Black Gate
The Black Gate, known in the Elvish tongue as the Morannon, is the principal and most formidable entrance into the land of Mordor. It is not merely a gate but a vast defensive complex, a rampart of stone built across the mouth of the deep defile of Cirith Gorgor, the Haunted Pass. This wall stretches from cliff to cliff, and in it is set a single gate of iron, upon whose battlements sentinels pace unceasingly. Flanking the gate are the two sheer hills of the Teeth of Mordor, upon which stand the towers of Narchost and Carchost, built long ago by the Men of Gondor but now filled with sleepless eyes and garrisoned by the servants of the Dark Lord. Beneath the hills on either side, the rock is bored into a hundred caves and maggot-holes, where a host of Orcs lurks, ready to issue forth at a signal. None could pass the Teeth of Mordor without feeling their bite, unless they were summoned by Sauron or knew the secret passwords that would open the gate.
The Approach and the Desolation
The road to the Black Gate leads through a barren and desolate land. Before the gate itself lies the Dagorlad, the Battle Plain, and the Dead Marshes, a vast fen of stagnant pools and rotting reeds where the dead of ancient battles lie. As Frodo and Samwise approach, they see the great mountains of Mordor looming, and the air grows harsh and bitter. The hobbits hide in a hollow within sight of the gate, watching the black guards on the wall and the patrols before it. They witness the stirring of the Dark Lord's forces, with whole armies on the march and horsemen riding in many companies, gathering to the summons of their Overlord. The gate itself is a place of immense power and menace, a symbol of Sauron's dominion, and the hobbits realize that they cannot enter by this way. It is here that Gollum reveals the existence of another, more secret path into Mordor, leading to Cirith Ungol.
The Challenge of the Captains of the West
Months later, the Captains of the West, led by Aragorn and Gandalf, march to the Black Gate with a host of seven thousand men, a desperate gamble to draw the Eye of Sauron away from Mount Doom and the Ring-bearer. They come to the end of the living lands and pass into the desolation before the gate, where the very air is filled with dread. The army is drawn up on two great hills of blasted stone, and the Captains ride forth with a guard of horsemen, the banner of the Tree and Stars unfurled. Gandalf acts as chief herald, and they cry out for the Lord of the Black Land to come forth, demanding that he atone for his evils and depart. The silence is broken by a long rolling of great drums and a braying of horns, and the door of the Black Gate is thrown open.
The Parley and the Trap
From the gate rides the Mouth of Sauron, a tall and evil shape mounted upon a hideous horse, the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr. He mocks the Captains and displays tokens he claims are from Frodo: Sam's short sword, a grey cloak with an elven-brooch, and the coat of mithril-mail. He offers terms: the withdrawal of all forces beyond the Anduin, the ceding of all lands east of the river to Sauron, and the making of the lands west of the river tributary to Mordor. In return, he says, the prisoner (Frodo) will be released. Gandalf, seeing through the deception, rejects the terms utterly, seizing the tokens and commanding the Messenger to begone. The Messenger, enraged, gives a signal, and Sauron springs his trap.
The Last Stand
The great doors of the Black Gate swing back wide, and out of it streams a vast host: Orcs, Easterlings, and hill-trolls from Gorgoroth, forces ten times or more the number of the men of the West. The Captains are trapped, ringed in a sea of enemies. The Nazgûl appear, crying words of death, and all hope seems quenched. The army of the West makes its last stand upon the hills, with Aragorn, Gandalf, and the banners of Rohan and Dol Amroth raised high. The first assault crashes into them, and Pippin, fighting beside Beregond, stabs a great troll-chief with his barrow-blade before being crushed by its falling body. It is in this moment of utter despair that the Ring is destroyed, and the Black Gate, along with the Towers of the Teeth and the entire rampart, crumbles and falls in ruin, as the realm of Sauron ends.
