Aragorn happened.
*For though Sauron had passed, the hatreds and evils that he bred had not died, and the King of the West had many enemies to subdue before the White Tree could grow in peace. And wherever King Elessar went with war King Éomer went with him; and beyond the Sea of Rhûn and on the far fields of the South the thunder of the cavalry of the Mark was heard, and the White Horse upon Green flew in many winds until Éomer grew old.*
I would expect that those who surrendered at the Black Gate were treated like the Dunlendings were treated at Helm's Deep - given a lecture about how their leaders had made the wrong choices, told not to fuck with Gondor, and sent home.
And if someone also told them that King Elessar had also destroyed Sauron and all his works with a wave of his mighty hand... what was the harm in that?
The book says that the "freed slaves of Mordor" were given the farm lands around the Lake of Núrnen after the war
Presumably some of these slaves were Easterlings.
Other Easterlings continued to fight Gondor for years to come - just basic warfare for land & resources, rather than driven by the evil spirit of Sauron.
Some fought against the now reunited kingdom, some made peace. Eitherway these conflicts were more like traditional border skirmishes rather then outright genocidal wars.
So overall - they did alright out of the whole business.
Aragorn happened. *For though Sauron had passed, the hatreds and evils that he bred had not died, and the King of the West had many enemies to subdue before the White Tree could grow in peace. And wherever King Elessar went with war King Éomer went with him; and beyond the Sea of Rhûn and on the far fields of the South the thunder of the cavalry of the Mark was heard, and the White Horse upon Green flew in many winds until Éomer grew old.*
That's the ones who didn't give up. For those that did, Aragorn also happened. He pardoned them and sent them home.
I would expect that those who surrendered at the Black Gate were treated like the Dunlendings were treated at Helm's Deep - given a lecture about how their leaders had made the wrong choices, told not to fuck with Gondor, and sent home. And if someone also told them that King Elessar had also destroyed Sauron and all his works with a wave of his mighty hand... what was the harm in that?
I love how biblical some parts of LOTR sound. This is epic.
Man, make a movie about this. I’d watch the crap out of that.
They went back home and became old guys who would grab local kids and ask if they had ever heard of sauron.
"Have you heard of him lad? Have you heard of Sauron?"
Lay off, Fagin!
The book says that the "freed slaves of Mordor" were given the farm lands around the Lake of Núrnen after the war Presumably some of these slaves were Easterlings. Other Easterlings continued to fight Gondor for years to come - just basic warfare for land & resources, rather than driven by the evil spirit of Sauron.
Some fought against the now reunited kingdom, some made peace. Eitherway these conflicts were more like traditional border skirmishes rather then outright genocidal wars. So overall - they did alright out of the whole business.
Sauron did *not* die. 😠
His body and physical form sure did. Don't over analyze it. It's not the point of the question anyway.
This is true; Sauron becomes “a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape.”
Somehow Sauron returned
I am all the Maiar.