Author's Note: And now we have Sauron's input! What do you find most interesting about his interview? Please give me some feedback to let me know! I would really appreciate it.
Sauron
Name(s): Sauron; Mairon; Gorthaur; Annatar; Aulendil; Artano; the Necromancer; the Enemy; the Dark Power; the Great Eye; the Necromancer; the Lord of the Rings; the Sorcerer; the Black Hand; the Nameless Enemy; the Great; the Deceiver; and many, many more.
Race: Maiar
Life: Sauron was created by Eru at the beginning of time. He was ensnared by the lies of Melkor and became evil. He served Melkor, later known as Morgoth, throughout the First Age and remained in Middle Earth after the War of Wrath. He deceived some of the elves into making the Rings of Power, and he himself made the One Ring. He helped to cause the Downfall of Númenor, but he suffered a serious defeat when the One Ring was taken from him. He fought with the Free Peoples of Middle Earth as he looked for the Ring until he was permanently vanquished at the end of the Third Age.
. . .
Although I could speak with you about a great many things, I would like to keep our conversation on Númenor. What were your thoughts when you first heard about its existence?
At the very beginning, the country was of no consequence to me. The cowards stayed on their little island doing whatever they wanted, presenting neither a threat nor an advantage to me. Of course I planned to conquer them at some point, which I knew wouldn't be too hard, but that idea wasn't at the forefront of my mind.
Did your opinions change as the years went by?
Yes. Instead of remaining where they belonged, the Númenóreans decided that they would begin attacking me for absolutely no reason at all. I never sent any troops against them, and the disruption to their settlements and trade could just as easily be blamed on the no-good elves as on me. But they decided to band up with the Eldar anyway, and so I was forced to deal with them earlier than I had anticipated. It wasn't too bad, but there were drawbacks. I did lose a lot of battles in my wars with those pathetic men. Even though they had substantial casualties and could not replace their men like I could my orcs, they still pressed on. Númenor became a boil on my neck, earning my hatred as no nation of men ever had before.
What were your thoughts and reasons behind allowing the Númenóreans to take you hostage?
Well, my stupid orcs and trolls could never have successfully combatted the great navy Númenor had somehow produced, and so I decided to play it safe and take down the country from the inside instead of with force. Besides, that fate would produce far more humiliation, something I could never resist creating.
How did you so easily and effectively deceive the king and his highest officials?
Their hearts were ripe for my words; plain and simple. Now truly I am the greatest deceiver since Melkor, and I do not in any way mean to put down the impact I had. But the men of Númenor were near rebellion against the Valar already; they merely needed someone to show them how to make their emotions and desires manifest. In a sense they had already given their hearts to the Darkness; all I had to do was open their eyes to what had occurred. It was far easier than I had anticipated.
What do you think the Númenóreans did to contribute to their Downfall?
As I said, they were eager to have any opportunity to rebel against their traditional values, meaning that they were not cautious of the Valar's enemy: me. Their standards were relative, and thus they could not stay opposed to my offers for ethical reasons. This meant that if they thought I could help them fulfill their desires, especially that of immortal life, they could listen to and obey me. So they followed my carefully chosen commands, and they sailed to their own deaths.
It's not like I'm planning to fight you or anything, but supposing I was, what would you say is the greatest threat to Dark Lords such as yourself? What are some of the characteristics that make a kingdom of men most resilient to you and your evil?
Well, technically there are no characteristics that can truly resist me. But those that are most annoying and difficult for people like me are as follows. The first is a stubborn allegiance to an absolute standard of "righteous" values. This sounds strange, but it's one hundred percent true. If men refuse to compromise on what they believe is right, then I can never get them to obey my commands or see things as I do. This is how the blasted elves usually are, and that is why I hate them so much.
Another dangerous characteristic would be courage and selflessness. These qualities can make one man more powerful in battle than two scores of my orcs. A greedy man or fearful soldier cannot fight nearly as well, and he is more likely to give up and go home with the battle gets tough.
The last danger is somewhat related the courage and selflessness, but at the same time it needs its own category. Men who believe in something above themselves—who feel that they are part of a providentially written tale—are my greatest adversaries. They fear nothing and inspire hope in the despairing. They live their whole lives without ever worrying that I will triumph in the end. They have faith that Eru will not allow their people to perish, but that a remnant of good will always exist. No matter what happens to their lands, their families, or their bodies, they still look you in the eye and refuse to submit. Some call them heroes, others hail them as saints. I name them snakes; creatures that slither beneath your feet and threaten to strike your feet if you do not stamp them into the dirt.
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