| “ | Mordor. The one place in Middle-earth we don't want to see any closer, and the one place we're trying to get to. It's just where we can't get. Let's face it, Mr. Frodo, we're lost. I don't think Gandalf meant for us to come this way | „ |
| ~ -Sam, Lord of the Rings |
The profile of Mordor (Book) from Lord of the Rings.
Summary[]
Mordor is the center of the armies of Sauron. While other outcroppings exist, like Angmar, Mordor is the greatest of these. It is the center of the servants of Morgoth after the fall of Angband and Utumno, and the home of Sauron.
In the center of Mordor is Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower. Within Barad-dûr is the chamber of Sauron, guarded by Black Orcs. Out of it gazes a window through which the Lidless Eye watches over the land, presumably projected by the palantir of Minas Ithil.
Sauron's army was led by Sauron himself, "A sorcerer of dreadful power." He led the armies of Mordor against Gondor, Rohan, and the Ñoldorin Elves, eventually killing the Ñoldor high king, Gil-galad. He was once an Ainur, ancient cosmic deities, however, he was corrupted by the First Dark Lord Morgoth, eventually becoming the Second Dark Lord himself.
Military structure/Weaponry[]
Leaders[]
Main Leader[]
- Sauron (The One Ring, and presumably Morgul Blades and Mithril armor/crown)
Second-in-command[]
- The Witch-king of Angmar (The Witch-king's Ring, a Nazgûl horse, a fellbeast, the Witch-king's mace, steel crown, and a cloak)
Military Leaders[]
- Khamûl (Khamûl's Ring, a Nazgûl horse, a fellbeast, and a cloak)
- Unnamed Nazgûl (Nazgûl Rings, Nazgûl horses, fellbeasts, and cloaks)
- Gothmog
- Unnamed warlords (Lesser Rings of Power)
Notable Individuals[]
- Grond
- Grishnákh
- The Mouth of Sauron (A horse and a cloak)
Military units[]
Infantry[]
- Minas Morgul warriors (Bows, spears, and swords)
- Morgul riders (Unknown. Presumably swords and lances for weapons; horse for mount)
- Guard of Shelob
- Cirith Ungol warriors (Bows, spears, and swords)
- Dol Guldur Orcs (Bows, spears, and swords)
- Gorgoroth Orc (Bows, spears, and swords)
- Black Orcs
- Haradrim
- Uruk-Hai
- Easterlings
- Variags
- Warriors of Rhûn
- Black Númenóreans
- Corsairs of Umbar
Special[]
- Wraiths
- Angmar Orcs (Bows, spears, and swords)
- Sorcerers
- Orc sorcerers
- Angmar sorcerers (Possibly humans)
- Barrow Wights
Monsters[]
- Trolls
- Half-trolls
- Olog-Hai
- Giants
- Spiders (Possibly)
- Giant spiders
- Demons of Sauron (Possibly)
- Mordor werewolves
- Fell bats
- Phantoms/Sprits
Warmachine[]
- Flame-spewing devices
- Battering-rams
- Siege towers
- Giants
Cavalry[]
- Mûmakil
- Fell beasts
- Orc sorcerers
- Warg riders (Wargs)
[]
- Corsair ships of Umbar
Greater symbols of leadership[]
- The One Ring (Sauron)
Lesser symbols of leadership[]
- Nazgûl Rings
- Rings of the unnamed Nazgûl (Unnamed Nazgûl)
- The Witch-king's Ring (The Witch-king)
- Khamûl's Ring (Khamûl)
Artifacts[]
- Lesser Rings of Power (Unnamed warlords)
- Morgul Blades (Nazgûl and presumably Sauron)
Mounts[]
- Horses (Morgul riders)
- Nazgûl horses (Nazgûl)
- Wargs
- Fellbeasts
Military weapons[]
Melee weapons[]
- Swords (Gorgoroth Orcs, Morgul Orcs, and Dol Guldur Orcs)
- Spears (Gorgoroth Orcs, Morgul Orcs, and Dol Guldur Orcs)
Ranged weapons[]
- Bows (Orc warriors of Gorgoroth, Morgul Orcs, and Dol Guldur Orcs)
Explosives[]
- The Flame of Orthanc (Presumably)
Banners[]
- Banner of the Eye
Armor[]
- Mithril Armor (Sauron)
- Mithril crown (Sauron)
- Cloaks (Nazgûl, the Mouth of Sauron, and presumably sorcerers)
- Crown of steel (The Witch-king)
Command Buildings[]
- Barad-dur Keep
Supply Buildings[]
Research & Arsenal Buildings[]
- Armories
Production/Construction/Training Buildings[]
- Orc Breeding Pits
Other Buildings[]
Combative Buildings[]
Offensive Buildings[]
- Towers
- Towers of the Teeth
Defensive Buildings[]
- Walls
- Gates
- Black Gates
Other Combative[]
- Tents
Territories[]
Cirith Ungol
- Age founded/conquered: Unknown
- Territory type: Guard tower
- Inhabitants: Unknown (Likely not many)
- Civilians: Presumably none (A guard tower)
- Military: Unknown
Cirith Ungol is a guard tower located through Ephel Dúat, near Minas Morgul. It seems to be used to keep Shelob and her spawn in check, the former Sauron treats like a "cat," though he does not seem to have any affection for her.
Durthang
- Age founded/conquered: Conquered TA 1640
- Territory type: Fortress
- Inhabitants: Unknown
- Civilians: Unknown
- Military: Unknown
Durthang was once a fortress belonging to the armies of Gondor, meaning "dark oppression." Eventually, after the great plague swept Mordor, it was abandoned and fell into the hands of Sauron. During the War of the Ring it was populated by large amounts of Orcs and was quite vigilant.
Towers of the Teeth
- Age founded/conquered: Unknown
- Territory type: Guard tower(S)
- Inhabitants: Unknown
- Civilians: Seeming solely military
- Military: Unknown
The two Towers of the Teeth are two large towers located on either side of the Black Gate, known as Narchost and Carchost. These were originally built by Men of Gondor, however, they were captured by the forces of Sauron. Each of the towers were presumably made of the same impregnable ebon stone as the Black Gate, and atop them were possibly hundreds of archers. There is also the possibility of siege weapons like ballistas atop them.
The Black Gate/Morannon
- Age founded/conquered: Unknown
- Territory type: Fortress
- Inhabitants: Likely 100K+
- Civilians: Seemingly solely military
- Military: 100K+ Orc troops and presumably other creatures
The Black Gate was an enormous tenebrous gateway the lead into Mordor. The walls were nigh impregnable (Being possibly made of the same materiel as Orthanc which even the Ents couldn't harm) and behind them was countless orc warriors ready to defend Mordor.
On either side of the Black Gate were the Towers of the Teeth (See above). Given Mordor's industrial style of building and their seemingly limitless resources they presumably have defenses like boiling tar, gatehouses, ballistas, and other such weapons.
Harad
- Age founded/conquered: Unknown
- Territory type: Region
- Inhabitants: Unknown. Given its enormous size it could have upwards of a few million inhabitants.
- Civilians: Unknown. Given its enormous size it could have upwards of a few million (It seems a relatively small fraction are military)
- Military: Approximately 200K soldiers in Sauron's employment. Possibly a larger millitia
Harad is a large continent located below Mordor. Due to Sauron's immense power the people of Harad fear and respect him, often being members of his army. They used to fight often among each other, however, presumably due to Sauron's desire for a united army, they stopped their infighting.
Due to it being a massive desert Harad would likely be nigh impossible to invade. Despite their large army, they would likely use gorilla combat over the large area, slowly whittling down an enemy invasion until it became a logistical impossibility.
Angmar
- Age founded/conquered: TA 1300
- Territory type: Region
- Inhabitants: Presumably 100K+
- Civilians: Unknown. Likely not many
- Military: Likely 100K+ (Strong enough to destroy the kingdom of Arnor with only Orcs, notoriously bad warriors)
Angmar is a cold icy region in the far North. It was ruled by the Witch-king for many years before hos defeat at the Battle of Fornost. Due to its incredible cold it would likely be a logistical nightmare to invade, made worse by the sorcerery of the Wtich-king (Including summoning Barrow Wights).
Carn Dûm
- Age founded/conquered: Presumably the same date as Angmar (TA 1300)
- Territory type: Capital
- Inhabitants: Unknown. Presumably up to 100+
- Civilians: Unknown. Likely not many (But still presumably a significant fraction of Angmar's civilian population due to it being one of the few cities)
- Military: Unknown. Possibly up to 100K+ (The capital of Angmar)
Carn Dûm is the capital of Angmar. Surrounded by icy wasteland, the city is likely nigh impossible to breach. Worsening this is the sorcerery of the Witch-king. Knowing sorcerery and the magic of the dark powers, it is likely that the city itself was filled with phantoms, illusions, and the spirits known as Barrow Wights. Further worsening the situation is the massive orc army and walls presumably made of the same ebon stone as the Black Gate.
Dol Guldur
- Age founded/conquered: Sometime after TA 1000
- Territory type: Citadel
- Inhabitants: Unknown
- Civilians: Seems solely military
- Military: Unknown
Dol Guldur is a massive dark city in the middle of the forest known as Mirkwood. True to its name the forest is dark and misty. There are also large amounts of (Giant) spiders within it, presumably under the command of Sauron, due to his authority over effectively everything evil. It is also presumably filled with same or similar magic to Tol-in-Gaurhoth: Illusions and phantoms to confuse and confuddle invaders or spies.
Minas Ithil/Minas Morgul
- Age founded/conquered: Conquered SA 3428. Reconquered (After loss) TA 2002
- Territory type: Citadel
- Inhabitants: Unknown
- Civilians: Seems solely military
- Military: Unknown
Minas Morgul lie across a moat of cold water. The city itself is deathly pale, unleashing a torrent of blue fire when the time had come for the armies of Mordor to deploy. Like Carn Dûm, it is a fortress of the Witch-king, and presumably has similar magic infecting it.
Barad-dûr
- Age founded/conquered: Completed at approximately SA 16000.
- Territory type: Captial
- Inhabitants: Unknown. Possibly millions at its peak.
- Civilians: Unknown
- Military: Unknown. Possibly millions at its peak (Might be comparable to Angband at its weakest)
Barad-dûr is the capital of Mordor and undoubtedly its greatest fortress. To merely get to the fortress you must cross Grogoroth, a massive ash wasteland guarded by five battalions of Orcs. The fortress itself is likely surrounded by a moat of either poisonous water or the volcanic lava of Mount Doom. As the fortress of Sauron himself, it was almost certainly filled with titanic amounts of sorcerous power, far beyond any other fortress of the Dark Lord. Illusions, phantoms, mist, and wraiths/spirits are all but confirmed.
Due to Sauron being a servant of Aulë, the fortress is almost certainly filled with machinery of many types. A draw bridge and gatehouse is all but assured. As well, it is likely, that there are many ballistas and trebuchets/catapults on the fortress. More advanced weaponry such as boiling tar, an equivalent to Greek Fire and the Flame of Orthanc from Isengard are also likely. The fortress itself was stated to have "battlement upon battlement," so vast that all hope left Frodo for a moment upon seeing it.
As if that was not enough the fortress walls were likely as impregnable, if not more, than those of Orthanc and the Black Gate. The arcane defenses of Barad-dûr (In addition to those already mentioned) include the Eye of Sauron, which gazes out of a "window" (Presumably projected by the palantri of Minas Ithil/Morgul) and would likely sap the moral from those who see it or it sees, and likely control over the weather, allowing Sauron to rain lightning down on his foes.
Civilization stats[]
Tier 11: Industrial: Mordor at it's peak was comparable to Thangorodrim, where there were massive mines and fortresses all over, with thousands of slaves working in them. In Barad-dûr there was a highly militarized and industrial society, more than capable of performing industrial level accomplishments, including:
- Constructing a mountain sized fort (Barad-dûr).
- Supplying an army in a harsh environment.
- Creating so much smoke that it covered an entire country.
Power Source[]
Energy Source: Paraphernalia, External
Magic: Elemental Manipulation (Sauron can cause the volcano known as Mount Doom to erupt), Metal, Fire, and Electricity Manipulation (The Witch-king weakened the gate of Minas Tirith, which exploded in a blast of lightning, and lit his sword on fire), Poison and Fear Manipulation (The Black Breath of the Nazgûl weakens and terrifies those who experience it), Necromancy (Sauron is "the Necromancer), Illusion Creation (Sauron is a master of illusions), Sorcerery (Invisibility via control over the Unseen World), Energy manipulation, projection and, Forcefield Creation via Words of Command, Telepathy/Mind Manipulation (Terrified an entire city and mentally attacked Galadriel across the continent), Clairvoyance (Sauron saw Frodo from across the continent. Was referenced as having an incredibly long "hand."), Drowsiness/Sleep Inducement via the Barrow spell, the powers of the One Ring (Omnilinguistics, Invisibility, Power Amplification, Telepathy/Mind Manipulation, Clairvoyance, some form of Heat Manipulation due to Sauron's aura of heat only coming after its creation, and possibly others depending on the user), the Flame of Orthanc (The Flame of Orthanc is an explosive either made by magic or science, or some combination there of. The servants of Sauron likely have their own equivalent), Resistance to Mind Manipulation (Sauron should have similar mental powers to Galadriel, and even more power with the One Ring)
Science: Construction (The Orcs of Mordor made the mountain sized Barad-dûr and remade Minas Morgul), Siege Machines (Mordor employees many massive siege machines), the Flame of Orthanc (The Flame of Orthanc is an explosive either made by magic or science, or some combination thereof. The servants of Sauron likely have their own equivalent), Industry (The forces of Mordor constantly construct industrial machines that slowly destroy life everywhere)
Divinity: Flight (The Ainur have exited and moved outside of Arda), Invulnerability (The Ainur are immune from harm via conventional weaponry, as seen when, upon unlocking more of his divine power, Gandalf became invulnerable), Regeneration (Sauron can regenerate from total destruction of his body), Immortality, Telekinesis/Transmutation (The Ainur shaped the world), Shapeshifting/Size Alteration (Sauron changed his form many times), Intangibility (Immaterial, at the very least in spirit form), Non-Corporeality, Reality Warping/Conceptual Manipulation (Sauron took part in the Ainulindalë), Resistance to Death (In Lord of the Rings the land of the dead is a real tangible place, Mandos, and can be affected and exited. Ainur don't go there upon death, rather becoming spirits until the regenerate. The only way to keep them there is if they are physically brought there and held by physical might), Sleep (Sauron shrugged off the spell of sleep from Lúthien), Fire (All the demons of Morgoth seemed to be unharmed by fire, including the Balrogs and presumably Sauron), and Conceptual Manipulation (Sauron's true form exits outside of the Ainulindalë, which contains all concepts), a higher form of Invulnerability in his true form (See above), limited Precognition ("All that was past they could fully perceive; but being now in Time the future they could only perceive or explore in so far as its design was made clear to them in the Music, or as each one of them was specially concerned with this or that part of Eru's design, being His agent or Subcreator"), Transmutation (Sauron helped shape the universe), Weather Manipulation (Sauron created massive ash clouds and was implied to have the power to create blizzards/snow storms), Astral Projection (Sauron can exit his physical body)
Conquest stats[]
Tier 8-A: Large/Multi-Continent level: Sauron's army (If he were to attain the One Ring) were more than capable of conquering all of Middle-earth (A large continent) and possibly lands beyond that. They also controlled Harad and (At one point) Angmar. Though, at their lowest, they were contained within Mordor, a large country.
Troops: 500K Orcs, Wargs, and Trolls combined (Though there is likely a rather small number of the latter. Approximately 200K dark men (Easterlings, Southrons, Men of Khand, etc). Unknown number of monsters/demons. Possibly millions at its peak (With the One Ring).
Power stats[]
DC: Unknown: The true forms of Maiar like Sauron are weaker than those of the Valar, yet still quite strong. Multi-Galaxy: Sauron at his strongest, with the One Ring, was superior to Morgoth at his weakest and could fight Manwë. Large Star: Sauron is the strongest Maia, putting him above Arien. Large Planet: The Witch-King intimidated even Gandalf the Grey, who bested a Balrog. Sauron should be perfectly capable of summoning the same evil spirits that attacked Tilion. Large Planet-Town: The Nazgûl should be comparable to the Witch-King, and can summon massive firestorms. Large Building: Giants (Who are implied to be occasionally malevolent) can throw massive stones like toys. Grond can destroy the gate of Minas Tirith. Building: Orc sorcerers can likely use words of command, powerful spells which have the might to pulverize doors. Ologs can easily toss humans and are comparable to (If not stronger than) stone trolls. Wall-Street: Black Orcs can take on lesser Elves, such as the Vanyar. Street: Most Orcs are hardened warriors, comparable to peak mortal soldiers.
Durability: Unknown: Sauron's true form exits outside of the conventional universe. Multi-Galaxy: Sauron at his strongest could fight Gil-galad. Large Star: Sauron could tank hits from Huan. Large Planet: The Witch-King was read to and willing to fight Gandalf. Moon-Town: Tha Nazgûl can use magic, allowing them to create powerful barriers. Large Building: Giants can survive stones being thrown at them. Building: Ologs can survive blows from swords like nothing. Wall-Street: Black Orcs are much stronger than normal Orcs. Street: Orcs can fight trained soldiers.
Speed: Immeasurable: Sauron's true form transcends time. Infinite: The Ainur (Including Sauron) can think at whatever speed they wish. Massively FTL+: Sauron was faster than Ancalagon. High hypersonic: The Witch-King kept pace with Gandalf. High hypersonic: The Nazgûl can fight Gandalf. Superhuman: Giants and Ologs are much larger than all men. Superhuman-Athlete: Black Orcs can keep pace with Elves. Athlete: Orcs can keep pace with trained soldiers.
Strengths/Pros[]
Sauron and the Nazgûl are skilled sorcerers and warriors, though very few of their servants can wield magic. Most Orcs are very incompetent, but Black Orcs and mortal soldiers are quite skilled
- Sauron: Sauron is a skilled sorcerer, capable of creating illusions and utilizing dark magic. His appearance likely mirrors that of the Witch-King's, just larger and more terrible, and, just like the Witch-King, immune from conventional damage.
- The Nazgûl: The Nazgûl can use dark magic: Creating firestorms, terrifying opponents and using Morgul Blades (Swords that turn their victims into Wraiths). They can also see those who where rings of power.
- Sorcerers: Many Orcs (And presumably other soldiers of Mordor) are implied to be sorcerers, using "spells" via speaking words or incantations. These spells may have some connection to Words of Command, magic spells cast be spoken words, that were used by the Balrogs and Gandalf.
- Legions of Mordor: Some Orcs are implied to be able to wield magic, though most are simply some-what skilled warriors. However, Black Orcs are particularly skilled. Their are also mortal legions consisting of Haradrim, Variags, Easterlings, and warriors of Rhûn, all of which are likely far more skilled than Orcs.
The sheer terror brought on by the Nazgûl is enough to make even the toughest warrior run; it likely doesn't matter how powerful that warrior is, even if he can beat the Nazgûl. This is the main weapon of Mordor, allowing them to conquer almost all opponents, though the terror brought on by Sauron is far greater.
Due to the machinations of Sauron and the nature of the One Ring, dominating the minds of those around it, Mordor has effectively limitless resources.
Weaknesses/Flaws[]
The majority of the power of Mordor is consolidated in Sauron and, thereby, the One Ring. If Sauron is defeated (Which can be done via the destruction of the One Ring), his armies immediately route, and destruction of the One Ring leads to all off Mordor's strongholds being annihilated.
Most Orcs are very weak and extremely incompetent leading to Sauron's downfall. The corruption of the One Ring also added to this, stopping them from bringing the One to Sauron, as they were possessed by a terrible desire to posses it.
Wins/Losses[]
Wins:
- None notable
Losses:
- None notable
Inconclusive:
- None notable
Gallery[]
