The Lord of the Rings the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, not only the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took, but also the hobbits' chief allies and travelling companions: the Men, Aragorn, a Ranger of the North, and Boromir, a Captain of Gondor; Gimli, a Dwarf warrior; Legolas Greenleaf, an Elven
Minor places in Middle-earth on its way through the forest. Treebeard and the Ents, together with Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, traversed the southern spur of Methedras, a high ridge, on their march from Fangorn to Isengard. Mindolluin (S. 'towering head blue') was the easternmost peak of the White Mountains. The city of Minas Tirith stood upon the Hill of Guard, the eastern shoulder of the mountain. In "The Return of the King", shortly after Aragorn's coronation as King Elessar, Gandalf took him by an ancient path that led up Mindolluin to a high hallow that overlooked the city far below. There he discovered,