Galadriel sat upon the White Council of Elves and Wizards. In centuries past, the council had been formed to watch for a sign of Sauron’s return, and while long years of relative peace may have lulled some into complacency, Galadriel’s purpose was as keen as ever. Tempered in fire, the steel of the Lady’s resolve had never been sharper, and her gaze turned ever east where shadows lengthened.

Presiding over the Council’s deliberations was Saruman the White, Chief of the Order of Istari, but it was Gandalf the Grey whom Galadriel trusted most. When the windblown Wizard came to Rivendell bearing a strange blade and word of things moving in the dark, the Lady of Lorien was there to greet him. A fond reunion it was, for the two were old friends of like spirit and had shared much, but of greatest import to Galadriel was the news he bore of stirrings in the ancient fortress of Dol Guldur...