The Gathering of Five Armies

[Rich H]

Someone also posted this information a while back but I altered it slightly for my campaign - I think the only thing I changed were the dates though (ie, originally each yearly section occurred the year before I've listed it here), because I wanted to have some change taking place a year after the start of the campaign.

Anyway, here goes:

The Restoration of Dale
2550 – Dale is founded (approx).
2770 – Smaug attacks Dale and Erebor. Smaug takes Erebor.
2771 – Smaug lays waste to the surrounding region. Dale is abandoned.
2941 – Smaug is killed by Bard the Bowman. The Battle of Five Armies is fought.

2942 – Reconstruction Begins

• Dwarven survivors of the Battle of Five Armies under the rule of King Dain II reoccupy Erebor. Word is sent by raven to the Iron Hills and Blue Mountains that Erebor is retaken and there is a new king.
• Reconstruction Effort 20% Erebor / 80% Dale
• Focus is on restoring the transportation links (roads and bridges), irrigation canals, and docks on the River Running
• Some folk begin reoccupying the most substantial ruined buildings in Dale
• The first, most adventurous men, veterans of the battle, from Esgaroth and communities nearby begin to settle in Dale.
• Trade begins, mostly food coming up the River Running from Long Lake
• Source of food for Erebor: 10% Iron Hills, 90% Long Lake

2943 – Reconstruction Gains Momentum

• More dwarves from the Iron Hills arrive. The first trickle of dwarves from the Blue Mountains arrives towards the end of the year.
• Reconstruction Effort 40% Erebor / 60% Dale
• Focus is on restoring the farms and agricultural areas so farming can restart
• Reconstruction of Bard’s palace begins
• Some ruined, but still substantial buildings in Dale are repaired
• Trade expands, Dale begins to take some trade from Esragoth
• There is a slow but steady flow of people coming to settle. Word has spread. Settlers are coming from Esgaroth and the villages around Long Lake.
• Source of food for Erebor: 10% Iron Hills, 80% Long Lake, 10% Dale

2944 – Reconstruction Continues Apace

• The last of the Erebor descendants arrive from the Iron Hills. The first major influx of dwarves from the Blue Mountains arrives. The first Dwarven children are born in Erebor. It begins to feel like a city again.
• Reconstruction Effort 60% Erebor / 40% Dale
• The farming region immediately around Dale and down the River Running has its first big harvest.
• Construction of Bard’s palace is completed; work begins on the walls and gates. Many substantial ruined buildings have been restored. Ruins not worth saving are torn down and their stone is used to build new buildings.
• Trade blossoms, products from Erebor begin to flow in earnest. The local trade nexus begins to shift from Esgaroth to Dale.
• More people come. Word has spread to the smallest communities in the wilderness. Bard is a good king. His armies will protect the farmers. A city is being built. There is trade with the Dwarves and Elves. There is money to be made. New settlers arrive daily.
• Source of food for Erebor: 5% Iron Hills, 60% Long Lake, 35% Dale

2945 – Reconstruction at a Peak

• A few more dwarves from the Iron Hills trickle in, but most traffic is now commercial. The last major group from the Blue Mountains arrives. The remaining dwarves have decided to stay in the Blue Mountains.
• Reconstruction Effort 80% Erebor / 20% Dale
• Farms are being reestablished at a rapid rate. The irrigation canals provide water. The Desolation of Smaug blooms again. The harvests are very good.
• Reconstruction of Dales defenses are almost complete. Most of the ruins have been cleared away. Construction is everywhere. The streets are repaved with colored stones.
• Trade is booming. There is a pent up demand for Dwarven goods. Trade goods flow down the Forest River from Mirkwood, up the River Running from the Sea of Rhun, across the Brown Lands from Rohan and Gondor, around the forest from the Beornings and Woodmen, and across the High Pass from Bree.
• Dale begins to seriously overshadow Esgaroth as a trade hub.
• Immigration slows as those willing to move have done so. Esgaroth and Dale bustle with people. New farms are being established every day. People begin to have large families again. There are many babies and children about.
• Source of food for Erebor: 50% Long Lake, 50% Dale

2946 – Reconstruction Complete

• Dwarves continue cleaning, repairing and rebuilding their kingdom.
• Reconstruction Effort: 90% Erebor / 10% Dale
• The banks of the River Running blossom again. Farms only a year or two old produce large crops. The domestic animals thrive and multiply. Long Lake and Mirkwood limit expansion to the west. Farmers concentrate their efforts on the east bank of the River Running. Old irrigation canals are reopened.
• King Bard claims all the lands bounded by the River Running, Redwater and a line from Erebor to the Iron Hills. The term Barding comes into common use. The power of the King grows.
• The reconstruction of Dale is largely complete. New construction continues as expansion demands. The city is new and optimism abounds.
• The flow of trade goods along existing trade routes expands. Ancient trade routes are reestablished. Goods and money flows. Erebor’s demand for goods is endless.
• Dale eclipses Esgaroth as a center for commerce, however the greater volume of trade caused by the rebuilding of Dale means Esgaroth is more prosperous than ever. Esgaroth remains an important conduit of trade with the elves and as a transshipment point for goods flowing up the River Running.
• New settlers are few, but there is still a trickle in from the Wastes. More farmers from around Long Lake seek larger farms on the east bank of the River Running. Several villages around the lake become ghost towns.
• Source of food for Erebor: 25% Long Lake, 75% Dale

2947 – A Year From Now...

• The Upper Halls of Erebor are restored to their former glory. The dwarves have begun clearing the Lower Halls and started new excavations.
• Reconstruction Effort: 95% Erebor / 5% Dale
• King Bard’s armies extend their patrols to hunt down orcs and wargs to protect the ever-expanding farmlands. More than a day or two’s ride from the River Running the land is still wild and unforgiving.
• The farmlands of Dale produce food in abundance, enough for the bustling city of Dale and kingdom of Erebor. The farmers from around Long Lake have mostly moved east onto the ever-expanding farms of the Bardings. The remaining communities provide food for Esgaroth.
• There is little new construction within Dale. Work begins on building and expanding a network of small market towns on the eastern shores of the River Running.
• Caravans arrive and depart weekly in all directions. Experienced caravan masters, hardy traders and veteran caravan guards are in high demand.
• The expansion of farming is limited only by a lack of labor. The irrigation of the east bank returns the area to its former glory.
• New groves of trees appear here and there, some claim the elves are planting them. Whatever the source, birds and other wildlife begin to return in earnest to the Desolation of Smaug.
• Source of food for Erebor: 10% Long Lake, 90% Dale

I've used this to embellish my descriptions of Dale and the lands surrounding it to illustrate the changes taking place. I think it'd also be useful to refer to during the festival.