What New Evils Was Sauron Forging?

[Sardy]

During the Council of Elrond, Boromir states that, "the nameless enemy has arisen once again. Smoke rises once more from Orodruin that we call Mount Doom."

Was Sauron up to new tricks? Forging new rings, perhaps? Possibly Saruman's ring was tied to the new works in Mt. Doom? Or the rings "like those of old" promised to the swaves of Dale?

[yavanna II]

He never made more Rings. Indeed Sauron made only one--the One Ring that Frodo destroyed. The Seven and the Nine and the Three were all made by Celebrimbor, a descendant of Feanor. The Seven and the Nine were made with Annatar's help; the Three Celebrimbor made himself without Annatar knowing. The seven and the Three were given by Sauron to Dwarves and Men, but the Three were hidden and dispersed to Gilgalad, Galadriel, and Cirdan, and eventually Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf. Sauron suspected them, but since they never used the rings (or so i think) he never was sure.

According to Wiki:

When Sauron chose the land of Mordor as his dwelling-place in the Second Age, Orodruin was the reason for his choice. He 'used the fire that welled there from the heart of the earth in his sorceries and his forging.' The most famous result of his forging, and in fact the only one we know of for sure, was the One Ring.

Orodruin was far more than a natural volcano - Sauron seems to have extended his own power into it, and was able to control its fires. It seems to have lain dormant when Sauron was away from Mordor, and sprung into life when his power grew.

[A_Brandybuck]

In my opinion, Sauron used the Orodruin first as a psychological weapon. A mountain, which spread fire, ashes, darkness was surely a uncertainty for the people of Gondor. It is the only one in the known world and always connected with the evil and with the darkness of the Enemy.

And maybe he prepared his 'assault of darkness', which came just before the Battle of the Pelennor with these eruptions.

[Lalwendë]

Firstly, Saruman made his own ring of power independently, using his extensive knowledge of Ring Lore to create it. By doing this he hoped to operate as an independent force in Middle-earth; it was Saruman's 'Third Way', as he hoped this would place him not on the side of Light, but also not on the side of Sauron.

The darkness which accompanied Sauron's forces into Gondor must have been produced by Mount Doom, and is possibly a good reason for him 'firing it up' again; I often wonder if that darkness was as a result of pyroclastic flow, as it sounds in some ways very similar to the volcanic effects seen at Pompeii and other famous volcanic eruptions.

Now there's another question in that did Sauron 'control' Mount Doom in any way? Or did he return only once it had begun to be active again? Or was his return the catalyst in its becoming active once more? Sorry, that was actually three questions...

[Sardy]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Firstly, Saruman made his own ring of power independently...

While that can be argued, I don't believe that we know this for certain. After all, he was in communication and cahoots with Sauron.

[narfforc]

There is no evidence to say Sauron helped Saruman or not, the only thing we know is that Saruman say's: For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker , and he was'nt advertising as a jeweller.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

The darkness which accompanied Sauron's forces into Gondor must have been produced by Mount Doom, and is possibly a good reason for him 'firing it up' again; I often wonder if that darkness was as a result of pyroclastic flow, as it sounds in some ways very similar to the volcanic effects seen at Pompeii and other famous volcanic eruptions.

That may have been a little much; having Minas Tirith looking like post-eruption Pompeii would certainly decrease its real estate value. Plus, Sauron was looking for slaves to oppress, and corpses are just no fun.

I would agree however that he was twiddling with Mount Doom to create smokes and vapors for the upcoming war. The smog that Sauron releases for the Battle of the Pelennor fields not only blotted out the sun (aiding his folk who forgot their sunscreen and parasols) but also contained some poison for the psyche, making men needlessly despair.

And wasn't the Dark Plague hatched inside Orodruin, or am I reading too much into that?

[Lalwendë]

I think one of the most essential aspects to Saruman's character was his sense of independence, even if in the end this was an illusion as he had been trapped from looking into the palantir. Each of the Istari came to Middle-earth with the mission to help overturn Sauron and each had his own way of achieving this end. Saruman chose to do this by exercising what was obviously an incredible intellect. He believed that his Ring Lore would be vital in achieving this end.

Even once he was 'caught' by Sauron, he may have truly believed that he was in the right by seekng to use his intellect and challenge Sauron. The joke on him at the end (or is it a tragedy?) is that Sauron fooled him; there never would have been an opportunity for Saruman to truly challenge Sauron and try another way.

It's still interesting to think whether Sauron taught him how to make his own Ring of Power, but I think that Saruman trying to make it of his own volition is more appropriate to his character.

Originally Posted by alatar

That may have been a little much; having Minas Tirith looking like post-eruption Pompeii would certainly decrease its real estate value. Plus, Sauron was looking for slaves to oppress, and corpses are just no fun.

I would agree however that he was twiddling with Mount Doom to create smokes and vapors for the upcoming war. The smog that Sauon releases for the Battle of the Pelennor fields not only blotted out the sun (aiding his folk who forgot their sunscreen and parasols) but also contained some poison for the psyche, making men needlessly despair.

It does also bring to mind the 'nuclear winter' type effects which have been seen following massive volcanic eruptions. There was one in the Dark Ages (one of the Pacific Rim volcanoes) which resulted in massive crop failure and the Sun being blotted out for a long time in Europe. Maybe that 'poison' was partly due to sulphur and other noxious gases in the air?