The number of sacrifices Morgoth demanded was far beyond anything Sauron had imagined.
It was this craving for power that had first caused the Elves to grow suspicious of him. They forged the Three Rings in secret and never wore them once they sensed the corruption of the One Ring.
The Dwarves, resistant to domination, were hardly affected by their Seven Rings, and the gift was almost wasted on them. Only the Nine Rings given to Men worked as intended, corrupting nine human kings into Ringwraiths.
Now Morgoth and Sauron had revealed their intentions to one another and reached a deal. Sauron wanted Morgoth's power to restore his strength and regain a physical form. Morgoth wished to use Sauron's sacrifices to rebuild his power and eventually break free from the Void.
As a gesture of agreement, Morgoth's will shaped itself on the altar and condensed a sphere of pure dark primal power. It surged into the Eye atop Barad-dur. The Eye expanded, glowed hotter, and radiated a frightening pressure. For Sauron, the infusion was like a single drop of water falling onto a desert. It was tiny, yet it gave him hope.
After giving that sliver of power, Morgoth's projection on the altar collapsed. The blackened stone fell silent, the lava dimmed, and the air filled with sulfur. The bodies of the sacrificed humans, elves, and orcs had already been consumed by the molten rock.
Sauron's voice rang out from Barad-dur, commanding the armies.
"Send out my order. From this day forward, the forces of Mordor will march in waves. Capture humans and bring them back alive."
The armies roared in response.
The Witch-king of Angmar approached him respectfully. "Master, are we preparing to strike Gondor or Rohan?"
"No. Attacking them now would alert the Elves and the wizards. That would ruin everything. Capturing humans is more important than conquering kingdoms."
The Witch-king hesitated. "Gathering a million sacrifices will not be easy. Gondor and Rohan contain the largest populations."
"We will not begin there," Sauron replied. "We will start with Rhovanion, Rhun, the Easterlings, Khand, and Harad. There are countless humans in those lands. Send the armies east. Anyone who resists must be taken alive."
He continued, "Time means nothing to us. Decades pass like a heartbeat. Humans reproduce quickly. If we gather enough captives and force them to multiply, their numbers will recover. Meanwhile, the orcs will grow as well. Let the forges continue. Once the armies are ready, we will strike Rohan and Gondor at the same time. We do not need to rule their lands. We only need the people."
With that, the armies of Mordor surged outward. They moved north into Rhovanion, east into Rhun, southeast into Khand, and south into Harad.
These areas had long been under Sauron's influence. Many tribes, including Easterlings, Variags, and Haradrim, had fought under his banner before. But not all submitted. With the help of the two Blue Wizards, some human nations continued resisting him.
Now, with the armies of Mordor fully mobilized, the remaining resistance was swiftly crushed. Every army was led by a Nazgul. The tribes discovered with horror that the Mordor soldiers no longer slaughtered out of hand. Instead, they captured as many as possible alive.
Men, women, and children were shackled and driven toward Mordor under the whips of the soldiers. Even the tribes that had previously served Sauron were not spared. Under the cold authority of the Nazgul, each tribe was forced to hand over part of its population. All were taken toward the dark altars of Mordor.
Small bands of orcs, guided by ravens and giant bats, left Mordor and slipped deep into the northern wilderness. They destroyed small tribes and villages, seized every living person, and dragged them back toward the Black Land.
The Far East quickly fell into chaos.
Even the northwestern shores of the Sea of Rhûn, in the region of Dorwinion, were struck by a major Mordor incursion. Vineyards were burned, human settlements were attacked, and the few elves living there were also assaulted. Although the locals managed to organize resistance in time, many humans and elves were still captured and taken away.
The two blue wizards responded swiftly. They rallied the remaining forces in the region and even confronted the Ringwraiths directly. In the end, they succeeded in driving the Nazgul away, but the cost was devastating. Their armies were left in tatters, and by the time they recovered, nearly half the population of Rhûn had already been carried off to Mordor.
In Rhovanion and in the wilderness north of Mordor, scattered human tribes were nearly wiped out. Although Mordor did not deploy a full army against Rohan and Gondor, countless orc raiding parties still crossed into their lands, attacking border villages and stealing away any humans they could capture.
Both kingdoms feared that a major invasion was coming. Rohan and Gondor quickly mobilized their armies and fortified their borders, ready to fight at a moment's notice. The King of Rohan and the Regent of Gondor used the Two-Way Mirror to request aid from Sylas, Gandalf, Elrond, and the others.
Months passed with no large-scale attack. Only small orc units appeared along the borders, attempting to abduct more people. Each time, the Rohirrim and Gondorian armies hunted them down and killed them or drove them off. Still, the real Mordor force remained hidden.
Suspicion grew in both kingdoms. Their armies stayed on highest alert. Meanwhile, Sylas, Gandalf, and Elrond could not ignore the reports of continued abductions and immediately recalled Saruman's warning.
In the highest courtyard garden of Rivendell, the Council of the White convened again.
Present were Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, Romestamo, and Sylas. After Saruman's betrayal, Gandalf was appointed as the new head of the White Council. Later, at Gandalf's invitation, the two Blue Wizards of the East, Romestamo and Morinehtar, joined the Council.
For this meeting, Círdan could not attend because he was still escorting elves to the West across the sea. Morinehtar also could not be present, as she was leading the scattered peoples of the Far East in resistance against Mordor.
Romestamo attended both for himself and on Morinehtar's behalf, and he came seeking help.
The members of the White Council did not hesitate. Elrond sent five hundred warriors from Rivendell, and Galadriel sent another five hundred from Lórien to support the Blue Wizard in the East. Sylas, representing the Ministry of Magic, dispatched one hundred Auror wizards to join the expedition.