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Gandalf the Grey investigated Dol Guldur in TA 2941 when he suspected the return of an old enemy in the form of the mysterious Necromancer who was using a spell of concealment to hide the huge army of Orcs he was breeding and training to attack Erebor.
Prelude[]
During the quest for Erebor, Gandalf was helping Thorin Oakenshield and his company on their journey and somewhere near the Lone Lands they ran into Radagast the Brown. Radagast, initially forgetting why he came, eventually remembered and told Gandalf about the sickness that had come upon the forest of Greenwood the Great. He explained how he had entered Dol Guldur and had been attacked by the Witch King of Angmar in his astral form who had dropped his deadly Morgul blade. Radagast gave the blade to Gandalf to show to the White Council.
When the company reached Rivendell, Saruman the White called a meeting with the White Council including Gandalf, Elrond, the Lady Galadriel and himself. They discussed the problems arising in Dol Guldur and Saruman dismissed the Necromancer as a mere human sorcerer dabbling in black magic and told Gandalf there was no problem, despite the concerning evidence Gandalf provided in the Morgul blade. Galadriel was indeed concerned but didn't express her worries with the council.
When the company was about to enter Mirkwood, Gandalf heard the voice of Galadriel speaking to him and she told him to go to the High Fells to investigate the tombs of the nine ringwraiths who had been buried there. He left the Dwarves and Bilbo Baggins to navigate their way through the forest and went to the High Fells and met Radagast there. They discovered that the tombs were indeed empty and were extremely concerned. Radagast convinced Gandalf to investigate Dol Guldur to try and snuff out the Necromancer before he got too powerful. Both of them feared the worst, that Sauron had indeed returned and was actually the Necromancer. As he entered the seemingly-abandoned fortress, he told Radagast to go tell Galadriel their discoveries and not to follow him on any count. Radagast yelled out after him aksing what he would do if it's a trap and Gandalf mumbled under his breath that it was undoubtedly a trap.
The mission[]
Gandalf could sense the illusion being created by the Necromancer and began using spells to try and lift the spell. He made his way further and further into the fortress and continued to use the spell. Azog, Ragash and the Orcs spotted him and realised it was only a matter of time before he lifted the spell. As Gandalf walked further in, he was spotted by a crazy-headed Thráin who had been captured and taken to Dol Guldur years ago. The Dwarf jumped from above and attacked the wizard. After a short chase, Gandalf brought Thráin down and used his powers to extract the madness from his mind. Thráin began to remember Gandalf, his son Thorin, Azog and how he lost his ring to the Defiler. As his memories began to flood back, Thráin asked Gandalf if he had kept the map and key to Erebor safe and the wizard told him that he had given them to Thorin and explained that he had taken up the quest to reclaim the mountain. Thráin reacted in fear to this news and told Gandalf that Thorin must not go anywhere near the mountain. Thráin began to tell Gandalf about the possible alliance brewing between the Necromancer and Smaug before they are suddenly attacked by Azog and his minions. Gandalf held Azog at bay with his staff as the pale Orc taunted him. Gandalf asked him the location of his master, to which Azog sidestepped the question by saying that he is everywhere and that the Orcs number in legion. The spell now having raised, Gandalf looked down in horror and saw the army of Orcs and Wargs below. Gandalf used a spell to blind the Orcs and he ran through a passageway with Thráin. Azog ordered the Orcs to run them down but Gandalf knocked down a tower which crushed some of the Orcs and Wargs as well as destroying the bridge across. The pair then finally ran into the Necromancer in an inky-black form who told Gandalf that there was no light that could defeat the darkness. Thráin told Gandalf to tell Thorin that he loved him before the Necromancer lurched forward and seemingly swallowed Thráin, destroying him. Gandalf then used his staff to repel the inky black force that the Necromancer used to attack him. After a struggle of light and dark, the Necromancer's power overpowered Gandalf's ball of light and revealed himself, a blazing figure in the darkness. Gandalf's staff melted after the flames appeared and the Necromancer used his power to knock the wizard back against the wall, the stone crumbling around him. Gandalf, getting a closer look at the figure finally knew for sure that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron returned and gasped his name before Sauron knocked him out. Gandalf was placed in an Orc cage while Sauron and Azog prepared for war with the Dwarves and Men at Erebor.
Aftermath[]
Radagast got word to Galadriel who immediately suspected Sauron's return, calling White Council together to attack the fortress. She entered alone and found Mithrandir as he was about to have his ring and finger cut off and rescued him. After a battle between Saruman, Elrond and the ringwraiths, Galadriel banished Sauron from Dol Guldur and he returned to Mordor. She spent much of her power and was forced to go to Lórien to recover. Gandalf rejoined the Dwarves at Erebor where Azog would continue his attack but failing to take the mountain. Thorin, son of Thráin, would die in the battle.
Appearances[]
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: The Movie Storybook
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: The Movie Storybook (pictured)