Esgaroth Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth The current year for our Middle-Earth campaign is set during the year of 2946 of the Third Age. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien

Far to the North, where the Grey Mountains loom over a wide and desolate land, lies the great expanse of the Long Lake. It is upon this broad sheet of water, near the point where the Forest River flows in from the west, that one might find the curious settlement known to its people simply as Lake-town, but called by the older, Elvish name of Esgaroth upon the Long Lake. It was a community born of necessity and resilience, built entirely of wood, its houses and halls raised on tall pillars driven deep into the lakebed, as though the land itself were too perilous to trust. Only a long wooden bridge connected it to the shore, a deliberate isolation that once offered protection from land-based threats, though it proved tragically insufficient against a foe from the sky.

The history of Esgaroth stretched back further than the present town, for ancient, half-rotten piles were visible when the waters were low, hinting at an even older city that had long since sunk into the mire. The modern town was a lively, if somewhat damp, hub of commerce, its people the hardy Men of the North who navigated the waters with expertise. Their wealth was derived largely from trade, acting as middlemen between the Elvenking's realm in Mirkwood, the Dwarf-kingdom of Erebor, and distant lands like Dorwinion via the River Running. While the town was free, its government was overseen by an elected official known simply as the Master, a man often more interested in the accumulation of gold and the politics of trade than the ancient legends of dragons or lost kings.

The peace of this trading realm was shattered by the unexpected arrival of Thorin Oakenshield and his company of Dwarves, smuggled in barrels down the Forest River and into the Long Lake. The people of the town, remembering the prosperity of a past age when the King under the Mountain still held sway, welcomed the travellers with boisterous cheer and open hospitality. They believed the old prophecies that the return of the Dwarves would herald a new golden age. Yet, the Master remained cautious, perhaps sensing the danger that such a quest might draw to their vulnerable, wooden city, built as it was so near the lair of the beast.

The Master's fears were well-founded, for the Dwarves' intrusion awakened the dragon Smaug, who had slept for ages upon the vast hoard in the Lonely Mountain. In his rage, the great fire-drake flew south, his eyes fixed on the lights of Lake-town, the only sizeable settlement for miles around. The town's aquatic defenses were useless against a flying fire-breather. Smaug descended upon Esgaroth with a terrible fury, setting the wooden structures ablaze and casting the town into chaos and ruin.

The destruction of Esgaroth was nearly complete. But from the chaos, a hero emerged: Bard the Bowman. He was a grim-faced man of the town and a true descendant of Girion, the last lord of the nearby ruined city of Dale. With the help of a brave thrush, Bard found Smaug's only weak spot. He shot the dragon down with a single black arrow. The dragon's body fell into the Long Lake. The remaining structures were drowned in scalding water, but the terror ended.

After the attack, Lake-town was rebuilt. It was more magnificent than before, with help from the Wood-elves and treasure from the Mountain. The Master fled with some gold. Bard was crowned King of the restored Dale. Esgaroth became a vital part of the new Kingdom of Dale under Bard's lineage. The spirit of the Men of the Lake lived on in the newly peaceful North.