Sauron's goal and the Dagor Dagorath

[Iarhen]

Ive been doing a lot of thinking about Sauron's plans on conquering M.E. and having dominion of life.

Gandalf says that if Sauron achieves victory, he will have such a definitive victory that none can see when would Sauron dominion end.

So... If Sauron gets to conquer M.E., what goal is he looking for? He knows that a similar event such as teh War of Wrath could happen, and the Valar could send a force out of Valinor to throw him down, as they did with Morgoth, and cast him into the void.

Sauron knows that such a possibility exist... Why would he risk being casted into the void?

Only 2 answers come to mind: humans and Morgoth...

Could Sauron possibly think that by achieving complete control of M.E. he would be able to summon such a great army of orcs, trolls, fell creatures and twisted men (i.e. all men... because I think that Sauron would twist men to aid him in a War of Wrath similar event and to prevent any kind of rebelion) to confront a Valinor host?

I really dont think Sauron would bet his life on this Earth on such a force... Knowing that Morgoth had a great army and was utterly defeated...

Then my only other answer comes to mind. Morgoth.

Think about this: Melkor will return when the world ends. We dont know if Melkor will end it or if he will arrive before it happens.

Could it possibly be that Sauron stayed on this M.E., escaping the judgement of the Valar for his evil deeds, with a darker goal than just merely escaping? Could Sauron be following orders, still, from Morgoth?

Just think about this. In the scenario A were Sauron conquers M.E., he could very well end the world as we know it. Enslaving all of Illuvatar's children, ending life as a free will life and ending this world, making it possible for Morgoth to return earlier?

Or in scenario B, Sauron assembles a mighty force of men, trolls, orcs, etc., to back Morgoth's attack during the Dagor Dagorath... Possibly trying to turn the scale in favor of Melkor by aiding him with an army that consists of all the twisted children of Eru?

What do you think?

[Gwaihir the Windlord]

Not a bad topic... yes, I believe that Sauron was still acting on instruction from Melkor, whether or not he realised it.

There are supposedly the six attempts by Melkor on dominion of the world; the First War, the primeval one, accross the earliest aeons of the creation of the world whereby he fell into evil -- evil that became a part of the very substance of the universe -- and whereby the Spring of Arda was ended; the second time, when he re-entered Arda and built Utumno (culminating in the Battle of the Powers); his escape from Valinor and the Beleriandic Wars against Angband, ended in the War of Wrath; the long Second and Third Age wars waged by the Free Peoples against Sauron; and the Dagor Dagorath, which I suspect is designed to be made possible through Men, and which either way hasn't actually happened yet.

In all the vast works (of Morgoth) and the deceits of his cunning, Sauron had a part, and was only less evil than his master in that for long he served another and not himself. But in after years he rose like a shadow of Morgoth and a ghost of his malice, and walked behind him on the same ruinous path down into the Void.

This seems to imply that Sauron was indeed, as he believed, acting for himself when he tried to conquer Middle-Earth (and nearly succeeded). Ultimately, though, I believe he was acting through Morgoth's influence; his residual power in the world, his unbreakable connection with it and with Sauron that existed beyond the Walls of Night.

I don't believe there was direct communication between the two, but it is probable that Melkor was able to use/support Sauron and fuel him on. Sauron's urging of the Numenoreans to worship Melkor, however

His name is Melkor, Lord of All; and he shall deliver you from this phantom.

seems to imply that Sauron remained faithful to his old lord. Certainly he was doing what Morgoth would like him to have done, and it would make him proud.

As well as this, there is the fact that much of the power Sauron drew on -- Orcs etc, but mainly the seed of evil that Melkor had already sown in the world -- came to him from Melkor's far greater power before him. It was through Morgoth's enduring evil that Sauron rose again, and Melkor then was indeed behind his attempt on the world.

----------

On the Dagor Dagorath, though. That is supposed to be a very great time into the future, so I do not think Sauron was preparing for that. Merely, the torch of evil and the Dark-Lordship in Arda had passed to him from Melkor, still there, his lord, and he bore it on -- and this furthered Morgoth's cause no end.

Sauron would indeed have been fearful of a second War of Wrath, and he could not have stood up to one. But he believed the Valar to be become removed from the affairs of the world, now, although he knew about the Istari. Had he defeated Gandalf and been able to take over the whole of Middle-Earth, leaving no resistance, as was Morgoth's aim; it would have been a monumental task to dislodge him, and perhaps the Valar would indeed give up. Maybe that was his hope anyway. Leaving no Earendil and conquering for the start of the Fourth Age, which is uncertain (while it was sort of known that Morgoth had to be defeated in the First Age), he could have imagined that indeed he may have been able to prevail.

Unlikely possibilty.

Would the Valar have come to liberate Middle-Earth? Probably, if Sauron had taken it all over. But his establishing control over Middle-Earth, as the Mouth of Sauron proposed to Gandalf -- his becoming a supreme tyrant and ruler of the people of Middle-Earth, who would still exist, rather than wiping them out as was Morgoth's intention -- if that was his plan, which I think it was, then it would have really been up to Men and the people of Middle-Earth to get rid of him. As it more or less was, with only a bit of gentle (but important) guidance permitted on the part of the Valar.

In such a situation, he would be likely to be able to maintain himself for a very long time. Successor of Morgoth. And then, having established supremacy over Middle-Earth, he may well have looked for a way to bring Melkor back into the world; as it happened he was indeed vanquished before that could happen. But whatever tjurn things may have taken, he knew that he relied on a steadfast bulwark -- the evil of Men -- and that with his pruning, he could make this evil endure and be too strong to be overthrown.

(Sorry about the incredibly long post, but having led myself to this point I think I'll disengage it here. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img])

[lathspell]

Interesting indeed,

If Sauron still had the connection with Melkor (which I doubt), I guess people would know this already. Galadriel for example said she strove alot with him in mind, looking in each others thoughts. Wouldn't she have noticed this connection? Denethor himself went to madness, but he didn't see Morgoth. He saw the greatness of Sauron's army and what he thought that was Sauron's army but wasn't (i.e.: Aragorn's fleet).

As for the Valar. I don't think Sauron was afraid of them anymore. He believed, as did his former master, that he would become Lord of M-e with the Ring. That he would sit on the throne of Manwe on another place. It is, in my opinion, folly to think so, for the Valar and their hosts of Vanyar, that must have grown as well on Aman, would be beyond his power.

But my question would rather be: would the Valar come to M-e a second time? They knew that they didn't capture Sauron when utumno fell and they had already sent the Istari. I don't believe that they would attempt another overwhelming attack on the another Dark Lord.
Maybe also because of the knowledge of Mandos, that there would be a Dagor Dagorath in which the fate of Arda rested.

greetings,
lathspell

[Iarhen]

I have to make a correction. I think you are absolutely right about the fact that Morgoth did not have a direct connection with Sauron during the 2nd and 3rd Age, but that he left an unremovable imprint on Sauron's being, much as all of Arda.

And about the Dagor Dagorath. I do not remember reading that it is way away into the future. I think they say that it will be on an unknown time, possibly in a far distance, but possibly not, when Melkor returns to this Earth to bring it into its end.

And I do believe that the Valar would come here to rescue the free peoples of M.E. had Sauron succeeded and conquered all. Why? Simply because that's their mission, their task, appointed to them by Eru: to look after our well being on this world. They would not accomplish such a mission if they left us under Sauron's dominion...

[Sharkû]

I am afraid textual evidence largely disproves the theory.

Iarhen argues that Sauron's goal in his conquest of Middle-earth could only be "humans and Morgoth", because he would not dare to provoke Valarin intervention for anything else. Herein lies the first weak argument.
Sauron did not assume the Valar would intervene in any case. This was mainly founded on the fact that they did not take direct action in the whole of the Second Age, when Númenor rose against Valinor, and the latter was only removed from the world; and when Sauron's dominion could have been great enough to provoke the Valar already. Cf. Myths Transformed:

<font size ="-2">"He [Sauron] probably deluded himself with the notion that the Valar (including Melkor) having failed, Eru had simply abandoned Eä, or at any rate Arda, and would not concern himself with it any more. It would appear that he interpreted the 'change of the world' at the Downfall of Númenor, when Aman was removed from the physical world, in this sense: Valar (and Elves) were removed from effective control, and Men under God's curse and wrath." (HoME X, 5, MT i).

On the very same ground, he would see absolutely no need to "confront a Valinor host" actively.
Knowledge of Morgoth's ultimate defeat had therefore different meaning for Sauron. We know that Sauron could be greater than Morgoth (cf. Myths Transformed), and I explained above how Sauron viewed the Valar after the Fall of Númenor. Sauron's motives after the fall or Morgoth for staying in Middle-earth were also not as explained. Instead, see below the quote from Letter 153.

Furthermore, why ever should Sauron even want Melkor to return? One could argue that this would aid his position in his weak times, but Iarhen and Gwaihir were assuming Sauron would want him to come back when he was already at a peak of his power. Why should Sauron, as a supreme God-King of Middle-earth, want to subordinate himself again? Nor would he, in such a position of power, want it to end by bringing Ragnarök about!

Sauron was also aware of Eru's "curse and wrath" over Men. It should not be assumed that he had high plans for himself where Men would play a pivotal part, knowing that Eru might be watching.

Gwaihir, on the other hand, goes so far as to have Morgoth present in the 2nd and 3rd Ages.
However, we can diqualify actual, direct influence right away: "Nonetheless the breaking of Thangorodrim and the extrusion of Melkor was the end of 'Morgoth' as such, and for that age (and many ages after)." (HoME X, 5, MT VII iii)
Morgoth met his end like this:

<font size="-2">"He [Morgoth] was judged, and eventually taken out of the Blessed Realm and executed: that is killed like one of the Incarnates. It was then made plain (though it must have been understood beforehand by Manwë and Námo) that, though he had 'disseminated' his power (his evil and possessive and rebellious will) far and wide into the matter of Arda, he had lost direct control of this, and all that 'he', as a surviving remnant of integral being, retained as 'himself' and under control was the terribly shrunken and reduced spirit that inhabited his self-imposed (but now beloved) body. When that body was destroyed he was weak and utterly 'houseless', and for that time at a loss and 'unanchored' as it were. We read that he was then thrust out into the Void." (HoME X, 5, MT VII iii)

With this quote, we can also make the importance of Morgoth dissipated throughout Arda relative. For one, he no longer possessed control over this, and was too remote to do so even if he still were able to control it, since he was in 'the Void', outside Terra in the solar system.

Sauron's establishing a Morgoth cult on Númenor had totally different reasons than Gwaihir argued:

<font size="-2">"But there was seen the effect of Melkor upon Sauron: he spoke of Melkor in Melkor's own terms: as a god, or even as God. This may have been the residue of a state which was in a sense a shadow of good: the ability once in Sauron at least to admire or admit the superiority of a being other than himself. Melkor, and still more Sauron himself afterwards, both profited by this darkened shadow of good and the services of 'worshippers'. But it may be doubted whether even such a shadow of good was still sincerely operative in Sauron by that time. His cunning motive is probably best expressed thus. To wean one of the God-fearing from their allegiance it is best to propound another unseen object of allegiance and another hope of benefits; propound to him a Lord who will sanction what he desires and not forbid it. Sauron, apparently a defeated rival for world-power, now a mere hostage, can hardly propound himself; but as the former servant and disciple of Melkor, the worship of Melkor will raise him from hostage to high priest. But though Sauron's whole true motive was the destruction of the Númenóreans, this was a particular matter of revenge upon Ar-Pharazôn, for humiliation. Sauron (unlike Morgoth) would have been content for the Númenóreans to exist, as his own subjects, and indeed he used a great many of them that he corrupted to his allegiance." (HoME X, 5, MT VII i)

Morgoth's "enduring evil" was only important very indirectly. On the contrary, much of what Sauron was able to work with was his own achievement:

<font size="-2">""Sauron, however, inherited the 'corruption' of Arda, and only spent his (much more limited) power on the Rings; for it was the creatures of earth, in their minds and wills, that he desired to dominate. In this way Sauron was also wiser than Melkor-Morgoth. Sauron was not a beginner of discord; and he probably knew more of the 'Music' than did Melkor, whose mind had always been filled with his own plans and devices, and gave little attention to other things. The time of Melkor's greatest power, therefore, was in the physical beginnings of the World; a vast demiurgic lust for power and the achievement of his own will and designs, on a great scale." (HoME X, 5, MT VII i)

"It is thus probably to Sauron that we may look for a solution of the problem of chronology. Though of immensely smaller native power than his Master, he remained less corrupt, cooler and more capable of calculation. At least in the Elder Days, and before he was bereft of his lord and fell into the folly of imitating him, and endeavouring to become himself supreme Lord of Middle-earth. While Morgoth still stood, Sauron did not seek his own supremacy, but worked and schemed for another, desiring the triumph of Melkor, whom in the beginning he had adored. He thus was often able to achieve things, first conceived by Melkor, which his master did not or could not complete in the furious haste of his malice.
We may assume, then, that the idea of breeding the Orcs came from Melkor, not at first maybe so much for the provision of servants or the infantry of his wars of destruction, as for the defilement of the Children and the blasphemous mockery of the designs of Eru. The details of the accomplishment of this wickedness were, however, left mainly to the subtleties of Sauron." (HoME X, 5, MT X)

Here we are also presented with the definite statement that Sauron was only working on Melkor's designs as long as he was his servant. With the passing of his Master, he had own plans:

<font size="-2">""He [Sauron] was given an opportunity of repentance, when Morgoth was overcome, but could not face the humiliation of recantation, and suing for pardon; and so his temporary turn to good and 'benevolence' ended in a greater relapse, until he became the main representative of Evil of later ages. But at the beginning of the Second Age he was still beautiful to look at, or could still assume a beautiful visible shape – and was not indeed wholly evil, not unless all 'reformers' who want to hurry up with 'reconstruction' and 'reorganization' are wholly evil, even before pride and the lust to exert their will eat them up." (Letter 153)

Thusly, Sauron's and Morgoth's motives in their respective aeras clashed. Sauron seeked dominion, Morgoth annihilation.

As to the question of the Valar intervening in case of Sauron's supremacy in Middle-earth, we may look at Letter 156:

<font size="-2">""The Valar had no real answer to this monstrous rebellion - for the Children of God were not under their ultimate jurisdiction: they were not allowed to destroy them, or coerce them with any 'divine' display of the powers they held over the physical world. They appealed to God; and a catastrophic 'change of plan' occurred." (letter 156).

Sauron's assumption that Men were more likely to be affected by an intervention of Eru than of the Valar is therefore not at all unfounded.

[Angry Hill Troll]

Sharku, you beat me in posting. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] At the risk of being redundent, I'm reiterating some of your quote..I agree with what you said.

I think that by the Third Age Sauron's goal was simply his own aggrandizement.

Here's what Tolkien says about Sauron's world-view in Myths Transformed section of HoME X: Morgoth's Ring

[Sauron] probalby deluded himself with the notion that the Valar (including Melkor) having failed, Eru had simply abandoned Eä, or at any rate Arda, and would not concern himself with it any more. It would appear that he interpreted 'the change in the world' at the Downfall of Númenor, when Aman was removed from the physical world, in this sense: Valar (and Elves) were removed from effective control, and Men under God's curse and wrath. If he thought about the Istari , especially Saruman and Gandalf, he imagined them as emissaries from the Valar, seeking to re-establish their lost power again and 'colonize' Middle-earth, as a mere effort of defeated imperialists (without knowledge or sanction of Eru). His cynicism, which (sincerely) regarded the motives of Manwë as precisely the same as his own, seemed fully justified in Saruman. Gandalf he did not understand... [Sauron probably imagined that Gandalf] was only a rather cleverer Radagast-cleverer, because it is more profitable (more productive of power) to become absorbed in the study of people than of animals.

But if he had won the War of the Ring, would Sauron have actually remained as absolute ruler of Middle-earth until the End of Days? I doubt it. Note that Gandalf didn't say that Sauron would never cease conquering, just that nobody could foresee his defeat. To try to exert one's will over the whole world diminishes one's own power after a period of time.

Sauron was 'greater' effectively, in the Second Age than Morgoth at the end of the First. Why? Because, though he was far smaller by natural stature, he had not yet fallen so low. Eventually he also squandered his power (of being) in the endeavor to gain control of others.

Much of Sauron's military power in the War of the Ring comes from the Men of Rhun and Harad, by exploiting their historical enmity with Gondor, promising them spoils of war, etc. But men are fickle servents, Morgoth had all of them nearly completely under his dominion, then some broke their allegience and caused him a great deal of trouble afterward. Sooner or later, Sauron will run out of promises to keep the loyalty of his human servents/allies. The combination of Sauron expending his power trying to rule the entire world, with the growing strength of men foretold in the Music, makes it to my mind unlikely that Sauron will be able to maintain control indefinitely.

[ September 14, 2003: Message edited by: Angry Hill Troll ]

[Iarhen]

Sharku... What an enlightening post... I just want to make a few comments:


I. You base your responses on an auther different than JRR Tolkien, but on his son (HoME) and etc. And although I much respect Christophers opinion and stories, I do not take as the definitive answer to all my questions whatever he says. In the end, its as much speculation as what Im doing here. Its not that JRR said it himself... So let me expand my ideas even though they contradict what Christopher says...

II. You are absolutely right when you say that Sauron would not want to bring Morgoth back when he is the supreme ruler of M.E. But again, Morgoth's seed is spread all over Arda, and specially inside his once closest servant. Sauron may not even know about the ultimate goal of his actions. As a servant he was from Morgoth, he might not even imagine that his works and plans are focused on a bigger goal, the return of Melkor.

Surely Sauron would not want it. But Melkors influence over Sauron endures by the 3rd Age, even if Melkor has been long gone and lost in the Void. Again, if Arda has the imprint of Melkors doing, imagine the terrible imprint he left on Sauron. Again, Sauron may be striving to be the supreme ruler... not knowing that hes doing exactly what his old master wanted him to and aiding him on his way back.

III. How would Melkor come back? Imagine the end of life as it is: free and beautiful, as Eru imagined it. Now twisted, perverted, sickened, darkened... the ultimate mockery: All of the Children of Illuvatar trapped under Saurons iron fist... Thats the end of M.E. as we know it... the end ot his world as we know it... And thats possibly the path Morgoth needs to come back to his Earth...

If the host of the Valar came again, much would be lost and much would suffer... probably the children of Eru would not be able to recover after the dominion of Sauron...

Or the destruction caused by the clashing might of Saurons armies and the Host of the Valar would break this Earth... Or destroy mostly all of men, remaining elves and dwarves...

IV. You discuss Gwaihirs theory of Morgoths influence over Sauron. I interpreted what Gwaihir said in the manner above described. An enduring impression that the High Dark Lord left on his servant... An impression that influences Sauron ever so strongly... Making Sauron think hes working for himself when he is actually and really working for his lost Master... Morgoth may not have a direct communication with Sauron, I agree... But what Morgoth left in Saurons spirit is stronger than actual communication... Again, if Arda and all the creation show the terrible effects of Melkor, imagine the grandness of the influence that Morgoth has over his servant... as mighty as the servant can be...

V. What Angry Hill Troll says about the possible fracture of the alliance that would have brought Saurons ultimate victory is terribly correct. And although I would like to differ saying that Saurons influence over them and his continuing imprint over them would leave men without free will... only thiking about pleasures and the way of obtaining them (through the favour of Lord Sauron)... The growing strength of men could be corrupted into a growing corruption... and a growing weakness by the years of enduring perversion provided by Sauron and his craft... but Sauron could lose control...

But he would have accomplished what Morgoth wanted him to... He would have brough the world, as we know it, to its end. And if we follow CTolkiens ideas, with the prohibiton of the VAlar on attacking the Children of Illuvatar... The world would end as a corrupted land... A mockery of the main designs of Eru


and THAT would be Sauron's ultimate goal (without him even knowing it) and Morgoth's total victory: annihilation of life (as we know it). And the Dagor Dagorath would be at hand... And Melkor would have a greater chance, with the aid of the corrupted Children, to defeat the Valar and their allies...

[Gwaihir the Windlord]

Morgoth may not have a direct communication with Sauron, I agree... But what Morgoth left in Saurons spirit is stronger than actual communication... Again, if Arda and all the creation show the terrible effects of Melkor, imagine the grandness of the influence that Morgoth has over his servant... as mighty as the servant can be...

Don't know about his spirit all that much, but Morgoth certainly left Sauron with a lot. Basically what I put forward.

Gwaihir, on the other hand, goes so far as to have Morgoth present in the 2nd and 3rd Ages... With this quote, we can also make the importance of Morgoth dissipated throughout Arda relative. For one, he no longer possessed control over this, and was too remote to do so even if he still were able to control it, since he was in 'the Void', outside Terra in the solar system.

Hmmm... well if that is so, and Melkor as a power has indeed lost control over the evil of the world, then perhaps you are right.

Having Melkor outside Arda, though, I would not take to mean that he could not (because of this) have any power within Arda. He remained in Ea after all.

But I stand by this statement at least.

As well as this, there is the fact that much of the power Sauron drew on -- Orcs etc, but mainly the seed of evil that Melkor had already sown in the world -- came to him from Melkor's far greater power before him. It was through Morgoth's enduring evil that Sauron rose again, and Melkor then was indeed behind his attempt on the world.

Sauron would bring Melkor back, if he could, if he was still loyal to him. If he was no longer, then he probably would not; but he was devoted to him once. Who knows? He might have eventually. If Morgoth is now forever 'houseless', then perhaps he would be subservient to Sauron.

[Sharkû]

First of all, Iarhen, you seem to be dreadfully unclear about the nature of the History of Middle-earth series. Not ONE quote I gave above is by Christopher Tolkien, they are exclusively from the pen of JRRT’s later unpublished writings, usually considered the most important source for Legendarium discussions which go beyond the published knowledge.

You were talking about Morgoth’s impression, or even imprint, on Sauron. Certainly this could not have been in the same way as M.’s imprint on Arda, sc. the Marring thereof, as you seem to imply in II. We have no indication whatsoever of M. marring other Ainur, apart from the ‘corrupting to his service’, which does not imply any tinkering with their physical or psychic form. Where it could be imagined, maybe likely, such as with Balrogs, it is still a different case with Sauron, where your point is pure hypothesis.
As for M. simply ‘impressing’ Sauron, that is, inspiring awe in him, I think I gave the Professor’s stance quite clearly: Sauron was ONCE faithful to M., but is no more with the death of him. Now he follows his own schemes of reformation and later dominion.

As for the ‘Host of the Valar’, I already explained why this would be unlikely in any other situation than the Dagor Dagorath (which was evidently not Sauron’s goal, and could supposedly not be brought about without the presumed return of M. before).

As for the corruption of Men, we can observe that Sauron did not ‘corrupt’ on a large scale, certainly it was far beyond his power to tinker with a whole race. He controls and reigns. Those people who served S. in the Ring War could be let free right away. They are anything but beyond redemption. Slavery is not likely to be the cause of Ragnarök.

Annihilation of life as we know it would, I repeat, not be S.’s goal. Where is the evidence, even remote, for that?

Furthermore, we know S. was no longer loyal to M. Please reread my post if you are unclear about that. I repeat my question as to WHY he should be faithful to him in first place. S. is no dumb puppet programmed to execute M.’s will. Not even the orcs are, even their allegiance ceased along with M. (cf. Myths Transformed).

“If he was no longer, then he probably would not; but he was devoted to him once. Who knows?” Tolkien did.

[Mister Underhill]

Annihilation of life as we know it would, I repeat, not be S.’s goal. Where is the evidence, even remote, for that? (The Old Man)

"It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of Men." (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [theatrical release] 1:58:11)

Since this post-dates the HoME X you quoted by nearly fifty years, I think we can all discern which is more authoritative. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[Iarhen]

Annihilation of life as we know it.

That would be Sauron's goal in these terms: conquering all life on M.E., ruling them. What life would that be if people under his dominion would not have a free life, as Eru wanted us to have (the reason why Eru told the Valar not to intervene directly on our lives).

Freedom of choice or any kind of freedom would be non existant under Sauron's rule. And although the end of life as we know it would not be Sauron's direct goal, it would be the necessary effect of his dominion.

Responses to your post, Sharku, shall be posted later...

[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

I think, even should Morgoth be involved in the equation, Sauron was acting to take over the world and have everything ordered his way. He didn't worry about the Valar because once that was achieved maybe he hoped the Valar would see the genius in his control, and how well everything worked together. Honestly, after total control was achieved Sauron may have decided to wipe out the unorganized scum of the orcs entirely, now having men and dwarves, and all the other races as his well-ordered pawns.

Another possibility, is that the Valar while having dealt effectively with Morgoth, who was their peer and brother, and therefore their responsibility, felt unobliged to deal with Sauron. They felt it was the responsibility of the peoples of Middle-Earth to deal with Sauron, being then a plague on Middle-Earth and not directly confronting or challenging the might of Valinor. Of course, as a Maia, they compromised somewhat on responsibility for his actions, and sent the Istari, other Maia of Sauron's race, to counsel and advise in ways that would hinder his progress.

[Angry Hill Troll]

Honestly, after total control was achieved Sauron may have decided to wipe out the unorganized scum of the orcs entirely, now having men and dwarves, and all the other races as his well-ordered pawns.

Well, Morgoth certainly would have done so, but I doubt that Sauron would have, if he had enough menial grunt work to keep the Orcs busy (I mean, you can always have them build an even more ostentatious fortress to glorify your inflated ego!).

This was sheer nihilism, and negation its one ultimate object: Morgoth would no doubt, if he had been victorious, have ultimately destroyed even his own 'creatures' such as the Orcs, when they had served his whole purpose in using them: the destruction of Elves and Men...Melkor could do nothing with Arda, which was not from his own mind and was interwoven with the work and thoughts of others: even left alone he could only have gone raging on till all was levelled again into a formless chaos. And yet even so he would have been defeated, because it would still have 'existed' independent of his own mind, and a world in potential.
Sauron had never reached this stage of nihilistic madness. He did not object to the existence of the world, so long as he could do what he liked with it...though Sauron's whole true motive [during his captivity in Númenór] was the destruction of the Númenóreans, this was a particular matter of revenge upon Ar-Pharazon, for humiliation. Sauron (unlike Morgoth) would have been content for the Númenóreans to exist, as his own subjects

Another thing: Sauron may have thought he was working for his own purposes, but it is likely that he, to was unwittingly serving his former master's aim. I believe somewhere Tolkien says that Sauron was only an agent, albeit a greater one.


On the issue of Morgoth coming back, this is rather complicated. Tolkien says at one point that Morgoth is not Melkor, rather Morgoth is what remains of Melkor's central will and power after he dispersed most of his being throughout the whole of Arda. Defeating Morgoth does not remove Melkor's will from the world, for this is dispersed throughout Arda. In fact it may not even remain dispersed, but eventually recoalesce:

We read that [Melkor] was then thrust out into the Void. That should mean that he was put outside Time and Space, outside Ëa altogther; but if that were so this would imply a direct intervention of Eru (with or without supplication of the Valar). It may however refer inaccurately to the extension or flight of his spirit from Arda.

In any case, in seeking to absorb or rather to infiltrate himself throughout 'matter', what was left of him was no longer powerful enough to reclothe itself (It would now remain fixed in the desire to do so...). At least it could not yet reclothe itself.
...
The dark spirit of Malkor's remainder might be expected, therefore, eventually and after long ages to increase again, even (as some held) to draw back into itself some of its formerly dissipated power. It would do this (even if Sauron could not) because of its relative greatness.

I agree with Keeper's analysis of the Valar's approach to dealing with Sauron somewhat indirectly, letting the Istari serve primarily an advisory role, while letting the Children carry out most of the actual struggle.