The utter destruction of his forces, however, spurred by Bolg’s rash hunger to avenge the Great Goblin, meant he had to commit the Orcs of Dol Guldur and a goodly portion of the Easterlings in his service to the northern front. Even a partial defeat would have left him with strength in the north of Rhovanion, enough that he might have later overpowered the defenders of Dale and Erebor in the battles there. Even with Smaug – who surely would have been an ally in the wars to come – slain, the Dark Lord lost a great deal of time and power with the defeat the goblins of Gundabad. Though the Battle of Five Armies happened long before the War of the Ring, its impact on Sauron’s forces was tremendous. The history of Middle-earth has shifted in many places, few so important as the Lonely Mountain.
Part one in a series exploring themes related to the stories told in the Mordor™ Allegiance System. The Battle of Five Armies and the Dwarves of Erebor : Tremors Under the Mountain
