In 3019 TA Saruman is clearly the great traitor, without doubt. But what about 2946?

Saruman the White in 2946 is generally seen as one of the main leaders of general goodness in Middle earth. In 2941 he was among the leaders who drove the shadow of the Necromancer from Mirkwood. His advice is sought and given far and wide.

Since 2851 he has been monitoring Dol Guldur and the Anduin Valley in search of the ring. Probably both personally and through others. One of his main faults is his distrust in others and because of this he must have made rather a lot of traveling himself, especially around the critical area of the gladden fields. He has without doubt many contacts along the Anduin and most of them are probably decent folks, oblivious of the gradual corruption of Sarumans character.

Our sources of his motives in 2946 are rather sparse and problematic as they are written "in universe" after the fact of his treason in 3019. Remember that Gandalf seemed truly surprised by Saruman's treason and that the "Tale of Years" was put together by Meriadoc Brandybuck, a friend of Rohan. A rather large dose of hindsight bias is to be expected.

I would like to think that Saruman 2946 hadn't really fallen yet. His motives where still mainly good but his character got more and more twisted and corrupted by his pride, distrust, jealousy, lust for control and disappointment in his allies. I think Saruman has great potential as a problematic ally and patron. He soaks information like a sponge and hordes it. He might employ adventurers to but will never tell them the full extent of their mission. They are tools, not friends, who works best at a need-to-know basis. Example: If Saruman suspects that a ringwraith might have taken control over Gundabad after the death of Bolg he might not exactly say that to the poor adventurers who volunteer to go and have a look.

Individual adventurers might be on secret missions (surveillance, information gathering, transport) for Saruman during their travels with the rest of the group. He probably has a large network of contacts which often continue over generations. Example: The dwarven adventurer Drorin trusts and willingly helps Saruman with a “small task” because of the great help given to his beloved uncle by the white wizard during the War of Dwarves and Orcs. What he doesn’t know is that the morality of said wizard might have deteriorated since.

A more sympathetic Saruman timeline with some personal inventions and extrapolations:

2463- Saruman returns, after more than a thousand years, from the east where he might have seen the corruption of the two blue wizards. The situation in north east Middle Earth, whose guidance he left in the hands of Gandalf and Radagast, is rather grim. The mannish kingdom(s) of Arnor are no more and Gondor is but a shadow of its former self. The ancient realm of Khazad-Dûm empty and the dwarves of the west are shattered. Gandalf mostly hangs around with elves who are stuck in the past and seems to have acquired a strange fondness of some childlike rural midgets. Radagast sits in a cottage and talks to birds.
Saruman is chosen to be the leader of the new white council, since he has studied all the
arts and ways of Sauron and his servants most deeply, but is also opposed by Galadriel who would have preferred Gandalf as leader. His jealousy in Gandalf, who dispite his lower rank got Narya from Cirdan, is renewed. Saruman begins his study of the Rings of Power and their uses and history.


2759- Saruman takes up his abode in Isengard as a warden of Gondor. His main objectives are to safeguard the fortress as a neutral power, get hold of the palantir and make peace between the rohirim and the dunlendings. He sees the war between Wulf and Helm Hammerhand as a senseless waste caused by barbarism on both sides.

2793-2799- Saruman lends great help to the dwarves during their war against the orcs and strengthens his contacts with the dunlending clans that support the dwarves. He succeeds in convincing the dunlending not to attack Rohan with weapons received by the dwarves.

2800-64- Saruman aids Rohan in the struggle to eradicate the orcs in the white mountains during the reigns of Folca and Walda. The peace with the dunlendings are held in large because of Saruman’s advice and persuasion. Among the most horrendous effects of the orcish brutality and plunder are a number of half orc children born of rape victims. A few of them survive childhood but are hated and shunned by their societies. Saruman takes them in; in part because of genuine pity but mostly as interesting objects of study in his struggle to understand the ways and powers of the enemy.

2851- The White Council meets in Imladris. Gandalf urges the Council for an attack
on Dol Guldur. Saruman overrules him and lies to the council:

”For I believe not,’ said he, ‘that the One will ever be found again in Middle-earth. Into Anduin it fell, and long ago, I deem, it was rolled to the Sea. There it shall lie until the end, when all this world is broken and the deeps are removed.”

He makes this lie as he has come to deeply distrust the motives of the two ring bearers Galadriel and Gandalf. He projects his own desires for power unto them. He can’t trust anyone but himself with the secrets he has unfolded about the powers and of the master ring. Saruman then keeps a watchful eye upon Anduin and he begins to search near the Gladden Fields in hopes that it will reveal itself with it’s master so near.

2864-2903 - Saruman’s advice is not heeded by king Folcwine of Rohan. He brakes the peace and re-conquers the West-march between the rivers Adorn and Isen from the Dunlendings.

2903-2953 – King Fengel of Rohan is unwilling to hear good advice, regardless of source. His long rule are filled with gluttony, avarice and internal conflict. Saruman is met with scorn rather than friendship when visits Edoras. His growing household and military forces are now mainly staffed by dunlendings and people from Rohan who are discontent with the rule of Fengel. He decides that the time of only giving advice is over and starts to act more like a independent power.

2939 - Saruman discovers that Sauron’s servants are also searching the Anduin near the Gladden Fields, and that Sauron therefore has learned of Isildur’s end (maybe from Orcs). He is alarmed, but says nothing to the Council.

2941 - The White Council meets; Saruman agrees to an attack on Dol Guldur, since he now wishes to prevent Sauron from searching the River. This becomes Sarumans first campaign as an independent military commander but the effort is seriously hampered by the unwillingness of Fengel to let him pass through Rohan.

2944 - 2946 – Saruman at first felt more relaxed after Saurons flight from Dol Guldur which made his search for the ring easier and less dangerous. He has also increased his number of contacts in the north by help of Radagast. But Saruman has seen many worrying things in the Palantir of Isengard. Things move both in the south, north and the east. When viewing the happenings in Wilderland he gets more and more aware of the doings of Gandalf whose hand seems to be involved in all important events in the region. Is Gandalf trying to build his own realm? According to both reports and the palantir Gandalf has periodically clearly been searching for something [Gollum] and even acquired the help of wood elves in said search. Does he also search for the ring? Was there a hidden reason to the Elvenkings refusal to join the white council in 2463, at the same time Gandalf “modestly” declined Galadriels nomination of him as its leader? At his worst days his paranoia knows no boundaries.

What do you think? Please correct me if my english goes off the tracks.

Great study and interpretation of the character!

Using this, I can see a real possibility of using Saruman as an irregular patron for a Fellowship. More elusive than Radagast and assertive than Gandalf. Also a great way to put forth the feeling of a looming, all-encompassing shadow through his paranoia, possibly hinting that corruption has reached near the council as well.

As you say, as a quest-giver, he would never divulge on much information of his schemes, while still emphasizing the importance of the undertakings. And sometimes, he would be right and on to something big - for example, he could tip off the Fellowship of shady activities near Mirkwood that would lead the characters to uncover and deal with a corrupted ranger/council agent/military officer/local leader/etc.

I think that Saruman 2946 is much like Denethor during the war of the ring. Both are good characters whose hearts are filled with pride and see themselves as the only thing standing between the free peoples and the Enemy. They both put to much trust in information from the Palantir and deeply distrust Gandalf.
Both are emulating the dark lord and compare themselves to him as if they were two skilled gamers, playing with the same set of rules against each-other.
But while Denethor fell to despair, Saruman fell to malice and thirst for power.

Here are some relevant quotes:

Edit: In short they are out of Hope points.

You've done an excellent job on this Vidugavia (cool choice of monikers, BTW).

The books that fall within the license restrictions for TOR leave a great deal of room for when/how Saruman fell within the corruption of the Shadow, & you lay out a great timeline. Let's not forget that he apparently even deceived Gandalf initially, & Mithrandir generally saw through most people.

I can't tell you how many times I've read the relevant passages & wistfully mulled over his downfall & how much he could have helped the Free-peoples of the West.

At any rate, a nice job in thinking outside the box.

Very nce chronology


In my previous massive LOTR camapign using deciphers, i had saruman as the parties main patron

he appears in a few of the adventures I wrote for it
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/v.davis/

I kinda had a plan that it was stuff that the party found, hints, and mysteries, and dead ends, that would eventually lead to saruman getting frustrated and tempted to use the palantir.

Mr. Davis,

I meant to tell you that I read through your LOTR Chronicles the other day & really enjoyed some of the ideas.

BTW, I can't help but note the Curse of the Dragon thread from the Hall of Fire .

Your idea is right on & one that I intend to rutlessly plunder ...

cheers

run my first one ring game later this week, i think this product will really do the setting justice

I can't agree more with you concerning TOR doing the setting justice - they've done a superb job!

Incidentally, I would have enjoyed seeing the faces of your players when the light went on (so to speak) regarding the dragon's remains/hoard & the lake. You must have had a blast running that one.

You have to take into account that already since about TA 2851 (the meeting of the White Council), Saruman desired to possess the One. Whether this still could be seen as something "good" int the way to use the evil tool to achieve the "Greater Good" is open to debate. I think that in Tolkien's way of describing these things, the desire to possess the One is already a clear sign that one has fully fallen to the whisperings of the "Dark Side" and one may at best lying at himself about motives. Later on that road, even this would become less important

In that context it is interesting to note that Tolkien judged Denethor quite harshly when he speculated about a hypothetic military victory of the West under Denethor over Sauron. Then Denethor would have waged a merciless campaign against any supporters of Sauron - whether human, orc or whatever else. Denethor would have found more than enough excuse for such a brutal genocide...

Otherwise this is a great idea to use a character in another way that is commonly anticipated !

Best
Tolwen

How about Saruman sending the PCs on an adventure to locate the
Palantir?

I believe the Palantir of Orthanc was still housed in the fortress when Saruman obtained the keys following the Long Winter. Or are you talking about a different one?

I believe Saruman worked to put his hands on the keys of Orthanc mostly for putting his hands on the Orthanc Stone...

IIRC that's pretty much confirmed by Tolkien as well.

Best
Tolwen

To add another dimension to Saruman in this in-between state suggested by the post, Tolkien mentions that the weakness and ultimate cause for the fall of a Wizard is "impatience." With mounting impatience, a Wizard wants to more and more make their will more quickly affective on the world (that is usually how Tolkien spoke of magic and the "the more quickly" bit is the Wizard wading into murky waters). From this point, a Wizard further spirals down into manipulation of other's wills to make his own more quickly affective. Then, the ultimate sign of fall is the use of domination to make his will affective.

These could be interesting and progressive characteristics displayed by Saruman in his interactions with player-heroes: an impatience with them that begins to sound like manipulation (if the Insight roll succeeded or something of the sort), and eventually outright but subtle attempts at domination that require a Valor or Wisdom test to resist.

Might add nuance to Saruman that is both good storytelling and a real impact on the story...

Regards,
E

Yes impatience is a key personality trait in the understanding of Sarumans fall. His impatience and pride are closely connected. You have to remember that Saruman has seen many things that makes his impatience rather understandable.

That Saruman at TA 2851 desired to posess the ring for himself isn't necessarily a sign of a total perversion of his character and motives. Remember that Galadriel at times seems to have pondered the possession of the one ring as a tool for power.

Gandalf was truly surprised by Sarumans betrayal. He may have long suspected that Saruman desired the ring as a tool in the struggle against Sauron and therefor held all information of its whereabouts at a safe distance. He trusted that Saruman still had somewhat sound motives but distrusted his views on means to that end.

If Gandalf hadn't been killed at Moria he would probably avoided to transport the ring under the nose of Denethor who was still fighting the good fight but was also to prone to despair to avoid the lure of the ring. And he would probable be more careful around Galadriel than Frodo was.

I think that the total corruption of Saruman occurs during the period 2953-3000.

I used Saruman as a 'patron' when I ran a chronicle in the Decipher LotR game. It was set in the War of the Ring era, circa the Fellowship period. The players were recruited by him because of their growing renown in the area. He sent them to Dol Amroth to recover some scrolls that had been stolen along with some more mundane items (to him, but highly valuable monetarily) from a museum there. The thieves guild had the scrolls but were not aware of their true value. They were pieces of vital Ring lore which Saruman desired. The players loved this (this game was run around about the time that TTT was in the movie theaters). I played up the subtle threatening aspect of the Wizard but still with the facade of a benefactor. I can say from experience that he is a great addition to a game. In summary the players recovered the scrolls for him and remained on good terms with him until they discovered later in the south that Saruman was stirring up the Hillmen against the Rohirrim (with whom one player had family ties), thus breaking off their alliance with the White.