Fin del proceso: mecanismos distintos de la sentencia

When the Men of Angrenost improved the natural ring around Isengard to form the ring-wall that stands today, they chose a spot in the southern wall under the highest

peak of stone and carved an archway there, shaping a tunnel to the inte- rior wide enough for ten horsemen to ride abreast. This became the sole entrance to Isengard, and the only passage to Orthanc.

The main gates of the ring-wall are made of black iron. The outer pair were once adorned with the tree and stars of Gondor, but the Dunlendings removed those images and for many years the doors stood bare of decoration. After Saruman acquired Isengard they were embla- zoned with the white hand and S- rune that are his trademarks. Beyond decoration, however, the gates have not been altered, and still stand the same as when first they were cast, their powerful hinges embedded deep into the rock of the archway.

The archway above the gate bears the only decoration upon the outer surface of the ring-wall. Here in the ancient language of Númenor is carved the message: ‘In this place, craft

bows to nature.’ Meant to honour the majesty of nature that created the ring-wall, Saruman privately consid- ers the inscription an ironic statement of his forerunners’ inadequacy.

As the ring-wall is 60 feet thick, so the tunnel is 60 feet long. At the mid- way point, the Tunnel Guardhouse and Tunnel Stables face each other across the passage.

t

g

‘[T]hey… came to a wide door upon the

left, at the top of a stair. It opened direct

into a large chamber… .’

— The Two Towers

The Tunnel Guardhouse houses a guard contingent of forty Dunlending wall guards (see page 83), and is sur- prisingly comfortable. A huge hearth dominates the main hall of the guard-

ISENGARD

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house. This room contains many tables, chairs, benches, racks, and hooks, for it is here that the guards assigned to this station both live, and carry out many of their duties. A wide window in the wall next to the door opens onto the tunnel so guards within can look down upon any who pass by. Stout shutters can be closed to seal the window if necessary. An iron ladder affixed to the north wall leads up through a trapdoor, and from there to a series of additional ladders and stairways, eventually emerging on top of the west guard tower.

Past the main room are two other chambers. The first is a long bar- racks, furnished with rows of cots and chests. Few soldiers spend time here other than to sleep, so this room is rarely lit with anything more than a few candles. The second is an L- shaped storeroom. Its deep wood- en shelves are lined—and the floor stacked—with all manner of food- stuffs and other materials needed by the guards stationed either at this guardhouse, or atop the guard towers above it.

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Straw lines the ground of the Tunnel Stables, and the large room is divided into wooden stalls. Above the stalls, a lattice of wooden beams hold bales of hay, and sacks of oats and grain, with a ladder connect- ing this platform to the lower level. A trap door above the platform at the north-west corner of the room leads to a series of stairs and ladders that provide access to the east guard tower. The stables are typically quite dark, flame being kept to an abso- lute minimum around so much loose straw. At least one guard is stationed here at all times, in addition to the servants and stableboys, who both tend to the horses and live with them in this chamber.

The Tunnel Stables can quarter as many as eighty horses at need, but usually contain only half that

many, enough for the immediate needs of the guards of the Tunnel Guardhouse and towers above, as well as a number of speedy horses kept ready for messengers.

th e tow e r

pl at f or m s

Above the main gate, the ring-wall rises to its greatest height—approxi- mately 90 feet—in two tall crags, one above, and to either side of the entry tunnel. Atop each, a rectangular plat- form runs the full 60 feet of the wall’s depth, but stretches only about 30 feet from side to side. The change in elevation from the top of the adjacent ring-wall to the tops of the towers is severe, so rather than the steps which connect other areas of different eleva- tion on the ring-wall, the change here is bridged by iron ladders. Access to each platform is also possible through interior ladders and stairwells that ascend from the Tunnel Guardhouse, and Tunnel Stables, respectively. The towers are about 20 feet from each other, the gap between them dropping about 30 feet to the average ring-wall height of 60 feet. This gap is bridged by a wooden span that can be pulled back on either side in case one tower or the other is taken by invaders.

A small contingent of a dozen Dunlending wall guards (see page 83) are responsible for each tower. These 24 men live permanently upon their respective platform in tents whose iron spikes are anchored into the liv- ing stone of the wall. Their only true responsibility—other than to defend the fortress in the unlikely event of an attack—is to keep a watch on the highway that approaches Isengard, and convey news to Orthanc of any who come near. A rivalry has sprung up between the guards of the two towers as each camp struggles to be the first to report any new infor- mation. Although their masters and commanders attempt to keep a tight rein on outright hostilities they are

not always successful, and bloodshed has erupted on the wooden bridge on more than one occasion.

mi n or gua r dp o sts

Guardposts (other than the tower platforms) atop the ring-wall are gen- erally located where the wall is high- est and offers the best view. They are similar in appearance to those atop the guard towers, with semi-perma- nent tents giving those who watch respite from the sun and protection from the elements. Minor guard- posts do not, however, have perma- nent garrisons. Rather, soldiers rotate through a series of postings as the day progresses, returning to their barracks at the end of their shifts.

th e eagl e’s ne st

The highest guardpoint—higher even than the 90-foot guard towers above the main gate—is not techni- cally part of the ring-wall at all. At its northernmost point the ring-wall merges with Methedras, and high on this cliff the Men of Númenor carved an alcove into the rock of the moun- tain. This is the Eagle’s Nest, a full 160 feet above Isengard’s basin. Long— and dangerous—stairs descend to the ring-wall, providing the only access to this highest of lookouts (save the Star Chamber of Orthanc, of course.)

There is only enough space in the Eagle’s Nest alcove for a pair of guards—the space is oblong, approxi- mately eight feet by four—and so two are stationed here at all times. Through torch and horn they are able to signal those below if they espy any approaching the fortress.

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The Fortress of Iron