Saruman's Pits

[Galin]

Even traitors respect curb appeal!

Anyway I, at least, try to keep my pits hidden... hidden in bigger pits if I can find them! It's a good thing.

[Morsul the Dark]

To be honest the mundane argument is probably the core one. I will add two thoughts that are circumstantial,

Saruman made his own ring of power. And was experimenting with light. Together could be possibly working in illusion.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I pictures Isengard as already being all industrialized when Gandalf came there, but at the same time I thought that a lot of this industry happened underground, both literally and figuratively. I always pictured the pits as having some cover on top, at least partially or temporarily.

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

I don't see it happening in just two months, even given a limitless workforce of Uruk-hai - and then the U-H themselves would have taken considerable time to breed (no, they weren't spawned in mud-cocoons, they were gestated and born and had to grow to adulthood).

Saruman had been preparing his move for years.

I must admit that I never articulated a very detailed idea about the pits, and to which extend the different installations were covered or not. However like the above quotations, I am sure that the creation of Isengards military power, would require a lot of resources and means of production.

Originally Posted by Mithadan

Perhaps this is a matter of Saruman enveiling the reality of what had happened to Isengard through the power of his voice? By engaging with Gandalf and attempting to convince him of the rightness of his position, he distracted Gandalf from noticing what had actually happened at Isengard. Saruman's power of persuasion and the use of his voice appears to be among his greatest powers.

I think this comes somewhat close to what I imagined, a distraction, something subtle.

I never thought that the main road in Isengard was lined with massive pits or forges, but Isengard is not that big a place, and as I mentioned before a significant industrial capacity would be needed.

Just the simple fact that housing would be needed for a large number of men and orcs, would have considerable impact on the landscape of Isengard.

[Andsigil]

Saruman's pits were the worst, and the stains on both his white and many-colored robes went down to the bottom of his ribcage. Definitely a severe case of bromhidrosis.

He should have bathed in the Silverlode and used an antiperspirant with powdered athelas.

[Galadriel55]

I still say that it wasn't so much a deception on Saruman's part as simply an everyday - or perhaps slightly more than that - covering of the mines and forges, while not at work. Mines can have a relatively small entrance but span underground for long. Pits and forges can have makeshift roofs, to keep the rain out or just for propriety (though who knows how much of that was going around). And we know from the Ent invasion that there were many shafts that were hidden - probably just by their physical location and nature than by any art of Saruman's. I think Saruman gave his Uruks a state holiday on the day of Gandalf's coming to not make it obvious, but I think Gandalf did not notice too many pits just because those that were on his way were not physically very visible, or only partially so, so you couldn't guess what's really there. Then, safely on top of Orthanc, state holiday was over and Gandalf could see all of it open up for the working day/night. The pits would be more visible from atop, and they'd be open and in use, making their presence more obvious.