Comments for: Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
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3 Comments
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
Raihon - 05 Feb 06 - 1:19 PM
Hi, Dwim. I don't get why the Orcs turn west. I read on in the later chapters where Sam goes over it again, but I still don't understand why they wouldn't press on with their prizes to the Black Gate and deliver them directly to Sauron.
Cheers,
Raihon
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
Dwimordene - 05 Feb 06 - 1:53 PM
Hi Raihon,
Ummm.... I think my reasoning was something like this: Grishnákh has a prize that may save his skin, but that assumes he's going to survive the passage over Dagorld with said prize. His orc band is reduced and resentful, and he has no way of knowing whether the Nazgûl have put up a watch for him with other roving bands of orcs--of which there are many as his scouts report. If there's an order to keep an eye out for him because he missed his meeting, then it's not safe for him to take resentful, weakened followers across Dagorlad--someone else could try to take the prize from him, his own followers might try to switch companies to save their skins, and then where would he be? Dead.
So the backdoor route through Ithilien is probably safer, despite its risks: there's nothing like a clear, external enemy to force his fractious, untrustworthy followers to be dependent on him and on cooperation with each other. Otherwise, they won't stay alive long enough to explain themselves to the Nazgûl and hand over the one thing that might get them all a pardon.
However, I'm not sure if that's actually what I said or whether that's what I had Sam say in that chapter. I'll put it on the revisions slate as something I should look at more closely.
Dwim
Ummm.... I think my reasoning was something like this: Grishnákh has a prize that may save his skin, but that assumes he's going to survive the passage over Dagorld with said prize. His orc band is reduced and resentful, and he has no way of knowing whether the Nazgûl have put up a watch for him with other roving bands of orcs--of which there are many as his scouts report. If there's an order to keep an eye out for him because he missed his meeting, then it's not safe for him to take resentful, weakened followers across Dagorlad--someone else could try to take the prize from him, his own followers might try to switch companies to save their skins, and then where would he be? Dead.
So the backdoor route through Ithilien is probably safer, despite its risks: there's nothing like a clear, external enemy to force his fractious, untrustworthy followers to be dependent on him and on cooperation with each other. Otherwise, they won't stay alive long enough to explain themselves to the Nazgûl and hand over the one thing that might get them all a pardon.
However, I'm not sure if that's actually what I said or whether that's what I had Sam say in that chapter. I'll put it on the revisions slate as something I should look at more closely.
Dwim
Lie Down in the Darkness, Rise up from the Ash
thelauderdale - 21 Dec 11 - 6:10 AM
(Wish I could say something more intelligent here, but...) Well that was freaking intense.
