of Rhudaur and replaced the Dúnedain king of the land with a hill-chief allied to Angmar. King Argeleb of Arthedain was killed trying to defend Rhudaur against Angmar. In TA 1409 the troops of the Witch-king assaulted the fortress of Amon Sûl and burned the tower, during which conflict king Arveleg of Arthedain was killed. The Witch-king then invaded and destroyed the kingdom of Cardolan. Then the Witch-king invaded Arthedain and came close to destroying it but King Araphor with the help of the elves of Lindon and Rivendell managed to defeat the invading forces.

Soon, the only resistance against the Witch-king's forces was the western kingdom of Arthedain. The Witch-king continued his war for hundreds of years. In TA 1636, the Witch-king sent wights to the Barrow-downs in Cardolan in order to prevent the rebirth of the kingdom. The Witch-king claimed ultimate victory in the north in TA 1974, when his forces captured Fornost Erain, the capital of Arthedain. With its capture, the final kingdom collapsed, and with it, the last remnants of the lost realm of Arnor were destroyed.

The Witch-king gladly took his seat of power in the newly captured Fornost. But his glory did not last long, for in TA 1975, general Eärnur of Gondor landed at the harbours of the Grey Havens, leading an army of Gondor. His army was joined by the Elves of Lindon and the remnant of the northern Dúnedain, and they marched on the Witch-king.

Eärnur's host did not meet the Witch-king at Fornost, but on the plains west of it toward Lake Evendim, home of the ancient kings of Arnor, Annúminas. The battle would forever be known as the Battle of Fornost. Eärnur's Dúnedain army was later joined in the mists of battle by Glorfindel and his Elven army from Rivendell. The Witch-king revealed himself and challenged Eärnur. As Eärnur attempted to attack, his horse was overwhelmed with fear of the Nazgûl lord and bucked. The Witch-king, taunting Eärnur, fled the battlefield. When Eärnur attempted to follow, Glorfindel stopped him with a warning that would become prophetic in the future:

"Do not pursue him! He will not return to these lands. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man shall he fall."

The Witch-king, having destroyed the North-kingdom, fled to the North. Angmar was left leaderless and soon collapsed.

Having ruined the Dunedain kingdoms in Eriador, the Witch-king returned to Mordor. Although Sauron was still hiding in Dol Guldur (disguised as the Necromancer), the other eight Nazgûl rallied around the Witch-king. Together, the nine of them laboured to rebuild their master's power in Mordor, gathering huge Orcish hordes about themselves. In the year TA 2000 they came out of Mordor and began attacking Gondor, which was recovered from the Great Plague but devastated by the Wainriders. In TA 2002 they captured Minas Ithil, and took the place for their own. It became known as Minas Morgul and its citadel "the Tower of Witchcraft", and remained a place of great evil for centuries thereafter.


In TA 2043, King Eärnil II of Gondor passed away and his son Eärnur, the Witch-king's old enemy, inherited the throne. Upon his coronation, the Witch-king challenged him to single combat, but Eärnur refused. However, seven years later in TA 2050 the Witch-king again challenged him—and Eärnur accepted. The Gondorian King rode out of Minas Tirith to fight the Witch-king at Minas Morgul. He entered the city's gates and was never seen again, thus ending the reign of the Gondorian Kings and beginning the rule of the Stewards of Gondor. In TA 2063 the Watchful Peace began when Sauron fled Dol Guldur and hid in the East, and the Nazgûl remained quiet in Minas Morgul for the next 400 years.

In TA 2460, the Watchful Peace ended when Sauron, disguised as the Necromancer, returned with increased strength to Dol Guldur, and in TA 2475 the Witch-king led hordes of Orcs and Haradrim against Osgiliath and seized its eastern half. The city was ruined, and the great stone bridge linking the east and west banks of the Anduin river was destroyed, dealing a devastating blow to the morale of Gondor.

In TA 2941 the Necromancer was finally expelled from Dol Guldur when Gandalf confirmed that he truly was Sauron in disguise. Sauron returned to Mordor and began preparations to find his One Ring. He began the reconstruction of Barad-dûr in TA 2951 and sent three Ringwraiths to re-capture Dol Guldur.

---

Future Plot

And in TA 3018, with the capture of Gollum, Sauron learned, through torture, where the land of the Hobbits lay. Unfortunately, Gollum had lied, and the Ringwraiths went to Saruman, who refused to tell them the location of the land of the Halflings. The Witch King chanced upon Grima Wormtongue in Rohan, who, for fear of his life, told the Nazgûl where the Shire was. Sauron opened the gates of Minas Morgul and sent forth the Witch-king and the other Nazgûl disguised as Black Riders to fetch his Ring.

With an attack on Osgiliath that was in fact a ruse, the Nazgûl and army of Orcs were able to cross the river and ride west.

The Witch-king and the other eight Nazgûl rode swiftly from Mordor to the lands of the Shire. They continued to search for "Baggins" until they tracked him to Buckland. The Nine Riders raided Buckland but could not find the Ring.

The Witch-king led four other Nazgûl to Weathertop where they discovered Frodo, Aragorn, and the other hobbits. The Ringwraiths attacked the party and the Witch-king wounded Frodo with a Morgul blade. Though successfully driven off by Aragorn, Frodo's wound threatened to turn him into a wraith like the Nazgûl. Elrond of Rivendell sent Glorfindel to guide Frodo to Rivendell where Elrond could heal his wound. Glorfindel's race to Rivendell lured the Ringwraiths into the Bruinen. Here, Elrond released a Great Flood, with Gandalf giving the waves of the torrent the form of horses. This flood destroyed the physical forms of the Ringwraiths, killed their horses, and sent the Wraiths back to their master in Mordor, buying the Fellowship time to plan an attack.

With their return to Mordor, Sauron bestowed upon the Nazgûl great winged creatures as their new mounts. Sauron used the lesser eight Nazgûl for reconnaissance work and the occasional shock troop. The Witch-king, however, returned to Minas Morgul and resumed the role of commander of Sauron's forces. He then began battles to capture Osgiliath, finally issuing from Morgul with a great host. However, at the bridge over Morgulduin he pauses, feeling the Ring nearby; until Frodo touches the Phial and turns aside his enemy's thought.

The final Battle of Osgiliath was fought on March 13, 3019 of the Third Age against Faramir's rangers. Faramir's forces could not hold the Orc hordes under the control of Gothmog. Faramir pulled his forces back to Minas Tirith assailed by flying Nazgûl, losing much of his force in the retreat. A second time he went forth, and from that assault only Faramir returned to Minas Tirith, gravely wounded, in Gandalf's arms. With Gondor's defeat at Osgiliath, nothing stood in the way of Sauron's ambitions of destroying Minas Tirith and the Free People's hopes.

On March 14, Orcs, Haradrim, and Easterling forces numbering over 200,000 marched on the gates of Minas Tirith. Sauron had bestowed the Witch-king with
newfound strength, making his appears on a black horse, his presence casting a shadow of utter paralysis and fear upon defender and foe. Crying incantations in "some forgotten tongue," he enhanced the power of Grond and weakened the already damaged gate of Minas Tirith. The ram broke open the gate, and the defenders inside fled, terror stricken by his dark presence. However, his march in was hindered by Gandalf the White, the only one able to withstand his power. There was a duel of words between them, and the Witch-king doffed his hood revealing a crown on empty air, mocking Gandalf as "old fool" and bidding him die, threateningly drawing his blade, which blazed of its own accord. Gandalf held firm, ready to do battle, but before they could clash the horns of Rohan sounded, signaling the arrival of aid to Minas Tirith. The Witch-king then withdrew to order the defence against this new threat.

The Witch-king mounted his Fell beast and rallied his troops against the furious charge of the Rohirrim. The army of Rohan was slowed the initial charge blunted by their encounter with the Mumakil, allowing the hosts of Mordor to re-organize. The Witch-king took this opportunity to strike down King Théoden while his troops were in confusion. Flying on the back of his fell beast, he drove upon Théoden. The advancing Rohirrim horses panicked as his beast attacked. Théoden's horse, Snowmane, became frightened, was struck by a black dart and fell upon its master.

As the Witch-king hovered over Théoden on his fell beast, Éowyn and the hobbit Merry stood in his way.

Éowyn slew his fell beast with a single stroke of her sword, severing its neck. The Witch-king arose, and with a cry of hatred he shattered her shield and broke her left arm with a single blow of his mace. But as he towered over her, preparing to deliver the final blow, Merry stabbed his sword from behind into the sinew of the Witch-king's knee. While the Witch-king was distracted, Éowyn drove her sword where the head of the wraith would have been, slaying him.

The prophesy of Glorfindel so many centuries before had thus come to pass. For not by the hand of man had he failed, but by those of a hobbit and a woman. Now, with his death, the tide of the battle had changed, and ultimately the outcome of the War.

Only a few days later, during the final council of war before the assault on the Black Gate, Gandalf predicted that the defeat of the Witch-King, Sauron's single most powerful servant, not to mention the loss of the battle itself, was one of several factors that would undermine Sauron's confidence in the superiority of his forces and make him more likely to throw his entire remaining strength at whatever force of Gondorians and Rohirrim challenged him - thus giving Frodo and Sam their one slender chance to pass unhindered through Mordor and convey the One Ring to Mount Doom.

This counsel proved correct, and no more than ten days later, Sauron himself was finally defeated when the Ring was unmade.