Dawn Breaks in Gondor

"Now after Gandalf had ridden for some time the light of day grew in the sky, and Pippen roused himself and looked up. To his left lay a sea of mist, rising to meet a bleak shadow in the East; but to his right great mountains reared their heads, ranging from the West to a steep and sudden end, as if in the making of the land the River had burst through a great barrier, carving out a mighty valley to be a land of battle and debate in times to come. And there where the White Mountains of Ered came to their end he saw, as Gandalf had promised, the dark mass of Mount Mindolluin, the deep purple shadows of its high glens, and its tall face whitening in the rising day. And upon its outthrust knee was the Guarded City, with its seven walls of stone so strong and old that it seemed to have been not builded but carven by giants out of the stones of the earth.

Even as Pippin gazed in wonder the walls passed from looming grey to white, blushing faintly in the dawn; and suddenly the sun climbed over the eastern shadow and sent forth a shaft that smote the face of the City. Then Pippin cried aloud, for the Tower of Ecthelion, standing high within the topmost wall, shone out against the sky, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, tall and fair and shapely, and its pinnacle glittered as if it were wrought of crystals; and white banners broke and fluttered from the battlements in the morning breeze, and high and far he heard a clear ringing as of silver trumpets."

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King.

About this picture: This is the image that broke my machine. Total file size 184 Meg, 12,000 individual objects and over 30 million polygons. Many, many thanks to all those who suggested changes and helped me get this image right.

The text in the top corner says, in my ungainly hand, "The City of Minas Tirith, Capital of Gondor" in the feanorean text.