Dwarves and the Grey Mountains
After the balrog Durin’s Bane woke up in Khazad-dum and drove out the dwarves, Thrain 1st have went to the Lonely Mountain and founded Erebor, the Kingdom under the Mountain.
However, other dwarves have decided to head to the Grey Mountains that was further northwest from Erebor.
When Sauron fled from Dol Guldur to hide from Gandalf during the Watchful Peace, many dwarves even abandoned Erebor and headed to the Grey Mountains as the Grey Mountains were rich of resources while it was also close to Gundabad that was the first place where Durin the Deathless woke up.
However, Gundabad was infested with orcs as it was also a part of Angmar. Gundabad was a problem for the dwarves, but another enemy, the dragons would awaken and try to seize the resources of the dwarves.
War of the Dwarves and Dragons
Some of the dragons have survived the War of the Wrath which was the war where the Host of the West, an army assembled by the Valars with the elves and Edain humans allied to fight against Morgoth. The dragons hid and bred in the north and would start to attack the dwarves at the Grey Mountains.
The dwarves of the Durin’s Folk resisted for over twenty years; however, they’ve lost their king Dain 1st and eventually Dain 1st’s son Thror would take refuge from the Grey Mountains and would head back to Erebor at the Lonely Mountains.
Thror would ally with the men of Dale that lived near by the Celudin river. Some of the dwarves from the Grey Mountains would head to the Iron Hills. Thror and the dwarves of Erebor at the Lonely Mountain were prosperous. Thror would befriend Girion, the human lord of Dale.
Helm Hammerhand’s slaying of Freca, Wulf’s revenge and War between Rohan and Dunland
Freca was a rich man who claimed he was a descendant of the royal blood line of Rohan. Freca rode with his men to Edoras the capital of Rohan and demanded Helm Hammerhand the 9th king of Rohan an arranged wedding with his son Wulf and Helm Hammerhand’s daughter.
Helm Hammerhand and Freca would insult each other and Helm Hammerhand with fury punched Freca with his fist so hard that Freca was instantly killed.
Freca’s son Wulf vowed revenge and allied with the Dunlendings. After Wulf was able to assemble the Dunlendings, Wulf declared war against Rohan.
Long Winter and Helm’s Deep
The Long Winter was an unusually harsh winter all over Middle Earth, Wulf and the Dunlendings invaded Rohan and Helm Hammerhand failed to defend Edoras.
Helm Hammerhand would lead the people of Rohan to the north of the White Mountains near the Glitter Caves and took refuge in the defenses of the gorge.
Helm Hammerhand defended the defenses by taking down the Dunlendings where he would resist and fight until the end even with his bare hands. Helm’s son, the prince of Rohan was killed by Wulf while Wulf claimed the throne of Rohan.
Helm and the remaining people of Rohan lasted the Long Winter inside the defenses of the gorge that shall later be called Helm’s Deep.
Helm Hammerhand eventually died inside the Hornburg defenses by the cold. The defenses of the gorge where the Rohirrim(people of Rohan) took refuge was called Hornburg after the horns of Helm Hammer hand and the gorge was called Helm’s Deep in memory of Helm Hammerhand.
Defeat of Wulf and the Dunlendings and Frealaf’s coronation as the king of Rohan
Frealaf, the nephew of Helm Hammerhand was leading the Rohirrim that took refuge in Dunharrow. After the Long Winter, Frealaf led the Rohirrim and recaptured Edoras the capital of Rohan where he was able to avenge Helm Hammerhand by slaying Wulf.
Frealaf and the Rohirrim with the aid of Gondor, were able to clear off the Dunlendings from Rohan. Frealaf would succeed his uncle Helm Hammerhand as the 10th king of Rohan.
Saruman and Isengard, the tower of Orthanc
After the victory of Rohan with its war against Dunland, Saruman appeared while he was given the key to the Tower of Orthanc that lied in Isengard by the Steward of Gondor.
Saruman would offer his power to defend Isengard that shall keep the Dunlendings and other wild men and orcs away from Rohan to Frealaf. Frealaf, the king of Rohan accepted Saruman’s offer and Saruman entered Orthanc with the key and started to watch over Isengard.
Saruman and the Palantir of Orthanc
The Tower of Orthanc in Isengard held a Palantir that was kept there since the completion of the construction of Orthanc.
However, for a long time the Orthanc-stone, the Palantir of Orthanc was long forgotten and Saruman just discovered it while he entered the tower of Orthanc.
Saruman would hide the existence of the Palantir from everyone especially from the White Council while Saruman himself was the chairman of the White Council.
Little did Saruman know that already Sauron had a Palantir himself, the Ithil-stone when the nazguls took over Minas Ithil and started to call it Minas Morgul. Sauron would use the Ithil-stone and corrupt it while using the Ithil-stone to infiltrate Saruman’s mind as well.
Saruman who was unaware of Sauron’s possession of a Palantir started to become corrupted by Sauron and eventually later on, Saruman would betray the White Council.
Saruman’s intention was to gain more power than Sauron to control Sauron, however Saruman’s intentions led to severe consequences.
Desolation of Smaug
*There are differences between the novel and the movie.
After rumors of Arkenstone and prosperity of Erebor spread, Smaug, the most powerful dragon of the Third Age assaulted the Lonely Mountain and the kingdom of Erebor. Smaug was presumably one of the dragons that lived in the north, however nothing much of the past of Smaug is known.
Smaug would attack the Lonely Mountain and the human village of Dale. Smaug would set Erebor and Dale into flames where the lord of Dale Girion was killed by the flames of Smaug.
Smaug took over the Lonely Mountain claiming the Arkenstone and all the dwarf treasures of Erebor. The humans of Dale would all evacuate to lake town and the dwarves that were able to survive the flames of Smaug would evacuate to Dunland.
The dwarf king Thror and his son Thrain 2nd have escaped Erebor by the secret back door which Thror would conceal once more with the secret Moon-letter language. Thror and his son Thrain 2nd would lead the surviving dwarves to Dunland.
