Thráin II

Thráin II was the father of Thorin Oakenshield, and the son of Thrór. He became heir of the lost King under the Mountain and King of Durin's Folk as Thráin II when his father Thrór was murdered in Moria, and he was a direct descendant of Durin the deathless.

History
Thráin fled with his father, his three children, and the surviving Dwarves when the dragon Smaug descended on the Lonely Mountain, destroyed the kingdom and claimed it as his own along with all the treasures and gold inside. Together with the other survivors, among them his father and his children, Thráin began a long homeless exile. They wandered farther south and they eventually settled in the hills of Dunland. There they remained for twenty more years where they were forced to make a mangy living.

Years after the destruction of the kingdom of Lonely Mountain, a life of poverty took a toll on the mind of King Thrór and he became restless and desperate. He sought to journey away in search of a scrap of wealth but he did not specify Moria. At their parting, he gave to his son Thráin his Ring of Power as well as the map of Lonely Mountain. He departed from his people with a single companion, his only and old friend named Nar.

Nar would return to their dwelling in Dunland many weeks later, but he would mysteriously return alone. He told the tale to Thráin of what had become of his father Thrór. Thrór had brashingly ventured into Moria, despite the pleas of Nar to not go forth, but he did not return. Days later, it was revealed that the king had been branded and murdered by Azog the Goblin who claimed to now rule the ancient mansions of Durin's Folk. Thráin was aghast at Nar's recount of what had become of his father and he was livid to learn that an Orc ruled their ancestral home. He then wept and cursed and fell silent. For seven days he sat without eating or sleeping until finally on the seventh day, he stood up and declared, "This cannot be borne!" These words were the beginning of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.

Thráin sent messengers to deliver the tale to all the corners of the world. Word was sent to all the Houses of the other Fathers, without the exception of the Ironfists due to an ancient grudge they were said to still hold against Durin's Folk. The kings of the other Houses answered to Thráin's call to vengeance, as they all saw this heinous deed committed by Azog to be a profound dishonor to the heir of the eldest of their race, and it raised their fury. While most of the war was fought in the mines and tunnels beneath the Misty Mountains, the bloody climatic battle took place beneath the East-Gate of Moria in the valley of Azanulbizar. Heavy losses were inflicted on both sides. Frerin, the younger of Thráin was among those that fell. Thráin himself had been wounded in the battle and suffered a grievous eye-wound. The tide of battle at last turned when fresh reinforcements from the Iron Hills arrived late. Realizing that his hoards were being annihilated and routed by the Dwarves, Azog turned and attempted to flee back into the gate but was slain by Dain Ironfoot, bringing about an end to the war.

Afterward, Thráin led the remainder of his people, among them his eldest son Thorin Oakenshield, back to Dunland where they dwelt for a while. Eventually they relocated to the northern Blue Mountains (Ered Luin) where they made their dwelling among the ruins of Belegost. Thráin had also taken with him a map which showed a secret entrance into the Lonely Mountain. After some time, they showed signs of prosperity and their numbers slowly began to increase. Many years later, Thráin grew older and he became restless. His desire to reclaim his kingdom of the Lonely Mountain grew. In TA 2841, he and a group of followers including Balin and Dwalin left their dwelling in the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin) and journeyed into Wilderland. They were pursued by the servants of Sauron and one morning, in the eaves of Mirkwood, his companions awoke to find that Thráin was missing. They searched in vain for him for days but he could not be found at all. It was later learned that he had been captured and imprisoned in the pits of Sauron's stronghold of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. There he was tortured and Sauron took from him the last of the Dwarven Rings of Power, and left him there to die.

While on a mission to Dol Guldur, Gandalf the Grey came upon Thráin, and was given the old map. Thráin appeared so diminished that he had forgotten almost everything as well as his own name. Gandalf promised to deliver it to Thráin's son, but Thráin at the time had forgotten his name so Gandalf did not expect to be able to fulfill this promise. There Thráin died.

Years later Gandalf met with Thorin near Bree, and realized who the Dwarf he had met in Dol Guldur had been. He promised to help Thorin in his quest to the Lonely Mountain in many ways, the most notable of which was by inviting a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins along to fulfill the role of burglar.