The Black Company in Middle Earth
is a fanfiction by author McJunker
The Black Company is a band of mercenaries who sell themselves to the highest bidder and this time around, they're in service to none other than the Dark Lord himself, Sauron. The story follows their service from the later period of the War of the Ring and encompasses the major battles of that time. The characters that make up the Black Company are all OCs, but they fit very well with Glen Cook's writing style and mannerisms. It stands completed with a total of sixteen chapters.
The Black Company in Middle Earth provides examples of:
- Anyone Can Die: The author is not afraid to do a GRRM and kill off important characters, most noticeably Haroun, the main protagonist.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Saintly tricks Papa Jack into thinking the Annals were burned and his performance soon dissolves into this.
- Bad Boss: Sauron, naturally. It tends to come with the whole Dark Lord gig. A few of the mercenaries make a note that they always seem to end up serving despots and mad tyrants who have a nasty habit of betraying them.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: A number of Company brothers feel that they should have run right over Gondor. After all, they had just about every advantage they could ask for; a much larger army, hard-hitting units like Trolls and Mûmakil, powerful siege engines, and the Nine themselves, the biggest magical powerhouses in their hemisphere. But they still get routed with almost insulting ease by the forces of Gondor.
- Even Evil Has Standards: More than a few Orc chieftains are disgusted by how Sauron backstabs the Black Company after the Minas Tirith debacle, especially since it was only due to their leadership that those same orcs were able to get out alive.
- Fate Worse than Death:
- After Sauron's ring is destroyed and he becomes an incorporeal spirit, Sapper uncovers a ritual that their predecessors used to imprison an immensely powerful sorcerer called the Dominator and gets the idea to do the same to Sauron. He then traps the former Dark Lord in a spear which will be used as the Black Company's standard for the future. That's right; Sauron, the former evil overlord of Mordor, is now a glorified flag.
- Also, the fate of the Black Númenórean. He gets dunked in molten silver and thrown into the Sea of Nurn.
- Gallows Humor: Saintly is noted to have a humor blacker than sin.
- Hero of Another Story: Papa Jack is disgusted when he discovers how little the Black Company's struggles mattered in comparison to two hobbits destroying the Ring
- In Vino Veritas: In a group usually unwilling to share their histories, Saintly and Papa Jack swap backstories while intoxicated.
- Mind Rape: Getting a telepathic message from the Witch-King is not a pleasant experience. Poor Sapper seems to be about to have a stroke when receiving one.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: No one in the Black Company uses their original name and instead adopt nicknames of their choosing.
- Haroun is the Annalist at the start of the story.
- Bullet is the drill sergeant of the company, named after the ammunition he used for his sling.
- Pork Chop is the Company medic and a damn good one at that.
- Papa Jack succeeds Haroun as Annalist later in the story. He got the name because he's the oldest new recruit the Company has taken yet.
- Sapper is the token mage of the Company. He might not be able to summon firestorms or anything like that, but he's got a creative streak that allows him to produce some nasty results.
- Spike and Bop are fraternal twins.
- Blink is the resident sharpshooter. His crossbow never misses.
- Reader is a mountain of muscle who is named because he is proudly illiterate.
- Saintly is a man of quips and black humor.
- Quality over Quantity: This is the Black Company's creed. They may not have numbers, but they are as disciplined as real soldiers and have years of experience in what they do. This allows them to whip forces much larger than theirs.
- Squishy Wizard:
- Played straight with Sapper, the Black Company's resident sorcerer. While he's capable of some nifty feats, he's by no means a top-tier spellcaster and requires his own bodyguard when in battle.
- Averted with the Nazgûl. They are powerhouses in terms of both magical power and sheer durability. The Black Company also has records that note just how amazingly hard to kill some wizards are, such as the Lady and the Dominator.
- Tagalong Chronicler: The Annalist of the Black Company is responsible for recording everything that happens to the Black Company, their victories, defeats, former employers, the works. As such, the position of Annalist is highly regarded, being afforded the same treatment as a military officer crossed with a priest. Haroun is the Annalist when the story first starts. After his death at Pelennor Fields, he is succeeded by Papa Jack.
- Villain Ball: Nice going there, Sauron; I'm sure that taking the Company's Annals, which is basically their entire recorded history and is more sacred to them than anything, and sending them their captain's head in a box won't possibly cause them to swear bloody vengeance and try to depose you.
- We Have Reserves: The hordes of Mordor have countless orcs in their ranks, so they are always sent in first to be arrow fodder.
- You Have Failed Me: In spite of their initial successes during the siege of Minas Tirith and being able to save themselves and a good portion of the Mordor army from complete annihilation when the defenders manage to rally against them, Sauron still feels that the Company has not lived up to their deal, so he decides to renegotiate their contract... by beheading their Captain and stealing their Annals as leverage. As might be expected, this does not go over well with the Black Company.
