Battle of Azanulbizar

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The Battle of Azanulbizar (Third Age 2799) was the penultimate battle in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. It was fought beneath the East-gate of Moria in the valley of Azanulbizar, called Nanduhirion in Sindarin or Dimrill Dale in Westron. Therefore the event is also known as the Battle of Nanduhirion and the Battle of Dimrill Dale.

The War of the Dwarves and Orcs was started when Azog the Orc-chieftain of Moria captured and mutilated Thrór, King of Durin's folk. Azog carved his own name in runes onto Thrór's severed head, and then let his companion Nár escape so that all Dwarves would know that an Orc now ruled Moria. Full of righteous fury, Thrór's son Thráin II gathered a massive army of Dwarves, including those not of Durin's folk (probably Firebeards and Broadbeams from the Blue Mountains). For six years they systematically destroyed the Orc-holds of the Misty Mountains, until only Moria was left.

The Battle of Azanulbizar was the greatest battle of the war, and was a decisive victory for the Dwarves. However, both sides took heavy losses and several famous Dwarves were killed. The battle started on a cold winter night when the Dwarves marched into the Dimrill Dale where they discovered that on the eastern slopes many Orcs had gathered and more were coming out of the East-gate outnumbering them and holding the higher ground. The first Vangurd lead by king Thraín, assaulted the slopes but were driven back with losses, into a wood near the Mirrormere, where Frerin youngest son of Thraín was slain along with Fundin, father of Balin. Thraín himself was wounded, along with his eldest son Thorin II Oakenshield, who had his shield broke during the battle and had to use an oak branch that he hewed off a tree to defend himself. Elsewhere, the battle swayed to and fro until Náin from the Iron Hills, brought a host of fresh troops with him. Naín, and his Dwarves hewed through the Orc lines with their mattocks shouting AZOG, AZOG, AZOG! until they got to the very steps of the gate, inwhich Naín called Azog to come out and fight, which Azog emerged from the inner gate along with his gaurds, but Naín was very tired and half blind with rage and tried to swung as hard as he could at Azog but the orc darted aside, kicked his leg, which splintered his mattocks on the ground making him stumble, at which Azog tried to cut-off his head but only broke Naín's neck because of the strong mail he was wearing.

Azog laughed, but when he looked out into the valley he found that his entire force was be near destroyed along and fleeing southwards.  his gaurds were also destroyed as well.  and with that he fled back to the gate, but Náin's son, Dáin, leaped up the steps after him with his red axe and just before the gate he hewed off Azog's head, thus ending the war. He was just 32-years old at the time, very young for a Dwarf, and it was remarked an amazing feat. Dáin would later become King under the Mountain as Dáin II Ironfoot.

After the battle, King Thráin wanted to enter and reclaim Moria, the ancestral home of Durin's folk. However, the Dwarves had taken heavy losses and the lords of the other clans did not feel indebted to the retaking of another clan's kingdom. More significantly, Dáin had peered beyond the East-gate and saw that Durin's Bane still haunted the mines of Moria.