Do you suppose the minions and followers of Sauron begin to exhibit a physical manifestation of the corruption they embrace? I’m thinking about Gollum (despite the fact it was the One Ring that twisted his form). I don’t think the Professor mentioned anything similar to this concept.

Perhaps these afflictions might at first appear common to those who dwell in the Wildlands (club foot, hunchback, missing teeth, cleft lip, boils, very pale skin). Such deformities would be common enough amid Dark Age cultures. Later, as contact with the evil one deepens, the corruption could progress in the appearance of scabs that never heal, slime coated skin, a long pale tongue, lack of eyebrows, foul odor, webbed fingers, additional teeth, strange birthmarks. Still other marks of corruption might not have a physical representation but might give clues to the nature of the person (animals dislike the person, the person can no longer eat normal food, the person no longer needs to sleep, biting insects seem to swarm about the person).

The Loremaster could be quite clever about describing encounters with these Servants of the Dark Lord. The lovely maiden the Heroes meet in Dale could be slightly sad at first. The poor woman, a traveler from the east, was born with a twisted leg and only able to move about by riding a pony. Her voice is very beautiful and her skill with a lute talented. While it is rather odd that small children are reluctant to go near her that can be said of any stranger. Later when the Heroes see her greedily devour a plate full of live insects do they know her true nature.

Good idea? Bad idea?

You have a great idea & a couple of quick points come to mind for when you write this up for your game:

1. Yes, some of the villains manifest these physical aspects of corruption in the books. Bill Ferny, Harry Goatleaf, & the 'Slant-eyed Southerner' at Bree all have something a bit dark & sinister about them, for example.

These traits are subtle, however, & not apparent to most people - thus these men make great spies. Even Harry's reaction to the Hobbits at the gate seems somewhat in keeping with his role as Gatekeeper on a dark & brooding night, though he mutters as if to himself or to someone else, a clue (& Frodo insightfully does not wish to reveal anything to Harry)...

2. You're right about the animals. Recall Farmer Maggot's description of the 'geese yammering' & such upon the arrival of the Nazgûl - an extreme example, but one which I believe fits your theme nicely. You can find additional examples of the reaction of what is pure & natural to that which is not - the Enemy's taint.

Does the Professor ever mention in any of his tales that the wicked can appear beautiful or charming?

IIRC, Sauron at least was fair and charming until he was destroyed in Numenor. He did deceive the elves of Eregion at any case. After the sinking of Numenor, he wasn't able to take a pleasing shape again. After he got destroyed for the second time by Elendil, he was barely able to take any shape whatsoever and manifested himself as a lidless, burning eye.

This suggest that evil can corrupt the fair but cannot make fairness or recreate it when it is taken away from them.

Okay I like it. A fair creature would begin to corrupt in Sauron's service. Hence if the Heroes encounter someone who appears beautiful and agreeable they are most like to be in the first 'stages' of Sauron's beguilement.

Sauron doesn't actually take the form of an eye; this is just a metaphor, or sometimes a vision. Sauron takes a human form, though after he loses the Ring, "He has only four [fingers] on the Black Hand."

After Sauron was destroyed in Númenor he was never again able to take a pleasing form; he could only appear dark and terrible.

(And there is no fiery eye on top of Barad-dûr.)

FWIW - I think this is very much in line with Tolkien's notions.

When you think of Gollum or Wyrmtongue.


The realization that my players came to and learned that the "marsh dwellers" found in the Marsh Bell adventure were really Men of the ruined town in the marsh that stayed in the marsh and had succumbed to the shadow's influence years ago when the town initially was abandoned and claimed by the marsh.

off course there is, metaphorically speaking...

see what I always believed was that he was incapable to taking physical (corporeal) form after his destruction; and so he literally did take the shape of a lidless eye wreathed in flames; an apparition of sorts.

So he could very well - literally or metaphorically be on top of his tower as an eye.

Personally, I'd refrain from obvious signs of corruption. There is Frodo's line to Aragorn, "I think one of his spies would -- well, seem fairer and feel fouler..." I imagine for there to be physical signs, it would take centuries, like it did for Gollum and the Nazgul.

In the natural world, Tolkien often implies that places which appear beautiful are more wholesome in some abstract but very real sense. e.g.

I'd say from this that beauty was a hallmark of the absence of the Shadow -- also associated with (or a pre-requisite for) the ultimate condition of a thing or a place being Hallowed.
The landscape of the blighted Mordor illustrates it from the other extreme too.

Nice!
This is borne out by references to Melkor/Morgoth in The Silmarillion, too. In some way he 'deserved' that wound in the foot that Fingolfin gave him, so despite all his power he was never able to heal it. There's something like poetic justice, 'the subtle magic of Middle-earth' or the doctrine of signatures going on...

The fall from grace of the petty dwarves also caused them to lose the stature and grace of their forebears. (Or even of their former selves?)

I was going to quote the same thing.

But I love the idea that there is -- or rather: there can be -- an underlying truth whereby appearances reflect people's inner natures. Figures like the pasty white Grima Wormtongue stir mild revulsion in the right-minded. It's a delicious irony, but it's the refusal of the right-minded to judge on appearances alone that allows baddies to take advantage of them.

There's the seed of truth in the association of appearances with moral status, but it's not the whole story and there's plenty of ambiguity there too.
It's right to include this as a theme in Middle-earth (stopping short of Warhammer-ish chaos mutations!), but it's equally important to keep your players guessing by not giving them any certainties and challenging them with counter-examples from time to time. ;-)

Cheers,
--Os.

I guess what I am trying to do is create the nature/ appearance/ manners of a servant of Sauron. What could Sauron offer a person to serve him? Once the deal is struck what happens to that person? Since the Professor wrote in black and white it seems that most players in a One Ring campaign can guess the nature of the NPCs. Someone ugly or brutish is automatically a candidate for a villain. Much like Bill Feney, the characters that no one likes tend to be servants of the Dark Lord.

That said and keeping with the theme that Sauron's influence is corruptive to both the body and soul the Heroes could encounter someone of status and stature that serves the Shadow. At first this NPC appears charismatic and helpful but the Heroes may have a few hints at the true nature of this character. The Woodsman who provides the Heroes with a meal and shelter has a milky eye. The foreign beauty who sings before King Bard's court can not eat normal food (or at least takes her meals in private). The bold soldier who served in the Battle of Five Armies with the blackened finger nails (he claims the hand was crushed while loading firewood). When this NPC's betrayal becomes clear it serves as a story element. Next time the Heroes will be more watchful.

Of course the Loremaster can only play this encounter once. Players will watch closely for signs of the Shadow's infectious corruption after such an event. But when the villain is first revealed you may get a collective gasp from the Fellowship.

Don't forget that Sauron specializes in deceit. It's very deceitful to "look fair and feel foul." A powerful man in the service of Sauron might very well be attractive and charismatic. However, low servants always look horrible; their power can't mask their true natures.

You have some great ideas here & I'd say you're on the right track.