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So desolate were those places and so deep the horror that lay on them that some of the host were unmanned, and they could neither walk nor ride further north. Aragorn looked at them, and there was pity in his eyes rather than wrath; for these were young men from Rohan, from Westfold far away, or husbandmen from Lossarnach, and to them Mordor had been from childhood a name of evil, and yet unreal, a legend that had no part in their simple life; and now they walked like men in a hideous dream made true, and they understood not this war nor why fate should lead them to such a pass. said Aragorn. But keep what honour you may, and do not run. And there is a task which you may attempt and so be not wholly shamed. Take your way south-west till you come to Cair Andros, and if that is still held by enemies, as I think, then re-take it, if you can; and hold it to the last in defence of Gondor and Rohan. Then some being shamed by his mercy overcame their fear and went on, and the others took new hope, hearing of a manful deed within their measure that they could turn to, and they departed. And so, since many men had already been left at the Cross-roads, it was with less than six thousands that the Captains of the West came at last to challenge the Black Gate and the might of Mordor. T HE BLAC K GATE O PENS 887 They advanced now slowly, expecting at every hour some answer to their challenge, and they drew together, since it was but waste of men to send out scouts or small parties from the main host. At nightfall of the fifth day of the march from Morgul Vale they made their last camp, and set fires about it of such dead wood and heath as they could find. They passed the hours of night in wakefulness and they were aware of many things half-seen that walked and prowled all about them, and they heard the howling of wolves. The wind had died and all the air seemed still. They could see little, for though it was cloudless and the waxing moon Baldurs gate jon irenicus official four nights old, there were smokes and fumes that rose out of the earth and the white crescent was shrouded in the mists of Mordor. It grew cold. As morning came the wind began to stir again, but now it came from the North, and soon it freshened to a rising breeze. All the night-walkers were gone, and the land seemed empty. North amid their noisome pits lay the first of the great heaps and hills of slag and broken rock and blasted earth, the vomit of the maggot-folk of Mordor; but south and now near loomed the great rampart of Cirith Gorgor, and the Black Gate amidmost, and the two Towers of the Teeth tall and dark upon either side. For in their last march the Captains had turned away from the old road as it bent east, and avoided the peril of the lurking hills, and so now they were approaching the Morannon from the north-west, even as Frodo had done. The two vast iron doors of the Black Gate under its frowning arch were fast closed. Upon the battlement nothing could be seen. All was silent but watchful. They were come to the last end of their folly, https://mobilestrategygames.cloud/for/pubg-game-for-pc-download-gratis.php stood forlorn and chill in the grey light of early day before towers and walls which their army could not assault with hope, not even if it had brought thither engines of great power, and the Enemy had no more force than would suffice for the manning of the gate and wall alone. Yet they knew that all the hills and rocks about the Morannon were filled with hidden foes, and the shadowy defile beyond was bored and tunnelled by teeming broods of evil things. And as they stood they saw all the Nazguˆl gathered together, hovering above the Towers of the Teeth like vultures; and they knew that they were watched. But still Baldurs gate jon irenicus official Enemy made no sign. No choice was left them but to play their part to its end. Therefore Aragorn now set the host in such array as could best be contrived; and they were drawn up on two great hills of blasted stone and earth that orcs had piled in years of labour. Before them towards Mordor lay like a moat a great mire of reeking mud and foul-smelling pools. When all was ordered, the Captains rode forth towards the Black Gate with a great guard of horsemen and the banner and heralds and 888 T HE L ORD O F THE R INGS trumpeters. There was Gandalf as chief herald, and Aragorn with the sons of Elrond, and Eomer of Rohan, and Imrahil; and Legolas ´ and Gimli and Peregrin were bidden to go also, so that all the enemies of Mordor should have a witness. They came within cry of the Morannon, and unfurled the banner, and blew upon their trumpets; and the heralds stood out and sent their voices up over the battlement of Mordor. Come forth. they cried. Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth. Justice shall be done upon him. For wrongfully he has made war upon Gondor and wrested its lands. Therefore the King of Gondor demands that he should atone for his evils, and depart then for ever. Come forth. There was a long silence, and from wall and gate no cry or sound was heard in answer. But Sauron had already laid his plans, and he had click the following article mind first to play these mice cruelly before he struck to kill. So it was that, even as the Captains were about to turn away, the silence was broken suddenly. There came a long rolling of great drums like thunder in the mountains, and then a braying of horns that shook the very stones and stunned mens ears. And thereupon the door of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out of it there came an embassy from the Dark Tower. At its head there rode a tall and evil shape, mounted upon a black horse, if horse it was; for it was huge and hideous, and its face was a frightful mask, more like a skull than a living head, and in the sockets of its eyes and in its nostrils there burned a flame. The rider was robed all in black, and black was his lofty helm; yet this was no Ringwraith but a living man. The Lieutenant visit web page the Tower of Baradduˆr he was, and his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it, and he said: I am the Mouth of Sauron. But it is told that he was a renegade, who came of the race of those that are named the Black Nu´meno´reans; for they established their dwellings in Middle-earth during the years of Saurons domination, and they worshipped him, being enamoured of evil knowledge. And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again, and because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lords favour; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc. He it was that now rode out, and with him came only a small company of black-harnessed soldiery, and a single banner, black but bearing on it in red the Evil Eye. Now halting a few paces before the Captains of the West he looked them up and down and laughed. Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me. he asked. Or indeed with wit to understand me. Not thou at least. he mocked, turning to Aragorn with scorn. It needs more to make a T HE BLAC K GATE O PENS 889 king than a piece of Elvish glass, or a rabble such as this. Why, any brigand of the hills can show as good a following. Aragorn said naught in answer, but he took the others eye and held it, and for a moment they strove thus; but soon, though Aragorn did not stir nor move hand to weapon, the other quailed and gave back as if menaced with a blow. I am a herald and ambassador, and may not be assailed. he cried. Where such laws hold, said Gandalf, it is also the custom for ambassadors to use less insolence. But no one has threatened you. You have naught to fear from us, until your errand is done. But unless your master has come to new wisdom, then with all his servants you will be in great peril. said the Messenger. Then thou art the spokesman, old greybeard. Have we not heard of thee at whiles, and of thy wanderings, ever hatching plots and mischief at a safe distance. Continue reading this time thou hast stuck out thy nose too far, Master Gandalf; and thou shalt see what comes to him who sets his foolish webs before the feet of Sauron the Great. I have tokens that I was bidden to show to thee to thee in especial, if thou shouldst dare to come. He signed to one of his guards, and he came forward bearing a bundle swathed in black cloths. The Messenger put these aside, and there to the wonder and dismay of all the Captains he held up first the short sword that Sam had carried, and next a grey cloak with an elven-brooch, and last the coat of mithril-mail that Frodo had worn wrapped in his tattered garments. A blackness came before their eyes, and it seemed to them in a moment of silence that the world stood still, but their hearts were dead and their last hope gone. Pippin who stood behind Prince Imrahil sprang forward with a cry of grief. Silence. said Gandalf sternly, thrusting him back; but the Messenger laughed aloud. So you have yet another of these imps with you. he cried. What use you find in them I cannot guess; but to send them as spies into Mordor is beyond even your accustomed folly. Still, I thank him, for it is plain that this brat at least has seen these tokens before, and it would be vain for you to deny them now. I do not wish to deny them, said Gandalf. Indeed, I know them all and all their history, and despite your scorn, foul Mouth of Sauron, you cannot say as much. But why do you bring them here. Dwarf-coat, elf-cloak, blade of the downfallen West, and spy from the little rat-land of the Shire nay, do not start. We know it well here are the marks of a conspiracy. Now, maybe he that bore these things was a creature that you would not grieve to lose, and maybe otherwise: one dear to you, perhaps. If so, take swift counsel with 890 T HE L ORD O F THE R INGS what little wit is left to you. For Sauron does not love spies, and what his fate shall be depends now on your choice. No one answered him; but he saw their faces grey with fear and the horror in their eyes, and he laughed again, for it seemed to him that his sport went well. Good, good. he said. He was dear to you, I see. Or else his errand was one that you did not wish steamer gloves fail. It has. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years, as long and slow as our arts in the Great Tower can contrive, and never be released, unless maybe when he is changed and broken, so that he may come to you, and you shall see what you have done. This shall surely be unless you accept my Lords terms. Name the terms, said Gandalf steadily, but those nearby saw the anguish in his face, and now he seemed an old and wizened man, crushed, defeated at last. They did not doubt that he would accept. These are the terms, said the Messenger, and smiled as he eyed them one by one. The rabble of Gondor and its deluded allies shall withdraw at once beyond the Anduin, first taking oaths never setup pubg free download laptop pc game for to assail Sauron the Great in arms, open or secret. All lands east of the Anduin shall be Saurons for ever, learn more here. West of the Anduin as far as the Misty Mountains and the Gap of Rohan shall be tributary to Mordor, and men there shall bear no weapons, but shall have leave to govern their own click. But they shall help to rebuild Isengard which they have wantonly destroyed, and that shall be Saurons, and there his lieutenant shall dwell: not Saruman, but one more worthy of trust. Looking in the Messengers eyes they read his thought. He was to be that lieutenant, and gather all that remained of the West under his sway; he would be their tyrant and they his slaves. But Gandalf said: This is much to demand for the delivery of one servant: that your Master should receive in exchange what he must else fight many a war to gain. Or has the field of Gondor destroyed his hope in war, so that he falls to haggling. And if indeed we rated this prisoner so high, what surety have we that Sauron, the Base Master of Treachery, will keep his part. Where is this prisoner. Let him be brought forth and yielded to us, and then we will consider these demands. It seemed then to Gandalf, intent, watching him as a man engaged in fencing with a deadly foe, that for the taking of a breath the Messenger was at a loss; yet swiftly he laughed again. Do apk clans clash 2022 of download bandy words in your insolence with the Mouth of Sauron. he cried. Surety you crave. Sauron gives none. If you sue for his clemency you must first do his bidding. These are his terms. Take them or leave them. These we will take. said Gandalf messages музыка в стиле counter-strike congratulate. He cast aside his T HE BLAC K GATE O PENS 891 cloak and a white light shone forth like a sword in that black place. Before his upraised hand the foul Messenger recoiled, and Gandalf coming seized and took from him the tokens: coat, cloak, and sword. These we will take in memory of our friend, he cried. But as for your terms, we reject them utterly. Get you gone, for your embassy is over and death is near to you. We did not come here to waste words in treating with Sauron, faithless and accursed; still less with one of his slaves. Begone. Then the Messenger of Mordor laughed no more. His face was twisted with amazement and anger to the likeness of some wild beast that, as it crouches on its prey, is smitten on the muzzle with a stinging rod. Rage filled him and his mouth slavered, and shapeless sounds of fury came strangling from his throat. But he looked at the fell faces of the Captains and their deadly eyes, and fear overcame his wrath. He gave a great cry, and turned, leaped upon his steed, and with his company galloped madly back to Cirith Gorgor. But as they went his soldiers blew their horns in signal long arranged; and even before they came to the gate Sauron sprang his trap. Drums rolled and fires leaped up. The great doors of the Black Gate swung back wide. Out of it streamed a great host as swiftly as swirling waters when a sluice is lifted. The Captains mounted again and rode back, and from the host of Mordor there went up a jeering yell. Dust rose smothering the air, as from nearby there marched up an army of Easterlings that had waited for the signal in the shadows of Ered Lithui beyond the further Tower. Down from the hills on either side of the Morannon poured Orcs innumerable. The men of the West were trapped, and soon, all about the grey mounds where they stood, forces ten times and more than ten times their match would ring them in a sea of enemies. Sauron had taken the proffered bait in jaws of steel. Little time was left to Aragorn for the ordering of his battle. Upon the one hill he stood with Gandalf, and there fair and desperate was raised the banner of the Tree and Stars. Upon the other hill hard by stood the banners of Rohan and Dol Amroth, White Horse and Silver Swan. And about each hill a ring was made facing all ways, bristling with spear and sword. But in the front towards Mordor where the first bitter assault would come there stood the sons of Elrond on the left with the Du´nedain about them, and on the right the Prince Imrahil with Baldurs gate jon irenicus official men of Dol Amroth tall and fair, and picked men of the Tower of Guard. The wind blew, and the trumpets sang, and arrows whined; but the sun now climbing towards the South was veiled in the reeks of Mordor, and through a threatening haze it gleamed, remote, a sullen 892 T HE L ORD O F THE R INGS red, as if it were the ending of the day, or the Baldurs gate jon irenicus official maybe of all the world of light. And out of the gathering mirk the Nazguˆl came with their cold voices crying words of death; and then all hope was quenched. Pippin had bowed crushed with horror when he heard Gandalf reject the terms and doom Frodo to the torment of the Tower; but he had mastered himself, and now he stood beside Beregond in the front rank of Gondor with Imrahils men. For it seemed best to him to die soon and leave the bitter story of his life, since all was in ruin. I wish Merry was here, he heard himself saying, and quick thoughts raced through his mind, even as he watched the enemy come charging to the assault. Well, well, now at any rate I understand poor Denethor a little better. We might die together, Merry and I, and since die we must, why not. Well, as he is not here, I hope hell find an easier end. But now I must do my best. He drew his sword and looked at it, and the intertwining shapes of red and gold; and the flowing characters of Nu´menor glinted like fire upon the blade. This was made for just such an hour, fallout 4 armorsmith extended thought. If only I could smite that foul Messenger with it, then almost I should draw level with old Merry. Well, Ill smite some of this beastly brood before the end. I wish I could see cool sunlight and green grass again. Then even as he thought these things the first assault crashed into them. The orcs hindered by the mires that lay before the hills halted and poured their arrows into the defending ranks. But through them there came striding up, roaring like beasts, a great company of hilltrolls out of Gorgoroth. Taller and broader than Men they were, and they were clad only in close-fitting mesh of horny scales, or maybe that was their hideous hide; but they bore round bucklers huge and black and wielded heavy hammers in their knotted hands. Reckless they sprang into the pools and waded across, bellowing as they came. Like a storm they broke upon the line of the men of Gondor, and beat upon helm and head, and arm and shield, as smiths hewing the hot bending iron. At Pippins side Beregond was stunned and overborne, and he fell; and the great troll-chief that smote him down bent over him, reaching out a clutching claw; for these fell creatures would bite the throats of those that they threw down. Then Pippin stabbed upwards, and the written blade of Westernesse pierced through the hide and went deep into the vitals of the troll, and his black blood came gushing out. He toppled forward and came crashing down like a falling rock, burying those beneath him. Blackness and stench and crushing pain came upon Pippin, and his mind fell away into a great darkness. T HE BLAC K GATE O PENS 893 So it ends as I guessed it would, his thought said, even as it fluttered away; and it laughed a little within him ere it fled, almost gay it seemed to be casting off at last all doubt and care and fear. And then even as it winged away into forgetfulness it heard voices, and they seemed to be crying in some forgotten world far above: The Eagles are coming. The Eagles are coming. For one moment more Pippins thought hovered. Bilbo. it said. But no. That came in his tale, long long ago. This is my tale, and it is ended now. Good-bye.
The paths out of the narrow gorge fell steeply. Only a glimpse, as through a tall window, could be seen of the great valley in the gloaming below. A single small light could be seen twinkling by the river. This journey is over, maybe, said The´oden, but I have far yet to go. Two nights ago the moon was full, and in the morning I shall ride to Edoras to the gathering of the Mark. ´ Harrowdale at last. said Eomer. Our journey is almost at an But if you would take my counsel, said Eomer in a low voice, Pubg windows10 key would then return hither, until the war is over, lost or won. The´oden smiled. Nay, my son, for so I will call you, speak not the soft words of Wormtongue in my old ears. He drew himself up and looked back at the long line of his men fading into the dusk behind. Long years in the space of days it seems since I rode west; but never will I lean on a staff again. If the war is lost, link good will be my hiding in the hills. And if it is won, what grief will it be, even if I fall, spending my last strength. But we will leave this now. Tonight I will lie in the Hold of Dunharrow. One evening of peace at least is left us. Let us ride on. T HE MU STER O F R O HA N 793 In the deepening dusk they came down into the valley. Here the Snowbourn flowed near to the western walls of the dale, and soon the path led them to a ford where the shallow waters murmured loudly on the stones. The ford was guarded. As the king approached many men sprang up out of the shadow of the rocks; and when they saw the king they cried with glad voices: The´oden King. The´oden King. The King of the Mark returns. Then one blew a long call on a horn. It echoed in the valley. Other horns answered it, and lights shone out across the river. And suddenly there rose a great chorus of trumpets from high above, sounding from some hollow place, as it seemed, that gathered their notes into one voice and sent it rolling and beating on the walls of stone. So the King of the Mark came back victorious out of the West to Dunharrow beneath the feet of the White Mountains. There he found the remaining strength of his people already assembled; for as soon as his coming was pubg install pc building captains rode to meet him at the ford, bearing messages from Gandalf. Du´nhere, chieftain of the folk of Harrowdale, was at their head. At dawn three days ago, lord, he said, Shadowfax came like a wind out of the West to Edoras, and Gandalf brought tidings of your victory to gladden our hearts. But he brought also word from you to hasten the gathering of the Riders. And then came the winged Shadow. The winged Shadow. said The´oden. We saw it also, but that was in the dead of night before Gandalf left us. Maybe, lord, said Du´nhere. Yet the same, or another like to it, a flying darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird, passed over Edoras that morning, and all men were shaken with fear. For it stooped upon Meduseld, and as it came low, almost to the gable, there came a cry that stopped our hearts. Then it was that Gandalf counselled us not to assemble in the fields, but to meet you here in the valley under the mountains. And he bade us to kindle no more lights or fires than barest need asked. So it has been done. Gandalf spoke with great authority. We trust that it is as you would wish. Naught has been seen in Harrowdale of these evil things. It is well, said The´oden. I will ride now to the Hold, and there before I go to rest I will meet the marshals and captains. Let them come to me as soon as may be. The road now led eastward straight across the valley, which was at that point little more than half a mile in width. Flats and meads of rough grass, grey now in the falling night, lay all about, but in front on the far side of the dale Merry saw a frowning wall, a last outlier 794 T HE L ORD O F THE R INGS of the great roots of the Starkhorn, cloven by the river in ages past. On all the level spaces there was great concourse of men. Some thronged to the roadside, hailing the king and the riders from the West with glad cries; butstretching away into the distance behind there were ordered rows of tents and booths, and lines of picketed horses, and great store of arms, and piled spears bristling like thickets of newplanted trees. Now all the great assembly was falling into shadow, and yet, though the night-chill pubg x godzilla gaming cold from the heights, no lanterns glowed, no fires were lit. Watchmen heavily cloaked paced to and fro. Merry wondered how many Riders there were. He could not guess their number in the gathering gloom, but it looked to him like a great army, many thousands strong. While he was peering from side to side the kings party came up under the looming cliff on the eastern side of the valley; and there suddenly the path began to climb, and Merry looked up in amazement. He was on a road the like of which he had never seen before, a Pubg windows10 key work of mens hands in years beyond the reach of song. Upwards it wound, coiling like a snake, boring its way across the sheer slope of rock. Steep as a stair, it looped backwards and forwards as it climbed. Up it horses could walk, and wains could be slowly hauled; but no enemy could come that way, except out of the air, if it was defended from above. At each turn of the road there were great standing stones that had been carved in the likeness https://mobilestrategygames.cloud/counter-strike/counter-strike-apk-mod.php men, huge and clumsy-limbed, squatting cross-legged with their stumpy arms folded on fat bellies. Some in the wearing of the years had lost all features save the dark holes of their eyes that still stared sadly at the passers-by. The Riders hardly glanced at them. The Pu´kel-men they called them, and heeded them little: no power or terror was left in them; but Merry gazed at them with wonder and a feeling almost of pity, as they loomed up mournfully in the dusk. After a while he looked back and found that he had already climbed some hundreds of feet above the valley, but still far below he could dimly see a winding line of Riders crossing the ford and filing along the road towards the camp prepared for them. Only the king and his guard were going up into the Hold. At last the kings company came to a sharp brink, and the climbing road passed into a cutting between walls of rock, and so went up a short slope and out on to a wide upland. The Firienfeld men called it, a green mountain-field of grass and heath, high above the deep-delved courses of the Snowbourn, laid upon the lap of the great mountains behind: the Starkhorn southwards, and northwards the saw-toothed mass of Irensaga, ´ between which there faced the riders, the grim black wall of the Dwimorberg, the Haunted Mountain rising out of steep slopes of sombre pines. Dividing the upland into two there marched a double line of unshaped standing stones that dwindled T HE MU STER O F R O HA N 795 into the dusk and vanished in the trees. Those who dared to follow that road came soon to the black Dimholt under Dwimorberg, and the menace of the pillar of stone, and the yawning shadow of the forbidden door. Such was the dark Pubg windows10 key, the work of long-forgotten men. Their name was lost and no song or legend remembered it. For what purpose they had made this place, as a town or secret temple or a tomb of kings, none in Rohan could say. Here they laboured in the Dark Years, before ever a ship came to the western shores, or Gondor of the Du´nedain was built; and now they had vanished, and only the old Pu´kel-men were left, still sitting at the turnings of the road. Merry stared at the lines of marching stones: they were worn and black; some were leaning, some were fallen, some cracked or broken; they xtreme скачать v5 бесплатно counter strike like rows of old and hungry teeth. He wondered what they could be, and he hoped that the king was not going to follow them into the darkness beyond. Then he saw that there were clusters of tents and booths on either side of the stony way; but these were not set near the trees, and seemed rather to huddle away from them towards the brink of the cliff. The greater number were on the right, where the Firienfeld was wider; and on the left there was a smaller camp, in the midst of which stood a tall pavilion. From this side a rider now came out to meet them, and they Pubg windows10 key from the road. As they drew near Merry saw that the rider was a woman with long braided hair gleaming here the twilight, yet she wore a helm and was clad to the waist like a warrior and girded with a sword. Hail, Lord of the Mark. she cried. My heart is glad at your returning. And Pubg windows10 key, Eowyn, said The´oden, is all well with you. ´ All is well, she answered; yet it seemed to Merry that her voice belied her, and he would have thought that she had been weeping, if that could be believed of one so stern of face.
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