LotR - Rise to War {LegoRomance}

XXXII: The Dark Lord

~ Sauron ~

"It is he whose name is not now spoken; for the Valar have deceived you concerning him,

putting forward the name of Eru, a phantom devised in the folly of their hearts, seeking to enchain Men in servitude to themselves.

For they are the oracle of this Eru, which speaks only what they will. But he that is their master shall yet prevail,

and he will deliver you from this phantom; and his name is Melkor, Lord of All, Giver of Freedom, and he shall make you stronger than they."

—Sauron to Ar-Pharazôn, The Silmarillion, Akallabêth

- - - 

Mordor, 3018 TA, December 25

Much that once was, is now lost, for none now live who remembered the ancient Darkness, that was rising again. The void was created by life, and therefore, it resided in all lifeforms. It was especially powerful gravitating towards both sides, the Light and the Dark. But the Darkness won. And Sauron became the Dark Lord. His name translated as the Abhorred in Quenya and horror or dread in Sindarin, a name far darker than his original name known as Mairon, which meant excellent.

Sauron became renowned as the Dark Lord of Mordor during this age when he marshalled and commanded vast armies and for his castle of Barad-dûr, which was kept together by dark magic and was the largest fortress in Middle-earth. Barad-dûr was constructed in the Second Age but was destroyed after Sauron's defeat in the War of the Last Alliance. Though it reached its peak in the late Third Age when Sauron reclaimed his dominion.

Despite his destruction, Sauron was not forever defeated. Though much weakened and in non-corporeal form, he continued to live as a result of channelling the majority of his innate strength, power, and will into the One Ring. Thus, as long as it remained, he could never be really vanquished, and during the first millennium of the Third Age, he concealed himself, gradually regaining his power until he was ready to assume physical form once again. During his years in seclusion, the Dark Lord discovered several methods for rebuilding himself and finally accomplishing his objective of conquering Middle Earth.

In the Second Age knowing that Men were more easily swayed, he attempted to enlist the Elves, who were more strong. However, he was never able to squander their faith, notably that of Lady Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-galad, the High King of the Ñoldor. That is how he came to despise the elves, even those who listened to him and gave wisdom and support as he secretly created the Rings of Power. Upon that ring, Sauron wrote in Tengwar the Black Speech inscription:

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

Everything had a cycle, a beginning and an end that needed to be recognised and not forgotten. Even for the Dark Lord, there were rules he would not violate and indeed would never bend. He had a limited amount of time to construct paradise or hell, or somewhere in between. He needed to be level in order to pass each checkpoint; if he missed one, the game was ended. The time was ticking away. And the One Ring remained concealed from him.

His intellect had been dulled by generations of failure at the hands of his adversaries, which sent him into the void. He knew his victory required courage since his adversaries were on the move. Gollum was abducted and carried to the dungeons of Barad-dûr, where he was compelled to confess to Sauron everything he knew about the Ring under severe torture. Following that, he was sent in search of the One Ring.

The Dark Lord was no longer wandering as a spectrum in the shadow realm, but he never left it either. He had watched his enemy and had long prepared against what was to come. Although he knew that the half-ling had the One Ring, there was still a small possibility that it remained lost. But what was lost may yet be found, he knew and hopped. Because only the absence of the One Ring and the hand of Isildur Heir were two of his greatest fears.

However, his greater fear was his old master of him, Melkor. The one who was destroyed by the Valar himself. That was what was known through history and legend, that one evil was destroyed and another was forged. And one would not know who Dark Lord would be worse, Sauron or Melkor, but their power united would bring Middle Earth to its doom. And that was the only thing that Sauron and his enemies agreed on, that this world was better without Morgoth.

Morgoth was a fool and allowed the Valar to bring him to his downfall, but Sauron was not like his previous master. He acknowledged his enemies and that they could be powerful, especially if they were united. There was a time when Melkor kept his interest and amused him. Sauron wished to know his secrets and the way he dealt with his enemies. But along the way, he observed him and noticed that he had his flaws, flaws that brought him to his downfall.

At one point, he couldn't fathom the emptiness operating as both wave and matter, much alone the fact that matter and energy were equivalents. Now he recognised the void as his hidden hideaway, a location where he could conceal himself and entice any creature susceptible to the nothingness and darkness. There was no past or future in the emptiness; there was just the present. It was a gift that, if utilised properly, may provide him with one last opportunity to return in the event his plan failed.

What was once considered one thing, becomes two, and so it went on. This was learning, this was progress. His enemies had defeated him many times, he would be ready this time. That had its own flow and in that its own beauty, yet only passed with unique divinity. He was now rising to meet his full potential, from the shadows and the void to be the master of all of Middle Earth.

And now he knew, that there were ways beyond the One Ring, ways to start again in case he would lose this rising war. His troops were increasing day by day, they were mustered at instances over three millennia and not overnight, with one purpose only to see the doom of his mortal enemies in the West, specifically Men and their Elven allies.

His armies were not only orcs and goblins, though it also contained Men of Harad, Variags of Khand, Easterlings from Rhûn, Trolls, Half-trolls of Far Harad, Wargs, Mûmakil, Black Uruks and Nazgûl mounted upon Fellbeasts, and they also had naval support from the Corsairs of Umbar. And all those were slowly preparing for one untied purpose only.

TO RISE TO WAR!

His darkness was perfect, like a sort of visual silence that gave revered awe and tricked its viewer to believe that the forces of the evil did not know. It gave out a simple sweetness of existing, of being, of breathing, and then of a sudden, it would destroy anything at its call. A call that would bring Middle Earth to its doom!

((Upcoming Chapter Thirty-Three))

Thank you for taking the time to read this! Feel free to Review - Follow - Favorite!