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ISENGARD
As Saruman casts aside subterfuge
in favour of expediency, many domes
are removed or simply left open
all the time. During the period of
Gandalf ’s imprisonment, many shafts
are enlarged greatly. The time for
careful craftsmanship is gone; crude
expansion that creates great gashes in
the ground, through which carts can
pass and entire trees thrown down, is
the order of the day.
t h e C r e s C e n t l a k e
Water flowed from Methedras and
into the basin long before Men came
to the place, and they found a shallow
pool covering much of its area. Rather
than divert the stream that fed this
pool, the artisans of Gondor saw that
the fortress’ residents would benefit
from a supply of fresh water within the
ring-wall. As they covered the ash with
dirt, they shaped the pool into a crescent-shaped
lake east of Orthanc. This
is the Crescent Pool of Isengard, more
commonly called the Crescent Lake.
The Crescent Lake is not large, nor
deep. Fed by the mountain, however,
it is both cold and clear. A tall Man
could wade across, the waters reaching
no higher than his chest. The pool
empties into the caverns below, feeding
underground streams that flow
beneath the Wizard’s Vale to destinations
unknown even to the Orcs
inhabiting the underground warrens.
Fish find their way into the lake,
carried by the stream. Most are long
and silvery, and often blind, born in
deep caves before the stream thrust
them into the light. Many are caught
and eaten, though by decree the lake
may never be completely emptied.
Smooth rocks line the bottom of
the lake, the accumulation of centuries,
worn smooth by the gentle motions
of the waters. Clams, brine, and other
small seafood occasionally appear,
though these are plucked and cooked
without mercy or conservation.
Of all the basin’s natural and architectural
features, the Crescent Lake
alone is undisturbed by Saruman’s
ambitions. Some believe the Wizard
recognises the value in fresh water
close at hand. Others imagine it is
a single concession to his old love
of beauty and nature. Cynics suspect
the mage leaves it untouched for
some more sinister reason. Yet all the
Men in Isengard appreciate the decision,
for the lake is calm and serene.
Many sit along its bank, or perch on
the bridge at their work’s end—especially
those who are unhappy with
Saruman’s ‘progress’—seeking a few
calm moments to cast their minds
back to the days when Isengard was
more beautiful, and less industrious.
u n d e r g r o u n d
‘Iron wheels revolved there endlessly… .
plumes of vapour steamed from the vents,
lit from beneath with red light, or blue, or
venomous green.’
— The Two Towers
For sheer volume, the largest portion
of Isengard proper is not
Orthanc, the ring-wall, or even the
basin of Isengard. The majority of
Saruman’s domain lies, instead, below
the ground in caverns that riddle
the rock. Though the builders of
Angrenost discovered many of these
holes and caves, they thought little
of them, or when they did attend
to them—such as when Curugond
descended to handle the bandúrhoth
he discovered beneath the earth (see
page 96)—resolved to do so as infrequently
as possible.
So the caverns were ignored for
long centuries—at least by the Men
above. But over time, Orcs migrated
from the mountains into the tunnels
beneath the fortress, and made
homes in their twisting passages, hidden
from the light of day. These creatures
found no way up into the basin,
though, and saw no reason to search
for one, so they lived below and the
Men above, neither race really aware
of the other’s presence.
Even when the Dunlendings
claimed Isengard, the Orcs remained
hidden. By this time they had discovered
that Men lived above, but without
knowing their strength or comportment,
it was judged safer to avoid
encounters than risk being chased
away or slaughtered.
When Saruman first took Orcs as
slaves and servants (see ‘The Road to
Udûn’ on page 14), these alerted him
to the presence of the existing Orcs
in the depths. He quickly dominated
those as well, and for many years
all his Orc-chattel remained hidden
even from the Men of Isengard, doing
little for Saruman beyond mining,
scouting the caverns, and protecting
their warrens from interlopers.
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