Dale

NOTICE: THIS ARTICLE ASSUMES THAT EREBOR AND ESGAROTH WINS THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES, AND THAT THE OUTCOME REMAINS THE SAME FROM 'THE HOBBIT'.

Dale, officially the Second Kingdom of Dale, is a small realm of northmen between the two rivers of Carnen and the River Running. It borders the Kingdom of Erebor to it's north, the Woodland Realm to it's west, and the Kingdom of Dorwinion to it's south.

A sovereign state, Dale is an absolute monarchy as of year 3018 of the Third Age, ruled by a member of the Bardings, descendants of Lord Girion and the legendary Bard the Bowman. Its borders extend from the slopes of the Lonely Mountain to the confluence of the Running and Carnen to it's south, flanked by the two rivers throughout. Its capital and largest city at Dale rests under the benevolent shadow of the Lonely Mountain; as such, the proximity and historical friendship between the folk of Dale and the dwarves of Erebor has allowed trade to blossom between the two resurgent lands.

The Second Kingdom of Dale is a relatively nascent arrival to the political scene in the North, direct descendants of the city-state at Esgaroth and it's older counterpart, the First Kingdom of Dale. While the old Kingdom's origins are unknown, it is generally agreed upon that it was run by a 'Lord' or 'Master' - similarly to it's rump state in Esgaroth - and that the last Lord of Dale, Girion, was killed along with most of the city during Smaug's assault on the Lonely Mountain. This turn of events signalled the end of the First Kingdoms of Dale and Erebor in the year 2770 of the Third Age. The Kingdom was likely re-established sometime after 2941(Smaug's death), which was famously remarked about in the intrepid halfling explorer Bilbo Baggins' account of the restoration of the Kingdom in Erebor, otherwise known as There and Back Again. The new King, Bard the Bowman, was a direct descendant of Girion and the founding member of the Barding Dynasty, the sole ruling dynastic clan in Dale's hierarchy. With King Dáin II "Ironfoot" of Dúrin's Folk reigning under the Lonely Mountain, traffic between the tripartite nations of Erebor, Dale and the Silvan Realm boomed - Dale and it's people grew immensely wealthy, it's dominion expanding day by day. Three generations later, the people of Dale find themselves more powerful than ever before, their influence extending even to the mysterious lands of Dorwinion. The shadows, however, have lengthened, and while the evils of the Necromancer have diminished in the north, the Silvan-King Thranduil's marchwardens have reported strange happenings amongst the eaves of vile mirkwood, and legions of gold-clad savages to the east march lockstep ever closer.