Martin Locock
New Member
In the episodes about Chapter 4 (Shortcut to mushrooms), the topic of why the Nazgul are so unterrifying and nonviolent in their search for Baggins was raised, but I don't think fully answered. The answer must surely be that their orders from Sauron were to find Baggins as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. Sauron's principal fear once he suspected that the ring was his ring, was that it would get in the wrong hands -- his worst nightmare would have been an Istari/Maia with a ring as opposition. He couldn't conceive that Gandalf or Saruman would find the ring and not use it themselves to challenge him. At that point, nobody is sure if the ring is the One Ring, and the last thing Sauron wanted was to make an overt move to bring the Council's attention, risking that they may beat him to it. He was also very wary of his underlings - the orcs at Minias Morgul were told not to touch the hobbit's belongings, because although Sauron would in time probably match an orc ringwielder, it would be a distraction. The only people he could trust to know about the ring, not tell anyone, and who wouldn't claim it for their own, were the Nine, so he sent them with strict instructions to blend in and use their rusty people skills.