Eighth of the Nazgûl

Iron Crown EnterprisesDecipher

“Ren the Ringwraith” by Romas Kukalis
Man (early) Wraith (later)
Ren
Biographical Information
Other names	the Unclean the Insane the Illusionist Fire King
Titles	King of Chey Sart
Position	Eighth of the Nazgûl
Affiliation	Nazgûl Eye of Sauron
Birth	S.A. 1969 Chey Sart
Death	25 March T.A. 3019 Morannon
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Height	5 ft 10 in
Eye colour	Black
Clothing	Red and white robes Helmet shaped like his father's head
Weaponry	Morgul-knife Burning Blade Believers' Bane
Steed	Black horse

Man (early) Wraith (later)
Úlairë Toldëa
Biographical Information
Other names	The Black Shadow
Position	Eighth of the Nazgûl
Affiliation	Nazgûl Eye of Sauron
Death	25 March T.A. 3019 Morannon
Physical Description
Gender	Male
Steed	Black horse

The Eighth of the Nazgûl was never differentiated in Tolkien's works, but several adaptations did attribute individual traits to this specific Nazgûl.

Iron Crown Enterprises constructed an elaborate non-canonical backstory for Middle-earth Role Playing, identifying the character as Ren the Unclean, a backstory which was also used in the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game.

Decipher, for their Trading Card Game, instead limited this individualization to naming the character Úlairë Toldëa (Q. Eighth Nazgûl), and assigning the epithet of Black Shadow.

While some other adaptations also individualized the Nine, none are known to have assigned specific numbers.

Backstory in Middle-earth Role Playing

Ren was born in Chey Sart in S.A. 1969 and grew up near the magical Springs of Fog, where he trained as an illusionist. He married a woman named Elyen and they had two children. For four years, he lived a peaceful life, composing a book on enchantments.

This tranquil period ended in S.A. 1998, when a plague swept through his homeland. Ren barely survived the illness, but it left him with a twisted mind, instilling in him the delusion that he was the Fire King, a son of the volcano Ulk Chey Sart. His sanity slowly eroded, and his horrified wife tried in vain to find a cure.

At the end of S.A. 1999, Ren gathered a cult of followers and declared himself the Overlord of the Chey. He ruthlessly subjugated the tribes in his regio, and by the end of the next year, he had become the King of the Chey in truth.

Sauron, observing Ren's ruthless march, saw great potential in the mad enchanter. In S.A. 2001, Ren accepted a Ring of Power, becoming the eighth King to fall under Sauron’s sway.”

Non-believers were purged, including his own family, and the population of the tribes fell to half of what it had been before the Plague. Ren led two great expansions between S.A. 2155 and S.A. 3261, using a system of horse-roads and garrison holds to consolidate his conquests.

After the Downfall of Númenor, he joined his master in Mordor, where he passed into shadows as Sauron was overthrown in the War of the Last Alliance.

Ren reappeared around T.A. 1050, re-establishing his volcanic hold and expanding it into a great underground citadel. In T.A. 1235, he began subjugating neighbouring tribes, unifying them in T.A. 1264. He ruled under the moniker of the Fire King to hide his identity, bringing a period of prosperity to the Chey people.

During the War of the Ring, Ren rode with the Black Riders in search of the One Ring. Afterwards, he organized Mordor's main army from Barad-dûr and then fought at the Battle of the Morannon, where he perished with Sauron's defeat.

Weaponry in Middle-earth Role Playing

Beyond a Morgul-knife, the Ringwraith is noted to have possessed the following weapons:

• Burning Blade: A galvorn two-handed sword, with a red edge. Its hilt was made of red copper and the guard of golden laen.
• Believers' Bane: An enchanted composite bow.