What of the Iron Hills?

[Otaku-sempai]

Following the Battle of the Five Armies, what became of the Iron Hills? Surely many of Dáin's followers must have relocated to Erebor after he became the King under the Mountain, but did they all leave the Iron Hills? Or did some remain, with a new lord who would have answered to Dain's authority? And who might that new lord have been? We know that by the time of the War of the Ring, at least, Dáin's son Thorin Stonehelm was dwelling in Erebor.

[Glorelendil]

Great opportunity for the development of something a bit sinister. I.e., one of the "evil" Dwarves we conjectured in another thread fills the power vacuum and undertakes a poorly considered (Shadow-influenced) course of policy...

[Arthadan]

I don't think Dwarves would close their Iron Hills mines, so what you propose (a new lord under the authority of the king) sounds right to me.

A messenger from Mordor offered Dain one of the Seven, as it is told in the Coucil of Elrond, and then erebor was attacked during the War of the Ring. Maybe the Iron Hills were cut off, overun or actually send some troops. Sounds like there is a story to be told there...

[Otaku-sempai]

The absence of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills in the War of the North is one of the things that got me thinking about this. They could well have been besieged, themselves, by a force of Easterlings. Or perhaps the new Lord of the Iron Hills accepted one of Sauron's Rings and became so paranoid that he kept his own army at home and closed his gates to outsiders.

[Terisonen]

That leave room for adventure and politics. I will remind of this fact and setting. Very interesting...

[Arthadan]

The absence of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills in the War of the North is one of the things that got me thinking about this. They could well have been besieged, themselves, by a force of Easterlings. Or perhaps the new Lord of the Iron Hills accepted one of Sauron's Rings and became so paranoid that he kept his own army at home and closed his gates to outsiders.

We actually know almost nothing regarding Rhovanion during the War of the Ring, so you could have it either way. But an emmisarie of Mordor giving one of the Seven would have been hard to hide plus I wonder if a proud Dwarf lord would accept it when offered in the second place. Inner treason and / or easterling attack sounds more like it (in my opinion).

I think in one of the official adventures we have a Easterling boy of royal blood with a Northman bodyguard. The boy is some king of prince whose throne has been usurped. Linking both ideas, restoring the boy to the throne could be the key to prevent the attack from the outside, but the heroes would have to deal also with the inner treason. A mini campaign with two related adventures.