War of the Orcs and Dwarves

The Battle of Nanduhirion

Third age 2799

T.A.2770. After the Dwarves had left Moria and settled in Erebor and Thrór was King under the Mountain, it came to the ear of the Dragon, Smaug the Golden, how wealthy Erebor had become. This year, without a warning, he attacked Thrór and his Dwarves at the Lonely Mountain. Soon he had won a great victory, but Thrór and his son Thráin escaped with many of their people.

T.A.2790. Many years later, Thrór, in his old age and together with a dwarf called Nár, went against Moria to see the ancient Kingdom of the Dwarves. He alone walked into Moria from the east, while Nár was waiting outside. In Moria Azog, Lord of the Orcs, kill Thrór by cutting off his head and branding on his brow his name in Dwarf-runes. Nár brought the sad tidings to Thráin, who sent messengers to all the Dwarves in North, West and South, summoning them to war against the Orcs for this evil deed.

T.A.2793. It took three years before they had gathered all their strength. But when the time had come they plundered and burned every Orc citadel they could find. Dark and cruel deeds were done by dark and by light, and of pity there was none from both sides. In the end the Dwarves were victorious because of their skill in smithying weapons and their hot anger. They drove the Orcs before them; and the Orcs fled to Moria their greatest stronghold.

T.A.2799. In their pursuit of the Orcs, the Dwarves came at last to Azanulbizar (Nanduhirion) In the beginning the luck of the war was against the Dwarves, for there were more Orcs than Dwarves and these also had the advantage of being above the Dwarves. The first attack was lead by Thráin II and his son Thorin II. They were beaten back with great loss and took refugee in some thickets that grew in a valley not far from Kheled-Zaram. There Thráin`s son Frerin was killed and so was his kindred Fundin and many others; and both Thráin and Thorin were wounded.

Thorin`s shield was cloven and he cast it away; and hewing with an axe the branch of an oak-tree, he held it in his left hand to ward off the strokes of his enemies. He yielded it as a club too, and in this way he earned his nick-name Oakenshield; and ever after in memory he bore at his back a shield made of oak without color or device.

The onslaught waved forward and back until Náin from the Iron-Hills arrived with fresh troops and the Orcs were driven to the gates of Moria. Náin challenged Azog to come forth and Azog came with his guards, who took up the fight with Náin`s company. Azog jumped at Náin and they fought hard. Náin was tired and half blind with anger, thus Azog managed with a huge blow of his sword to hit the neck of Náin. Náin`s collar withstood the blow. The blow, however, was so hard it broke Náin`s neck, and so he died with the laughter of Azog in his ears.

Azog now ran against the doors of Moria, seeing the Dwarves slashing their way through his army of Orcs. Dáin Ironfoot, Náin`s son, came against him with his blood-red axe and right in front of the gate he caught Azog. A very young Dáin slew Azog with a stroke of his axe and cut off his head. When the battle was over and the Dwarves were victorious, it is said there was no celebrating for this hard-won victory, for the Dwarves were mourning their loss and only half of them was still able to stand on their feet. It is further told that in that battle there perished more than ten thousand Orcs. But the Dwarves also had grievously losses, and for this reason they did not re-enter Moria.