When Saruman was disgraced and ousted from Isengard, he set into action sinister machinations that would wreak havoc on the Shire. While Frodo and his companions sought victory over the Dark Lord, their folk back in the Shire were enslaved, with only pockets of resistance holding out against Saruman and his army of vagabonds and bullies. When the four travellers returned, they found a Shire locked in tyranny - a state they fought to reverse.