In the forgotten dominions of the East, scattered across the vast lands once ruled by Morgoth's echoes and later shaped by Sauron's sorceries, there existed a pattern of places—cradles of concentrated will and distortion. These sites, collectively known among some circles as the Dark Foci (B.S. "Murzûronkai", "Dark Wells"), served as metaphysical anchors during the ascendancy of the Shadow. They were neither mere fortresses nor shrines, but wells of influence, where thought and command pulsed outward to shape the minds of peoples and realms. With the fall of the One Ring, the structure of these foci—built by its power—collapsed. Fires raged, skies darkened, and minds untethered from oppressive rhythms drifted into madness or silence.
Known or Suspected Sites[]
Sûr's Golden Hall in Laeg-Góak once stood as the ceremonial eye of a high eastern kingdom. Enrobed in reflective metal and adorned with mirrored runes, the hall was said to echo and amplify thoughts. Awg Uscurac archivists claimed the chamber altered dreams to match Sauron's will, bathing its attendants in a subtle golden haze that dulled resistance. Sart and Mang—The Twin-Fortresses of the Southern Dark Mountains—formed a dual citadel complex. Their architecture mirrored each other in inverted symmetry, and their halls were said to pulse with mirrored flame. These fortresses served as ritual amplifiers, where the will of Sauron was projected into the Southeastern temples and cities. After the Ring's fall, both sites reportedly cracked open, releasing waves of heat and shadow that scorched the canopy and silenced the birds. Nargubraz—The sealed Blacklock Bastion of Rûrîk—delved deep into the southwestern Dark Mountains. Sauron infested its upper halls in demonic form; the dwarves resisted and later expelled him with aid from Saruman. Yet during his occupation, Nargubraz became a psychic crucible, where the Dark Lord's essence was amassed and embedded into the stone itself. After the Ring's destruction, the halls reportedly shimmered with unnatural heat, and the vaults beneath Ishna-Mârûl pulsed with residual sigil-light. Bâs and Kâ—The Threshold—Near Nargubraz lay Baas, a depth once inhabited by Sauron's rival Mûl-Bâs. It served as a relay station for dream-commands and ritual signals. To the further west, in the ancient refuge of Kâ, once held by Khamûl in Endon, the Shadow established a deep sanctuary—a place of silence, mirrors, and inverted rites. Kâ likely functioned as a subterranean focus, channeling Morgothic resonance into the Tarîmûth.
The Unholy Sars—black pools within or beneath the Iron Mountains—were surrounded by fused black monoliths arranged in ritual arcs. They served as binding loci, where oaths were inverted and dreams were rewritten. At dusk, arcs of shadow reportedly spanned the stones, and a low hum rose from the earth. After the Ring's fall, the Sars cracked, and the surrounding peaks wept ash. Khîthirisars—a sorcerous stronghold, hidden deep within the centre of Endon—housed a focus-crystal capable of draining life-energy from the dwellers of Arda. Though the ancient Order that built it in the Second Age had been scattered or slain, the site remained active through Sauron's reign. Its collapse during the Ring's destruction reportedly triggered a psychic shockwave felt as far west as Dorwinion.
The Iron Forest—Sauron's Refuge and Reconstitution—Located in the southern midlands, it served as Sauron's refuge after the defeat of the Great Alliance. There, he reconstituted his physical form, drawing on residual Morgothic essence embedded in the forest's cursed soil. The forest likely functioned as a natural focus, where the Dark Lord's will was shielded and amplified. After the Ring's fall, the forest reportedly burned from within, and its trees bled rust. The Eastern Gardens were tended by mannish thralls seemingly lulled into a strange waking-dream of obedience. The Gardens were believed to have burned in a manner strangely resembling the catastrophes linked to several other centres of Sauron's domain.
Collapse and Aftermath[]
The destruction of the One Ring did not merely end Sauron's reign—it shattered the psychic lattice that had sustained his dominion. Each well, once a node of control, became a site of rupture. The blazing fire and descending darkness was the visible symptom of a metaphysical implosion—a collapse of the Shadow Web, the very roots of the Dark Tree. Refugees fled, cults dissolved, and the Black Council fractured. Yet in the silence that followed, some whispered that the foci had not died, but gone dormant, awaiting a new will to awaken them.
Editorial Note: This entry contains speculative or fan-based material — such as fanon, fanfiction, or theory constructs — that may not be directly supported by canonical texts. Interpretations offered here are part of the NNCA’s speculative corpus and should not be mistaken for primary Tolkien sources.
Main overview: Domain of the Lidless Eye Portal