[Olorin_TLA]

Well after Orodruin's titanic eruption at the end of it's existence, I imagine the Nurnians had enoguh fertile land (volcanic ash) to last a very long time. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

During most of the Third Age Sauron wasn't in Mordor, true, yet it remained evil and horrible. Reason for thsi would be the things living in it. Spiders. Orks. Nazgul which pop in and out. Worse things. Enough to curdle the land's "blood".

But in the Third Age...Nurn we can assume would be fine. Most of S' servants and slaves would be destroyed. His allies, such as the Easterlings, wouldn't be able to make Mordor a nasty place, because they're (a) miles away (b) not actual monsters with "monster powers", like the Nazgul.
Furthermore, we've seen how Sauron can control the very land and weather of Mordor (Dawnless Day, Boromir's mention oif follore that Saruon can control storms on ountains (mayube true, maybe false, maybe exaggerated, but the Dawnless Day shows he can manipulate/control Doom's fumes at least). Sauron seems to have a link to Mount Doom (unsurprising, as it's the one place the Ring can be destoryed, and where it was forged) - when he is angry, it erupts. I think it's safe to assume that his evil personality caused the smoke to cover Mordor in darkness and make the air foul. So when he's gone, these fumes and darkness would go too.

Of course, the landscape of Nurn would probably remian tortured for many lives of men, but eventually would heal - to some kind of Israel/Lebbannon-like state - dry, very dry, but fertile and liveable.

Liek aragorn says, Morgul will eventually heal...but not for a long time. It's the city of the Ringwariths, so one of the worst places in Mordor. So the same porbably applies to Gorgoroth - as Manwe said, "it's like Ard-galen after the Battle of Sudden Flame," but I think that...eventually...it would heal. Like Frodo says, "they cannot conquer forever!"


Of course, the Mountains of Shadow, with their spiders, could remain dangerous for a very long time. But nurn at least could turn out ok.

Mind you, if I was a fred slave, I'd go home rather than staying in dusty old Nurn. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]