Chapter 11 - The Palantir of Orthanc
Minas Tirith, TA 2759
A Palantir Of My Own
Saruman was sitting in the archives at Minas Tirith. He was reading a scroll that described the tower of Orthanc. Although Orthanc was in Rohan, it belonged to Gondor. It was built as an astrological observatory, the reason Saruman was interested initially. But he just learned it once housed a Palantir, a seeing stone.
The men of Gondor stopped using the Palantiri when the Ithil Stone, the Palantir of Minas Ithil, was captured by Nazgûl. That was centuries ago, when Gondor still had a king. It was possible the Men of Gondor had forgotten Orthanc had a Palantir, and accidentally left it behind when they abandoned the tower.
Ever since he'd looked into the Palantir at Osgiliath, Saruman had wanted a Palantir. Much of his work in Arda involved searching. Searching for the places where evil things hid, searching for stories that had never been written down, searching for the Ring.
The Palantir might be able to tell him what happened to the Ring. It might have been washed out to sea. It might be buried in the earth somewhere, waiting for a farmer's plow to bring it to the surface. Or it might be sitting in a display case in a second-rate pawnshop somewhere. Either way, it would be nice to know what happened to it.
Saruman's personal belief was that the Ring had been passed down as an heirloom in Isildur's line, and had never been removed from the gold case that Isildur once wore on a chain around his neck.
No one knew where Isildur's decedents were now, but probably they lived somewhere in Arnor, in the North.
He approached the Steward of Gondor, with whom he was on good terms, and offered to look after the tower for him. Saruman could be very persuasive, and his argument was reasonable, so the Steward gave him the keys to Orthanc in return for maintaining the tower and making repairs as needed.
Orthanc
Saruman fit the key into the lock. It turned with difficulty, but it did turn. Saruman shouldered the door to force it open. The tower had been abandoned for generations. There was a layer of leaves on the floor. A few of them were caught in the cobwebs that were everywhere. There was evidence of mice and bats, as well. The smell of damp was overwhelming.
Until now, he'd been living in Rhosgobel, Osgiliath, or Imladris, and then moving on. It would be nice to have a fixed address for once.
He started to explore his tower. In the highest chamber, just below the deck from which to observe the stars, he found a stone pedestal covered with a square of canvas. He lifted a corner of the cloth and dropped it right away. The Palantir was still here.
He didn't try to use it right away. Palantiri are powerful, and it would be unwise to go barging in without knowing what he was doing. On his next trip to Minas Tirith, he would search through the archives again to learn what he could about using a Palantiri.
The Ithil Stone
Saruman made a trip to Minas Tirith a few weeks later. He met with the Steward to describe the repairs he'd made to Orthanc. After that, he had the rest of the day to himself. He went down to the archives to see what he could learn about using the Palantir.
He sat at his favorite table, surrounded by scrolls. He read that when the Ithil Stone was captured, Tar-Eärnur, Last King of Gondor, stopped using the Palantir in Minas Tirith, and ordered all the other Palantiri to be abandoned. Centuries later, fear of the Ithil Stone kept the Palantiri unused.
Perhaps Tar-Eärnur was a particularly cautious or timid man, Saruman thought.
But then he remembered that Tar-Eärnur was the one who went to Minas Morgul alone, to meet the Witch King in single combat. He walked into a trap. They never learned what happened to him.
No, whatever else you say about him, he wasn't timid.
Only the Palantir of Elendil, the Elostirion stone, was still safe to use. It looked across the sea into the Uttermost West, and communicated with no other stones.
Saruman wondered why, if the Palantiri were made by Fëanor, the Men of Gondor had them now. He learned they had been a gift to Elendil in Númenor from the Elves. Many more Palantiri remained with the Elves.
The next time he visited Imladris, he asked Elrond if the Elves still used their stones. Elrond said they did. None of the Elves had encountered the Ithil Stone, as far as he knew.
Saruman considered what he'd learned. As far as he could tell, the Ithil Stone had not been used since its capture.
Proceeding With Caution
But even so, Saruman didn't want to risk having the Ithil Stone eavesdrop on what he was doing. He was searching for news of the Ring, and he didn't want anyone to watch him doing it.
He'd have to understand the stones thoroughly, and put safeguards in place, before he used his Palantir.
It might be as simple as getting in and out quickly, or using the Palantir only in the hours before dawn, when everyone else with a Palantir was asleep. The Palantir was useable. It was just a matter of being careful.
A First Look In The Palantir
It was not yet five in the morning, and the eastern sky was showing only the slightest traces of grey. He wanted to keep his viewing time to a minimum, so before he went on, he chose the question he would ask.
Where are the evil things hiding?
He took a deep breath, and pulled the canvas off the stone.
He saw nothing at first. He waited. He was about to turn away, when he noticed a glow at the center of the orb as an image started to form. He saw a pool, a cliff wall, and holly trees. Not much in itself, but thrilling because it was a Palantir image.
Saruman had resolved not to stay on too long, so after just a few minutes, he reluctantly replaced the canvas.
Palantir Use
Soon Saruman was using the Palantir regularly. A few hours before dawn, he pulled the canvas off the Stone. He'd used it half a dozen times, but always before dawn, and always for just a few minutes at a time. He didn't think he'd get into trouble because he was being careful.
At first, he looked at whatever images the Palantir chose to show him. With practice, he learned to exert his will and bring up the images he was looking for. Sometimes the image came up right way, but more often, he had to stare into the orb and sift through whatever it chose to show him.
He wanted to find out what happened to the Ring after Isildur swam across the Anduin with it. Sometimes he saw an image of the Gladden Fields, faint and far away, but it usually wasn't clear enough to tell him anything.