Sauron – LOTRO Players

The Necromancer Above All – Part Five

Hail and Well Met Everyone!

Last week we left off with Sauron aka “The Necromancer” if you haven’t made that connection… abandoning his strong hold of Dol-Goldur, and returning to Mordor to prepare his armies for the final war against the free peoples of Middle-Earth.

The Land of Mordor

By the time Sauron returned to Mordor after his false defeat in Dol-Goldur, Mordor was protected too well to be captured by any military force that was available in Middle-Earth at the end of the Third Age. In the northwestern corner of this land stood Mount Doom, where Sauron forged the One Ring, and nearby stood Barad-dur which was Sauron’s stronghold.

Sauron bred immense armies of Orcs and allied with and enslaved Men from the east and south. He gathered his most terrifying servants, the Nazgul, each wearing one of the nine rings designed for mortal men. He adopted the symbol of a lidless eye, glaring across the land of Mordor and was able to exert his will over Middle-earth, so the Eye of Sauron became a symbol of power and fear. But while Sauron had much of his former strength, he was still much weakened without the One Ring and remained hidden in the shadows, directing his armies from afar.

The War of the Ring

After the creature Gollum, who had previously possessed the ring, was captured, Sauron had him tortured and learned that he once had a magic ring, and from him he heard the words Shire and Baggins. He deduced that Gollum’s ring was the One Ring, and sent his servants the Nine to find Shire and search for Baggins, so that the One Ring might be found and brought back to him.

Meanwhile, Sauron had allied with the wizard Saruman, whom he had ensnared into his service, expecting the wizard to move against Rohan and thus remove one of the major threats Sauron faced in his planned conquest of Gondor and the remaining Elves. Saruman failed however, and Sauron lost his most potent ally as well as Saruman’s massive army of Uruk-Hai.

Sauron See’s Aragorn

Shortly after Saruman’s defeat, Peregrin Took looked into the Palantír that Saruman had possessed, and accidentally communicated with Sauron, who believed that Saruman had captured the Halflings bearing the Ring, but when Aragorn took the palantir and revealed himself, Sauron realized that Saruman had failed. Concluding that the Heir of Isildur carried the ring, and could possibly use it against him, Sauron sped up his plans and attacked the city of Minas Tirith much sooner than he had planned, seeking to crush it, and with it the last true resistance to his rule.

But due to the combined efforts of Gondor, Rohan, and the Army of the Dead, Sauron’s army was defeated. He still had many armies in reserve, however, and enough military strength to easily conquer Middle-earth once Gondor fell. Yet, instead of striking out and covering Middle-Earth in a second darkness akin to Morgoth’s near-victory, Sauron feared that Aragorn was attempting to master the ring’s powers for himself, and waited for a period of strife between Aragorn and other potential Ringlords in which he would move out and take the Ring for himself.

The Battle at the Morannon

In order to buy time for Frodo to reach Mt. Doom, and to distract Sauron from the peril in his own land, Gandalf and Aragorn led the remaining host from Minas Tirith to the Black Gate, making Sauron believe that Aragorn did indeed intend to challenge him directly.

All the rest of the Orc armies from Barad-dur had gotten to Udun, once Sauron foresaw their coming, to utterly crush the Men of the West, and regain his prize. Gandalf and Aragorn’s ploy worked: Frodo was able to reach Mount Doom, and upon putting on the Ring, Sauron suddenly became aware of him. Though enraged, he was suddenly gripped with terror, realizing his own folly, and frantically sent the Ringwraiths towards the mountain to retrieve the Ring. He was too late however, and Gollum, after taking the Ring from Frodo, slipped into the Cracks of Doom, and the Ring was unmade. The earth shook, Barad-dur fell, and Mount Doom exploded with fire, consuming the eight remaining Nazgul, who had left their combat with the Great Eagles to race to Mount Doom, in its fiery ruin.

With his physical form utterly destroyed, Sauron’s spirit hovered above Mordor like a huge shape of shadow, impenetrable, lightning-crowned, terrible but impotent, only to be blown away by a great wind.

With his source of power destroyed, Sauron was defeated and his armies were destroyed or scattered, bereft of the driving will behind their conquest.

To Death and Downfall

If the Ring is destroyed, then he will fall, and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again. For he will lose the best part of the strength that was native to him in his beginning, and all that was made or begun with that power will crumble, and he will be maimed for ever, becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. And so a great evil of this world will be removed.

All of Sauron’s old strength that was “native to him in his beginning”, in the words of Gandalf, was forever lost. Since his new body was based solely on the powers of the Ring, it was destroyed when the Ring was unmade. Without the strength of the Ring to aid him, he would never regain enough power to form the weakest body in Arda, and thus was restricted to existing as a hateful spirit, weak, and forever unable to take part in the events of Middle-earth. While evil would continue to exist, Sauron could never emerge as a Dark Lord again and never would have the power to create an army or draw evil creatures to his rule as he once did.

Though this concludes our series on Sauron we have plenty more stories of Lore to be told.

Until next week, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell.

A Necromancer Above All – Part Four

Hail and well met everyone!

Last week we left off with Sauron being defeated by Isildur during the Last Alliance which brought the destruction of Sauron’s physical body. Isildur had the chance to destroy the one ring and end the war forever but corruption came over him. Isildur was betrayed years later and killed by orcs and the ring was lost in the Anduin river for centuries.

This week we pick up and learn that Sauron is still alive and has been in hiding for the past thousand years.

The Third Age

Despite his defeat, Sauron was not vanquished permanently. Though greatly weakened, he still existed, due to pouring most of his native power, strength, and will into the One Ring. Thus, as long as it existed, he could never be truly defeated, and during the first thousand years of the Third Age, he lay in hiding, slowly recovering his strength until he was once again able to create a body for himself.

The Necromancer of Dol Guldur

Sauron began his rise in the year 1000 of the third age, taking the stronghold of Dol Guldur, the Hill of Sorcery, in southern Mirkwood. There, he was disguised as a dark sorcerer known as the Necromancer, and the Elves did not realize at first that he was actually Sauron returned.

Around this time, the Valar sent the five Wizards, or Istari, to oppose Sauron and rally the free peoples of Middle-Earth against him.

While Sauron continued to gather his strength, the Ringwraiths reappeared three hundred years after Sauron arose in Dol Goldur and began steadily assaulting the Numenorian kingdoms in exile until, one by one, they fell. Whether the Witch King was acting on his own, or was being guided by Sauron, is not known.

Sauron Reveals Himself to Gandalf

Suspecting that Sauron had returned and was guiding the Nazgul, the wizard Gandalf infiltrated the fortress to confirm his theory, but Sauron fled into the East to conceal his identity. This marked the beginning of the Watchful Peace, which ended with Sauron’s return to Dol Guldur many years later. During that time, the One Ring was finally discovered by Smeagol and his friend Deagol.

Gandalf the Grey made a second intrusion into Dol Guldur around year 2850, and finally discovered that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron. Eventually, the White Council put forth their might and drove Sauron from Dol Guldur permanently. Without the Ring in his possession, Sauron could draw on only the smallest fraction of its strength, so his enemies were able to drive him from Dol Guldur with relative ease. However, the Dark Lord, having had ample time to prepare, was willing to abandon Dol Guldur, and returned to Mordor, where he openly declared himself, and began preparations for his final war against the free peoples of Middle-earth.

Until next week as we wrap up the final series on Sauron, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell.

A Necromancer Above All – Part Three

Hail and well met everyone!

Last week we left off with Sauron being defeated by the armies of Numenor’s King Tar-Minastir in the War of the Elves. Though defeated he was not completely destroyed and fled back to Mordor once again to regroup and gain his power back over the next few centuries.

This week we pick up with the beginning of Sauron becoming a “prisoner” of the Numenoreans and watching his cunning unfold in the second age.

The Numenoreans

These Men lived on the island of Numenor in the sea between Middle-earth and Valinor. The Numenoreans, who were then proud, came to Middle-earth with astounding force of arms. King Ar-Pharazon marched his troops all the way to Mordor without a single battle, and demanded that Sauron abase himself before the King. Sauron could see clearly that even the most powerful of his servants could not stand against the Numenoreans, and so came from Barad-dur without any offer of battle. He assumed a fair form and flattered Ar-Pharazon, but the King demanded that Sauron come back to Numenor as a hostage. Sauron feigned unhappiness at this development but secretly was delighted, for this presented him with an opportunity to destroy the Numenoreans from within. After only a few short years in Numenor he grew from captive to the King’s most trusted adviser, and nearly all the King’s court fawned upon him. Drawing on their fear of death, he converted many Numenoreans to the worship of Morgoth, lying that Morgoth had the power to save them from mortality. As his power and influence reached its peak, he raised a great Temple in which he performed human sacrifices to Morgoth. Finally, he convinced Ar-Pharazon to rebel against the Valar and attack Valinor itself and claim it for himself.

But here, Sauron’s cunning overreached itself, for Eru then directly intervened – Numenor was drowned under the sea, and the great navy of Numenor was destroyed and the army that reached Aman was buried under mountains of falling rock and imprisoned in the Caves of the Forgotten. The world was bent, so that thereafter, only Elven-Ships could sail into the Utter West. Sauron’s body was destroyed, but his spirit was not diminished, and he fled back to Mordor once again bearing the Ring, where he slowly rebuilt a new body and his strength during the time known as the Dark Years. From this point on, he lost the ability to assume a fair shape, and ruled now through terror and force. A few faithful Numenoreans led by Elendil were saved from the flood, and they founded both Gondor and Arnor.

Sauron’s Destruction by Isildur

After losing his body in the destruction of Numenor and a brief period of renewed war, Elendil and his people allied with the Elven-king, Gil-Galad to create the Last Alliance, and together fought Sauron. They finally defeated his armies at the Battle of Dagorlad, and laid siege to Barad-dur for seven years. Finally, Sauron himself came forth and fought both Elendil and Gil-galad, slaying them both singlehandedly. Then Isildur, son of Elendil, took up his father’s broken sword, Narsil and cut the One Ring from Sauron’s finger. Sauron’s physical body was destroyed. With nearly all of his power stored in the ring, the dark lord was vanquished when it was cut from his finger. Without their leader’s dark will driving them on, Sauron’s armies were routed and fled, and thus, his campaign to defeat the free peoples was seemingly ended, and his greatest weapon taken from him.

But while Isildur had taken the ring, he could not bring himself to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged, instead he became corrupted by the One Ring and kept it for himself. He was eventually betrayed by it a few years later, and slain by orcs at the Gladden Fields. The Ring fell into the river Anduin, and was lost for centuries before being found by a hobbit named Deagol.

Though this weeks story is a bit shorter we once again leave off at a pivotal point in Middle-Earth history and a perfect transition point with the One Ring being lost. So, for you die hard fans you know exactly where the story is going next, but for those of you who may not…you will just have to wait until next week to see.

I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell.

A Necromancer Above All – Part Two

Hail and well met everyone!

Last week we left off with the Necromancer being defeated by Luthien and fleeing into hiding. He had very little to do with the events that took place in the first age but things in Middle-Earth were not safe as the Necromancer was laying dormant just waiting. This week we pick up with the beginning events of his rise to power in the second age.

The Dark Lord’s hand of Power.

After lying hidden and dormant for 500 years, Sauron began revealing himself once more, and around the year 1000 he gathered his power and established himself in the land of Mordor and began building the dreaded Dark Tower of Barad-dur near Mount Doom. Sauron, like Morgoth, soon began raising massive armies of Orcs, Trolls, and possibly other creatures, as well as corrupting the hearts of Men with delusions of power and wealth, chiefly Easterlings and Southrons.

Although Sauron knew that men were easier to sway, he sought to bring the Elves into his service, as they were far more powerful. By year 1500, Sauron put on a masterful front in the Second Age, and calling himself Annatar, the “Lord of Gifts”, he befriended the Elvish smiths of Eregion, and counseled them in arts and magic. Not all the Elves trusted him, particularly Lady Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor.

Sauron, wearing the One Ring.

To the elves who listened, Sauron gave knowledge and encouragement in forging the Rings of Power, though in secret Sauron forged his own, the One Ring, to rule the Elvish rings. Upon that ring Sauron left the inscription, Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatuluk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul. In Westron the inscription translated into: One Ring to Rule Them All, One Ring to Find Them, One Ring to Bring Them All, and in the Darkness Bind Them. However, as soon as Sauron put the Ring on his finger the Elves sensed his treachery, and removed their rings and hid them. Enraged, Sauron came against them in open war and demanded that all the Rings of Power be given to him. The Elves managed to hide the three greatest of the Rings from him, but the other sixteen Rings of Power were either captured by Sauron, destroyed, or lost. To the Dwarves he had given seven, but to Men he had given Nine, knowing that they would be the easiest to enslave. The Dwarf Lords who received the Rings proved to be very resistant to their power, and neither “faded” nor became enslaved to Sauron’s will. The Rings instead created in them an insatiable lust for gold, which ultimately caused a great deal of grief for the Dwarves.

The Corrupted Nine

As Sauron predicted however, the nine Men were all corrupted by their Rings and became the Nazgul which we just finished our series on last week. These corrupted men were called Sauron’s deadliest servants. Had the Elves not recognized Sauron’s treachery and forsaken the power of their rings, the results would have been catastrophic for the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. It seems that most if not all of the native Men of Middle-Earth succumbed to the power of the Ring once the Nazgul were created; the Numenoreans were spared because of their distance. The Elves, had they been captured in this fashion, would have become the slaves of Sauron, and thus Celebrimbor’s resistance was of immense importance in the history of Middle-earth.

In this era, during which he marshalled and commanded great armies, Sauron became known as the Dark Lord of Mordor and his fortress of Barad-dur was completed. He was very powerful even without control of the Elves, and he conquered nearly all of Middle-earth during the War of the Elves and Sauron. However, the armies of Numenor’s King Tar-Minastir were finally able to defeat him at a last battle near Gwathlo or the Greyflood in the year 1700. Defeated but not vanquished, Sauron retreated back to Mordor and began recouping his strength over the many centuries.

Until next time, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a farewell.

A Necromancer Above All – Part One

Hail and well met everyone!

These next few weeks we are going to take a peek into an ancient evil and the origin of how Sauron came to be and the corruption that he brought to Middle-Earth. Whether you are a die hard Tolkien fan, or a new comer to the scene of Tolkien lore I hope you enjoy this series.

Before the creation of Ea, Sauron was one of the countless Ainur spirits created by Eru Iluvatar, though at this time he was known as Mairon the Admirable, and partook in the Ainulindale, or Music of the Ainur. However, unlike many other spirits, Mairon did not align himself with Melkor upon the introduction of his discord themes, and thus, did not initially fall under his sway. When the Music was completed, Mairon was one of the spirits who descended into Arda.

Sauron during the First Age

Upon his arrival in Arda, Mairon was one of the Maiar who aligned himself with Aule the Smith, and learned much from him in the ways of forging and crafting, becoming a great craftsman, and mighty in the lore of Aule’s people. Although he was a Maia spirit, and not as mighty as the Valar, Mairon was one of the most powerful Maiar, being far stronger than others such as Olorin and Curunir (who was also a servant of Aule).
During this time, Mairon was as Eru had created him: good and uncorrupt. His greatest virtue was his love of order and perfection, disliking anything wasteful. However, this would also prove to be the source of his fall, for in the Dark Lord Morgoth, Mairon saw the will and power that would help him achieve his own goals and desires faster than if he had pursed them on his own. So great was his allegiance that even in later days, after Morgoth was defeated and locked outside the confines of the world, Sauron encouraged and coerced some Men to worship Morgoth as the one and true god. However, while Morgoth wanted to either control or destroy the very matter of Arda itself, Mairon’s desire was to dominate the minds and wills of its creatures.

After allying himself with Morgoth, Mairon maintained his appearance of being faithful to the Valar, but secretly fed Morgoth information about their dealings. It was only when Morgoth established his strongholds in Middle-Earth that Sauron left the Blessed Realms and openly declared his allegiance, and ever after remained a foe of the Valar and the Free Peoples of Middle Earth. TheSindar in Beleriand called him “Gorthaur” (“Dread Abomination”), and the Noldor, “Sauron” (“The Abhorred” or ‘The Abominable”–a mockery of his original name) At first, he was a spy for Morgoth, telling him of the Valar’s doings.

The Great Eye

Sauron bears a coat of arms that is black charged with a red eye. An interesting dichotomy is set up between his deceptive nature and his symbol. While rarely appearing personally and deceiving all but the most wary, he represented himself as an all seeing eye that could pierce all disguises. During the First Age, the Noldorin Elves left the Blessed Realm of Valinor in the Utter West (against the counsel of the Valar) in order to wage war on Morgoth, who had stolen the Silmarils of Feanor, enchanted gems that glowed with light from the now-destroyed Trees of Valinor. In that war, Sauron was counted as the “greatest of Morgoth’s servants that have names” He was soon feared as a lord of terrible phantoms and dreadful beasts–a shape shifter, sorcerer, and a cunning servant of his dark master.

After his defeat by Luthien, Sauron played little part in the events of the First Age (possibly hiding from Morgoth’s wrath), and after his master was defeated and taken to Valinor in chains, Sauron seemed to repent and pled to Eonwe and the victorious Host of the West for mercy. Although his plea was probably genuine, Sauron was unwilling to return to the Utter West for judgment, and so he fled and hid somewhere in Middle-earth.

Until next time, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a farewell.