Have Island, Will Rebel - Page 8
© Michael Martinez
Nonetheless, the extension of royal power into the Numenorean circles of Middle-earth may have alarmed some families. Perhaps this is why Sauron was able to ensnare several Numenorean lords with Rings of Power. The Eldar didn't bother to tell the Numenoreans why they were fighting a war with Sauron. Ignorant of the Rings of Power and the perils they represented, the Numenoreans could be seduced by Sauron into rebelling against their rightful kings, or at least in abandoning their places in Numenorean society. "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" says that those (nine) men who accepted the Rings "became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old."
Now younger sons of powerful families, whose ambitions had been dispossessed by kings eager to increase their own wealth and influence, would have been enticed to strike out on their own. They could have raised wealth and armies with the aid of their Rings, undoubtedly kept secret from the kings and their own families. At least three areas of Numenorean Middle-earth must have suddenly noticed rival powers rising up without explanation. The new kingdoms could have been used by Sauron to slow or check Numenorean progress.
In fact, it's conceivable that Sauron would have used the nine men (to whom he gave Rings of Power) at first to bar or impede Numenorean aggression throughout Middle-earth. Hence 9 sorcerer-kings must have risen fairly quickly, in lands close to the boundaries of Numenorean expansion. The various wealthy families would be proud of their successful sons and refuse to take up arms against them. In the long run they might have lost control over the colonies simply because the kings needed to ensure the new kingdoms didn't encroach upon Numenorean territory.
The autonomy of the nobles would explain why Amandil often acted with impunity, aiding the Faithful and eventually sailing west to try and rouse the Valar. He would have expected to be able to conduct his own business without much interference from the King. That would also explain why Ar-Pharazon would not have taken action against Elendil's fleet in Romenna harbor. The withdrawal of Elendil and his people might have been viewed as a mild form of rebellion, a sort of statement that they would rather seek their fortunes elsewhere than take part in the changes sweeping across Numenor. Tradition would have forbidden Ar-Pharazon from taking direct action against the Elendili. After all, he must have still owed something by then to the great families which had supported him.
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