Into This Wild Abyss by pandemonium_213

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Fanwork Notes

MEFA10 Winner 1st Place Character Study The Silmarillion

Banner by Beruthiel's Cats.  Thanks so much, Cat! 

 

Into this wild abyss the wary fiend

Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while,

Pondering his voyage; for no narrow firth

He had to cross.

~~ John Milton, Paradise Lost

Thanks to the Lizard Council -- in particular Aeärwen, Clodia, crowdaughter, Darth Fingon, Independence1776, Jael, Raksha, Robinka, sanna, and Surgical Steel -- for much valued nitpicking, critique and comments and especially to Lilith, who aptly quoted this verse from one of my favorite poets.

Note that the text herein may be slightly different than that shown in the "scrolls" of the Akallabêth in August 2009 sub-site. I constantly self-edit, sort of like picking at a scab.

You Made Me Love You (I didn't want to do it)

Fanwork Information

Summary:

A series of contributions for Akallabêth in August 2009 in response to the following prompts: 1) Sauron fortifies Mordor; 2) Sauron begins to afflict Númenórean settlements to the south; 3) Sauron convinces Ar-Pharazôn to break the Ban of the Valar; 4) storms from the West strike Númenor; and 5) Sauron returns to Middle-earth.

MEFA 2010. Winner, First Place; Genres: Character Study: The Silmarillion.

Major Characters: Ar-Pharazôn, Sauron

Major Relationships:

Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, General, Science Fiction

Challenges: Akallabêth in August

Rating: Adult

Warnings: Expletive Language, Mature Themes, Sexual Content (Moderate), Violence (Moderate)
Chapters: 5 Word Count: 14, 917
Posted on 6 August 2009 Updated on 3 September 2009

This fanwork is complete.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Measure of Dreams

Mairon paces across a high plateau in a stark land, knowing that all great structures begin with a dream and precise measurements. (Rated: General)

Chapter 2: The Talisman

A tribe in the southlands suffers during a long drought, but after the patriarch of the tribe makes a sacrifice to the sky-father, a stranger comes from the desert and offers the gifts of his knowledge and skills. A young boy discovers such gifts come with a price. (Rated: Adult)

Please find a brief glossary in End Notes.

Chapter 3: This Mortal Coil

Ar-Pharazôn and his chief counselor cast their lines into the surf off a beach in the Land of the Gift where Mairon finds that the bluefish of Númenor require a different kind of lure than the trout of Eregion. (Rated: Teens)

Adûnaic glossary in End Notes.

Chapter 4: A Tempest's Name (illustrated by Lady Elleth)

With the onslaught of increasingly powerful and terrifying storms as well as the afflictions of pestilence, the people of Númenor question Ar-Pharazôn's preparations to invade the Blessed Lands and doubt the Zigûr's ability to withstand the wrath of the gods. Through a combination of his arts and the power of a tempest, Mairon puts these doubts to rest. (Rated: Teens)

Illustration by Lady Elleth within the text of the story; please click on the image to expand. Many thanks to the talented Lady Elleth for this darkly atmospheric and dramatic illustration that fits the story so well. Special thanks to Darth Fingon for pummeling me.

Chapter 5: On the Perilous Edge

Battered, burned and bruised, Mairon tosses stones into a river and contemplates the fate of Númenor while he awaits those he has summoned. (Rated: Teens)

Comments

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Pardon me while I squee for a moment. I absolutely "had" to read this, especially when i saw the John Milton quote. I loved the idea of the counting, it just has that wonderfully creepy feel, like each step is one step closer to his goal, as if his will is bent to making it happen. I love how he contimplates the natural materials, and envisions his tower. The image of the smashed fly and the crimson mark on his robes was very poigniant and chilling. Like the blood mark on his white robes, soon the landscape would be altered with his creation. Gosh, I love it! More please! Please say there's more coming up? "begs, pleads"

:-)

Thanks so much, Roisin! 

"like each step is one step closer to his goal"

Excellent!  That was what I was hoping to achieve.  That and his orderly, precise nature. 

"Like the blood mark on his white robes, soon the landscape would be altered with his creation."

And foreshadowing his own destruction. 

"Please say there's more coming up?"

 Yes, indeed.  There will be a total of 5 chapters in "Into This Wild Abyss."  Second one is up next week.

Thanks again! :^) 

Damn, this is magnificent!

So much to love in this! There's the counting, as if each precisely measured pace brings him that tiny bit closer to his goal. Especially choice is the sly reference to creating languages as a hobby, which we know that Tolkien did as well. The entirely canonical contempt for the Orcs and trolls, that's just wonderful.

There's also a sense that the whole exercise is almost like a walking meditation for him.

I enjoyed this a lot - and I'm now going to stop with the intelligent commentary and squee like a fangiral and clap my hands like a seal. :D 

 Thanks so much, Steel!  I greatly appreciate your reading this and the compliments (not to mention the overall support and synergistic chat :^)).  And I'm thrilled that you liked this.

"Especially choice is the sly reference to creating languages as a hobby..."

Ooh, i'm delighted that you picked up on that (although I am not at all surprised that you did), and yes, that was quite deliberately aimed at Sauron's creator.  I think that's illustrative of how an author often spreads tidbits of himself or herself throughout the characters he or she creates.  Tolkien's love of con-languages made its way into Sauron! 

After learning more about the Dark Lord through Tolkien's writings outside the LoTR (or even The Silmarillion), I can't imagine that he -- who valued coordination and order -- was thrilled with the orcs and trolls as servants.  But that was a consequence of his -- uh -- heavy-handed policies so one makes do, I suppose.

"There's also a sense that the whole exercise is almost like a walking meditation for him."

Exactly!

Thanks again! 

  

 

Thanks a million, Binka!  I'm gratified that you liked the DM's systematic approach to ordering his new stronghold.  I love it when I get comments like this...

"This counting is like a diabolique mantra, or the rhythm to which the world would be marching."

That means the layers intended for his counting are visible. Thanks again! 

 

Thanks so much, Rhapsy.  He's nothing if not methodical in his approach to empire-building.  Fortunately (in the long run) for the rest of Middle-earth, he became blinded to more flexible approaches.

IIRC, the trolls of the "olog-hai" race which appeared in the late Third Age could withstand the sun, suggesting that Sauron did indeed find a way to get rid of Melkor's "design flaws." ;^)

Thanks again!

Delicious description; I feel as though I have a remarkably clear vision of Mordor before Sauron's fortifications now.  The detail in the different types of stone beneath his feet and the intensity of the blazing sun above him works so well.  I particularly love the phrase "the leavings of ancient eruptions" - a great opening line.  Thank you!

As I've said elsewhere, this is one of my favorite stories of yours. I adore your descriptions of Mordor. Sauron's pacing sets the scene wonderfully. His comments on everything-- from orcs to his dreams-- are superb. And the blood is a wonderful foreshadowing.

But his vision would not be realized without hard labor, including his own.

I love that you don't just have him sitting back and letting his minions work. It truly fits your conception of the character.

Thanks so much, Indy!

Sometimes shorter stories say much more than a longer one.  That may be the case here.  I'm glad you liked this so much, and am tickled that you picked up all the elements I (methodically) stuck in there to layer on his personality as I see it and to foreshadow the blood that he will spill and eventually his own destruction.  And yep, my version of Sauron is not of an effete sorcerous scholar who does nothing with his hands other than rub them together diabolically whilst bwa-hahaha-ing.  Hence, he looks at depictions of him with long fingernails (and howls derisively at Movie!Saruman's manicure) and opines that such lengthy nails would never happen with him in the Pandë!verse.

 

Oh my gosh, pande. I love this so much i can hardly stand it! I absolutely love the anaology of Shai as a scorpion, the images of the scorpion hiding from the light, then moving its pincers. The little fox pendant is adequately creepy. This particular passage here gave me chills it was so brilliant.

"Then Shai turned and looked right at Shual lying still in the dark, and Shual had a brief vision of two fiery eyes like that of a cat staring at him. The secret thing in the boy’s mind clicked and twitched, like a scorpion caught in the light, before it scuttled back into hiding."

I love the allusion to the cat's eyes, aka Telvido, The Prince of cats. I totally dug that. This is so telling and wonderful. I loved how you picked the symbolisim of a scorpion. Actually, when i think about it, Sauron is acting very much like a scorpion. They are fast, silent, and quick killers, and also very previlant in the desert regions. Beautiful symbolisim here. The body of a scoprion actually makes me think of Barad Dur even too. Scorpion bodies are so complex whn you really look at them. Maybe that's just my artsy mind reading into that, but I loved it. It just made the image more potent for me as a reader.

I loved the beginning of this. It really drew me in, the iage of Shual wanting to close his eyes, the images of the blood, his father dying. All of it wonderfully done. I literally was squeeing in delight at the ending. Pande, you are brilliant, and I bow to DM too. This is so amazing. It's so going on my Favorite Stories list.

I also loved the idea of using the Hebrew names. As heretical as it is, I almost see Sauron as a Messiah figure in this, and I had chills. I loved it. I loved the image of him wrapped in black, almost like a storm cloud.....Ah! I can't stand it! I love it so much!

Brilliant! Love it! I want to read it again just so I can catch the things I might have missed.

Absolutely magnificent - the sacrifice at the beginning calls to mind Abraham and Isaac, and the repetition of 'for six days - on the seventh' also calls Genesis to mind. The details of the irrigation system's creation are subtly creepy - and the fox talisman almost seems to work like one of the rings. The end - we know perfectly well what's about to happen, so the end was just perfect.

I'm so enjoying these!

Thanks  so much, Steel!  I'm glad you're enjoying these offerings (oops, poor choice of words), uh, fics, yeah, that's the ticket!

Re: Abraham and Isaac, yes, it does recall that, doesn't it?  ;^)   When I wondered where "Shai" would get the labor to install the irrigation system relatively quickly, it occurred to me that he had a number of laborers at hand.  They just don't like to work in the sun.

 

If anyone wonders how the Haradrim and Southron's ended up in Sauron's service during the war of the ring: this story shows exactly how he did it, over generations he bound them to his or Melkor's service and giving sacrificing just a different spin. At the start of the story I could not help to think how men were tainted in the perception of the Valar (sky god- Manwe), Earth-goddess (Yavanna) and how they ignored their duty towards men. No wonder those people went immensely far to see what would appease them. Also wonderfull alliterations to the old-testament, a story that so fits perfectly in Tolkien's secondary world. Magnificently done!

The notion that Sauron as a thinly disguised oily villain "bwahahaha" ing as a means to influence Men and Elves never sat well with me.  Tolkien notes more than once that the Dark Lord was in possession in considerable knowledge.  I've seen that interpreted as occult knowledge, but given JRRT's themes concerning technology, it strikes me that Sauron ensnared Men and Elves by imparting genuine, helpful knowledge at first and then reeled them in. 

Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Rhapsy, and stay tuned for more.  Also, this particular fic will play into something I have planned for the 4th Age stuff.  

Thank you very much, Ithilwen!  I'm so glad you're reading these! In Parma Eldalamberon 17, Tolkien wrote in a discussion about the word fana which morphed into a discourse about the nature of the Valar.  In this, he does fault them for ferrying the Elves out of Middle-earth when it was Iluvatar's plan that the Firstborn were to remain and instruct their mortal kin. By removing the Elves, JRRT wrote, the Valar made Men vulnerable to Morgoth (and here in The Talisman and also How the East Was Won to Sauron) and also set the stage for the rebellion of the Noldor because the Elves had been removed from their "natural habitat" -- Middle-earth.  That was one eye-opening paragraph and it certainly has influenced my fic.

You have made him such a fascinating villain! Everything about him is, dare I say, almost-attractive? The way he dreams, the things he likes, and yet the things he despises and that, ultimately, he will have to embrace, all say so much about who this individual is. You are doing an amazing job bringing him to life.

Thanks so much, Fireworks!  Like I mentioned to Rhapsy in the previous comment, I find it difficult to buy into the thinly disguised oily villain that is often (but certainly not always) portrayed in Tolkienian fan fic.  So Sauron in fact should be attractive...at least at this point.  My version of him is meant to wield those qualities to his advantage.  I'm striving to make him complex and human, too, which to me, doesn't de-fang him, but makes his actions worse so I'm incredibly gratified that his complex nature is coming through to you as a reader!  That makes my day!  Thanks again.

You have made him such a fascinating villain! Everything about him is, dare I say, almost-attractive? The way he dreams, the things he likes, and yet the things he despises and that, ultimately, he will have to embrace, all say so much about who this individual is. You are doing an amazing job bringing him to life.

Oh my goodness. It's fascinating to see the change, how Shual could tell by the eyes. And the ringwraiths... Sauron sure was busy during his absence. It was also very interesting to read more about how he would have ensnared the people and turned them to the worship of darkness. You've createda fascinating world; I hope you will write more of it ;-)

Thanks a million, Fireworks!  I greatly appreciate your following this series (3 more to go for Into This Wild Abyss) and your comments.   I figure the Nazgûl were hanging around in Mordor.  I believe the ringwraiths first became known around 2251 SA, but I'm assuming that they received the Rings of Power long before than and were well on their way toward becoming "wraiths."

"I hope you will write more of it ;-)"

Thanks so much, and yes, I will be writing more.  The next offering (so to speak) in this series has a bit that may raise the eyebrows of those not familiar with the Pandë!verse (and these newer fics are interconnected with those of mine on the archive), but causing eyebrows to raise is my modus operandi. :^D 

There are times I really regret that one cannot be paid for writing fanfiction, because this story is fascinating, with all those references to the Old Testament, the world's history, psychology and science. All bits work together perfectly to portray a great character, brilliant in mind and utterly attractive. Yes. That's how I perceive the DM in your !verse. He's got balls enough to rule the world, and he knows it ;)

Chapeau bas!

Binka, my apologies for the late response.  Your kind comments are no less appreciated in spite of my tardiness.  Ak-in-Aug has certainly proved to be a challenge for me as it plays out because it requires a different approach to writing than my usual.  So I fret that the fics are not as polished as they ought to be.  However, the Dark Muse chides me: "Just let me do the talking, and you can worry about editing later" -- and so for better or worse, I trust him.  In "The Talisman," I think he spoke with his characteristically dark voice so I am gratified that this worked for you.  Thank you very much.

"There are times I really regret that one cannot be paid for writing fanfiction..."

 Don't we all, don't we all? :^D

Thanks so much for reading and the compliments, Clodia!  Sauron's interest in fly-casting popped up quite some time ago in an as-yet unpublished draft, so I have carried on with that theme here and in The Elendilmir (notably the chapter called "Trout Fishing in Eregion").  Having rubbed elbows with some "captains of industry" in my line of work, I know these powerful guys come to monumental decisions out of the board room and instead while engaged in fairly prosaic activities.  I managed to avoid taking Ar-Pharazôn and Mairon out for 18 holes on the links. Just barely. :^D

This was strangely heart-breaking. I love how you portrayed Ar-Pharazon as a perfectly normal, even loveable human - I refuse to believe that he would have been the all-around monster many stories make him, so all the AinA stories that portray him sympathetically make me very happy. And all the cultural details - the surf-fishing, the baths of purification, the fishing barbs, the cookery recipe - are wonderful! I had to snicker when I read about Sauron's irritation at the way Pharazon cut the fennel, or the overcooked fish! The day on the beach was so wonderfully banal and yet, with Pharazon's decision to invade Aman, such a turning point.

In conclusion, great job!

Thank you very much for having a read and for the kind words, Lyra!

"I refuse to believe that he would have been the all-around monster many stories make him..."

Exactly my sentiments!  Ever since we met during MEFA08, Surgical Steel and I have been synergistically bouncing ideas and plots off one another, often driven by our mutual views of the complexity of human nature in both "the bad guys" and "the good guys." I recommend her "Alliance" here on the SWG. Heck, I don't see Sauron as "wholly evil" either (as should be evident), a position that is actually consistent with JRRT's writings about this character.   Some of the most reprehensible men of our primary world effectively compartmentalized their lives (Stalin and Pol Pot spring to mind) so as uncomfortable as it might be for some to contemplate this, the "villains" of Tolkien's secondary world might very well have done the same.  That doesn't exonerate them, but it is the human condition. 

I'm tickled that you enjoyed the turning point amidst the banality! :^D  That's exactly what I was trying to achieve here.  As I mentioned to Clodia in my response to her review, having witnessed how some very powerful men in my line of work operate, momentous decisions are often reached under more prosaic circumstances than in a board room. 

*claps like a seal*

Erm. Okay, now that I have the inarticulate squee out of my system. :) There is so much wonderful stuff packed into this! The canonical love of Numenoreans for the sea is really wonderfully highlighted by Pharazon's love of fishing. The bluefish - when you look at this piece alongside 'Trout Fishing in Eregion,' the fish as analogy for what Sauron's trying to 'catch' is really perfect - in Eregion, it's the clever elven smiths; in Numenor, the king who might well turn on Sauron in a frenzy of mutual destruction.

Love, love, love that Pharazon and Zimraphel have a relationship that's clearly based on mutual attraction and passion and tenderness. That particular snippet in HoMe XII lends credence to the notion that the story the 'King's Men' would have given about the Akallabeth would've been very, very different than what we got in the Silm.

The persuasion - very subtle, and very neatly done, and I love that it's not some megalomaniacal desire for power, but a desire to see that Pharazon's people have better lives (the hints of overpopulation and a need for more land) and the desire to be a father. And the inbreeding hint is tantalizing.

I can hear Ian McShane reciting Shakespeare, too.

Wonderfully, wonderfully done!

I am always thrilled to receive the Surgical Steel Seal of Approval™! :^D  Seriously, thank you very much not only for the kind words and for reading this here and there, but also for the continued inspiration and support.  I think the stars were aligned right when "The King's Surgeon" and "The Apprentice" both were in the running in last year's MEFAs.

I'm so glad you like the fishing analogy!  Bluefish are indeed a powerful and potentially nasty fish, perfectly fitting I thought for the Númenóreans.  Likewise, when I first acquired the volumes of The History of Middle-earth and found the passages about Pharazôn and Miriel in The Peoples of Middle-earth, my jaw dropped.  This cast a whole new light on Ar-Pharazôn and the Faithful alike.  With regard to the Númenórean expansion, I spun that interpretation (overcrowding by so called "lesser" men -- presumably slaves, servants and laborers) from The Lost Road in which Elendil says to Herendil: For  Numenor now  seems narrow,  that  was  so  large.  Men covet,  therefore, the  lands that other families have long possessed. They fret as men in chains.     One interpretation of that is a larger population; if the Númenóreans had few children as JRRT wrote, then that population had to come from somewhere else. 

And hey, kudos to you for inspiring Pharazôn's desire to become a father!  We chatted about that at some point along the line.  Regents are always concerned about securing the line with an heir.  So why not Ar-Pharazôn, too?

Here's hoping that hint on inbreeding might inspire a story. :^)

Thanks again!

I can't choose which is more "chilling" for me--the way Sauron compares his "victims" to fish and the small, seemingly innocent little things he does to further his goals--he really knows how to "fish".  What I like most about your stories is that there always seems to be so much more going on beneath the surface and this chapter is a good example.

I give this chapter four chibis:

Ar Pharazon fishingThe Zigur fishing 

Don't scheme while you cookDinner is burning

Four chibis!  All right! :^D  Oh, man.  These are a hoot and a half. The Dark Muse notes that the smoking grill is an accurate portral of Pharazôn's less than adequate skills when it comes to cooking seafood.  Thanks a million, whitewave! [The dancing bluefish...LOL!]

I've always been curious about Sauron's eastern activities and you've told it so well that I'm eager to read more.    I especially liked the symbolism of the seven days, the mention of the nephilim, the curious "creatures" who visit in the night, first glimpses into the first two of the nine ringwraiths (?).  

Sauron's really very good in adapting to every situation he faces to further his agenda.  What also struck me about this chapter was the notable absence of the Powers in the East which could be a possible reason why the people there turned to others.

Shai

Oh, I really like the Shai!chibi! And look!  There's a desert fox nearby!

On the adaptability, in the Pandë!verse, that's part of the "biology" of the Maiar: they can adapt to others around them and their environment very well, almost chameleon-like, so I'm really pleased that you picked up on this.  Yes, my impression from JRRT's writings was that the Valar were detached from most of the race of Men which left a void to be filled.  Yep, those are two of the nine ringwaiths.

Thanks so much for reading, the compliments and for the latest chibi! 

Apologies for not jumping on this right away. I wanted to make sure I had 100% of my attention to devote to this, because it deserves nothing less. You absolutely get my stamp of approval too for this.

I was tickled pink and all kinds of happy to see you include chitons as a common garment in Numenor. Yay! Someone knows their clothing terms. I very much approve. :-)

 I loved the exchange between Pharazon and Miriel. It conveyed both their love, but their disappointments over not having a child yet. It felt like watching a real couple, facing real issues. I liked that very much. I also like how you portray Miriel and Pharazon as struggling with infertitlity. That's a very real, and difficult issue, and as someone who has been grappling with that in my own life, I am immensely grateful that you included this, and wrote it "real". Thank you for doing that. Thank you for showing a couple dealing with this, and showing how it affects Pharazon. Thank you, thank you, for portraying reality, and not some cheesy fairy tale where every couple who is in love has no issues making children appear.....Thank you!! "major huggles"

I loved, LOVED, how Sauron put the bait out for Pjarazon to go West. I was really looking forward to this story, and I was very interested to see how Sauron would entice Pharazon to go West. you did it in such a brilliant, believable, and incredibly awesome way. I have goosebumps, because it's bait any loving husband would take. I like that you show Pharazon as a real person, and not some psycho villian out to kill everything.

I also loved how you integrated the symbolisim of the fishing in with sauron's plot, very poigniant, and perfect setting. I love too how Sauron has an attraction to Miriel, and how she is ttracted to him also, again, back to how much I love that you aren't afraid to show human being, well, human.

I also loved the tidbit of Sauron being a cat fan. :-) yes, I could totally see that too. :-D

Loved this so much. It was everything I would hope for, and more. Thank you for sharing this. I feel grateful that I got to read this. "many hugs"

Thanks so much for reading and for the kind (and enthusiastic :^)) compliments, Roisin!  Steel and I have long discussed Pharazôn and some of the more human motives for what he did.  Of course, the desire for power and for more resources are plausible (and I derived my interpretations from The Lost Road, the Peoples of M-e as well as The Akallabeth for this), but when Steel mentioned that maybe the king and queen were trying to beget an heir with little success, that played into it, too, so a major tip o' the hat to the good doctor for that one.  i'm hoping she runs with that particular plot bunny, too, on consanguinity.  Sauron's attraction to Miriel is human, but largely politically motivated, not unlike conquering regents of our primary world that will take women of the conquered.  If she is truly attracted to him?  Well, remember this is through his PoV and he's probably vain enough to imagine that she's attracted to him.  My version of Sauron throughout the entirety of my story arc likes cats (a nod to Tevildo ;^)).

 

Thanks again!  I greatly appreciate that you enjoyed this! 

I never cared for Pharazon in the Silmarillion; and it's almost amusing to see him snagged on the line of Sauron's seductive promises; except that we know how many innocents will perish because of this little expedition they're planning.  Neat contrast between the voracious bluefish of Numenor and the elusive trout of Eregion.

You just have to write a ficlet about Sauron the Abhorred becoming a daddy!  Yeah, I just bet it was frustrating when the offspring resisted Pops' control.  Mairon/Sauron just has to be the master of the game.

Nice work as usual!