¶ 3: His Southward Journey

Terrible was his southward journey. Sheer were the precipices of Ered Gorgoroth, and beneath their feet were shadows that were laid before the rising of the Moon.

(¶3 is loaded, so those are just the first two sentences.)

First, it is safe to say that Sauron had not the most pleasant of times following his incapacitation.

“You didn’t cause my suffering, and you can’t fix it. No matter how strong your will or your pride. So, let it lie” (Sauron, 1×02).

Terrible was his southward journey. Sheer were the precipices of Ered Gorgoroth, and beneath their feet were shadows that were laid before the rising of the Moon.

Now, to establish a rough timeline from the order we have, which is:

1. Sow Lies
2. Reap Harvest
3. Go Home

Númenor is possibly the only destination that has an inverse to “where no mortal foot had yet trodden,” but technically, all three steps in Sauron’s “cultivating process,” so to speak, are associated with their own Hidden Kingdom. We still have one to discover.

1. Sow Lies — ?
2. Reap Harvest — Númenor
3. Go Home — Mordor

The starting location of Step 3 is somewhat obvious, and that of Step 2 was the main subject of the previous page. Where would Step 1 begin?

It goes without saying that Adar was extremely familiar with Sauron’s aspirations and deeds. He said that many lies have been told, but we will focus on one for now.

“You have been told many lies. Some run so deep, even the rocks and roots now believe them. To untangle it all would all but require the creation of a new world. But that is something only the gods can do, and I am no god” (Adar, 1×04).

The detail that “even the rocks and roots now believe them” directly connects to a particular questionable story: the song of The Roots of Hithaeglir. If that story was a lie spread by Sauron, it indicates that he either planted those lies before Adar betrayed him, or he planned to spread those lies later, and Adar was aware of said plan; Adar rebelled, and Sauron (not kicking against the current) decided to begin cultivating, notwithstanding his labor would be slow and barren at first.

Beren traveled through the wilderness of Dungortheb. Below is highlighted the path that Sauron might have taken if he beelined for the Southlands, with no stops along the way (traveling south along the mountains, then following the road east into the Southlands).

However, Sauron needed to rebuild his power. He was rebuilt at the end of the first season, and it was the first thing for which he laid the groundwork. There is a very good chance that he briefly detoured through the Misty Mountains into Eregion, which would make his southward journey look more like this:

Now, we need not be hasty when determining where Step 1 began, and why. We must think carefully about this.

(CONTINUE TO NEXT PAGE)

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