Chapter 2 - The Shadow in Mirkwood
Rhosgobel, TA 1360
The Presence
Radagast's home in Rhosgobel near the southern border of Mirkwood was homey and pleasant. The weather was grey outside, but a cheerful fire burned on the hearth. All five Istari were seated around it, but they paid little attention to their surroundings, for their purpose was deadly serious.
The Istari had been told to look for Sauron in Southern Mirkwood. For a thousand years, they'd been trying to find him.
They knew something evil dwelled there. It drew unwholesome things to itself, spiders, centipedes, and poisonous plants. Mirkwood had become a dark and unwholesome place.
"When I walk in the forest of Mirkwood, I can feel its Presence." said Radagast.
"It attracts more than just spiders. The local people say a sorcerer arrived in Southern Mirkwood recently. He built himself a fortress on a rocky outcropping called Amon Lanc, the Bald Hill. Recently, the local people have started calling it Dol Guldur, the Hill of Sorcery."
"What do we know about this sorcerer?" asked Gandalf.
"Very little. No one's ever seen him, but they say he practices dark magic. They call him the Necromancer." said Radagast.
"How powerful is he? Is he in the same league as the Witch King of Angmar?" asked Gandalf.
"Who?" asked Alatar.
"A warlord in Northern Arnor. He launches raids on the people of Cardolan from his stronghold in Carn Dûm." said Gandalf.
"The Necromancer doesn't have enough soldiers to launch raids. He can defend the fortress, but that's about it." said Radagast.
"Is there any connection between the Necromancer and the Witch King?" asked Alatar.
"I don't think so. Arnor is a long way from here." said Gandalf.
The Necromancer
"The birds tell me that the spiders are most heavily concentrated around the Necromancer's fortress." said Radagast.
"Meaning?" said Saruman.
"I don't think the Necromancer was drawn to Mirkwood by the Presence." said Radagast. "I think the Necromancer is the Presence."
"So that's where Sauron's been hiding. We've been looking for him for a thousand years, and he was right there the whole time." said Gandalf.