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The Necromancer's campaign was a conflict in TA 2941 when Sauron began to grow in power at Dol Guldur in Mirkwood and sought to re-establish Angmar.
Near the end of the Watchful Peace, the Dark Lord wished to conquer the Lonely Mountain for its strategic position, which would be essential to reclaiming his northern provinces. The conflict ended with the Battle of Five Armies where Sauron's armies from Dol Guldur and Gundabad were defeated. The Dark Lord himself fled into the East following the White Council's attack on his fortress.
Prelude[]
As the last years of the Watchful Peace went by, the Dark Lord secretly reappeared and foul things were attracted by his re-emergence. In secret, Sauron used his vassal, Azog, to rally the Orcs of the Misty Mountains and also compelled the greedy Dragon Smaug into his service. At his Master's behest, Azog led Orc-legions to conquer Moria - during the Battle of Azanulbizar he obtained the Ring of Power of the late Dwarf-king, Thrór, from and offered it along with the captive Thráin as homage to Sauron.
Sauron summoned the Nazgûl from their tombs in the High Fells of Rhudaur. Having chosen Azog as his champion, he wanted to re-establish Angmar, from where he could attack his chief northern adversaries: Greenwood, Lothlórien, Rivendell and Lindon; while also holding the Iron Hills at bay. This, he reasoned, would leave the Gondor and Rohan isolated when he himself returned to Mordor. Sauron plotted to use Erebor to pivot his armies northwards and overrun the Free Peoples of Rhovanion with the aid of Smaug.
To conceal his master plan from the White Council, the Dark Lord descended upon Greenwood, which affected by his presence became Mirkwood. Sauron settled in the ruined, abandoned fortress of Dol Guldur, where Spiders of Ungoliant's spawn, Orcs and Wargs were drawn to his service like flies to carrion. Through Azog, Sauron mustered an army from the Moria Orc warbands - an army that would mount his conquest of Middle-earth. To the Dark Lord's ire, the Defiler was more focused on quenching his desire for vengeance against "Oakenshield". Around the time Gandalf instigated the Quest of Erebor, Sauron gave Azog leave to hunt Thorin's company, both to reward his servant and to prevent them from reaching the Lonely Mountain. Smaug meanwhile patiently awaited the summons to war, when he would help lead his new Lord's armies to flaming victory and plunder.
The campaign[]
Sauron's presence cast a shadow over the world, particularly around Greenwood where Dol Guldur was positioned. The forest grew sick and dark, and the woodsmen who lived there began calling it Mirkwood, and identified Sauron as The Necromancer, a human sorcerer.
Sauron bred giant Spiders of the spawn of Ungoliant (through Shelob) in the ruins of Dol Guldur, and they were spotted in Rhosgobel in the South of Mirkwood, the home of Radagast the Brown, one of the Five Wizards.
Finding this act suspicious, the Brown wizard goes to investigate Dol Guldur before he is attacked by the resurrected Witch-king. Radagast averted the attack and seized the specter's dagger, the Morgul Blade. Radagast later sees the Necromancer from the shadows, but immediately leaves, barely escaping with his life from the Bats which reside in the fort, and set out to find Gandalf.
Sauron's influence extended beyond the Misty Mountains, where Trolls came down from the Ettenmoors and raided a farm on the outskirts of Staddle. This, along with spies of Azog sent to locate Thorin, aroused the suspicion of Gandalf the Grey Wizard just as Radagast came to warn him and gave him the Morgul Blade as proof. At this point, the Orc Yazneg began hunting Thorin and Company (with whom Gandalf was in train) in the name of Azog, partially out of vengeance and partially because Sauron wanted to stop them from reclaiming Erebor or slaying the dragon.
When the company arrived in Rivendell, Gandalf took his case to the White Council. Saruman and Elrond were skeptical, saying that an isolated Orc attack and Troll infestation are "hardly a prelude to war", but Galadriel believed Gandalf - saying that "something moves in the shadows unseen" and that "every day it grows in strength" - and the reveal of the Morgul Blade started convincing Elrond as well.
Sauron's evil drew the Ring out of its hiding with Gollum under the Misty Mountains. It intentionally fell out of Gollum's pocket in order to be acquired by a Goblin imp who fell into his cavern, but Gollum killed the Goblin. Bilbo, a Hobbit and a member of Thorin's company, was captured by the Goblins and fell with the imp, ends up taking the Ring, which he manages to keep a secret of all but Gollum (whom he evades) and Gandalf.
Sauron tells Azog to stay in Dol Guldur and ready the army, and the Orc sends his son Bolg after the company in his own stead. Beorn helps keep them off of the company's back, telling Gandalf that Orcs infest the Anduin Vales and that Moria Orcs are gathering in Dol Guldur. As the company enter Mirkwood, Gandalf sees the sign of the Red Eye (being Sauron's banner) which compels him to go and investigate the High Fells which he finds open from the inside.
Gandalf sets for Dol Guldur, and asks Radagast to summon Galadriel. He discovered Thrain lost in Dol Guldur, as well as the hidden Orc armies in the cesspits, but is confronted by Azog and finally by Sauron himself. Gandalf is unable to save Thrain, but fends Sauron off before he is revealed in his true form and identity.
Sauron has informed Smaug of the company's approach, but when Bolg tracks the Dwarves to Laketown he sends messengers to inform Sauron that Thorin had already left for Erebor. In turn, Sauron unleashes his army which marches towards the mountain under Azog's leadership.
Sauron kept Gandalf imprisoned, hoping to draw the keepers of the other two Elven Rings to him. He retrieves the Morgul Blade from him, and his Orc Dungeon Keeper nearly harvests the Elven Ring of Fire from the wizard when Galadriel had come to rescue him. However, as she and an unconscious Gandalf leave, they were cornered by the Nazgul, but Elrond and Saruman were not far behind, and aided her as Radagast entered and was able to get Gandalf out.
After the Nine are defeated, Sauron appears himself, but is banished by Galadriel who appears in wrath and uses her phial. Her power is spent (and the High Elves begin their retreat from Middle Earth) but Sauron is banished into the East. Elrond suggests that he will likely return to Mordor, and tells Saruman to warn Gondor to reset their watch on the Dark Land. The Wizard reassures him and tells him to take Galadriel back to her country and leave Sauron to him.
Meanwhile, Sauron's army (reinforced by Bolg's army of Gundabad) arrives at the mountain but is held back by the armies of Dale and the Woodland Realm (which have gathered there to besiege Thorin in Erebor for the sake of earning remunerations from his hoard) and of the Iron Hills (sent to Thorin's aid). Azog risks the course of the battle to draw Thorin out, and is defeated by the dwarf (who is dealt a mortal wound) and Legolas slays Bolg, while the Gundabad Army is defeated by the Great Eagles and Beorn, summoned by Radagast.
Aftermath[]
In the intervening years, Sauron returned to Mordor and began multiplying Orcs and rebuilding his tower of Barad-dur. Saruman went to Isengard to keep a watch, but using the Palantir he confiscated in Dol Guldur eventually resulted in him being convinced by Sauron's superiority and submitting himself to the Dark Lord.
Gandalf and Legolas joined a young Aragorn who, along with the sons of Elrond, helped cleanse Eriador of evil creatures left over from the Angmar Wars. Aragorn later travelled under pseudonym to Rohan, where he rode to war with Thengel, and to Gondor where he served the steward Ecthelion in the fight against Sauron. The stewards of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at bay in Ithilien.
Meanwhile, the High Elves began leaving for the Grey Havens. In TA 2994 Orcs retook Moria from Balin, news of which had even arrived at the the Shire within a couple of years.
