| �The world is changed, I feel it in the earth, I feel it in the water, I smell it in the air, all that once was is lost for none now live who remember it� It began with the forging of the great rings by the Elvensmiths. Three were given to the elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all creatures. Seven to the Lords of the Dwarves, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. Finally, nine were given to the kings of men who above greed for power. In these rings was bound the will and power to govern each race. But in the land of Mordor, domain of the Dark Lord Sauron, another ring was made. Forged from pure gold and mingled with his own blood, Sauron poured all his power into the One, One Ring to rule them All. One by one the races began to fall, but there were some who resisted. A Last Alliance of Men under the sword of Elendil and Elves under the spear of Gil-Galad marched against the armies of Mordor. On the slopes of Mount Doom they faced Sauron himself, and in one last act of courage, Isildur, son of the king, seeing Gil-Galad slain and Elendil dead, took up his father�s sword and cut off the Ring from Sauron�s hand. He was defeated and his armies scattered into the mountains. But the spirit of Sauron endured, because Isildur kept the ring instead of destroying it. Yet the Ring of Power, had a will of its own, and betrayed Isildur to his death. For 2,500 years the Ring passed away from all knowledge, until it was found by the creature Gollum who kept it for 500 years in the Misty Mountains. But then the Ring was found by Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire who held on to it for a good 60 years until now, when the true story begins. The Fellowship of the Ring is about how Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of the shire inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo, when he (Bilbo) decides to leave the Shire, a hobbit-homeland, and stay with the Elves. Gandalf the Grey, the wizard friend of the hobbits, has now discovered that the Ring is in fact Sauron�s master ring and has sent Frodo off on a journey to take the ring away from the Shire. With him will travel his gardener and friend, Samwise Gamgee. They will cut across country and meet Gandalf at the village of Bree. Meanwhile, Gandalf rides to Isengard, seeking Counsel from the Head of the Order of wizards, only to discover that Saruman the White, his age-old friend has betrayed them and joined with Sauron to find the Ring and wage war against Middle-Earth. Gandalf battles Saruman in a magical battle that leaves him prisoner in the Tower of Orthanc, stronghold of Saruman. Later on, Frodo is joined by Merry and Pippin, two other hobbits who help him get to Bree and outrun a new foe, the Black Riders. When they get to Bree, they meet Strider, a shady ranger whom they know nothing off, yet he claims to know Gandalf and leads them to Rivendell, an elven-haven deep in the forests of the Misty Mountains. On their way they take refuge in the Weathertop, an ancient watch tower in the countryside. That night they are attacked by the Black Riders, revealed to be servants of Sauron who at all times feel the presence of the Ring. Frodo makes the mistake of putting the Ring on to try and escape, using the ring�s power of invisibility, but the Riders can see into the twilight world and stab Frodo in the chest. Strider fights them off but now the hour grows dark. The blade�s poison is spreading fast and Frodo quickly begins to fade. Out of the night arrives Arwen, an elf-maiden of Rivendell and takes Frodo on horseback in an attempt to reach Rivendell in time to heal him. She is chased now by the Black Riders or Ringwraiths as most know them, across the plains to the Ford of Bruithen. Arwen makes it across the river and summons the waters of the Misty Mountains to flood the River, drowning the Black Steeds and washing away the Ringwraiths, for now. Frodo wakes up after days of unconciousness, healed by the skills of Elrond, Lord of Rivendell and father to Arwen. Frodo finally meets Gandalf, who managed to escape the Saruman�s Tower, as well as Sam, Merry, and Pippin. But true delight enlights his face when he sees Bilbo, who has aged at a very fast rate ever since he left the Ring behind. Elrond now calls a meeting, with representatives of every race in Middle Earth, and it is decided that the Ring must be destroyed. Frodo volunteers to take it to Mount Doom, the mountain of fire in Mordor, the one place it can be destroyed. With him a Fellowship will protect him. From the race of Men, Boromir of Gondor, Strider, know revealed to be Aragorn, lost heir to the throne of Gondor, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Gandalf the Grey Wizard, Merry, Pippin, and Sam. The Fellowship travel south of Rivendell to Mordor, realm of Sauron. They attempt crossing the path of Caradhras to avoid being seen by Saruman, the treacherous wizard. The crossing fails and they are forced to go under the mountains, through the Mines of Moria, a dwarven kingdom underneath the Misty Mountains. This civilization lay in ruins, a devastating sight for Gimli, the dwarf member of the Fellowship. After battling minions of Orcs and Goblins they manage to reach the Bridge of Khazad Dum, which leads to the other side of the mountains. There the Fellowship encounter a Balrog, an ancient powerful demon. In a final attempt to save the others, Gandalf manages to defeat the Balrog and casting him to the abyss under the Bridge, but at the cost of his own life, since he falls when the Balrog takes him down with him. The Fellowship faced their first loss but there wasn;t time for mourning. Orcs were soon to follow and they must reach the woods of Lothlorien in hope of refuge from these perils. Lothlorien was an ancient elven kingdom, where the highest and most celestial of elves still dwelled. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light, mighty sorceress of the Golden Woods. They greet the Fellowship with a place to stay and momentary refuge. That night Frodo is given a look into Galadriel�s Mirror. There, he saw a glimpse of the future, what would happen if the quest should fail. Now in more fear and doubt than ever, Frodo willingly offers the ring to Galadriel, who can�t deny she has so greatly desired it. Yet the elf-queen endures the temptation and passes the test, for in the hands of a being so powerful, the ring would wield a wrath as worse as Sauron�s. With parting elven gifts, the Fellowship sails down the Anduin River where they meet a small troop of Saruman�s Uruk-Hai, warriors created in his fortress. Before this epic struggle, Boromir attempts to take the ring from Frodo but tries to redeem himself from his grave mistake in this last battle. Frodo decides to finish the quest on his own to avoid loosing anyone else. Boromir falls at the hands of the Uruks, and Merry and Pippin are kidnapped mistaken to have the Ring in their possession. The fellowship part ways: Sam joins Frodo and will continue the Quest for Mordor. Aragron, Legolas and Gimli refuse to abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death, and embark on a chase that will be renowned among all races. Even though times grow dark, hope remains as long as the company remains true. - To be Continued- |
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| This page was last updated on: Friday, March 19, 2004 |
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Journey Begins |