PROLOGUE
Questions buzzed in my mind. There were so many of them that I did not know which one to unravel first. I felt like a new born-though I had never seen one; in fact I had not seen anything at all: neither water, nor trees, nor mountains, nor insects, nor animals, nor humans, nor elves nor dwarves.
But I had seen fire!
It was what created me. But where am I? Why am I here? How was I born? How do I come to know about things that I had never seen? All these questions irritated me. But the question that nagged my mind the most was:
"What am I?"
I felt weak, unwholesome, and incomplete- yet I knew that I was powerful beyond imagination. But somehow I was hopelessly bound; the power that resided in me was inactive. If this was going to be my life, I would hate every second of it.
Then suddenly a hand touched me; a hand that radiated power, cruelty and malice-the very things that composed me. It made me feel whole, complete and powerful beyond measure. This was the life I wanted to live-to be slave to this person, to obey my master, to yield to my Lord.
And then my Lord exclaimed:
Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatuluk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
And then realization struck me. I knew what I was: a ring of power, more powerful than anyone had ever made. I was:
"One ring to rule them all"