Following their victory in southern Gondor against the Haradrim invaders,
the lands of Ithilien suffered increasing Orc and Uruk-hai attacks, prompting the Steward Turin II
to withdraw his people from the region in 2901 TA, leaving only scouts and warriors to keep watch
over Mordor from the outpost of Henneth Annun. Further north in the lands of Eriador,
tragedy once against struck in 2911, when a harsh Fell Winter wrought havoc upon the Hobbits of the
shire. Though not as bad as the Long Winter nearly 2 centuries prior, it nonetheless threatened mass
devastation, when an army of White Wolves invaded by crossing over the frozen Brandywine River,
forcing the hobbits to sound the Horn of Buckland, calling their people to take up arms and defend
their homeland. Further damage was then inflicted upon Eriador when the Fell Winter ended in 2912,
as the melting ice and snow led local rivers to flood, leaving the city of Thrabad in ruins
while its human population fled. Originally founded by the men of Numenor in the Second Age,
the Dunedain population gradually diminished until replaced by the Dunlendings who migrated from the
south for settlements like Tharbad and Bree. Though he continued to operate in the shadows,
almost 3000 years after his defeat in the War of the Last Alliance, the Dark Lord Sauron was
nearly ready to launch a second, large-scale invasion, for the conquest of middle-earth.
Despite numerous setbacks like the defeat of the Orcs in the Misty Mountains, his armies were vast
and growing stronger by the day, with thousands of orcs bred in Mordor in addition to his servants
and allies from the east and south. Yet in order to secure his stranglehold over the continent,
Sauron still had two major objectives he needed to accomplish. The first was to restore his personal
strength by finding the One Ring of Power, and the second, was to destroy the Dunedain Kingdom
of Gondor, thereby eliminating the most significant military threat to his forces.
Standing in opposition to the Dark Lord, was the wizard Gandalf the Grey,
who, in the absence of Saruman’s leadership, took on the role of General and master strategist
for the free peoples of middle-earth. Where Sauron had the loyalty of Mordor,
Dol Guldur, the remaining Orcs of the Misty Mountains, the Easterlings, the Haradrim of
the south, the corsairs of Umbar, and the Variags of Khand; the peoples of the west, could primarily
rely on support from the human Kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan, The Elves of the Woodland Realm,
Lothlorien, and Rivendell, The Dwarves of the Iron Hills and Erebor, and the Humans of Dale,
who were allied with the Dwarves. *Grey Haven support,
other peoples cant defend themselves* Unfortunately, a large portion of their northern
defenses were eliminated in 2770, when the dragon Smaug the terrible destroyed the city of Dale,
and occupied the Kingdom of Under the Mountain. Realizing Smaug, who descended from a species
which served the First Dark Lord Morgoth, had the potential to become a devastating ally to the
Second Dark Lord, Gandalf convinced the Dwarven exile Thorin Oakenshield and his 12 companions
to reclaim Erebor and eliminate the dragon, in 2941. With the help of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins,
the company of dwarves entered the lonely mountain but were unable to subdue the dragon, causing
him to depart and unleash his fury on the nearby human settlement of Lake-town. Learning about an
unprotected bare patch on the dragon’s chest, Bard the Bowman, a descendent of the last Lord of Dale,
shot a powerful black arrow directly into this weak spot, and killed the dragon Smaug, instantly
becoming a hero and leader to his people. Having lost their town, and suffered greatly from
the beast unleashed by the Dwarves, Bard, planned to lead the townsfolk to the Lonely Mountain,
where they might seek recompense through a portion of Erebor’s treasure hoard. The humans were then
joined by King Thranduil and an army of Elves from Mirkwood, who thought the Dwarves were dead and
so wanted to claim the treasure for themselves. Upon seeing the plight of Bard and his people,
the Elves aided them with supplies and temporary shelters, before descending upon the Lonely
Mountain together, in search of its treasure. Finding the entrance blocked and Dwarven Company
still alive, Bard attempted to negotiate but Thorin refused after seeing they arrived
armed and with Elves who had no rightful claim to their wealth. Unwilling to leave empty handed,
Thranduil and Bard laid siege to the Mountain Kingdom, until the hobbit Bilbo Baggins arrived
with the Arkenstone, the most precious jewel of the Dwarves and an heirloom of their royal line.
Seeking to avoid bloodshed, Bilbo left his Dwarven companions and made off with the Arkenstone,
giving it to the opposing army so they might trade it for a share of the treasure.
Though Thorin was furious, he ultimately agreed to hand over 1/14th of their wealth, in exchange
for the jewel. Yet before the deal was completed, Thorin’s cousin Dain Ironfoot arrived in response
to a message sent by raven, leading an army of 500 battle-hardened Dwarves from the Iron Hills,
Seeing their kinsmen under siege, Dain Ironfoot and his forces would have engaged the humans and
elves in a bloody struggle, if not for Gandalf who came between them and revealed
that a greater enemy was marching upon them. Seeking to capitalize on the death of Smaug and
claim the dwarven treasure, Bolg son of Azog the Defiler, led an army of Orcs,
wolves, wargs and bats to destroy anyone who stood in their way.
Agreeing to cease hostilities and focus on the larger threat, the Battle of Five Armies erupted,
with Humans, Elves and Dwarves on one side, while Orcs and Wicked Beasts fought in opposition.
Though Bolg’s forces soon had the advantage, they were ultimately defeated when the great eagles of
the misty mountains, along with the skin changer Beorn, arrived to reinforce the free peoples.
Suffering a devastating defeat, Bolg was killed by Beorn, While his orc armies lost roughly 3 parts
of their total forces. Despite their victory, the elves, humans and dwarves suffered many
casualties, including the deaths of King Thorin as well as his nephews Fili and Kili. In the
aftermath of battle, the Arkenstone was returned to the Dwarves, now under the rule of King Dain
Ironfoot, while Biblo Baggins forfeited his share of the treasure, giving it to Bard the Bowman, who
in turn divided it amongst his own people and the Elves. With Lake-town destroyed, the humans used
their newly acquired funds to rebuild the city of Dale, completing construction in 2944. As for
Biblo Baggins, Dain Ironfoot insisted he leave with a rich reward, but he declined such largess,
instead departing with only two chests of gold and silver. Yet this was not the only prize the hobbit
carried home, as he discovered a magic ring in the lair of the creature Gollum, while separated from
the company of Thorin Oakenshield in the misty mountains. Although Gandalf was aware, his small
friend possessed this treasure, neither one truly understood its significance, as this was the One
Ring of Power, forged by Sauron in Mount Doom. In addition to Bilbo’s discovery of the one ring,
the death of smaug, restoration of Erebor and Battle of the Five armies, the year 2941
also saw another important event unfold, when the White council finally moved against Dol Guldur to
confront Sauron, who then retreated to Mordor. Yet the Dark Lord was unwilling to give up this
strategic location, and so sent three of his Nazgul a decade later, to reclaim Dol Guldur.