Siege of Dale

A squirmish arose between the army of Thranduil and the forces of Dain before the arrival of the Orc army. Dain ordered his ram-riders to attack the group of Gandalf, Thranduil, and Bard after a heated argument that led to the throwing of insults. The group of elves fought back. Thranduil commanded the attack on the Dwarves riding on goats. The archers shot arrows towards them but were countered by the dwarves. The spinning shots of ballista cut up the arrows fired by the elves and crashed their ranks. Many dwarves fell as they went near Thranduil’s army. They were either shot down or knocked out by spears. Elves were trampled over by goats, while dwarves held their ground. Both sides fervently fought to result in dozens of casualties, both elves, and dwarves. It was an utter commotion. If not for the were-worms that burst out from the ground, either party would have suffered greater in terms of casualties. When the great orc forces led by Azog arrived, Dain Ironfoot assembled what was left of his armies. The group is composed of Dwarven warriors. There are forty goat-riders, five war chariots that carry around 20 warriors, and Dwarven infantry of 800. Their group prepared to battle the Orc armies. As the orcs began to attack, the dwarves stood their ground. They took refuge on the shield wall they set up. Though the orcs were many, they did not waver. While the orcs were focused on charging against the dwarves, Thranduil discharged his elf-warriors, hundreds of them, to attack from the front. This surprised the orcs and gave the dwarves ample time to carry out their offense. They broke the shield wall and with a lowered spear, they attacked the orcs. Back-to-back, Dain and Thranduil fought against the invading forces. The former, mounted on his armored war hod, while the latter on his giant stag. They were at the forefront of the battle. They relentlessly killed orc warriors.

Azog commanded his war beasts to attack upon seeing the first batch of his troops destroyed by the dwarves and elves. At this, ogres and mountain trolls clad in armor came out. Dozens of them charged against the elves and dwarves. In offense, Thranduil led his archers to shoot arrows on arrows towards the war beast, annihilating hundreds of orcs and three of the Guldur Olog-Hai trolls. Joining forces, with Dain, they rallied the rest of their armies to battle with all vigor and strength, causing Azog the Defiler a huge number of casualties from his troops. Azog then realized that dozens of his men are getting slaughtered by two dwarven war chariots. He ordered the war beasts to attack them. Ten ogres took charge of the command and successfully destroyed the chariots. They vanquished the goats, tore the thing down, and clubbed the dwarves.

Azog knew that the group of men, elves, and dwarves are not capable of facing battles on two fronts simultaneously. He took advantage of this weakness and channeled a full-force attack towards the city of Dale. Ten thousand Guldur orcs, along with fifteen Ogres, and four fully armored trolls charged towards the walls. Also, there were huge trolls, seven in all, with catapults in tow that joined the force. Each catapult was manned by seven Goblin Mercenaries. They positioned themselves on the hilltop in strategic places targeting the walls of Dale. Catapults are fired all over the city walls as Bard and his army retreat to the city. Bilbo and Gandalf were with them, evading the attacks. The strikes caused massive damages particularly on the walls, and soon, a part of it collapsed. This happened because of the reinforcement troll-ram that kept pouncing. As the wall fell, hundreds of orcs swarmed in. They killed the Lake-town villagers, who were caught off-guard by the sudden breach.

Bard was leading his army in a full-fledged battle against the goblins and orcs. His daughters, Tilda and Sigrid, were among those caught in the middle of the squabble. They got separated from their brother, Bain, as they were running for safety from the Guldur orcs who were terrorizing the villagers. Two orcs pursued them but Bain found them just in time and rescued them. With his sword, he killed the attackers. Bard was concerned about his children in the middle of the fight. He was searching for them and soon found them by the abandoned marketplace. At that moment, they were cornered by a large orc, with its club poised to pounce on them. He was just in time for the rescue. He found a cart nearby and used it to rush to his kids. Riding on a slope, he flew over their heads, jumped out, and thrust his sword directly on the chest of the ogre causing its demise. Bard and his children are finally reunited.

Bard urged his children to help out after they were reunited. He asked them to bring all children and women to a safe place by the citadel. At first, they were uncooperative. They were still shaken by what happened to them with the orc. They wanted to stay close to their father to keep them protected. Bard, together with Alfrid Lickspittle, reasoned with them, and soon, they agreed. Tilda, Sigrid, and Bain did what they were told. They gathered the survivors together. They passed through abandoned buildings until they finally reached the comforts of the citadel. While his children exodus the remaining village survivors to the citadel, Bard and his army launched an attack against the enemies. They fired arrows towards the armored trolls and Guldur orcs. They were relentless in their attacks and caused dozens of the goblins and orcs to fall. As Bard fought head-on, the Laketown guards and the remaining armies prevented the enemies from advancing using their swords and spears. Together with Gandalf and Bilbo, they defended their troop against the charges of the adversaries. Gandalf employed his staff and his Glamdring sword to strike. Using his Sting sword, Bilbo mercilessly slashed the legs of orcs and goblins.

Thranduil gathers a group of archers and warriors to help defend the walls of Dale. By then, the breaches on the wall caused more orcs, goblins, and armored trolls to break in. The enemies are creating havoc all over the place, set to completely kill and destroy the village and everyone on the way. Fighting at the forefront, he charges towards the main gate slaying on his way several Guldur Orcs that manned the bridge. As he advances towards them, his stag caught some of the orcs in its antlers and he finished them off by chopping their heads with his sword. When Thranduil finally reached the city gate, his stag was shot by a goblin archer. Left with no choice, the Elven king had to unmount. Upon touching the ground, a crowd of Guldur Orcs surrounded him, ready to attack. Without hesitation, he wielded his two-curved Elven sword. He furiously swayed his blade slaying a number of the attackers. Soon enough, his army caught up with him and fought with him. The fray fought with all their might to defend their king. Though they gave their best, still a number of them did not survive the scimitars and pikes of the orcs. Dozens of the Elven king’s men fell that day.

The battle continues to heat up. Bard and his army fought furiously. They strive to defend their line but find it challenging. The orcs outnumbered them by a large margin and they kept losing men as the battle ensued. Having put the villagers to safety, he commanded what remained of his force to retreat to the citadel. He cannot afford to lose more of his men. As they retreat, the Guldur Orcs follow them and continue to strike. The number of fallen men on Bard’s side continues to increase. Nevertheless, Bilbo, Thranduil, Gandalf, and all the Silvan Elves stood their ground. They fought back with all they have and killed many of the orcs though they were surrounded. The situation outside the Lonely Mountain and the city of Dale was not looking good as well. It was getting worse for the troops headed by Dain. Many of his men and the wood elves are gone. They are slain by ogres, orcs, and trolls who ferociously charge against them.

Some remained fighting with him while others joined their king to fight in Dale. They are overpowered by the opposing forces. Fight as they might, they cannot stand against the number and grit of the enemy. When his armored hog was killed by three orcs, the Dwarf-lord dismounted and in rage struck everyone on his way. He wielded his war hammer mercilessly and slew a number of them. He gathered his troops together to strategize their next move. His cousin, Thorin, crossed his mind wondering where he might be for he could be a great help to them at that time. Dain knew that their chances of winning against the enemy are slim. They are outnumbered and outpowered. With this in mind, he commanded his army to withdraw. They would flee to the barred gateway of Erebor. Together with his remaining 300 dwarves, they were able to successfully overcome the orcs and established their defense by the main gate but not without much striving. Azog and his remaining forces composed of 10,000 Guldur Orcs, and several Ogres, Tolls, and Goblin Mercenaries regrouped. They reorganized themselves in preparation to attack what remains of the dwarves.

As the battle continues in the city of Dale and on the fields outside Erebor, Thorin agonizes his dragon-sickness. He was hallucinating for some time. But as he gained his sanity back, he remembered the things he had done wrong. He regretted it and repented. He knew he was needed at that moment, and he must join Bard, Dain, and Thranduil in their fight outside Erebor. Coming to this realization, he approached his companions and confessed to them his misgivings. He then asked the group to join him in battle one last time. At the Lonely Mountain, Dain rallied his armies by the barred gateway. They are prepared for their last stand. Azog wasted no time. He charged the remnants of his Guldur forces to advance against the Dwarves.

The ensemble is completed by a giant troll dragging a catapult with seven Goblin Mercenary crew. They assembled an offense towards the walls of Erebor. The Guldur Orcs were ushered in by six trolls of Guldur Olog-Hai. They carry spiked, wooden clubs. However, before the army of Dol Guldur got to the dwarves, Erebor’s great war horn sounded. This halted the advancing forces on their tracks. They were equally confused and surprised about the development of events. Bard, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thranduil also heard the horn from within the walls of Dale. They, and the elves with them, recognized the signal that Thorin finally joined the battle. Along with his twelve companions, Thorin broke the front gate open.

He charged with great force towards the battlefield with a huge golden bell. His troop is made up of a battle-ready army in their battle gear, clad with hammers, swords, axes, and round shields. At this sight, Dain led his men to join Thorin. With a loud war cry, they advanced with renewed vigor towards the forces of Azog. With a stronger force, three Olog-Hai trolls were slain as they advanced towards the dwarves caused by the spears thrown at them. The other three were slain by the ferocious Dwarven warriors using swords and axes. This left the adversary with a weaker offense. Together with their men, Dain and Thorin fought side-by-side against the orcs. Hundreds of them died in the onslaught. Meanwhile, Fili, Kili, and Thorin, even with short swords and clad with shields, slaughtered some orcs. Bofur, Dwalin, Nori, and Dain II Ironfoot fought using war hammers. Bombur succeeded in breaking down the skulls of several orcs as he brandished powerful attacks. The catapult also failed to advance as the Goblin Mercenaries manning it were killed as well as the troll carrying it.

The dwarves quickly destroyed the catapult preventing it from causing further damage. The good news of Thorin joining the battle encouraged Bard to regroup. With the orcs driven away from the gates of Erebor and Dale, they had renewed hope to start fighting back again. He rallied his army to charge against the orcs that are swarming the streets of Dale. Armed with renewed vigor and courage, the men from Dale and armies of Esgaroth, aggressively attacked the orcs, killing as many enemies as possible, attacking with no abandon. Bilbo and Gandalf fought together with the forces and added to the numbers of slaughtered orcs and goblin mercenaries.

Bard and his men continue to fight against the invading forces. Seeing the progress of the battle, Hilda Bianca enjoins the other women and children who are with her, to take arms. With a sword in hand, she bravely encourages them to help fight against the orcs. Everyone arms themselves with weapons such as knives, spears, swords, and axes. Bain and most of the women join the squabble. As they pursue the enemies, Hilda and the others realize that all along, Alfrid dressed himself up as a woman to evade the enemies. She calls him out saying he is a coward. Then she leads the group out of the main hall to battle the forces advancing towards the citadel. After the confrontation, Alfrid finds Lonely Mountain silver and gold coins from a broken jar. It was an accidental discovery when the jar fell from a rotten shelf. The orcs continue to wage against the villagers. They flood the streets, attacking everyone in sight. With scimitars drawn and shields for protection, the Guldur orcs are unfazed. Just then, Bain, Hilda, together with the Esgaroth women forces come charging against them. Raging with courage, they fight head-on against the orcs. The latter fights back but is slaughtered dozens upon dozens by the villagers who are highly motivated to win. Hilda successfully draws a spear on a large orc armed with an iron scimitar. Bain wields his sword and slaughters some enemies. The other women perform well too. Their viciousness brought fear and panic to the orcs and caused them to retreat.

Though still outnumbered by a large margin, Thorin can successfully rally his army of dwarves outside Erebor and Dale against the forces of the orcs and the trolls. Dain and his mighty warriors can overcome many of the enemies though they are inferior in army size. At the height of the battle, a giant amputated troll proves challenging against the dwarf forces. Though handicapped, it can smash the dwarves using its spiked club-feet and flail arms. Bofur takes it upon himself to face the war troll. He climbs the troll’s back with some help from Gloin and Nori. Using his ax, he overcomes the troll and terminates it. As the troll falls, Bofur manages to maneuver it towards the Guldur Orc forces and crushed dozens of them.

Dain and Thorin are reunited on the battlefield as they fight against the Guldur Orcs. The war’s end is still far to be seen so Dain asks if Thorin has a plan. The dwarves are all exhausted and the orcs are just too many. A prolonged battle is not in their favor. Thorin shares his plan of killing Azog. Riding on an armored goat, he intends to go all the way to Ravenhill - the command post of Azog. Dain doubts that Thorin can single-handedly defeat the force on Ravenhill. As he implores him of the details of his plan, they are attacked by a chariot drawn by six rams. They focus back on the fight before them. Balin steered the team. The arrow-launchers are controlled by Dwalin. Fili and Kili, meanwhile, took post on each side of the chariot. Dain sees Thorin and his team head towards Ravenhill. Though apprehensive, he whispered a blessing upon them. Getting to Ravenhill is not easy. Thorin and his team have to pass by the squad of Guldur Orcs.

They charged forward and killed those on the way. This caught the attention of Azog. He immediately commanded his war beasts to get them. Six of his ogres attacked but the dwarf-chariot managed to counter. They maneuvered the goats and chariots atop a rock above the ogres head. The blades on the wheels severed their heads and killed them. A big troll, then came running towards them to attack. Just in time, Balin steered the chariot directly to a frozen river. The ice cannot hold the weight of the troll, so it broke. It tries to free itself but Kili shoots it with an arrow. It failed though, and as the troll started to advance towards the dwarves, Bofur came to the rescue. Tricking the amputated troll to swing its flail arms towards the dying troll and both trolls ended up drowning in the river. Just when they thought it was over, another armored troll appeared. This one holds a wooden bridge where dozens of archers, both Goblin Mercenaries and orcs, stand blocking the chariot. Fili, Kili, and Dwalin quickly fired at the troll using bows and arrows and successfully tore it down.

All the goblins and orcs fell with it and the chariot was given a safe passage. All of a sudden, a new set of enemies appear. Wargs and warg-riders, dozens of them, chased them. They attacked the goats to stop the chariot from advancing. Left with only three to run the chariot, it has become impossible to get to Ravenhill. Balin decided to let his brother go to Ravenhill mounted on a goat rather than a chariot. With no time to waste, Kili, Fili, and Dwalin cut the goats loose while Balin stayed behind to ward off the wargs for as long as he could. Their strategy succeeded because the three caught up with Thorin on the way to Ravenhill.

Meanwhile, in the city of Dale, Alfrid remains focused on his self-interest. With the discovery of the gold coins, he immediately hoards the riches and hides them in his corset. As he tries to go quietly away, some ogre finds him and is ready to pounce on him. He fell in fear but just at that moment, Bard came to rescue him. With his skills in shooting arrows, he shot the ogre on the chest and killed it. After the encounter, Bard tries to straighten Alfrid out but the latter is adamant, insisting on his own will. Exasperated, Bard just let him be. After a few moments, Alfrid, yet again, falls into trouble. As he escapes from the commotion, trying to hide, he thoughtlessly gets in a trebuchet net. Gandalf is trying to deflect a troll at that time. However, his new staff is malfunctioning, failing to successfully avert the enemy. Alfrid, in his panic, dropped some of the coins from his corset and they accidentally landed on the trigger. The trebuchet went off and Alfrid went all the way to the troll’s mouth. This suffocated him, causing his death. Subsequently, the troll choked on him and died as well. Gandalf can only watch in surprise as these things happen.

The teamwork of Bard and the people of Esgaroth manage to destabilize the attacking forces. They managed to get things back in control. Just when things seemed to begin to look good, Legolas and Tauriel delivered disturbing news of Bolg’s arrival from the north. He has with him an army of Gundabad Orcs. The counterattack by Bard and the townspeople of Esgaroth has managed to stabilize the situation, but Legolas and Tauriel arrive with news that Bolg is approaching from the north with an army of Gundabad Orcs. At this intel, Gandalf talks to Thranduil, asking him to consider sending reinforcement to Ravenhill for them to warn Thorin of the impending danger. However, Thranduil denies this request saying that enough blood has been shed from his forces. He chooses to go to Mirkwood instead. As they were on their way, they were stopped by Legolas and Tauriel. They argued about the situation, discussing the merits of their chosen actions. Finally, seeing the determination of his son to defend the sons of Durin, he agreed to come with them to Ravenhill.

The siege ended with the demise of Azog and the arrival of the Eagles. The rest of the orc army withdrew back to the mountains. The retreat allows the men and elves, who are worn out from the long battle, [1] to heave a sigh of relief and enjoy their victory. When things have settled, an agreement is forged among them. Bard is declared King of Dale and his people will receive the riches promised by Thorin to Dain Ironfoot.

1. ^The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.