Gandalf gives one deep nod.

"As for how Bilbo survived in sound mind, and Frodo as well, I have my theories.  But -" he turns to Gloin "- have you already told Bilbo?"

Gloin seems stunned at what the Ring is.

"That the Enemy is searching for him?" he says gamely.  "I told him enough over our tea - that strange people are looking for him.  He seemed a little unsettled, but nothing worse, not surprised."

"...Frodo has not used the Ring, by all my information - for all that my sources are something that I shouldn't trust that have yet told me of things I have no business knowing - and thank goodness for that.  Though I have my guesses as well.  ...Hobbits...  Have such small ambitions, culturally speaking, that a mind like Sauron's, who can hardly think smaller than armies and world domination and the like, may well have trouble even beginning to guess where to tempt."

"Strange," Gloin says thoughtfully, scratching his beard.  "The same reason that we had such trouble understanding Bilbo...  Alas for our love for gold and the works of our hands!"

Gandalf has heard - from both Aragorn and Pippin - about what Frodo has and hasn't done with the Ring, but he's not going to say that now in front of everyone.

"Yes, I do agree about Hobbits...  But also, Bilbo began his ownership of the Ring with pity.  He pitied Gollum.  And Sauron understands pity even less than small ambition."

"...Neither is a panacea, though," she says, "to our Ring problems.  Sauron, despite his blindspots, is clever.  He'll find a way.  But we are rather getting ahead of ourselves, or rather, I am; it's an unfortunate habit of mine.  Frodo, at the very least, should be part of this conversation, and he cannot, not quite yet."

"...There are things I could tell you of what my sources mention of Moria, to refocus the subject somewhat - but they are not good news.  And I should hope I needn't speak of my little knowledge of war.  It's hardly sufficient for the current environment, I'd think - even as some basics are incredibly widely applicable."

"...but, now that I come to think of it...

"There is, I think, more time you can buy yourselves - and us.

"The Kingdom of the Dwarves, after all, would hardly have a reason to keep track of rumors of hobbits.

"If you feign that you have capitulated to the enemy, that you will start looking for such rumors, you might be able to use that to evacuate those that should not risk an impending war to a safer position - disguising their movements as those of dwarves that will go looking.  And every moment Sauron believes the dwarves dance to his tune is another that he will wait, though we do run the risk of his presumption upon that feigned capitulation for things like free passage."

"That risk is double-edged, but it is a risk, and not one I am qualified to suggest that you take."

"...Advanced counterintelligence such as feeding Sauron rumors of Hobbits in ways that will yank the Ringwraiths around to where we want them to be...  It is possible, I'm sure, but I've no skill in it."

"...Speaking of counterintelligence, actually - Palantirs; what is known about them and their current locations?  I can presume that Sauron does not have one, else he'd have used it to find what he seeks, but - I do have an idea of how we might use one to give Sauron some bad impressions of our own strategy, and they are surely strategic assets in their own right even presuming - as I do, because I must; things do not hang together elsewise in the matter of Saruman - Sauron's ability to influence how a search is presented.  He does not know that we know."

Elrond shakes his head.  "No, it is far too late for that.  Sauron knows where the Ring is now.  He would not send his servants on wild quests for rumors of hobbits anymore."

Aragorn nods.  "Indeed.  If we wish to bluff Sauron, we would need to bluff him from here not the Lonely Mountain... and I know not whether he is even watching us now that the Nazgul have been defeated for now."

"He would be watching if we get his attention," Elrond comments.

She just...nods, at Elrond.  The points are well-reasoned.  "...Yes, it is a bit late for that now, isn't it.  Shame.  I had almost thought I might have been on to something, but - the time for that sort of ploy has indeed passed; the Nazgûl are proof enough of that.  My apologies; I'm still - orienting myself to the situation."

"...As far as getting his attention...  I can be very eyecatching.  We can be very eyecatching.  And, now that he knows we know he knows we have the Ring - we could still fake him out by searching for ways to destroy it outside of his territory, if we frame it in ways that won't make him suspect our actual plan.  ...Might be worth a try regardless of whether we want to fake Sauron out that way, come to think.  If we don't have to send people through Mordor..."

"...That sort of thing is doable, in small numbers, travelling lightly - but it will not ever be easy.  Not under the constraints of utter stealth that are likely required, to evade his Eye.  ...By which I mean a specific artifact I believe exists within Mordor, one with which he can view pretty much anything within its bounds - save that he must think to do so.  ...hm.  I wonder if that's his backdoor into the Palantirs, now that I'm thinking about it.  But that's not particularly relevant to evading it..."

"...Blast it, I most definitely don't know what I don't know about that thing.  There are ways and ways to be sneaky in my toolkit, but if they light up like a beacon to his sight..."

"...On the third hand, if they look like something he already expects to be there...

"There is a giant spider, guarding a back way in to Mordor.  One of Ungoliant's brood; not Ungoliant herself, thankfully.

"But then, if that signature moved, and I certainly would be keeping an eye on the giant spider in my backyard if I were in his position... surely he would want to know more, and that's assuming that I can even usefully fake it..."

"Damn.  That's not going to be of any help either, I don't think.  Draws more attention than it covers.  Perhaps I should just focus on making something that will isolate the blasted ring from its avenues of influence; I'm a better artificer than a strategist, I should hope."

Lindir comments thoughtfully, "If Sauron hasn't seen Alicia's magic yet, or her arrival here, then could her magic perhaps surprise him?"

Erestor shakes his head.  "If we want to surprise Sauron, we can certainly surprise him.  But will the surprise be any use?  We are getting ahead of ourselves; what should be our plan?"

He looks at the dwarves, and then at Alicia.

"I would have said earlier that not all of us know enough to help make a plan, but then... is what Alicia said about the Enemy's Ring correct?"

Gandalf nods gravely.  "Substantially so.  I have tested and confirmed myself that the Ring which Frodo brought here is, in fact, the One Ring.

"And - any plan involving it must be not merely for ourselves, but for all of Middle-Earth.  We are the ones chosen to bear that burden."

"...Well, we know Sauron's going to start a war.  And we know we need to destroy the One Ring.  So putting them together, our objective is to make Sauron pay so much attention to the war that he won't have time to take notice of whoever's given the responsibility of ensuring that the Ring is destroyed."

"Or at least, that's how I'd approach it."

"Can we even distract him with a war, truly?  Sauron has always seemed to have more than enough attention to all his plans and plots, whatever we are doing around him.  Only Gil-Galad and the Numenorians could truly defeat him, and that by more force than still resides in Middle-Earth."

Aragorn looks up, resolutely.  "His plans are not infallible.  We cannot distract him by force of arms - but we can distract him by surprise.  He knows now we have the Ring; what will he think we will do with it?  Surely he thinks one of us will take it and use it, and he will barely imagine we will choose any other course."

Gandalf nods.  "And, we may find in time that we have more allies than we think."

"...What is known about Sauron's conventional forces?  How he controls them, how he feeds them, how he trains them?  What can we find out about them?  ...We're going to need maps.

"...I wonder how high up Mordor goes."

She hisses a breath.  "But then that does come back to the question of how unattended objects move through the world again.  I guess we'll have to see how that goes."

"...If there is anything I can do to shape an entire war, it is most likely 'arm us with an information and communication advantage'.  Certainly it is not as if I am not capable of throwing around quite a bit of force in a fight, my homeland has its dangers - but when our plan is to surprise Sauron, over and over...  We're going to need much better coordination."

"...I wonder if I could make decoy Rings.  ...Wouldn't bet on it, though.  Certainly don't think he'd be fooled long even if I succeeded.  ...But then, I could reify a trap -"

"...Oh, hell, I've almost convinced myself that I could outplay him like that if I was very, very careful and very, very clever.  If the - major consciousness - of Sauron has a way to get information from the Ring.  If the Ring and - the rest of Sauron - don't communicate, that definitely won't work..."

Gandalf shakes his head.  "No, Sauron had no idea for years where the Ring was.  He was searching for it, in fact... or at least pretending to be searching for it then, but he was certainly searching for it more recently when he was sending ambassadors to the Dwarves and more as well..."

He gestures toward Gloin.

"...Yeah, I didn't figure.  Still wanted to put it out there, though, because right now anything could help."

"...I could also just...  Try to destroy it myself.  Or teleport it into Mount Doom.  Speaking of surprises."

Elrond raises his eyebrows, and then looks thoughtful.

"I would want to be very sure first that Sauron could not intercept or redirect your magic."

"Bank your fires, please!" Gloin exclaims.  "What are we doing talking about magically sending this magic Ring to Mount Doom before we talk about why we even want it there in the first place?  Since you were saying we need to all decide together what to plan to do?"

Gandalf nods.  "Fairly said.  Perhaps this should wait till Frodo is able to join us - since that will most likely be soon."