Dol Guldur

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

It does seem to me that the above picture is a trifle flashy for a place Sauron used to hide out while he was rebuilding his strength.

Indeed, and I don't think it would have looked like that even after it was reoccupied later (and this time everyone knew Sauron's forces are there).

Originally Posted by Gordis

Alfirin - In the books Sauron had neither the "Giant warrior" nor "the Eye" forms.
At first, back in the Second Age, he had been a shape-shifter, able to assume any guise from a wolf to a snake to Elven-like fair Annatar.
Then when his material body had perished in the fall of Numenor, he lost the ability to assume a fair guise. He made himself a new body - humanoid, higher than any man "but NOT gigantic". This shape was terrible to look upon.

Then Elendil and Gil-Galad brought Sauron down and Isildur took the Ring. In a millennium or more, Sauron was able to make himself a new body yet again - seemingly the exact copy of his last one, with the missing finger. In this guise he stayed till the very end.

True. He was in some sort of humanoid form, and don't remember that being called "the Necromancer of Dol Guldur" could have implied that he also was known to have a humanoid form. Which is related to the last question:

Originally Posted by skip spence

I find it curious that Galdalf was able to enter Dol Guldur when Sauron was present.
How did he manage this? If Dol Guldur was a stronghold you imagine it being foritfied with stone walls and a big main gate, staffed with legions of evil men, orcs and wraiths. But would Galdalf be able to entre through the main gate with Sauron present? Surely not, even if he came in disguise. Perhaps he came into the underground catacombs through some back door he discovered. Or maybe Dol Guldur was more like a haunted village, much like the town of Minas Morgul.

Not sure if Minas Morgul was "haunted village" any more than Dol Guldur was. It was inhabited by Orcs (like Gorbag's troop), evil Men and who knows what else, and it was a big city, comparable to Minas Tirith. I believe some ten thousand Orcs are the minimum of inhabitants; and they were guarding the gates and everything else as well.

Though, knowing Gandalf, I would not underestimate him. If a group of Orcs or Trolls was guarding the gates, I can imagine good old Gandalf disguised as an Orc, or using his ventriloquism trick or other things to get past them (like that invisibility-thing he did when pursuing the Dwarves who were captured by the Misty Mountain Goblins). Nay, I believe getting in was not a problem, he only had to take care not to be caught - and something implies that he was spotted and alarm was raised and he had to run away shooting fire and smoke all around the place (somewhere he says "I barely got out of there alive"). It is obvious that when he found Thráin there, he revealed himself to him in his normal shape - possibly, he found a Dwarven prisoner and wanted to help him, but the old Dwarf only managed to give him the map and the key and died. But what intrigues me is the fact that Gandalf revealed who "the Necromancer" really is - and that is: did he overhear some captains' discussion - but I don't know from whichever they said he could be as sure as he was that Sauron is there - or did he see Sauron personally? He might took a peek through a keyhole into his throne chamber or something, but still...?