A Made-Up Timeline for the War of Wrath
I think I arrived at a timeline to go with these maps. I might make some maps of my own at some point. Still haven't finished Dead Feanor. I need to just write the period 565-587, the story has an ending (well, actually it has two endings, but I decided it was stupidly long enough already so I'm going to finish it at the end of the First Age, and then maybe do Eregion and Feanor the Barrow Wight later).
545 The host of the Valar comes up out of the West (Elrond & Elros are 13)
#Host 2: Noldor, led by Finarfin land at the Havens : late summer
#Host 1: Vanyar, led by Ingwion: Capture of Eglarest (presumably in Morgoth’s hands)
546 Battle of Tasarinan. Surprise attack on the Noldor by orcs. Noldor eventually prevail and camp in Tasarinan. Eglarest rebuilt by Cirdan. Brithombar cleared of orcs.
547 Battle with Orcs and Balrogs: Vanyar and Noldor eventually drive them out across the Sirion. Clearing orc-legions, spiders and beasts of Morgoth from West Beleriand.
548 - struggle for control of the passages of the River Sirion First assault on the west end of the Andram Wall now held by Morgoth.
Belegost developing anti-dragon technologies. Brithombar re-built.
549 - Continued deadlock along the Sirion. Vanyar retake Nargothrond with heavy losses. Fëanorians raid North to Lake Helevorn. Belegost support Fëanorians fighting dragons near Mt Helevorn Elrond & Elros are 17. Elros goes to Balar.
550 Battle of Aelin-uial (Twilight Pools) - Easterlings of Hithlum attack Elves on the flank. Rumour that Morgoth is coming to contest passages of the Sirion. Doesn’t happen.
552 Battles at the Gates of Sirion. Establishment of Edain settlements around Eglarest & in Eriador (necessitated by population growth on Balar) Vanyar fighting orcs and Men out of Hithlum in Talath Dirnen.
553 Still fighting on the Sirion. Vanyar are unable to force the passages of the River Teiglin.
554 Vanyar unable to pass the Ered Wethrin mountains into Dor-lómin due to Balrogs, but set up a watchtower on Amon Rudh.
555 orcs dig secret tunnels through mountains of Nevrast to attack Vanyar in W. Beleriand from the North. Fighting on two fronts. Cirdan lands troops on the Firth of Drengist, but they are driven back by a Balrog. Elrond & Elros are 23.
556 - The Noldor host raid across the Sirion into East Beleriand in small boats but are driven back. Brithombar & Eglarest are now re-established enough to be supplying the Vanyar.
557 - Still fighting on the Sirion and the Teiglin. The Vanyar cross the river and manage to set up an advance camp in Brethil but are driven back.
558 Belegost formally declares war, battle orcs in Thargelion. Sirion still bogged down: Noldor in the south, Vanyar further north attempting to cross into Dimbar. Dwarves undermine Mt Rerir and collapse it on the Orcs infesting it. Second Battle of Crossings of the Teiglin. Vanyar force the crossings of the Teiglin and pass into what was Brethil.
559 - Sauron counter-attacks, bringing troops out of the East and South against the new settlements of the Edain in Eriador. Ulmo destroys the land south of the Taur-im Duinath and the Bay of Balar is hugely extended back to the Ered Luin, wiping out the mouth of the River Gelion, Baranduin and much of Ossiriand.
563 Círdan & Gil-galad make another attempt to retake Nevrast, but are unsuccessful.
565 Dead spirits under control of Sauron in Ossiriand driven out by Elrond with the help of Maglor & Maedhros. Evacuation of the Isle of Balar to the Falas. Elros goes to Falas. He’s 28. Elrond leaves the Fëanorians and joins his brother. Balar Destroyed by Ulmo: collateral damage in attack on South East Beleriand.
566 Eastern Beleriand invaded by the Edain who camp at Amon Ereb under Elros & Elrond.
567 - Edain & Noldor fighting north across Estolad. Belegost attacks an army of orcs in Thargelion.
568 - Vanyar protecting the settlements in the Falas. Balrogs attack from Nevrast. Nevrast is destroyed, Firth of Drengist hugely extended. Balrogs driven back into Hithlum.
569 Vanyar host raid across the Sirion into Doriath & fight dragons in the Thousand Caves. (Galadriel and Celeborn involved? Galadriel in LOTR teases Celeborn about wanting to visit an ancestral home even if it becomes a lair of dragons). Vanyar take Dimbar but find it infested with fell beasts out of Nan Dungortheb.
571 Nogrod joins the war. Vanyar are struggling to hold Dimbar.
572 Men coming from the East are ambushed in the mountain-passes by the Dwarves of Nogrod & Belegost. Vanyar host forced to retreat from Dimbar back across the river Sirion by dragons coming out of Gondolin.
573 Dwarves & Fëanorians attack over the Gelion at Sarn Athrad as a diversionary tactic. Host of Noldor attack the gates of Sirion at the same time. Wingless dragons out of Gondolin attack West Beleriand and the Falas but are beaten back by the Vanyar.
574 Stalemate on the Sirion again. The lower Sirion area is now mostly water. Vanyar attempt to force the pass of Sirion but are driven back with heavy losses when Morgoth moves the mountains of the Crissaegrim and the Ered Wethrin together to block the pass. River Sirion reduced in size due to channel being blocked. Brithombar & Eglarest raided by Morgoth’s Men out of Hithlum.
575 .Host of the Noldor cross the Sirion at last, but cannot breach the Andram wall which is now heavily fortified. Lowlands of East Beleriand being re-taken. Brithombar & Eglarest begin to be evacuated to what is left of South Ossiriand, which is easier to supply. Vanyar try to breach the Pass of Anach, with limited success.
576 Falas now fully evacuated, non-combatant Edain & injured Elves mostly in Ossiriand or East of the mountains in Eriador. Vanyar in Brethil still struggling with dragons out of Gondolin.
577 Noldor host laying siege to the Andram wall which is now cut off from Angband. Fëanorians & dwarves attempting to retake Thargelion and clear Lake Helevorn. Vanyar under attack from dragons out of Gondolin are supported by Ulmo. Doriath & Dimbar become a lake, part of the Encircling Mountains around Gondolin brought down by Noldor mountain-singers. Eönwë does terrible things to Nan Dungortheb. Wingless Dragons finally cleared from the Gondolin region.
578 Vanyar retake Hithlum with the aid of Círdan, bringing ships in along the extended Firth of Drengist. Hand to hand fighting in Dor-Lomin and Hithlum between Vanyar & Easterlings, surviving Sindar of Hithlum act as guides.
579 Vampires attacking the Noldor host at night out of Taur-nu-Fuin. West Beleriand is now unstable and the action of tide and wind is causing what is left of it to slip into the Sea. Vanyar still working to re-take Hithlum.
580 Host of the Noldor & Edain led by Elros finally breach the Andram wall which collapses into the Sea and move North together with the Vanyar Host. Ered Wethrin falls into the Sea. Elros & Elrond are 48.
581 Forests of Neldoreth & Brethil are now a huge lake. Host moves onto the shore of the new lake in North Beleriand, now accessible from the sea via the enlarged Sirion, slaughtering legions of orcs.
582 Himring & Mount Rerir re-taken and fortresses destroyed by Noldor. Combined Noldor & Vanyar host move through Maglor’s Gap onto Plains of Lothlann.
583 Belegost and Nogrod smitten by a fleeing Balrog with terrible losses. River Legolin vastly expanded, becomes Firth of Lune. First Battle of the Anfauglith. Vanyar clearing orcs & Morgoth’s beasts from what is left of Dorthonion.
584 Siege of Angband. Noldor & Vanyar hosts encamped upon Anfauglith. Barad Eithel retaken at considerable cost.
585 Siege of Angband. What is left of Dorthonion is still infested with vampires which raid the hosts camped upon the Anfauglith. Círdan bringing supplies by ship out of Eriador from the now well-established Edain settlements there.
586 The winged dragons are released in fire and lightning. The Host of the Valar are driven back from the Anfauglith and retreat temporarily to Thargelion and Northern Hithlum (southern Hithlum is now under water). Earendil joins the war but does not land in Middle-earth.
587 March counter-attack by the combined host retakes Lothlann
August 1 final assault begins. Vanyar move East from Hithlum, Eönwë , more VAnyar and the Noldor host move West from Lothlann to the Gates of Angband.
August 5 Ancalagon fights Earendil and a host of birds led by Thorondor and is killed, So are most of the other winged dragons. Thangorodrim is broken,
August 30th Morgoth is chained and the Silmarils are regained. Angband uncovered, and Morgoth's thralls released.
Victory in Middle Earth.
Sept: Sauron submits to Eönwë, but will not return to Valinor and slips away into Middle-earth.
Oct - Mar : feed & care for the released thralls. Ship-building in Ossiriand. Evacuating Angband & the Anfauglith into the East. Anfauglith starts to slip into the sea.
588 April: Eonwe summons Elves to leave Middle Earth
Sons of Feanor demand the Silmarils and are refused.
Angband begins sinking into the sea.
May Sons of Fëanor steal silmarils when they are refused.
Maedhros kills himself.
Maglor throws his Silmaril into the sea and vanishes.
589 Elves of the Vanyar march back separately to Valinor across the Helcaraxë led by Ingwë's son. Noldor & Sindar return in ships.
590 Morgoth is thrust from Arda into the Outer Dark. Angband and what is left of Beleriand sinks into the sea.
Following the end of the First Age the surviving men of the Edain, under the leadership of Elros, and the guidance of Círdan, build a fleet of some 150 to 300 ships that over the next 50 years bring 5,000 to 10,000 people to Númenor.