A darkness lay over Southern Mirkwood

Upon a high ridge, surrounded on three sides by a shear gorge, lay a pinnacle of black rock, upon which sat the ruined fortress of Dol Guldur

The fortress rose up out of the trees of the forest like a black finger of warning

Once a part of the realm of Oropher, a Sindarin King of the Silvan Elves, who lived throughout Greenwood the Great, the Fortress of Dol Guldur is now an ancient ruin that lies under a dark mist. The Kings son Thranduil, now rules a much smaller part of the once great kingdom in the north of the great forest, that many now call Mirkwood.

A Shadow rises, swirling in and out of the broken and crumbling spires on the Hill of Sorcery. The Fortress no longer lies empty, for a Dark Power has inhabited it’s forsaken walls.

The Necromancer has come to Dol Guldur and he looks out from the topmost pinnacle of the fortress. He has sent out a summons that can be heard by all the creatures of Shadow in Middle-earth. Orcs, wargs, spiders, bats, crebain and evil men come eagerly to the masters call. There are also Nine… who have been summoned and who shall be his most fearsome servants. A great host must be assembled, for the world is once again moving and forces are now in play that the Necromancer must either control or destroy.

The wargs howl upon the lonely hill and the harsh sounds of orcs can be heard as they put hammer to anvil in the forges beneath the broken fortress. This will not do, the time is not yet ripe for war, the Shadow is not ready to reveal it’s full strength. The fires must the hidden, the orcs must be made unseen and the howling of the wargs must be silenced. There are ears that listen and eyes that see and they are watching… always watching.

The Shadow begins to weave an ancient spell of concealment, words of power not spoken for a thousand years. A chanting begins, it comes up from the  bowels of Dol Guldur as the Ringwraiths begin to sow the seeds of concealment.  Slowly the Shadow moves through the fortress as sounds begin to fade and the fires of war disappear into the shadows. No one who wanders here shall know what evil lay in the darkness.

The Shadow covers the hill… and it watches… and it waits. Looking to the North, towards the Lonely Mountain, the gaze of the Necromancer falls at last. It will be at the feet of this mountain that the competing powers of Middle-earth will come together. The vast wealth of the mountain calls to the dwarves, but the Necromancer senses other powers at work here.  He considers the dragon, one of the last of it’s kind. Smaug could be a powerful ally that could be used in the coming wars. However, dragons are difficult to manage, a vast treasure hoard would be needed to lure the Smaug into his service.

Before the dragon can be tamed, the troublesome progeny of Durin must be dealt with. Even now the Necromancer’s plans are in motion and it won’t be long before the head of the last heir of the line of Durin will be brought to him by the Pale Orc of Gundabad! Called from his lair in the Black Pit of Moria, Azog a most trusted servant will be used as an instrument of destruction. Many thought Azog dead in the Wars with the Dwarves, but this was a lie perpetrated by the folk of Durin and soon they would discover otherwise! The Necromancer will take advantage of the power of Azogs hatred and his need for vengeance, in order to still the power of the dwarves forever! Then the vast treasure of Erebor will be his for the taking… and the dragon can then be persuaded to further the power of the Necromancer.

Once the dwarves are dealt with, there will be ample time to bring the wyrm Smaug to heel!

The Mordor Appendices ~ The Time Line of the Year 2941 ~ 2942