- Age
- 3053
Sauron's most powerful servant. Of all the Nazgûl, the
Witch-king is most capable of independent thought; he is
totally subject to Sauron, but within this domination he
constructs plans, military strategy, and political tactics to
further his master's goals. The chief of the Nine is Undead;
he exists in the world of wraiths and shadows. His physical
manifestation can at best be temporarily dispelled, but his
destruction lies in the distant future, the Nazgûl can
exist only so long as the One Ring exists.
His innate power and presence are so
great that all must resist extreme terror at his arrival or flee
in panic. The effect of the Nazgûl's aura varies with range,
and he can, if he chooses, cloak his power. When used to
its fullest, his aura has a radius of three miles. Those within
two to three miles of the Nazgûl feel uneasy, and the
fainthearted may run. Between one and two miles away
reactions are stronger, provoking a desire to seek immediate
concealment. Within one mile of the Ringwraith,
most individuals cannot behave normally: their anxiety
inspires flight or concealment without hesitation.
Those within a thousand feet are overcome by dread and
flee thoughtlessly. Anyone closer than three hundred feet
freezes in panic unless he overcomes his fear through
strength of will. A strong self-discipline is necessary to
overcome the terror that paralyzes both man and animal.
In addition to the great fear that the Lord of the Nine
radiates, those within three hundred feet may succumb to
the Black Breath. The victim falls into dark dreams and
dies in a matter of hours or days, depending on his race.
Eldar who have lived in Valinor are immune to these
effects.
The Witch-king was the absolute ruler of Angmar. Of all the Nazgul, the Witch-king is most capable of independent thought; he is totally subject to Sauron, but within this domination he constructs plans, military strategy, and political tactics to further his master's goals. The chief of the Nine is undead; he exists in the world of wraiths and shadows. His physical manifestation can at best be temporarily dispelled, but his destruction lies in the distant future-the Nazgul can exist only so long as the One Ring exists. The Lord of Morgul is a powerful sorcerer, but he rarely uses spells.
The Nazgul has no need of sorcery, though, to daunt the hearts of men. His innate power and presence are so great that all must resist extreme terror at his arrival or flee in panic. The effect of the Nazgul's aura varies with range, and he can, if he chooses, cloak his power. When used to its fullest, his aura has a radius of three miles. Those within two to three miles of the Nazgul feel uneasy, and the fainthearted may run. Between one and two miles away reactions are stronger, provoking a desire to seek immediate concealment. Within one mile of the Ringwraith, most individuals cannot behave normally: their anxiety inspires flight or concealment without hesitation. Those within a thousand feet are overcome by dread and flee thoughtlessly. Anyone closer than three hundred feet freezes in panic unless he overcomes his fear through strength of will. A strong self-discipline is necessary to overcome the terror that paralyzes both man and animal. In addition to the great fear that the Lord of the Nine radiates, those within three hundred feet may succumb to the Black Breath. The victim falls into dark dreams and dies in a matter of hours or days, depending on his race. Eldar who have lived in Valinor are immune to these effects.
Appearance
Physical Description
The Witch-king cannot be harmed by most normal and magical weapons. Any that comes in contact with his
"flesh" will automatically shatter. There are exceptions to this: Eowyn was fated to kill the Nazgul; the weapon she
wielded was unimportant (LotRIII 141 - 143). Magic weapons may do some damage, but will shatter unless they are
extraordinary.
The Witch-king stands 6' 1 0" and weighed 260 lbs. His pure Edain heritage give him deep grey eyes, black
hair, and fair skin, but these are obscured beneath his accoutrements. He wears his father's famous Sea-helm,
the karma of Tar-Ciryatan of Numenor. The helm serves to protect him, as well as proclaiming him to be King, for
the overlapping sea-drake skin plates rises in a spiny crown-shaped crest embellished with gold. His simple
iron crown is set into the crest, while the formidable Morgul Plate covers the rest of his imposing figure. Of
sea-drake skin plate, this magic armor deflects all but the finest of blades.
Mentality
Personal history
The Númenorean Er-Mûrazôr (A. Black Prince – Prince of Black Fire) was gifted and powerful among the many great Lords of Westernesse. Although only a Prince, his might outshone all but a few of Númenor’s Kings and, in the end, he lived longer than any of the Adan sons. Er-Mûrazôr’s tale covers over six and a half millennia and is one of Man’s greatest tragedies.
The Black Prince was born in the year S.A. 1820 in the port city of Andúnie in the province of Andustar on the island of Númenor. As the second son of King Tar-Ciryatan (Q. Shipbuilder) and the younger brother of (Tar-) Atanamir the Great, he traced his lineage to the first King, Elros Tar-Minyatur. His mother gave him the name Tindomul (Q. Twilight Son), for he was born during a solar eclipse and his hair was blacker than any she had ever seen. Those Lords of Tar-Ciryatan’s court that favored the use of Adûnaic (signifying their displeasure with the Eldar and the Ban of the Valar) called him Mûrazôr.
Like his brother, the proud and greedy heir to the throne, the Black Prince supported his father’s ambition and lobbied for the increased exploitation of Middle-Earth. Tar-Ciryatan sought great wealth and sent his huge fleets to Endor in order to exact tribute, and both of his sons embraced the benefits of his often-ruthless policies. Both embodied their father’s penchant for material things and power, which was hardly surprising in light of the fact that they witnessed their father force their grandfather from the Númenorean throne. Atanamir, however, enjoyed the privileges and attention accorded to the heir to the Adan throne, and Tar-Ciryatan showed his prideful love in a way he never exhibited to Mûrazôr. The jealousies inherent in the family character eventually grew to frightening proportions in the Black Prince’s heart, fomenting hatred an unbound desire.
Always aggressive and fiery, Mûrazôr resolved to leave home and found his own empire in the vulnerable expanse of Middle-Earth. He assembled a small fleet as set sail for Endor in the spring of S.A. 1880. The sixty-year old Prince landed at Vinyalondë (Lond Daer) in Eriador, at the mouth of the Gwathló in Enedhwaith. There, he debarked at the ancient haven amidst little celebration and, within weeks, he engaged in a brief struggle for dominance over the strategic port. His plans to carve out a kingdom in the fertile lands that Sauron’s hordes ravaged in the war with the Elves (S.A. 1693-1700) failed, forcing Mûrazôr and his followers to voyage southward. In S.A. 1882, the Black Prince’s ship dropped anchor in Umbar, where the Númenorean Lord proclaimed himself “King.”
Although successful in wresting control from the local colonists, he ruled for only a few months. The Númenorean
adventurer’s pretensions of rule faced an inevitable and overwhelming challenge from his father, Tar-Ciryatan, who
ordered his recalcitrant son to return home to Westernesse. Mûrazôr refused to follow the Adan King’s bidding, but
he dared not remain in Umbar in defiance of the edict from Armenelos. The Lord of the Rings perceived the Prince’s displeasure and offered him a means to achieve his goals. Sauron realized that both Mûrazôr and his older brother Atanamir sought to hold onto their youth, and that they feared aging more than any corporeal foe. Atanamir showed his terror of death when he later refused to surrender the Sceptre of Númenor until he died. The Black Prince, on the other hand, exhibited this fear by speaking openly of his bitterness toward the immortal Elves to whom he was related (through Elros Halfelven).
Ever vigilant and perceptive, the Dark Lord sought to corrupt Mûrazôr by bringing the dissatisfied Númenorean to Mordor. The Black Prince went to Barad-dur during the first week of S.A. 1883 and became a pupil of the Lord of the Rings. During the next one hundred and fifteen years, he expanded his knowledge of enchantments and spell casting, becoming an exceedingly powerful sorcerer. Mûrazôr’s knowledge of the Black Arts was second only to Sauron’s, and he quickly rose to the Evil One’s most trusted lieutenant. His lessons learned, he submitted his spirit to his Master, who gave him a Ring of Power in S.A. 1998. The first of the nine Nazgûl, the Black Prince was known thereafter as the Witch-king or the Lord of Morgul (S. “Dark Sorcery”).
Throughout the rest of the Second Age, the Witch-king stayed in Mordor and served Sauron by coordinating the
efforts of the other Úlairi. These years comprised the period of his complete transformation into a hideous wraith
possessed of an exceptional command of sorcery. His role as the Lord of the Nazgûl testified to his awesome magical skills. Ironically, Mûrazôr was the only Ringwraith who had not presided over a kingdom of his own for a considerable period prior to accepting his Ring of Power; however, his origins as Prince of the Edain of Númenor provided him with inherent abilities that far exceeded those of his undead peers. The Lord of the Rings gave the Black Captain all of the trappings of a King for, aside from Sauron himself, the Lord of Morgul was the mightiest servant of Darkness in Mordor’s hierarchy. No one enjoyed such treatment from the Evil One. Their relationship flourished throughout the latter part of the Second Age, as teacher and pupil sought to build an unassailable kingdom and establish dominion over Men. Unfortunately for the masters of Mordor, the corruption of Westernesse that they sought for so long produced a policy of imperialism. The goals of Númenor’s Kings came to mirror, at least in part, those of the Dark Lord. Both powers sought to unite the Secondborn under one absolute monarch.
Inevitably, this rivalry between Sauron and the Witch-king’s Númenorean brethren erupted into outright war.
Ar-Pharazôn, the strongest of Númenor’s later kings, led an armada to Endor in S.A. 3261 in hopes of crushing the forces of Mordor and establishing hegemony over Middle-Earth. Landing at Umbar, he marched northward across Near Harad (then contested by Númenor and Mordor’s client, Adûnaphel the Nazgûl) and met the Host of Mordor near the River Harnen in early S.A. 3262. The Adan King’s army appeared too potent for the Evil One to contest, so Sauron surrendered and went to Andor as Ar-Pharazôn’s prize captive. The capture of the Dark Lord left the Witch-king briefly in control of the Kingdom of the Shadow, but the omnipresence of the Edain forced the Ringwraiths and Sauron’s other minions into hiding. This prevented the Lord of the Nazgûl from waging any significant campaigns in his Master’s absence.
Although the Black Captain and the other Úlairi contested Númenorean advances in certain regions of Middle-Earth,
the Witch-king operated very quietly until Sauron’s return after the Downfall of Númenor in S.A. 3319. The Lord of the Ring’s reappearance in Mordor in S.A. 3320 sparked a renewal of the wars of conquest against the Free Peoples of Endor and brought the Ringwraiths out of hiding. For the next one hundred and nine years, the forces of the shadow regrouped, grew, and mobilized under the guidance of the Chieftain of the Nazgûl. Then, in S.A. 3249, the Witch-king led an army into Ithilien and assailed Gondor, the newly founded South Kingdom. King Anárion of Gondor (the co-ruler with his brother Isildur) successfully defended the west bank of the Anduin, however, dealing a stalwart blow to the Black Captain’s plan to subjugate the South Kingdom before the arrival of any Dúnadan relief force from Arnor.
The ensuing standoff lasted five years, until the Witch-king was forced to retire toward the Morannon in the face of
an army from the north led by Gil-galad and Elendil the Tall. Joined by the Dark Lord’s main horde, the Witch-king
turned on his pursuers in the fields of Dagorlad, before the gates of Mordor. There, the Last Alliance of Men and
Elves vanquished the Lord of the Nazgûl’s warriors and broke the defense of the Black Land. The Victors chased
the shattered remnants of the Sauron’s army to Barad-dur, and then they laid siege to the Dark Tower for seven years. Anárion died under a stone cast from the battlements in S.A. 3440, but his death was avenged the following year. The Last Alliance finally entered the hold of the Lord of the Rings in S.A. 3441, ending both the war and the Age. Sauron slew both Gil-galad and Elendil, but King Isildur of Gondor cut the Evil One down and sliced the One Ring from his twisted hand. Thus, the Dark Lord and his nine Úlair servants passed into the Shadows.
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