Deception
Sauron’s first attempt to exert his dominance through the One Ring led to the Elves discovering Annatar’s treachery, taking their three rings—although largely untouched by Sauron’s magics as the 16 other rings of power forged in Eregion, they were still created with enough of his techniques that they could sense his will—into hiding. Putting aside the centuries of deception he’d achieved as Annatar, Sauron began preparing to bring the Elves down by martial force instead.
Recruiting forces of men from around Mordor’s surrounding regions, Sauron spent the next 90 years mustering and training a massive force to invade Eriador with in secret—but a discovery by Númenórean forces that had established their own holding along the shores of the river Anduin’s delta, in what would eventually become Gondor, allowed High King Gil-Galad to begin preparing for invasion as well, raising his own forces in Lindon as well as directly calling upon Númenór for aid.
Although hampered by the influence of the Blue Wizards in the East, Sauron still gathered an almighty host to invade Eriador with. After a few years of marshalling forces on either side, in the year 1695 in the Second Age, his war with the Elves had truly begun, and Sauron immediately set his sights on laying Eregion low.
