For long Sauron sat upon the black throne of his Dark Master and brooded, whilst equally troubled eyes watched him warily from dark corners of the hall. Long had they lay hidden, those who survived the onslaught of the Great Powers of the West. Defeated, scattered, demoralized…frightened, ashamed, and angry. Of all that had numbered among the Dark Lord’s great servants - the Úmaiar - so few remained now. But the lesser servants, the fell beasts and monsters, the descendants of the captured Avari twisted so long ago by the Dark Lord’s malice, grew in abundance in the dark and furthest regions of the East and the South. Hidden far from the sight of the inattentive Valar who had seemingly abandoned Middle-earth, they spread, slowly, inexorably, creeping out from the ancient, dark forests and deep, concealed places of the earth, descending on the other living things of the world like a slow-moving plague. Gradually, small bands of them moved closer and closer to the western lands of Endor, until, at last, they began to make small, almost imperceptible incursions at the very edges of the realm of the mysterious, grey-mantled king who claimed suzerainty. But his people were numerous and spread throughout the land. The dark things and evil beasts were not yet present in sufficient numbers nor had coherent leadership to dare anything stronger and, instead, contented themselves with lurking in the shadows and terrorizing the lands beyond the Ered Luin.
But Sauron was of a mind to change that. He was the first to emerge, the first of his order, the great servants, after an age had passed since the Dark Lord was so contemptuously dragged by mighty Tulkas, chained within Againor’s unyielding embrace. Initially shamefaced, Sauron assuaged himself with the thought that he had fled not out of cowardice but to ensure that the Dark Lord’s realm would be ready for what he believed would be his eventual, glorious return. But as the age passed and another, he began to believe that the Dark Lord might never return, that perhaps Manwë had thrust him out into the Outer Void, there to face the judgement of Illúvatar himself. Whatever the truth, three ages into the chaining of his Master, Sauron set himself upon a course that would give him control over all the lands the Dark One had once claimed as his own - and to become the new Dark Lord. To that end, Sauron first extended his will over the lesser servants, eager to gain their mastery before any other. Then, cautiously, he sought out the others, the remaining great servants who, like him, had fled and hid deep in the darkest forests and most concealed places of the earth. But only those who he felt he could master did he seek out, taking great care to avoid the fiery ones, unpredictable and filled with almost uncontrollable rage, the Valaraukar. Some of these, he suspected, had already made their way back to the deepest caverns of Angband, hundreds of leagues beneath the very throne room he now occupied, skulking in the darkness and contending with the things that gnaw at the center of the world. Other great servants were still unaccounted for, having fled to the furthest East or South, perhaps across the seas to the other lands - he knew not. And of the Gloomweaver, none knew, for even before the Valar had come in wrath to tear Utumno asunder, the dark spider, the ancient one, the first of his order to come to the service of the Dark Lord, had slipped away for reasons known only to herself. But others he found and assumed mastery over them. So to him came Ulbandi, the mistress of ogres, and Langon, the voice of the Master, and Draugluin, the father of werewolves, and Fankil, the dark hunter who in the East, and in mockery of Oromë, had so long ago first ensnared the newborn beings who strayed from their place of awakening beside the lake under the stars, and many others as well came from out of their hiding places. But first came Thuringwethil, the far-seeing, the mistress of all evil flying beasts. And it was Thuringwethil who had brought Sauron the troubling report upon which he now pondered gloomily: for the light of the West had gone out.
For ages, on the darkest nights, the most far-sighted beings might just barely perceive a sliver of light of the Two Trees as it came through the crack in the Pelóri. During her travels along the coasts of Beleriand, Thuringwethil would always keep a wary eye to the west, lest the passing of one of the Valar cast a shadow across the water and foretell a coming invasion (though, suppressed deep within her, she secretly desired once again to be in the presence of the Two Trees). So, it was a shock to her when, on one such flight with her eyes fixed upon the West, the light suddenly grew dim by half, then vanished altogether. Perplexed, she flew back to Angband in great haste, down into the throne room, and there, before Sauron, made a report of this astonishing event. And Sauron brooded.
Word spread quickly, and a general unease fell upon the other great servants at what this might portend. Most feared an attack was imminent, that the Valar had finally come to finish what they had started three ages ago, and as the hours passed, some began to lose heart and slip away into the night, once again seeking hiding places deep in the earth or to the East and the South. But Sauron was not convinced that this was so and, instead, sought to counter the disquiet before it became an all-out tumult of disorder, rebellion, and flight. Back to the coast he sent his messenger, far-seeing Thuringwethil, there to espy what she might in the darkness and send warning of any advance from the West. Orders were dispatched to the hordes of orcs and fell beasts who continued to flood into the land east of Ered Luin that they might come, by the northern pass, into the fortress of Angband. To the others he urged calm until they knew with certainty what the extinguishment of the light meant. However, Sauron could see that all that he had accomplished was about to be undone, such was the fear that had begun to grow. Reluctantly, he sent forth Langon, the herald, to summon the last of the great servants whom Sauron had been loathe from the beginning to include. For he was of a mind now to make a council of the greatest of the Úmaiar - outwardly to strengthen their resolve by acting in unison and, seemingly, with equanimity, but inwardly to dominate and bend to his will for he would countenance no equal among them. And thus, did Gothmog finally come amongst them.
The power of the Valarauko was sensed long before he arrived. The great servants shifted nervously as he ascended from the deepest places of Angband, all save Sauron who sat, stone-faced, upon the black throne, but inwardly, he suppressed a feeling of unease. For Gothmog had been his equal - in power and in standing with the Dark Lord - and Sauron had hoped to have mastery of all the land and its servants before their inevitable confrontation. As Gothmog approached the chamber, the sound of his footfalls was like thunder, amplified by the many caverns through which he passed. Preceded by Langon, who scurried across the hall to take his place beside the throne, Gothmog entered the chamber, enshrouded in smoke and flame, accompanied by only Lungorthin - and Sauron was relieved for if it came to a fight, he might have the upper hand. Seeing Sauron upon the throne of the Dark Lord, Gothmog’s visage grew dark and when he spoke, it was like the sound of a simmering fire: “Wherefore art thou upon the throne of our Master?”
Perfunctorily and with his eyes fixed firmly upon the Lord of Flame, Sauron replied: “Is it not the correct place for the Lieutenant of the Dark Lord, Kosomot? In his absence, I command rightfully.”
“Lieutenant thou mayest be, Mairon, but before all standeth the High Captain of Angband. It is I who commands our Lord’s host.”
At this, Sauron nonchalantly cast his gaze about the room, answering haughtily: “And where is this host, High Captain? Where be the legions of the Valaraukar, of the Orcs, and the Ogres? Where be the hordes of fell beasts? Where is the army of Úmaiar which thou leadeth? For I see only those whom I command and only that over which the Dark Lord himself hath appointed me as guardian. I daresay thou hath but one follower here and a mere scattering at most in all of the mighty force which thou were given.”
And when Gothmog replied it was like an inferno and many of the great servants in the shadows of the hall quailed at the sound: “Who art thou to sayeth so? Where stoodeth thou when the Powers of the West came upon us in their fury? Was it not I, with my legions, who withstood the power of Ulmo whose waves crashed down upon us on the shores of Nevrast? Was it not I who thrice cast down Eonwë as he scaled the heights of Ered Engrin? Was it not I alone who faced mighty Tulkas at the very gate of Utumno? Where stoodeth thou then, snake, deceiver, but dripping foul poison of cowardly counsel into the ear of our Lord!”
Undaunted, Sauron sneered and retorted: “Yea, verily, it was thou who stoodeth upon the shores of Nevrast whilst Ulmo’s power drenched the flames of the Valaraukar, turning them into beasts of slime and rendering them helpless before the onslaught of Ossë’s host. What be there now but seven left upon this earth from thousands? And it was thou who thrice threw down the herald of the Valar but could not vanquish him, only to be hurled backward when a fourth time did he ascend and, therefore, lose the heights to the foe. And it was thou who stoodeth before Tulkas but could do nothing to prevent the Vala from destroying the walls of Utumno after being pummeled senselessly by his mighty fists! Of what use then was your high captaincy?”
At that Gothmog roared and the sound was as of a great fortress ablaze and Lungorthin too was raging. For a moment, Sauron felt fear and many of the great servants he had gathered cringed. Pulling out their whips and swords of flame, the two beings of fire began to advance on the throne when of a sudden, Thuringwethil, in bat-form, came screeching into the hall, landing in their midst. The sound of her voice was so great that all stood transfixed and even the flames of the Valaraukar dimmed. “My lords, desist!” Thuringwethil cried and at the sight of her fierce gaze, the Valaraukar did pause, for she, like Sauron, was a considerable power. “As I watched the further shore, a great, dark cloud, blacker than black, issued forth through the Calacirya, and rolled north along the shore of Aman toward the northern regions. Try as I might, I could not perceive what lay within or what caused it to be. But a great power I could sense within - as great as that of any Vala, nay even greater it seems!”
At that, a great clamor arose as the servants all feared that the Valar were come at last. More began to flee with Gothmog vainly shouting commands, to which none adhered, and Sauron, on his feet now, stated that the Great Powers would not come forth in such a manner. “Then it is Námo himself who bringeth doom!” they cried, and they were exceedingly afraid, for after the Dark Lord’s wrath, they feared the Halls of Mandos the most. In the tumult, Sauron tried to reason with them that the power of Mandos was in the doom of his proclamations and not in the strength of arms, while Gothmog summoned his remaining brethren of fire to come forth and assemble for battle.
And then it came, an immense shout, greater than that ever heard, one borne of unimaginable anguish, and the earth shook mightily. Many halls within Angband came crashing down and avalanches filled the sides of the surrounding mountains. Cracks appeared in the earth, and a great gust of wind blew dirt and detritus easterly across the plain. As the echo of the shout began to fade, every one of the Úmaiar remaining knew its origin and they stood as though frozen. “The Master calls!” Gothmog bellowed and his voice was like an entire forest aflame, breaking the pause and sending the others staggering away by the sheer power of its volume. Immediately, he and Lungorthin, their flames burning fiercely, sped west toward the receding sound and all manner of objects were set ablaze in the fury of their passing. All along the Ered Engrin, additional lines of fire streaming west indicated the passage of the other Valaraukar come recently from their hidden places.
Then, the noise of their departure slowly receding, the remaining great servants, one by one, turned toward Sauron. “Make ready the halls of our Lord,” he said at last and resignedly and they dispersed throughout the fortress. Then Sauron, casting a wistful glance at the black throne, passed out of the chamber to wait upon the return of the Dark Lord.