Emissaries to the East

Cory Rushton


Wilt thou learn the lore that was long secret
of the Five that came from a far country?
Only one returned. Others never again...
(UT 395)

This essay attempts to reconcile various writings found throughout the Tolkien corpus on
the subject of the Blue Wizards, the Istari Alatar and Pallando. In the Silmarillion they appear to
arrive with their more famous counterparts: Saruman, Gandalf and Radagast. Yet in later writings
we are told they came with Glorfindel in the mid-Second Age, when Saurons Ring had made him
extremely dangerous. Complicating matters is the ICE canon, wherein both traditions seem to be
active: the Wizards arrive together at the dawn of the second millenium TA, yet Alatar assists
Ringlin Sindacollo defeat his evil father near the end of the Second Age. I hope this essay will
present a workable solution to this and a number of related problems.

When Matters Became Very Dangerous
The other two came much earlier, at the same time probably as Glorfindel, when matters became very dangerous in
the Second Age. Glorfindel was sent to aid Elrond and was (though not yet said) pre-eminent in the war in Eriador.
But the other two Istari were sent for a different purpose (HoME XII.384)

In the mid-Second Age the Valar became deeply concerned with the growing power of the
renegade Maia Sauron. Sauron had disappeared into the East, fleeing the just judgement of the
Valar after the War of Wrath; a millenium later he began fortifying the land of Mordor. He had
fostered dissent in Eregion, winning many of the Eldar to his cause by disguising himself as
Annatar, Lord of Gifts. At last he revealed himself openly and attacked the Elves in their cities and
strongholds. The Valar heard their prayers, and around 1600 SA they sent emissaries to combat
Saurons ever-increasing might.
The first of these messengers was Glorfindel, a mighty hero of ancient Gondolin who had
slain a Balrog in single combat only to perish himself of his grevious injuries.
1
He was asked to
attend Elrond, and was instrumental in the war which followed. Although Eregion was laid waste
and Eriador devestated, Sauron was unable to win total mastery of the north-west, in no small part
due to Glorfindels valiant efforts.
The Valar did not give thought to Elrond and the Elves of Eregion alone. The lands of the
distant East and the Utter South were also threatened, especially the Elven realms in those parts,
surrounded as they were by increasingly hostile Men. The Valar sought among the ranks of the
Elven heros in the Halls of Mandos for two more emissaries. At last, they decided upon Queen
Mormiresl and Lord Laurr Menelrana.

1
In the essay on the Istari which appeared in Unfinished Tales, Tolkien wrote that it should be
assumed that the Istari were all Maiar, that is persons of the angelic order, though not
necessarily of the same rank (UT 394). His later insistence that Glorfindel of Rivendell and
Glorfindel of Gondolin (a hero of the First Age) were one and the same solved a lengthy debate,
even though it was based on happenstance: it was a case of random names from the older
legends being used in early drafts and somehow escaping reconsideration (HoME VI.214).
Mormiresl had ruled distant Helkanen, an Avari Elven realm on the western slopes of the
northern Orocarni. There she had welcomed refugees from other Avari settlements throughout the
northeastern peninsula of Endor, a land quickly coming under the domination of the Womaw
peoples. The Womaw had been recently unified, partly through the spiritual teachings of a golden
drake named Utomkudor, or Kod Ultor. Her teachings seemed peaceful, even if her human
followers were becoming more aggressive with each century, so the Avari merely kept a wary eye
and did nothing. In 560 SA Mormiresl had been horrified when Elven refugees from their ancient
home at Helcar Sael fled over the mountains with the news that the Womaw Hionvara (Old Wm.
Chieftans) had begun asking Utomkudor to attack their enemies. Entire villages had been
destroyed by the dragons might. Mormiresl crossed the mountains with her warriors and slew
the drake in a long, terrible battle; at the end, she was wounded unto death herself. Ordering a
golden suit of armor made from the dragons scales in imitation of the Hionvari, she asked to be
buried in this trophy of war.
2

Laurr Menelrana had accompanied his father Chrys Menelrana from the court of Finrod
Felagund to the distant south in YS 41, where Chrys knew he would find powerful and dark forces
at work. Chrys formed the Guild of Elements, and personally led the assault on the Court of Ardor
at the time of their first ritual against the Sun and Moon. Although the Guild was victorious, four
of the inner Five Lords died, and with them Laurr. Grief-stricken, Chrys delayed his journey to
the West long enough to form the Watchers, giving them orders to accept his son as their lord
should he return; for as with many of the Eldar, Chrys Menelrana was oft blessed with prophetic
visions.
Both Mormiresl and Laurr gladly accepted the new task proposed to them.
3
As with
Glorfindel, they were now almost equal to some of the Maiar, because their spiritual power had
been greatly enhanced by [their] self-sacrifice (HoME XII.381). Mormiresl was to return to her
people in the East and work to prevent Saurons power from becoming further entrenched among
the dark tribes of Lurs Vorganis and Rbor, and to provide advice and comfort for the growing
Womaw Empire. Laurr was to again disrupt the activities of the Court of Ardor, now reformed
under much the same leadership but with a greater number of servants and several hidden
fortresses. At the same time, Laurr was to combat Saurons influence over the tribes and
kingdoms of the region, again through advice and hope. Mormiresl was to be Rmestmo, the
East-helper; Laurr became Morinehtar, the Darkness-slayer.
In this he was to be joined by Lord Fatur, whom he met at Guinarnen in Harad in SA 1800.
The Lord Fatur, like his twin sister Lady Fatur, had entered the service of Morgoth in his youth;
the Black Enemy had found their similarity amusing, and cast dark spells that they might never

2
The brief description of the battle between Mormiresl and Utomkudor in Creatures of
Middle-earth describes Mormiresl as evil (CoME 52). In postulating her rebirth as the truly evil
Dardarien, the queen responsible for Khamls corruption (LoME 91), I hope to provide more
background for Elven history in the East. At the same time, ICE (and the Lords series in
particular) had an unfortunate tendency to flood the East and South with evil Avari; merging the
evil Mormiresl with Dardarien provides a rationale for Dardariens evil while limiting the total
number of evil Avari lords.
3
Their task was to circumvent Sauron: to bring help to the few tribes of Men that had rebelled
from Melkor-worship, to stir up rebellion ... and after his first fall to search out his hiding (in which
they failed) and to cause [?dissension and disarray] among the dark East ... (HoME XII.385).
remember their earlier separate names. Lord Fatur, losing his way upon the Grinding Ice,
renounced his service and remorsefully offered his life to the Valar. His fa was taken to Mandos,
and after a time of contemplation he was sent to disrupt the schemes of the Court of Ardor if he
could. Fatur had infiltrated them in the guise of his sister and aided the Guild of Elements in
preventing the Fall of the Lights. In a sense, Fatur was the first emissary, sent in a time of
darkness to aid the light.
4

Laurr Menelrana and Fatur succeeded in their mission, although it took them many
centuries of waiting for the Court to make its move. After the fall of the Second Court, Fatur
disappeared from the tales: some said he returned to the distant West. Laurr Menelrana travelled
West, after giving his great sword Kirlhach to Nefertae, a princess of Hathor who had aided the
Guild and was dedicated to the destruction of the things of darkness.
Mormiresls tale was darker. Returning to Helkanen, she took the name Daradrien
(Beth. Long Sojourn Beneath the Trees) to celebrate her rebirth. She visited her own opulent
tomb, taking upon herself the golden armor created of Utumkodors scales. The dragon had long
given each successive leader of the Womaw a suit made of her scales, and each was buried with the
Hionvar when he died. Yet the armour had the effect of making the wearer aggressive and
war-like; only death had prevented each successive Hionvar from turning fully to evil.
Daradrien, immortal, became twisted by the golden memento of her greatest deed, falling into
evil and allying herself with the Dark Lord, utterly abandoning her mission.

The Council of the Valar

The fall of Sauron at the end of the Second Age was neither complete nor final. All three of
the early emissaries to Middle-earth were still active: Glorfindel at the side of Elrond in Imladris,
Fatur (aided by Laurr Menelrana) in the distant south playing a deadly game against his former
companions in the Black Service, and Queen Daradrien beginning to rule as a tyrant in the
forsaken East. Still, the mission was considered a success despite the Queens fall.
5
It came into
the minds of the Valar to send three more emissaries (UT 393). Aul chose his servant Curumo,
and Orom chose Alatar; Manw asked the reluctant Olrin. Two more were added to their
company: Yavanna begged Curumo to take her servant Aiwendil, while Alatar asked leave to
bring his friend Pallando, a servant of Mandos who nevertheless spent much time in the company
of Orom.
6


4
The sending of Fatur did not break the Ban of the Valar because he was not to aid the Noldor on
their quest to recover the Silmarils. On the contrary, upon his re-arrival in Beleriand he stayed
aloof from that great conflict until it was time to journey south in the shadow of his sister.

5
They must have had a very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in
weakening and disarraying the forces of East [sic] ... who would both in the Second Age and Third
Age otherwise have ... outnumbered the West (HoME XII.385).
6
Tolkien assigns Pallando to both Mandos and Orom in separate notes, and there is little
evidence to prefer one version over the other (UT 393). Christopher guesses that Orom may have
sent two servants because he had greater knowledge of eastern Endor than any other of the Valar
(UT 394); but surely this might be said of Mandos as well. In any event, ICE chose to make
Pallando a follower of Mandos, and I have maintained the assignation in the interests of continuity.
The five either arrived at separate times or disembarked in small groups: Saruman
(Curunr) first, accompanied by Radagast (Aiwendil), followed by Alatar and Pallando. Last and
almost unheralded was Mithrandir (Olrin), most reluctant but in the end the greatest of them; it is
said that Glorfindel met him at the Grey Havens (HoME XII.384). It is soon afterwards that the
word Istari appears, derived from the Quenya verb ista- (to know), translated into Westron as
wizard. It later days they would come to be called angeloi, messengers, emissaries from the
Lords of the West (HoME VII.422). They were incarnate angels, those who know (Letters
202).
Of a higher order than the earlier emissaries, they were called the chiefs of their order
(UT 389). Glorfindel had come to the Havens after being directed by a vision, and he placed
himself at the service of the Grey Wizard. Fatur, when Pallando eventually travelled as far as the
Mmakan, often sought and took whatever counsel the Blue Wizard would offer. It is thought that
Pallando befriended Fatur in the Halls of Mandos during his recovery from darkness. Laurr
Menelrana was also an ally of Pallando, who called himself Lianis in the south; however, Laurr
held some of his fathers visionary power and was never able to fully trust the Blue Wizard. Only
Alatar failed entirely to win the allegiance and respect of his particular trust, the cruel Queen
Daradrien; their battles throughout the Third Age were legendary in the East, even when Men
failed to perceive their whole nature.

Radagast and the Blighted Places
For Radagast, the fourth, became enamoured of the many beasts and birds that dwelt in Middle-earth, and forsook
Elves and Men, and spent his days among the wild creatures (UT 390).

Saruman, a servant of Aul, had been imposed upon by Yavanna (Auls spouse) to bring
her servant Aiwendil, later known as Radagast. Saruman thought little of his companion, and there
is no record that they ever worked together closely (LOR 276). It seems that Radagast had close
dealings only with Gandalf.
His failure was different from that of the Blue Wizards, or of Saruman. Radagast never
turned to thoughts of ambition and power, but instead abdicated his responsibilities entirely,
preferring to spend all of his days among the kelvar and olvar. However, it was Yavanna, mistress
of the olvar and kelvar, who sent him in the first place, presumably with some sort of stewardship
of the earth in mind (UT 393). How then, did he fail?
Firstly, no matter what other tasks they had, the Istari were to counsel the Free Peoples;
Radagast clearly failed to do that. Furthermore, he seems to have failed even to enlist Mannish or
Elvish assistance in protecting the natural world.
Secondly, he seems to have remained a static presence on the eaves of Mirkwood,
protecting the forest. Mirkwood was the last great forest in northwestern Middle-earth, and was
actively being corrupted by various dark agencies. It may be that he was essential in preserving
enough of the forest that it could be cleansed in the Fourth Age.
However, it is my conjecture that Radagast had a wider purpose in the Middle-earth, one
which he neglected. The ICE module The Northern Waste shows Radagast, early in his mission,
visit the Elves of Evermist, giving them counsel from Yavanna which would eventually lead to the
healing of the blighted lands of the north. Perhaps it is his special task to visit and attempt to heal
all the blighted places of Middle-earth, those harmed by the actions of Sauron or Men in general.
To this purpose, he could have been intended to act as the emissary to the South, with its vast
deserts caused by the upheavals which accompanied the wars against Morgoth in the First Age.
This would solve a riddle associated with the Istari, that the Valar send three emissaries to
the northwest, and two to the East, but none to the south. If Radagast was sent to the South, and
perhaps failed to even visit the deserts, it would explain why (despite the good he does in
Mirkwood), his mission must be considered a failure.


The Coming of the Ithryn Luin
Of the Blue little was known in the West, and they had no names save Ithryn Luin the Blue Wizards; for they passed
into the East with Curunr, but they never returned, and whether they remained in the East, pursuing there the
purposes for which they were sent; or perished; or as some hold were ensnared by Sauron and became his servants, is
not now known (UT 390).

The Blue Wizards journeyed across Middle-earth, taking fifty years to explore the lands
between Mordor and the eastern coasts, but always working towards the empires of the Womaw,
Lochans, Chy and Lynir. It was in these realms, which from ancient times had resisted the Shadow
in their own ways, that the Wizards hoped to find people willing to listen to a quiet call to arms
from a distant, half-doubted land beyond the Sea. In honor of those who had gone on a similar
journey centuries before, Alatar and Pallando adopted the names of two of the earlier messengers,
and became Alatar Rmstamo and Pallando Morinehtar. Saruman too travelled widely, at times
with the Blue Wizards but more often apart (Sil 361, UT 392).
Significant factors in the task facing the Wizards were the Nazgl Dwar and Khaml, the
latter the former pupil and lover of Daradrien. Eventually the greatness of the task forced the
Ithryn Luin to go their separate ways, although their sadness was great upon the parting. Perhaps
in the mind of Pallando a doubt set in, that this parting was to prove the end of their ancient
friendship. Certainly they began to work at cross-purposes, even in pursuit of the same goal, and
eventually their friendship turned to hate. When they came into kingdoms of their own, their wars
would be long and bitter; yet this was still far in the future as Men see it.

Pallando Among the Womaw

Pallando concentrated his efforts in mighty Womawas Drus. Coming before the Hionvar,
Pallando tapped his black staff against the ground, slowly at first but with increasing strength and
speed. The sound began to fill the Hionvars court with an inexplicable terror. At last Pallando
ceased, and after a moment of total silence, he said: Great Hionvar of the mighty Womaw, Lord
of All You See. You shall soon see All slip away before Your eyes grow too dark to see altogether.
Your empire is dying. The empires hated son Koml sends his shikome (Wm. Orcs) down from
the Mountains of Wind to assail you, the Shay and other barbarians clog the mountain passes and
attack your cities with little fear. I come from a far place, the realm of the Shining Hionvar of the
West, the Eagle-King. He has for you a message. Resist, and know that the Eagle-King thinks
upon you, his fellow Hionvar. He joined the Awg Uscurac, the ancient order of mages and seers
which advised the Womaw Hionvara. By the mid-Third Age, the Awg Uscurac was composed
primarily of imperial appointees and descendents of original members; few of them were mages,
and Pallando stood out accordingly. From this position of power he began to direct imperial
policy, becoming more enmeshed in mortal affairs with each passing century.
His efforts were integral in allowing the Womaw, often divided amongst themselves, to
resist the depredations of Khaml, hidden in the high fortresses of Sart and Mang in the Orocarni.
If his efforts added to the daily burdens of the Womaw people, and if his policies often seemed
cruel and oppressive, Pallando knew his cause to be just and his heart pure. Thus the road to Udn
is paved with the best of intentions. It is perhaps telling that when Saruman himself visited the
Womaw Empire (c. 1800 TA), he decided that Pallando Morinehtar was the only one of his
brethren whom he truly respected.
Pallando began to choose protgs within the Empire. One such was Li Koyung, prince of
the Sha-to, a Shay tribe working as mercenaries for the ruling Tingl Dynasty in an increasingly
divided Empire. Blind in one eye, Li Koyung still became a great warrior and tactician. Pallando
arranged for him to take over the border kingdom of Khaeltan, the ancient Kael; he personally saw
to the development of the new Liao Dynasty. When Li Koyung died, Pallando kept his spirit
bound to Middle-earth so that the warrior might continue to fulfil his oaths to the Blue Wizard. It
was the first of Pallandos evil acts, but unfortunately not his last.
With Khamls forces putting increasing pressure on the Empires dwindling resources, in
2125 TA Pallando convinced the Hionvar to persecute the various faiths in his domains,
appropriating their gold and lands. Pallando reasoned that they were deviations from the proper
worship of the Valar in any event. Despite a brief respite, Khaml proved too implacable a foe,
and his victorious troops poured into the Empire in 2400, founding the brutal Shayn Dynasty.
Pallando had already fled the Womaw Empire.

Alatar: Everywhere and Nowhere

In the meantime, Alatar Rmstamo had turned south, travelling through Ralian and into
the Lochan Empire, and beyond into the lands of the Ormal Bay. He shared his wisdom with all
who would consult with him, and his efforts at first were directed to the cleansing of the Zurghr,
an abomination to any true servant of Orom. When he turned his attention to mortal realms, he
came first to King Ksghar of Ganjag, a small border-kingdom between Lochas Drus and Ralian;
Ganjag was a client-kingdom of the Lochan Hionvar. Ksghars support was necessary, for the
Lochan Hionvar would see no emissary not referred to him by a client-king. Ksghar further had a
reputation as a benevolent monarch with a spiritual bent. Alatar announced himself as Alutr, the
Messenger of the King: For I bring to you a message of hope from the realm of the spirit. The
forces arrayed against you are dark, but far across the western seas there lies a realm of light. I
have come from this golden kingdom to give you hope and to counsel you. You, O King, have
heard the tales of emissaries from heaven, sent to Men that they may see the truth and live without
fear. The kings of Lochas must abandon their quarrels and hearken unto me, for I shall guide you
to a greater understanding and a perfect peace. Ksghar was impressed, and sent Alatar south to
the Lochan High Court.
Over the years Alatar visited kings and sages, oversaw battles against the forces of Dwar of
Waw. Alatar did his best in many causes, perhaps too many causes. Where Pallando chose one
realm (and one noble house) and concentrated all of his efforts therein, Alatar scurried from one
realm to the next, always giving a little of his time and then moving on. No single realm long
benefited from his presence, and although he generally found himself welcome wherever he went,
his counsel was often forgotten between visits. Monarchs would come and go without seeing him,
and the impatient Alatar would grow angry when the grandson of some king he had spoken with
knew nothing of their earlier decisions.
The greatest example of Alatars career as a travelling benefactor came in the early 18
th

century TA. Alatar agreed to accompany the young Prince Ringlin Sindacollo of Ralian to
confront his father at Arxdukanga.
7
His assistance proved invaluable, but in his absence on the

7
The entry for Ringlin in Lords of Middle-earth II is not dated, but the back story of Ringlins
distant islands the Lochan Empire disintegrated past the point of restoration. The Dral lord of
Brd and his family died in a petty dispute with the lords of Trabhukti. Ironically, the dispute
arose over the terms of a marriage alliance between the two realms arranged by Alatar in the
interests of peace and unity. Without his counsel, the bickering lords fell to arms. Upon his return,
Alatar found that there were now at least five major states to add to his already large and seemingly
eternal itinerary.
On another such journey, Alatar came across the remains of a great red spruce-like tree,
resting along the shores of the Eastern Sea in Old Kaish. The root system spread 120 feet down
and 300 feet across. Curious about its nature and properties, Alatar sent forth his will and
awakened the slumbering spirit of the ancient Huorn. It had been planted by minions of Morgoth
from a seed of Telperion, poisoned by the foul secretions of Ungoliant the Spider. Alatar barely
escaped with his life, but in the battle he cut for himself a root, the fabled E Thrond. He fashioned
the root into a magnificent white staff, capable of great feats; yet when he bound it to his will, it
bound him as well, and the effort needed to control the evil spirit had wearied him. In his heart,
Alatar began to yearn for a place to rest from his long wanderings. He turned north, seeking to
found a realm from which to continue his fight.


Two Kingdoms in a Sea of Shayn
I think they went as emissaries to distant regions, East and South, far out of Nmenrean range: missionaries to
enemy-occupied lands, as it were. What success they had I do not know; but I fear they failed, as Saruman did,
though doubtless in different ways; and I suspect they were founders or beginners of secret cults and magic
traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron (Letters 280).

In the dark days of the Shayn invasions, Khaeltan had fallen in 2114 to a Shay tribe called
the Jurkhaen, who came over the northern passes with Khaml himself leading them. Yehl Tashi,
a prince descended from Li Koyung, led his people across the mountains by a smaller pass. Many
died before they reached a sparsely inhabited forest surrounding an extensive marsh. Calling the
new kingdom Liao-ga Kr after his old dynasty, Prince Yehl accepted a life of exile.
When Pallando saw that the Womaw Empire was going to fall to Khaml despite all his
efforts, he cast his eye across the mountains to the plains of Lurs Vorganis and saw Liao-ga Kr, a
kingdom founded by the grandson of his old protg. Taking his spirits with him, Pallando set his
feet towards the forest. When he arrived, Prince Yehl eagerly made him chief advisor. When
Yehl died childless a scant three years later of a swamp influenza, Pallando took the reins of
power directly for the first time around 2300 TA. He called his new realm Famardi (Q. The

birth is taken from a book dated 3190 SA. Furthermore, Ringlins sword, Luingurth, also appears
as Luingurth II in the entry for Randae Linvair. Randaes career stretches from 3241 SA- 130
TA, suggesting that he carries Ringlins sword (since reforged) on later adventures. However,
Alatar is mentioned as the most prominent of Ringlins allies, hinting that author Peter Fenlon had
access to the notes in which Tolkien places the coming of the Blue Wizards to the Second Age.
However, LoME II was released in 1986, four years after Christopher Tolkien wrote that he was
unable to decipher these notes, which were only published in 1996 after longer scrutiny (HoME
XII.384). It can be assumed that Alatars presence was a mistake; however, I have placed
Ringlins career in the mid-Third Age in order to provide a suitable adventure to accompany the
fall of the Lochas Drus. Others might come to different conclusions.
Dwellings of the Spirit); it became known far and wide as Lygar Kraw.
Alatar knew of a place to the north of Lygar Kraw called ster Kryl, a forest where many
refugees from Daradriens court at Helkanen had settled. They lived in constant fear of
discovery, yet hesitated to move further west through the lands of the Chey and the Variags into an
unknown West which their people had earlier rejected. Alatar went to them and offered to live
among them as their chief counsellor and leader in war. The Avari accepted, and although Alatar
was never referred to as a king, he was in all respects their ruler. The realm became known as the
Place of the Blue One, Luinemar.
Luinemar became a beacon of hope to Avari throughout northeastern Endor, who flocked
to Alatars care. A summer palace was built and fortified on the shores of Lake Daldunair, almost
as far west as Rycolis. Whereas Pallandos kingdom was increasingly dark and haunted, Alatars
realm was warm, pleasant and cultured. Alatars standing was further heightened when he adopted
a young Avari girl, orphaned in the persecutions which marked the end of the Shayn Dynasty.
Princess Lossiriel of ster Kryl had been brought out of Helkanen by servants of her murdered
parents, and she was a symbol of resistance to the evil Daradrien for the remainder of the Third
Age and beyond, learning the skills of Oroms Huntsmen from her new father and wielding his
great longbow Luinlva in battle.
Despite their ancient friendship, contact was at first limited between the realms of Pallando
and Alatar. They briefly combined their forces in 2656 to defeat a Shayn army bent on
reasserting Womaw control over Lurs Vorganis and the ancient paths to the West. News of the
defeat helped weaken the Shayn at home, eventually leading to their overthrow and the birth of a
new dynasty, the n. The Ithryn Luin had perhaps saved the West from having to face
reinforcements from Womawas Drus during the War of the Ring. If the routes to the West had
remained in Womaw or Shayn hands, Rhovanion would surely have fallen, and the forces arrayed
on Gondors northern borders would have been even greater than they actually were.
Despite their moment of co-operation, Alatar and Pallando increasingly found themselves
vying for power in the Lurs Vorganis region. The Shay and other tribes still living west of the
Orocarni, and those few Shayn refugees fleeing the fall of their dynasty in 2688, were lured by
both sides as the old friendship turned to open hostility and conflict. The Elves of Luinemar and
Famardi would never battle one another, leaving the wars to be fought exclusively by the Shay
and their fellow nomads. These conflicts continued well into Fourth Age, with various Shay tribes
switching from one side to the other, the Blue Wizards locked in continual strife. The Valair, the
Aa and other tribes alternately benefited and suffered from this state of affairs, but again the
actions of the Blue Wizards kept these nomads from migrating west and putting any pressure on
the early recovery of the Reunited Kingdom and its allies. If the kings of the West ever paused to
wonder why the East no longer seemed to produce threatening hordes, it might be imagined that
they would give little thought to the nameless Blue Wizards, who came not into the tales of
Gondor.