"One ring* to rule them all and in the darkness bind them"

* Offer void where prohibited. Not valid in Rhode Island, Kentucky or Rivendell. Your mileage may vary. A small percentage of wearers of the Ring of Power may experience side effects, the most serious being dry mouth, invisibility, immortality, dizziness, a desire to enslave all free peoples of Middle Earth and abdominal cramping. Check with your physician before wearing The One Ring or any of the lesser Rings of Power.

"As a small token of your friendship Sauron asks this," he said: "that you should find this thief," such was his word, "and get from him, willing or no, a little ring, the least of rings, that once he stole. It is but a trifle that Sauron fancies, and an earnest of your good will. Find it, and three rings that the Dwarf-sires possessed of old shall be returned to you, and the realm of Moria shall be yours for ever. Find only news of the thief, whether he still lives and where, and you shall have great reward and lasting friendship from the Lord. Refuse, and things will not seem so well. Do you refuse?"

--The Fellowship of the Ring, in "The Council of Elrond"

A law student with perhaps a bit too much spare time dissects this offer and discusses whether it is a valid legal contract. The Law and Sauron.

(via #!/usr/bin/grl)