system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Lord of the Rings] What IS Sauron?

What species is he? Does he draw power from the same source as the wizards? Is he more powerful than all the wizards put together? Why?
gpt
Sauron was one of the Maiar, a race of divine spirits that helped shape the world along with the Valar (more powerful divine spirits, analogous to gods) and Eru ("the One", analogous to God). Early on, Morgoth, the greatest of the Valar, led a rebellion against Eru in an attempt to take over (and eventually destroy) the world. Some of the Maiar, including Sauron and the Balrogs, followed him. But at the end of the 1st Age, Morgoth was defeated in the War of Wrath and kicked out into the timeless void outside the world. Sauron stepped into the position of Dark Lord and, after the forging of the One Ring, became nearly as great a threat as Morgoth had been.

The Maiar had varying degrees of control over the natural world due to their divine status, though they were skilled at different things. It is likely that Sauron was one of the most powerful Maiar, though his talents lay mainly in messing with the minds and wills of others.

The Wizards were also Maiar, sent by the Valar to help advise and guide the free peoples in their fight against Sauron, though they kept their true nature hidden and were discouraged from directly opposing Sauron's power with their own.