THE RINGS OF BINDING In the mid Second Age , Sauron the Maia recounted his repentance of past deeds as the chief servant of Morgoth and again committed himself to the domination of Middle-earth and its peoples. In S.A. 1000, he chose Mordor as the land that could most properly serve as the center of his realm and began the construction of the Barad-dur . From the first, Sauron recognized Numenor and the kingdoms of the Elves as his chief rivals for domination of the continent. To combat the growing influence of Numenor and her colonies in Middle-earth , Sauron realized he would need many powerful servants. As Morgoth's Lieutenant in the First Age , Sauron knew well how the hearts of Man might be turned against one another. T