Quote:
Originally Posted by Inziladun
I don't see why they'd have needed to retain such a strong guard constantly.
As for the original question of why Aragorn entered Moria, ask yourself, 'Why did Gandalf"?
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Just a few quick thoughts.
- Keeping a guard seems to be a very normal thing in a dangerous world. The Elves of Lorien did it; The Dwarves of Erebor did it; The Bree-landers did it; The Bucklanders did it (even before the Ruffians took over); The Rohirrim did it; The men of Minas Tirith did it; The orcs of Cirith Ungol did it (until distracted by in-fighting); Minas Morgul did it; Saruman did it in Isengard; and so on. While Saruman's & Sauron's search for the Ring may have (I suspect "DID") play a part - the presence of a guard seems very plausible to me in any event.
- Gandalf spent a fair amount of time search high & low for Thrain. That included even venturing into Dol Guldur and the dungeons of the Necromancer. Given the connection between Thrain and Moria (he wanted to venture in after the battle of Nanduhirion), Gandalf could well have explored there himself as part of his search.
- Perhaps Aragorn ventured in as part of his hunt for Gollum. He doesn't tell much about his search after Gandalf gave up (other than tracking him to the confines of Mordor and finding him in the Dead Marshes), but it is at least possible he searched in Moria also.