Sauron’s instruments of corruption have started plaguing the subterranean depths of the Dwarven kingdom, and unbeknownst to anyone, the primordial evil gradually festers across Middle-Earth. Previously, taking the form of Annatar, the Lord of the Gifts, Sauron was able to beguile Celebrimbor into creating seven Rings of Power for Dwarven kind, manipulating Celebrimbor’s mind to keep the incident a secret from Gil-galad in the process. Earlier, Khazad-dûm became mired in darkness after tremors resulted in a collapse that destroyed the shafts from which sunlight entered the depths of the kingdom. Naturally, Dwarven king Durin III, desperate to find help for his subjects, accepted Celebrimbor’s proposal to obtain the Rings of Power, which could seemingly change the future of the Dwarfs. Meanwhile, MÃriel’s ascension as the queen of Númenor faced challenges from the cunning, power-hungry Pharazôn, who emerged as the ruler of the kingdom with the help of collaborators like Isildur’s sister Eärien. The fifth episode of the second season, “Halls of Stone,” largely focuses on the human and Dwarven kingdoms as a war looms on the horizon.
Spoilers Ahead
Númenor’s Troubling Future
Pharazôn, now holding the scepter of Númenor, has the power to reshape the kingdom according to his liking, and his son, Kemen, encourages his father to do so as well. Pharazôn, in his own cunning way, implores Kemen to prove himself by emotionally manipulating him with the memories of his late mother. Meanwhile, Captain Elendil tries to motivate Queen MÃriel to take her rightful place as the ruler of Númenor, but the queen regent seems to be dejected and unsure of her own capabilities. MÃriel learns that the future she had feared about the fall of Númenor has possibly been averted, as Elendil has seen an altogether different vision in the Palantir. She requests her trusted captain to not resist the inevitable, and if Pharazôn’s leadership is indeed what changes the future in the end, then for MÃriel it is worth losing her rightful place as the successor of Tar-Palantir.
Adhering to the commands of his father, Kemen starts rattling MÃriel’s loyalists, starting with defanging the Seaguards of the Númenor, stripping Elendil of his powers in the process. Elendil shares his utter disappointment to his daughter, Eärien, whose active participation has strengthened the opposition so much. However, even while getting relieved of his duties, Captain Elendil is showered with love and respect by his comrades, much to the dismay of the inept Kemen, who grows wary of Elendil’s reputation among the masses. Kemen continues to trouble Elendil as he brings the royal guards to desecrate the last shrine of the Faithful, and as he dares to belittle their belief, Elendil chooses to strike him in anger. Elendil’s trusted second in command, Valandil, defends his mentor, and in the ensuing struggle, Kemen proceeds to nearly kill him. Valandil overpowers Kemen but spares him, despite having the chance and reason to take his life—to show his respect to Elendil’s command. However, this proves to be a fatal mistake, as using this opportunity, Kemen impales Valandil to death—much to Elendil’s horror. Dark times are approaching Númenor, even before the influence of Sauron or his machinations can reach them.
The Decay of the Dwarven Kingdom Begins
Wielding his Ring of Power, known as the Ring of Thrór, King Durin III seeks to dispel the darkness of Khazad-dûm, and going against his son and other delvesmith’s opinions, strikes at the foundation walls of the kingdom. His actions are influenced by the mystical control of the ring he is wearing, and the guidance proves to be fruitful, as the king is able to bring the sunlight in by creating new shafts through the mountains. Durin IV’s wife, Disa, who was erstwhile overeager to obtain the Rings of Power to help the kingdom, now seems extremely wary of the situation. Durin IV and Disa’s concerns start growing as they learn that King Durin has suddenly become greedier than ever, imposing a tax for the rings upon Dwarves and demanding half the share of the resources from the six Dwarven warlords in exchange for the Rings of Power that were made for them. Durin gets into an argument with his father after he implores the Dwarves to dig deeper into the mines in search of jewels and ores; his concerns stem from the fact that King Durin himself imposed restrictions upon mining to avoid invoking natural calamity of any sort. Later, Disa finds an unexplored section in the depths of Khazad-dûm and feels the presence of a primordial evil in the dark depths of the subterranean kingdom. Durin proceeds to warn his father about it but, once again, is given the cold shoulder in response. None of them are aware of the presence of the vicious Balrog lurking deep within the mountains, and how King Durin is courting danger by continuing his greedy approach by destroying the buffer area.
Did Sauron and Celebrimbor Make The Rings Of Men?
King Gil-galad receives Celebrimbor’s letter, and trusting his words, feels no qualm in sending his Elven army to confront Adar in Mordor. However, his Ring of Power, Vilya, continues to show him ominous visions of a future filled with death and decay—a future that will be established by Sauron. Elrond and his company of Elves are too late to reach Lindon and warn about the possibility of orc invasion in Eragion, and it will be interesting to see how Gil-galad chooses to proceed with both Adar and Sauron as his opposition on two fronts.
At Eregion, the new alliance between Dwarves and Elves leads to the creation of the Doors of Durin, crafted by Celebrimbor and Dwarven smith Narvi. The mystical door is protected by enchantments, and provides easier access between two faraway lands. Away from the bustle and merriment of the celebration of the new alliance, Annatar, aka Sauron, expresses his concerns to Celebrimbor that they must forge rings for the Kingdom of Men as well. Sauron seeks to create nine rings of men to symbolize the perfection of three—thrice the strength for the third lot of rings. However, Celebrimbor is not easily swayed this time, as he deems men to be unworthy of holding such power as this, and fears they will get corrupted too easily. To convince Celebrimbor, Sauron mentions some of the great men, notably Beren, son of Barahir and Emeldir. It is interesting that Sauron mentioned him of all people, as Beren and his beloved Elf wife, Lúthien, caused quite a nuisance for Morgoth and Sauron during the first age. Celebrimbor still refuses Sauron’s request, prompting him to try and forge the Rings of Men by himself.
One of the Elven craftswomen, Mirdania, gets temporarily transported into the wraith world while forging the rings, and the incident serves as the first hint about what Sauron’s ruling ring can do to mere mortals, as seen numerous times during “The Lord of the Rings.” Upon returning to the physical realm, Mirdania is questioned by Celebrimbor regarding any difference in approach in their craft, and Sauron cunningly cites the reason for the accident being Celebrimbor’s unwillingness to assist. Secretly, Sauron starts manipulating Mirdania’s mind as well, to convince her that Celebrimbor’s internal conflict has stemmed from the darkness she has experienced.
Durin arrives at Eregion and approaches Celebrimbor to share his suspicion that the rings forged by him seem to be conduits for something malevolent, as wearing them, King Durin has suddenly become greedy and reckless. Upon returning to Khazad-dûm, Durin makes another attempt to warn his father against wearing the malicious ring, but King Durin quite inexplicably thanks his son for reuniting Dwarves and Elves and, as a gesture of gratitude, reinstates him as the prince of the kingdom by returning him the necklace he had taken from his son in the previous season. Knowing that there is no possibility of making King Durin see reason anymore, Disa makes her husband, Prince Durin, swear oath to never wield the Rings of Power.
Growing suspicious of Annatar’s activities, Celebrimbor decides to confront him about his role in forging the rings, questioning whether he introduced any form of corruption to them. The ever-deceitful Maiar, Sauron, slyly toys with Celebrimbor’s insecurities by insinuating that Celebrimbor’s deceit in not revealing the news he was forging new rings with Elven king, Gil-galad, might have introduced the corruption in Dwarven rings in the first place. He further adds that to remove the prevailing corruption in the Rings of Dwarves, they must continue forging the Rings of Men, with the only other option being confessing the deceit to Gil-galad. Knowing the fact that Gil-galad will not allow him to forge ever again after learning about the present predicament, a desperate, anxious Celebrimbor chooses to assist Sauron in creating the Rings of Men at last. Through careful mind manipulation, Sauron makes it seem that his victims have a freedom of choice, while it is his handiwork all along that influences their decisions—and that makes his evil that much more intriguing and dreadful.
Captured by the Orcs, Galadriel is approached by Adar, and in the final moments of the episode, the Father of Orcs proposes Galadriel to join hands against their common enemy, Sauron. It doesn’t seem that Sauron is unaware of the oncoming Orc invasion, as he is biding his time to ensure the rings are made in time before Eregion succumbs to their attack. Whether Galadriel is going to form an unlikely alliance with the Orcs in her singleminded approach to bring down Sauron and draw the ire of her Elf comrades remains an intriguing question, which will be answered in the upcoming episodes.
