Part 3 – A Gracious Exit
Summary – An Orc captain seeks to understand his place in Sauron’s overall plan.
“Control the coinage and the courts—let the rabble have the rest." Thus [he] advises you. And he tells you: "If you want profits, you must rule." There is truth in these words, but I ask myself, "Who are the rabble and who are the ruled?”
- Frank Herbert
It had been over a millennium since the fall of Melkor. The legend of Melkor spoke of a dark master whose memory to this day struck fear into the hearts of not only Elves and Men, but also the Orcs that were created by him. His dark powers surpassed those of his kin not only in ferocity but also in cunning and sophistication. Melkor’s legacy left an immense amount of carnage, death, and hardship for the free people of Middle Earth. It had been one thousand years since his rule had ended, ten centuries without real terror in Middle Earth...until now. Sauron was ready to take his master’s place.
“It is to our advantage that the Elves were so stupid,”
commented Grezbar idly. The Orc captain stood on one of the ramparts of
Durthang (1) as he waited for his master to appear.
Harsha, his lieutenant, grunted in agreement. “This land is the most defensible location in Middle-Earth – well, whatever is left of it from the First Age. The Elves, in their fear of smoke, fire, and darkness, have left this place to our master.”
Several centuries ago, Sauron, who had scouted all of Middle Earth, had decided upon the lands bordered by the mountain ranges the Elves called Ephel Dúath and the Ered Lithui. The land’s best feature was a temperamental volcano; Sauron used the fire that welled there from the heart of the earth in his sorceries and his forging (2). In the south and west lay lands that contained a few scattered tribes of wild, lesser men, who had so far proven quite amenable to Sauron’s machinations.
Grezbar looked over the plains of Gorgoroth. In the distance, he could see the Fire-Mountain (3) simmering, and beyond that, the dim shape that was slowly becoming Sauron’s tower, Lugbúrz (4). Durthang was high enough on the mountain slope to give him a good vantage point of almost the entire land. To the south, he could see the fertile lands of Nurn, and to the west, he could faintly see where Gorgorath became Lithlad, the ash planes under the mountains. Slowly, Orcish engineers were constructing a place worthy of their master.
It was a shame, thought Grezbar, that the other races held such contempt for Orcish intelligence. Though Sauron bred the majority of his Orcs to be smart enough only to bear arms and follow the orders of their masters, there were a smaller number of Orcs who could read, write, converse, and most importantly, implement Sauron’s wishes.
During the First Age, this smarter breed of Orcs had not been necessary, for Melkor had several Maia in his service, from Balrogs and vampires to Sauron himself. But the War of Wrath had resulted in the decimation of almost all of Melkor’s allies. Only Sauron remained, and he, deprived of everyone except himself, had rebuilt the dark army using what he had available to him. For as mighty as he was, he could not manage everything on his own. He needed officers whom he could trust. Elves had briefly been a possibility, but they were too difficult to corrupt and harbored an innate hatred of everything Sauron stood for. Men were easily corrupted but also undependable. They were liable to serve him one day, and the next day, they would serve someone else. But Orcs – there was no question of whom they served. Though they were low in intellect, Sauron had applied all his knowledge of selective breeding and sorcery to bring forth Orcs who could think for themselves.
Grezbar and his lieutenant were such servants, and throughout Sauron’s new kingdom, there were a few more like Grezbar, who possessed enough intellect to know exactly whom they served, and what following their orders meant. Orcs like Grezbar could understand.
With this ability came the power of perception. Grezbar knew Sauron was evil, as far as his understanding of evil stretched. He knew why Elves and Men hated his kind, and he realized that he was only a tool in Sauron’s greater dream.
And yet…Grezbar also realized that only in Sauron’s service could he act out his baser nature. He could not help that his race was one bred for cruelty and terror, and in fact, that was what he was encouraged to be. Perhaps such behavior could be unlearned, but Grezbar also understood that the freedom to be himself, even if he was only a reflection of Sauron’s will, lay with his master.
Sauron had known that a servant who understood his purpose was far more useful than several mindless ones who would do what they were told as long as their desires were satisfied. But Sauron was also aware of the fact that too much intelligence could prove deadly, and so he kept the number of Orcs like Grezbar small, so that even if the small minority of officers threatened Sauron’s power, there was an even greater amount of mindless soldiers who would still respond to Sauron’s bidding.
But this precaution was an unnecessary one. No Orc could ever forget that Sauron was their true master, even if there were several officers in between. For Sauron’s malice was written upon their very flesh.
Grezbar was roused from his musings when he heard a door open. Both he and his lieutenant stood at attention as their master strode onto the walkway between the ramparts. “Ah, Grezbar. Thank you for making such haste.” Sauron was clad in rich velvet robes, which meant he had been holding court with the eager-to-please wild men from the east. But the captain was not fooled by the fair visage of his master. Sauron could don many forms and many faces, and it was foolish to forget that.
“We arrived as soon as possible, my lord.”
Sauron leaned against to stone rail. “Tell me, how is construction progressing at Lugbúrz?”
“On schedule, my lord. I have brought progress reports for you.”
“No, I need not read it. I can see how it goes from here.” Sauron flashed a small smile. “My eyes can see far.”
Grezbar did not doubt that Sauron could see the tower from here. That was another reason why there was no point in deceiving him. “We have begun mining for another source of iron. Our current mine will not provide enough output for both Lugbúrz and the Black Gate.”
His master nodded. “Where?”
“One of the mining captains has discovered that there is a place near the mountains of the tower. He hopes that the quantity of iron is sufficient. If that is the case, then this new mine can supply Lugbúrz, and the old one can keep supplying your other projects, my lord.”
“Have those progress reports sent to my office.” Grezbar looked at Harsha, who nodded. “By your leave, my lord, I will have the information you requested delivered.”
Sauron waved his hand, thereby dismissing Harsha. “Walk with me, Captain.” Grezbar fell into step beside his lord. “You have served me these past many years faithfully, Grezbar.”
“To serve you has ever been my greatest wish.” Unsure of where this conversation was going, Grezbar sneaked a look at the Maia. It was useless, of course, for Sauron never gave any hints.
“Surely you have other dreams, other desires, than to toil here endlessly, with no reward in sight?” His master shifted his bright eyes upon him, and Grezbar fought to keep his voice steady.
“My lord, if I may be frank?”
“You may.”
Grezbar looked ahead again as they moved through the ramparts. “I am no simple Orc who measures his life by his treasures and the heads he has hewed. You have chosen me as your captain because of this reason.” Sauron said nothing, but the captain felt his master’s eyes upon him. “I crave other things, my lord.”
“Such as what?” Sauron led him to a door that opened into one of the map rooms.
“I have as ever craved recognition in my duties for you, lord.”
Sauron paused mid-step. “That you already have, Grezbar.”
“Yes, I know. And so to answer your question, my lord, I need no other reward than the honor you bestow upon me with your continued trust.” Grezbar was surprised to see a gleam in the Maia’s fire-bright eyes…was it sadness? But he was unfamiliar with such emotions, and so he dismissed the notion.
His master suddenly touched his shoulder, and it was the years of discipline that kept Grezbar from jumping in surprise, for Sauron was not one for physical contact. But Grezbar felt warmed at the touch, and for a brief moment, for the first time ever, he felt a sense of kinship with Sauron. A sort of shared grief and understanding, though what exactly that understanding was, he did not know.
But then his hand fell away, and that moment was lost. “Have you heard the rumors?” asked Sauron as he moved to a chair. With one hand, he gestured towards the one opposite him.
The captain sat gingerly, for it was rare for him to sit in the presence of his lord. “Rumors, my lord?”
“Yes, about your line of Orcs.”
Grezbar nodded cautiously. “I have seen that there are fewer and fewer Orcs like me.”
“Yes. Did you wonder why?” prodded Sauron.
He thought about how much to reveal and then decided on honesty. “The question did occur to me, but it was not my place to ask, sir.”
Sauron’s brow knotted in deep thought. For a few moments, the room was silent, but it was a silence borne not of fear, and for that, Grezbar was grateful. Although he was one of Sauron’s highest-ranking officers, he still had a healthy dose of fear for his commander.
Finally, “I have not the power to make more like you.” Briefly, Sauron explained that Orcs like Grezbar could not simply be bred – there was a fair amount of sorcery involved as well. “My strength is pushed in too many directions. Lugbúrz, the strengthening of this land, my plans in the east…I cannot continue making more of you without hindering my other projects.”
Grezbar supposed that he should have been insulted, but that was not the case. He understood his place in this world, and it was soon coming to an end. “But once we die out, who will continue in our place?”
Sauron steepled his fingers. “I have some ideas, and in time, they will come to fruition. I will make myself more servants like you yet stronger. But that will take time and energy, which I cannot spare until Lugbúrz is completed.”
Once again, Grezbar should have been offended, but how could he be in the face of such bare truth? Sauron would need stronger officers who lived longer and had powers of their own. “But will you manage until the time comes?”
“I shall keep making you until I can no longer. If all goes as planned, then my new servants will be ready.” Sauron passed his hand over his eyes. “Grezbar, if I could, I would make you immortal, but I have not mastered such sorcery just yet.” His hand fell, and the captain was surprised to see the sincerity in his master’s eyes. “There are few in this world who could ever offer me such loyalty. It grieves me – although it should not – that in the future, I shall have to rely on bewitchment and enslavement for the devotion you so freely give.”
“Master, you cannot mean that!” he cried. “For every being in this land has a heart that can invite darkness. Surely you will find willing followers.”
Sauron’s eyes became personably blank again. “It matters not, for no one shall resist me.”
The interlude was over as suddenly as it had begun, and now Sauron shifted the discussion to military matters. But for that one brief moment, Sauron had spoken to him not as his master or commander, but as a friend. And for people like Grezbar, who were gifted with a higher degree of intellect – and thus with more complicated emotions than lust and greed – this interlude was most welcome.
Furthermore, Grezbar knew that in reality, it was Sauron who had needed a friend at that moment. His master had no one else, for Melkor, Sauron’s own lord, was shut in the endless void, and all of Sauron’s peers were there with him. Who did Sauron have now, save Grezbar?
The captain felt grieved for the first time in his life.
Not for himself, for he had nothing to grieve for, but for Sauron, who would be alone once Grezbar and his kind died out. For his master’s sake, he hoped that the new servants would serve Sauron with the same loyalty he himself had.
In Sauron’s later years, when he would think back upon all his deeds, he would forever hold the creation of Grezbar and his kind among his highest achievements.
For Grezbar was proof that evil was not always blind – nor was it always cruel.
- (1) Durthang – A castle that lay on the slopes of Ephel Duath in Mordor.
- (2) From Of the Rings of Power and the Thirld Age.
- (3) Orodruin, also known as Mount Doom.
- (4) Lugbúrz – The Black Speech – “Dark Tower,” otherwise known as Barad-Dűr.
- The Nazgul first appeared in 2251 II. This means that Sauron must have had help from others to manage Mordor and his armies, especially since he himself was busy seducing Elves in Eregion and Men in Numenor. But the concept of “intelligent” Orcs is purely fanon, although I hope it is a reasonable one.