In Mordor's dark tower, evil lay hidden deep.
Ever since Sauron had returned to rule Mordor, Barad-dûr, at the end of the long slopes of the Ash Mountains, had been under reconstruction at the Dark Lord's command. The one ultimately overseeing the work was the lieutenant of Barad-dûr, the Mouth of Sauron.
Through inhuman oppression, this black Númenórean drove the Snaga and captive human slaves to rebuild the evil tower in just two years. Sauron was very pleased with his servant's work and would occasionally turn into a cloud of black smoke to inspect the progress from the skies around Barad-dûr.
What puzzled the Mouth of Sauron, however, was that his master had not appeared for a long time. About half a year earlier, the Dark Lord, in the form of black smoke, had suddenly let out a piercing scream in midair, then plunged headfirst into the unfinished tower of Barad-dûr.
Had the Mouth of Sauron not been able to sense his master watching him from the depths of his soul, and had those sinister, terrifying Nazgûl not been patrolling and guarding the tower, he would have thought something terrible had happened to the Dark Lord. After all, that scream had terrified every living creature for miles around Barad-dûr.
Now, knowing his master was still alive, the Mouth of Sauron continued diligently carrying out his duties. Sauron, silent for half a year, finally opened his great eye atop the tower of Barad-dûr. Yet the eye was no more than a narrow slit, a sign that the master of Barad-dûr had not fully recovered.
In fact, the instant Khamûl had escaped his control half a year earlier, the Dark Lord had sensed what had happened to his servant. The Ringwraiths could perceive one another's locations, let alone their master. Sauron could