[Tancred]

Oof! A tricky one this..

At the close of Two Towers, the 'party' have visited Isengard and Gandalf has removed Saruman as the head of the Order of Wizards. Riding back and making camp, a sudden fear grips all present, and Gandalf realises a Nazgul has flown overhead, destnation Isengard. This means Sauron will be aware of the fall of Isengard a lot sooner than anyone had hoped.

Gandalf decides to set out to Gondor immediately, for as soon as Sauron finds out Rohan still has life in it and will be riding to the defence of Gondor he is going to attack Minas Tirith asap. He takes Pippin with him, ostensibly to keep Pip away from the Palantir of Orthanc (given to Aragorn) but possibly to guarantee an audience with Denethor, Stweard of Gondor. Pippin was, after all, present during Denethor's son Boromir's last moments.

Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Theoden and Merry ride back to Edoras, capital of Rohan. Aragorn decides to look into the Palantir of Orthanc, and challenges Sauron for mastery of it - and barely, barely wins. Through the seeing stone, Aragorn sees a vast army from Umbar (south territory) preparing to take ship to Gondor and reinforce Sauron's army. Realising he needs to stop it, he - and Legolas and Gimli - decide to travel by a tunnel through the mountains, named the Paths of the Dead - by far the quickest route to Umbar, but cursed by unquiet spirits of dead men and supposely fatal to any living that journey through it.

Theoden oversees the muster of Rohan, calling forth for all Riders of Rohan to join his army, ready to ride to Gondor's aid. Merry wants to go with them, but Theoden turns him down - a Hobbit on a pony will be at serious risk to life and limb in a cavalry charge. Merry, however, manages to come along; travelling with a mysterious, helmed Rider named Dernhelm, who is willing to bear Merry to Gondor.

And there we go - Return of the King begins!

Tancred