Isengard Orcs were a breed of Orc used and partially made by Saruman, Sauron's chief vassal, in the late Third Age at Isengard. Dismissed as a truly effective fighting force, they mainly made up the manpower that the corrupted Wizard needed to build the Dark Lord a second 10,000 strong army.
During the War of the Ring, they tirelessly toiled for the corrupted Wizard, forging the arsenal and siege engines his Lord needed to mount the conquest of Middle-earth. Some Orc Warriors were let loose in raiding parties and sent together with Dunlending marauders to pillage the Westfold, while slaughtering Rohirrim peasants as they went. On Saruman's orders, one warband clashed with Théoden's son, Théodred, and slew him. As the Uruk-hai marched on Rohan, the Orcs remained at Isengard and were vanquished by the vengeful Ents during the fortress' sacking.
History[]
Owing allegiance to Sauron as his chief vassal, Saruman began secretly drawing Orcs of the Misty Mountains and others from Mordor into his service, in addition to breeding his own Orcs of the pit and Goblin-men at Isengard. The corrupted Wizard dismissed them as worthy soldiers due to their weakness in daylight, conceiving instead another, "perfected", stock that would impose the Dark Lord's, or his own, dominion over Middle-earth. Nonetheless, Saruman used the common Orcs mainly as his labor force to fortify Isengard, build the dams and his war machines (mills, forges, furnaces, palisades, watchtowers), while also having them "farm" the Uruk-hai in the water caverns' earth;[1] a small number made up his scouting and raiding parties, which he used to harass and spy on the Rohirrim.[2]
During the War of the Ring, the corrupted Wizard received command from the Dark Lord to make him a second army. Saruman summoned the taskmasters and had them assemble the Isengard Orcs in the gardens of Orthanc to hasten with their work. Under his oversight, the axemen cut down the last of the trees to fuel the fires, while the blacksmiths churned out weapons and armor and the laborers dug out birth-pods. Having raised the Uruk-hai from their slumber, the Orcs armed the first hundred "hatchlings" led by Lurtz,[3] which Saruman was keeping for his own loyal elite force unbeknownst to Sauron;[1] not few were the unfortunate Orcs who ended up strangled by the vicious Uruks upon their awakening. Orc guards, meanwhile, patrolled the ringed walls and gate of Isengard.[3]
Failing to seize the One Ring first, the corrupted Wizard had his manpower hasten in building his Lord a second army,[1] out of fear of losing his favor. Irritated by one of the taskmaster's complaints, Saruman gave his blessing for the use wood from the nearby forest of Fangorn to fuel the furnaces , which would hence work night and day.[4] Through repeated basic drill training since the moment of their spawning, the Isengard Orcs were able to mold the second batch of Uruk-hai into a powerful, although rudimentary-minded and short-sighted, fighting force; the blacksmiths had fashioned the weapons to be as intuitive as possible to ease the instruction.[1]
To spread terror among those who still opposed Sauron, Saruman sent raiding parties of Orc Warriors, accompanied by both Uruk-hai scouts and allied Dunlending marauders, to wreak havoc in the Westfold. Armed with axes, pikes and swords, the Isengard Orcs brutally burned their way across the villages of Rohan, pillaging the homes of the Rohirrim and massacring the defenseless peasants as they went.[4] One such warband was given orders by their master to remove the threat posed to his control by the King's heir.[2] The Isengard Orc raiding party engaged Théodred's company at the Fords of Isen, where they slew every Rohirrim to the last, including Théoden's son.[4]
As the Uruk-hai army of Isengard marched to destroy the Rohirrim defenders at Helm's Deep, the common Orcs remained at Isengard to continue their labor.[4] Saruman's questioning of their battle prowess proved correct,[1] for the Orcs were unable to withstand the wrath of the Ents when they descended upon the fortress. Though archers rained fire-arrows and axemen hacked the Tree-herders, they were unmatched by the raw power of the shepherds whose forest they had plundered. Led by Treebeard, the Ents shattered the dam and released the river of Isen, flooding Isengard and drowning whatever Orcs had endured.[4]
Notable Isengard Orcs[]
- Orc Overseer
- Orc Taskmaster
- Orc informant
- Sharku
Appearances[]
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II
Sources[]
- Toybiz Toyline