Battle of Hornburg, Re-envisioned.

ISENGARD IS UNLEASHED

Isengard Is Unleashed

Meanwhile, back at Isengard and the Tower of Orthanc, Gríma Wormtongue was in the middle of giving Saruman a vital information about the Helm's Deep and its defenses, that could prove to be uselful for his master's incoming attack on Rohan.

"Helm's Deep has one weakness. Its outer wall is solid rock but for a small culvert at its base which is little more than a drain." Gríma explained. "Otherwise no one has ever managed to breach the wall or set on foot to the Hornburg."

"That matters not." Saruman declared, as he took a glass bottle - which had some kind of strange substance (gunpowder) - from the table and moved towards the large spiked stone pot in middle of the room. "With what I have planned for them, even the "Fire of Orthanc" can break even the most powerful stone."

Gríma was left confused by his master's words, as Saruman poured the gunpowder into the pot, that was already filled full of it.

"How? How can fire undo stone? What kind of device could bring down the wall?" Gríma asked, as he moved closer and leaned over the pot to see what Saruman was preparing.

However, because Gríma was holding a lit candle, Saruman calmly but quickly reached out his hand to stay his servant's candle's approach.

Gríma looked at Saruman's hand around of the candle, and then up at Saruman, before the wizard pushes him to the safe distance away from the pot.

"If the wall is breached, Helm's Deep will fall." Saruman declared, before the wizard exited from the room, with Wormtongue following closely behind.

"Even if it is breached, it would take a number beyond reckoning, thousands, to storm the keep." Gríma reminded, as he and Saruman walked through the chamber of Palantir and headed towards the balcony, which overlooks the Isengard.

"Tens of thousands." Saruman said.

Gríma was left dumbfounded by Saruman's words about "Tens of thousands".

"But, my lord, there is no such force." Gríma said, sounding not convinced that his master had managed to gather up an army that big in size and numbers just in the few days.

However, he was quickly proven wrong when he and Saruman walk onto the balcony as a horn sounds. The loud and deep sound echoes over the Isengard.

"TOO-TOO-TO-TOOOOOOOOOOT! TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!"

As Gríma moved next to Saruman and peers over the balcony to the high wide view over the Isengard, he sees his master's TENS OF THOUSANDS of Uruk-Hai standing heavily armed and ready upon the wrecked field of Isengard...the ground simply appears covered in a black seething mass of neat rows and columns.

Upon seeing their master appearing, Uruk-Hai turn to Saruman and began to chant in the foul Orcish.

"Durbgu Nazg-shu, Durbgu Dash-shu!"

"Lord of the Ring, Lord of the Earth!"

As he watches the vast sea of Uruk-Hai, Gríma's eyes go wide and his jaw drops in awe.

The Uruk-Hai keeps chanting, until Saruman holds up his hand and his army calms down.

Saruman then spoke, raising his voice magically for his entire army to hear him, even if he is seen as only a speck on the obsidian Tower of Orthanc from the ranks in the far distance from the Orthanc.

"A NEW POWER IS RISING! ITS VICTORY IS AT HAND!"

Uruk-Hai start cheering and roaring, until Saruman holds out his hand to calm them again, before he resumes his speech.

"THIS NIGHT, THE LAND WOULD BE STAINED WITH THE BLOOD OF ROHAN! MARCH TO HELM'S DEEP! LEAVE NONE ALIVE! AND YOU SHALL FEAST ON MANFLESH AND BLOOD!"

The loud and bloodthirsty growl spreads amongst the ranks of Uruk-Hai, delighted that they can slaughter all of their master's enemies, and then feast upon their victims' corpses.

Saruman then raises his hands and lets out his next words roar in anticipated triumph.

"TO WAR!"

His army cheers and roars even louder in delight and hungry for war and killing.

Gríma is still standing in awe beside his master as he overlooks the army meant to destroy the people of Rohan, to the point of shedding tear from his eye.

"There will be no dawn for men." Saruman declared quietly... yet grimly.

Saruman's army then began their march from Isengard to war at Helm's Deep.

This army consists of many thousands of heavily armed spearmen armed with the long pikes, which were designed to keep the heavy Rohirrim cavalries at bay and cause massive casualties ro Riders of Rohan from the distance.

Many thousands of swordsmen armed with the long cleaver-like broad swords and heavy broad shields. The Uruks' swords were feared weapons capable to cut off limbs and heads very easily, and they had the additional spikes in the tips for hamstringing or disemboweling horses. Their shields were strong and durable against the heavy attacks, and had two spikes to provide an alternative weapon.

Hundreds of crossbowmen armed with the large crossbows and leather quivers filled with metal bolts. Uruks' crossbows were powerful enough to fire their bolts to long distances, easily outmatching Rohirrim's cavalry bows, and pierce through of Rohirrim's leather and even steel armor.

Several units of the hugest, strongest and most fiercest and bloodthirsty Uruks, called Berserkers. They bore no armor save for the small and tight-fitting bowl-shaped helmets, so that the blood's intoxicating smell could awaken their blood-lust and drive them to a mad killing frenzy, and making them indifferent for personal safety and extremely immune to pain. They wielded a huge and broad two-handed swords with twin-spikes at the tips and power to cut the man in half from the middle. Another unit of Berserkers had several metal and wooden barrels filled with gunpowder strapped to their backs while carrying the short swords and sparking torches (they'd be called the Uruk-Hai suicide bombers).

And finally, they had a large crew of heavily armored Uruk-sappers, who carried the Isengard's machinery of war at the rear ranks of the main army, such as long ladders, battering rams, heavy ballistas, small catapults, siege-towers and the sets of stone pots, similiar to the one Saruman had in his tower.

Amongst of the ranks of Uruk-Hai was also marching the columns of humans, Dunlendings handpicked by Saruman, as they have a mixed heritage as they can trace a part of their bloodline to the old Gondorian garrison that watched over the fortress in the early Third Age, until the Great Plague of 1636 caused Gondor's hold on the Gap of Rohan (not yet known as such during that time) fade and the hereditary chieftains of Isengard intermingled with the local Dunlendings until Gondor's influence in the region completely disappeared. Unlike their less organized fellow tribesmen, these Dunlendings were stronger, tougher and more disciplined men, trained to fight as heavy infantry in close order. Their thick armour is provided by Isengard's forges and shows some Gondorian influence by design, only to bear paint of the White Hand of Saruman to symbolize of their allegiance and loyalty.

Amongst of the Uruk ranks was also marching several dozens of trolls, bred by Saruman in the pits of Isengard as the beasts of war. They were like the other trolls, twice as tall as a man or Uruk and violently strong, but these were also more intelligent than the regular trolls and, unlike their cave- and hill-dwelling cousins in the North, these were not bothered by the daylight. These trolls bore an heavy armors and helmets and carried the cleaver-like swords, long spears, war-hammers and broad shields with similiar design of Uruk-Hai's own weapons and armor, only forged to match their size.

Amongst of the ranks of Uruks and Dunlendings were also other Orcs than just Uruk-Hai. However, these Orcs stood high and upright unlike more hunched and crook-legged Orcs in Isengard (though they still weren't as tall as Uruk-Hai). These were Half-Orcs, as they looked more like humans than Orcs, but shared some features from the pure-blooded Orcs. Their skins were light-brown and their faces almost like human without the Orcs' grimace, though they did have noticeable thick brows and grim expressions. Their lips and eye-rims were darker shade of brown, almost blackish-brown, and their mouths were full of sharp teeth. Their noses were wide and human-like, ears slightly pointy, and their eyes fiery yellowish. They weren't as heavily armored as Uruks, but wore on the light armor made of steel and leather, the bowls-shaped metal helmets with two large eye-holes forged into grim glare. They wielded as they weapons the broad and heavy wooden shields, short swords, two-handed axes, spears and powerful bows of yew with a tremendous draw weight.

The black flood of Uruk-Hai, Dunlendings and Half-Orcs stretched back for miles as the dozens of banners of the White Hand of Saruman and thousands of pikes rise high over the heads of the army. The ground almost trempled under of their thousands and thousands of heavy and to the far distances echoing steps.

And as the armies of Isengard marched south and towards Rohan, another deep sound of the horn sounded from the valley the Isengard was located...

"TOO-TOO-TO-TOOOOOOOOOOT! TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!"

...as a sign that confirmed the terrible realization of what has just started.

The War of the Ring has officially started.

GALADRIEL

(I amar prestar aen... han mathon ne nen, han mathon ne chae, a han nostan ned gwilith.)
(The world has changed... I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, I smell it in the air.)

"The power of the enemy is growing. Sauron will use his puppet Saruman to destroy the people of Rohan. Isengard has been unleashed."

"The Eye of Sauron now turns to Gondor, the last free kingdom of Men. His war on this country will come swiftly.

"He senses the Ring is close. The strength of the Ring-bearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand... the quest will claim his life."

"You know this. You have foreseen it. It is the risk we all took."

"In the gathering dark, the will of the Ring grows strong. It works hard now to find its way back into the hands of Men. Men, who are so easily seduced by its power. The young captain of Gondor has but to extend his hands, take the Ring for his own and the world will fall. It is close now... so close to achieving its goal. For Sauron will have dominion of all life on this Earth, even unto the ending of the world."

"The time of the Elves...is over."

To be continued...