Dol Guldur

Dolguldur — the western realm of Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur (Orc. "Nazburz"; Rhov. "Naquath Hlain") was the great dead volcano and fortress of Sauron of southern Mirkwood. It was the capital and often even synonymous with the Realm of the Necromancer.

Political Organization: Divine Autocracy (Dictatorship).
Rulers: The Necromancer, Khamûl, Captain of Dol Guldur.
Administrative Organization: All offices appointed by Necromancer: all land held directly by Necromancer.
Population: 2,100 Orcs; 25 Trolls.
Military: 820 Orc Warriors, 15 Trolls, 100 Wolves, plus numerous Fell Beasts, Spiders, and other creatures under the indirect influence of Sauron.
Products: No exports.
Symbol: None (The Red Eye).

Dol Guldur was, for a time in the Second Age, the cheerful home of Drúin's Folk for a few years after they left their ancestral home of Moria and before they moved into the distant East and out of the tales of Men and Elves. The tunnels in the barren cinder cone stood vacant for centuries, until a sinister presence moved into them. The coming of Sauron around T.A. 1050 poisoned the surrounding forest, twisting and corrupting the Greenwood until even the Elves shunned the southern reaches of the forest. Disguising himself as the "Necromancer", an evil Sorcerer of great stature, Sauron delved new passages into Amon Lanc, creating breeding pits for his Orcs, Trolls, and other horrors. Silently, the Dark Lord bided his time in his lair, now known as the Hill of Sorcerv, and brooded over his lost Ring while he rebuilt his power and his army. Already, he was secretly re-fortifying Mordor, and most of his new Orcs headed south for the plains of Gorgoroth and Núrn . Since Sauron had to abide in secret while he gathered his strength, he frequently acted through his lieutenant, Khamul the Easterling, a Nazgûl second in might only to the Witch-King of Angmar. While Sauron bred his troops. Khamul gathered the most powerful and corrupt Men from throughout Middle-earth to directly serve their Black Master. Aside from these no living Man, Dwarf, or Elf had seen the interior of Dol Guldur and escaped in a condition to tell the tale. Sauron feared action by the White Council and did not hesitate to stoop to any atrocity to avoid their intervention. For the time being, subtlety was his watchword. The slow corruption of the Greenwood (soon known as Mirkwood) and the gradual waning of Gondorian power in Rhovanion were his immediate goals, and they are being met without the need for an open display. The mass migration of many tribes of Easterlings under his sway into the region formed the next stage of his plan, and already tribes of Sagath and Asdriags moved into the valley of the River Running. The chaos in Rhovanion caused by the mass migrations weakened Gondor's grasp on the area and allowed Sauron to refortify Mordor undiscovered and unmolested.

End of the Third Age[]

The powerfull fortress of Dol Guldur was apparently abandoned after the Necromancer's defeat. But secretly, a band of Gundabad and Moria Orcs were dispatched by Sauron to inhabit the fortress and began the forging and breeding of new orcs. The infamous Mordú, who had recently joined Sauron also travelled to Dol Guldur, Mordú's influence in the bandits and corrupt Men that lived near to Dol-Guldur was big. Easily, Mordú recruited many Evil Men and started lessons of sorcery to some of the most clever corrupt men.

More Orcs from Gundabad and Moria arrived, the orc chieftain Klarbug was one of the first Guldur Masters and he founded the kitchens of Dol Guldur and the slavery of Elves and men in the pits of Dol-Guldur. Dol Guldur pitmasters began recruiting Trolls and breeding Guldur-Trolls. In that time, Mirkwood was so quiet that even Legolas son of Thranduil did not noted the productions in Dol Guldur.

In T.A 2996, the Ringwraith Khamûl travelled to Dol Guldur while Mordú was summoned by Sauron to Mordor to work in some letters and books that Sauron was requiring. With Khamûl arrival, fell-beasts soon began inhabit the Hill of Sorcery.

In the War of the Ring, Dol Guldur's forces proved to be strong and powerfull while the productions of Dol Guldur (Kitchens, forges etc) were way bigger and powerfull. Dol Guldur attacked Thranduil's fortress two times and attacked elven outposts and camps many times. It also attacked Lorien 3 times. But the Guldur Orcs were defeated in this battles. After Sauron's death, all the nazgul were killed too. So Khamûl could not led the Guldur forces again. Without an powerfull leader, the Guldur Orcs, Men and Trolls were easily defeated in smaller attacks on Mirkwood. Galadriel, Celeborn and Thranduil decided that Dol Guldur should be destroyed. 1 Day after the decision, an army of elves attacked Dol Guldur, Ents arrived and crushed the Guldur-Trolls. In the end, Galadriel used all her power in the fortress and only large amounts of stone and many ruined forges, watchtowers were still in the Volcano.

However, in the Fourth Age, Celeborn and the remaining elves leaved Middle Earth and sailed to Aman. Many orcs and trolls that survived the War of the Ring began inhabit the dark forests of Lorien and Mirkwood, using Dol Guldur as they capital.