Barad-dûr ~ History of the Dark Tower ~ First Building of the Tower ~ Second Building of the Tower

 

Second Building of the Dark Tower of Mordor

“The spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the Ring and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned.
His Orcs have multiplied. His fortress of Barad-dûr is rebuilt in the land of Mordor“

LOTR: FOTR, Film One

This page written and edited by our Dark Historian Grievous

Lay Your Staff HERE to Return to Mordor’s Main Page

 

In the waning years of the second millennium of the Third Age, the Witch-king of Angmar returned in secret to the land of Mordor. There he gathered the Nazgûl and in the first year of the third millennium, he assaulted Minas Ithil and after two years of bitter fighting drove the forces of Gondor from the city, which would forever after be call Minas Morgul. The Palantir was taken and never seen in Middle-earth again.

For nearly a thousand years the Nazgûl prepared Mordor for the return of their Master. The fortresses built by Gondor were refortified, the Black Gate was built between the towers of Narchost and Carchost, Sammath Naur was restored in the heart of Orodruin and upon the foundations of the Dark Tower a great building was begun.

For many generations Sauron grew in power within the ruins of Dol Guldur, under the guise of the Necromancer. In the very same year that the Ring was found by the halfing Bilbo in the caves beneath the Misty Mountains, the White Council dove Sauron from Dol Guldur. He returned in secret to Mordor, as he had long planned and began in earnest his preparations for a new assault on Middle-earth.

For hundreds of years the slaves of Mordor had labored throughout the land of Shadow, rebuilding and fortify its borders. Many thousands had been laboring upon the foundations of Barad-dûr, excavating it’s dungeons and forges, while also rebuilding the great tower. However, with the return of their Master to his ancient realm, the reconstruction of the tower took on a feverish pace.

Sauron had spent many years in search of the One Ring, but his desire for it proved fruitless. Upon the Hill of Sorcery, in the ruins of Dol Guldur, Sauron began to form a plan to enhance his power, even without the One Ring. He would return to Mordor and use the fires of Mount Doom as he once had, to increase the efficacy of his dark sorcery.

Within days of his return, a great work was begun as he directed thousands of slaves to dig out a vast trench from Mount Doom to the great chasm that surround the entrance to the Dark Tower. It would be called the Naur Trench and along it’s path, a roadway was built from the Black Gate of Barad-dûr to the very feet of Mount Doom. There, the road wound around the great base of the mountain in dark spirals, until it reached the door of Sammath Naur.  Ever after it would be called Sauron’s Road.

In the year 2954 of the Third Age, Mount Doom once more burst into flame and the molten fires from the Cracks of Doom filled the Naur Trench. It ran in an endless river of flame to fill the chasm below the Dark Tower and feed it’s great smithies and forges. Sauron used the power of Orodruin to fashion great metal plates, spikes and spires, imbued with Dark Sorcery to clad and form the shape of the new Dark Tower of Mordor. When the tower was complete, the great forges continued to belched out an endless stream of the black steel, to clad the Black Gate and the other fortresses throughout Mordor and strengthen their walls of stone.

Sauron had also devised a way to look out across Middle-earth by means of dark sorcery, even without the power of the One Ring. Inspired by the four windows at the top of the first tower of Barad-dûr in which he would look out upon Middle-earth, the Dark Lord envisioned a new form in which he could see all, his gaze piercing cloud, shadow, earth and flesh! Sauron once more used the flame of Orodruin to enhance his power. He built a chamber at the very top of the dark tower, through which he pulled molten fire from the burning chasm below. By means of ancient spells, he was able to call forth the flame of Udûn at will and with the power of the Palantir taken from Minas Morgul, he was able to see much of Middle-earth from afar. Upon the very pinnacle of Barad-dûr, Sauron created the Well of the Eye, between two dark spires and with the fires of Orodruin at his command, he was able to take the shape of a Great Eye, lidless and wreathed in flame. He put forth a gaze of such malice, that none could endure it for long.

The entrance to the Dark Tower was reached by an iron bridge of intricate design and fortification. The massive bridge spanned the burning gulf below. It is said that 20 armed Uruks could easily walk abreast, which allowed vast legions to cross over the bridge with speed. If one were to cross over the fiery gulf, the would come to the iron Gate of Barad-dûr. None could enter that gate without the proper spell of opening. No one, in all of Middle-earth had the power to break the doors of the Dark Tower and those unfortunate enough to be captured and taken through those doors to the Houses of Lamentation, never returned to tell the tale.

The bridge, like all of the many towers, tiers and terraces spread across the breadth and width of Barad-dûr were adorned with spires, spikes and curvatured hooks meant to inspire fear in the eye of the beholder. None could look upon the fortress of Sauron and not be daunted by it’s dark grandeur.

Barad-dûr in it’s second incarnation was tied, even more so to the will of the Dark Lord. When the Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mound Doom, the Dark Tower was utterly destroyed along with Sauron and was beyond all power of salvation. As the tower collapsed upon itself, it’s foundations were swallowed by the very earth upon which it stood. So complete was it’s demise, that no hope of it’s ever being rebuilt now exists.

The Dark Tower of Mordor now remains only a memory for those who stood before it in the land of Shadow. It’s once great walls, that grew up out of Gorgoroth, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant… Barad-dûr, Fortress of Sauron is now gone forever!

You can go HERE to discover more about the building of the first Barad-dûr and look below to see what we believe may have been a rendering of the first Dark Tower of Mordor.

 

Behold the Second Dark Tower of Mordor

Original artwork by Weta Workshop combined with artwork by Lord of the Rings Scenery ~ Click HERE to find out more about the Artists.

Artwork on this page has been modified from it’s original form to enhance the layout of this site.
Lay your staff on the images to discover more about the artists.