Laketown

**Laketown** or **Esgaroth** is a city of Men in Wilderland. Built on the Long Lake, it was a unique form of human settlement in the Westlands. Ruled by a Master, it played a part in the events of the Quest of Erebor.

### Inhabitants

Lakemen (Master of Laketown, Alfrid, Hilda, Percy, Braga), descendants of Dale (Bard, Bain, Sigrid, Tilda)

## Description

Originally named Esgaroth, it was a large city built across from the shore near the north-western corner of the Long Lake, possibly after the fall of the Kingdom of Rhovanion. It was a trading center, where "fleets of boats [...] filled with silks and fine gems" would dock. It traded with Erebor, Dale, the Woodland Realm, Iron Hills, Dorwinion and realms of Rhun and Forod.

Due to the destruction of nearby Dale and the depopulation of the surrounding countryside, the old city was ruined, and a smaller town, built of wood, was erected, partially on the ruins of the older city. It was far less prosperous, but still supported a population of about 6,000 people while maintaining its role as a trade center for spices and wine, particularly between Dorwinion and the Woodland Realm, whose king was fond of the former land's wines. The town's own sustenance was largely dependant on fishing, which was done on wharfs some distance west of the town, and brought into it by Bargemen.

Lake-town had some establishments which were unique in the World of Men, including a mayor (The Master), the ability to call for elections, and even a daily gazette. Through Dwarvish influence, they also traded and used smoking tobacco.

## History

Esgaroth was probably established in TA 1856, when Easterling invasions decimated the Kingdom of Rhovanion and many of its people fled up the river Running. It was a large town made of stone, which was destroyed, probably after the Sack of Erebor in TA 2770. A new Laketown was built from wood on some of its ruins, and its people continued to make a living off of the trade route between Rhovanion and the Woodland Realm.

In October 2941, Thranduil had recieved a shipment of Dorwinion Wine Barrels through Laketown in anticipation of Mereth-nuin-Guiliath. The emptied barrles were to be sent back downstream where a Bargeman named Bard would collect them. Instead, the barrels were the tools for the escape of Thorin and Company, imprisoned in the Woodland Realm. Drifting downstream in the barrels, they met Bard and bribed him into smuggling them into the town, with the bargeman informing them the corrupt Master would rather turn them over to Thranduil.

The Dwarves lay hidden in the barrels as Bard reached the wharves where freshly-caught fish were loaded into them, covering the Dwarves. This would have gone unnoticed at the toll-gate, which was guarded by Bard's friend Percy, had it not been for the Master's councilor Alfrid who declared the fish illegal until Bard alerted him to the repercussions of dispensing with edible fish for bureaucratic reasons. He then unloaded the fish at the market, passing the bribe to the fish-seller. They were nearly caught by the guards, led by Braga, but several of these were incapacitated by the company and hidden by the people of Laketown, who took Bard's side over that of the corrupt Master and his guards.

Nevertheless, news of Dwarves made waves in the city and reached Alfrid and the Master, and the company rashly left Bard's house to raid the armoury. This resulted in their capture (partially due to the infirm Kili tumbling and alerting the guards). Thorin played on the Master's greed, which resulted in them being welcomed to an evening feast and then equipped and sent on their way. This was entirely self-serving for the Master, who payed no heed to the wounded Kili, left behind.

Eventually, Orcs led by Bolg tracked the company to Laketown where they found Kili and the remaining Dwarves in Bard's house, raiding it. They were fended off by Legolas and Tauriel who chased them, with Legolas fighting Bolg before the latter fled to the North. Meawhile, Kingsfoil retrieved from a nearby pig's pen aided Tauriel in healing Kili. Bard, an descendant of Girion, Lord of Dale, revealed the last Black Arrow and tried to sneak it into the bow on the Town-Hall, but was chased by the guards and finally captured by the Master and put into prison. His son, Bain, hid the arrow on a boat.

Later that night, Smaug, thinking that Bilbo was a man of Laketown, deduced the Lakemen had hatched a scheme with the Dwarves and went off to torch the town. Thorin tried to stop him in the Gallery of the Kings, but to no avail. Smaug conflagerated Laketown, but was stopped by Bard who shot the Black Arrow through his bald spot with the help of Bain. The fall of his corpse killed the Master and Braga. The survivors fled to the shore and later went for Dale. After the Battle of the Five Armies, these refugees both remade Dale and Laketown, which was much more prosperous given the new Kingdom Under the Mountain. Laketown sent emissaries to the Council of Elrond: Hugin and Ottar. They seemed in awe of the Ring and supported Boromir's argument for using it against Sauron.

## Etymology

Esgaroth appears to be Sindarin in shape and phonetic structure (and its the name the Elves seem to call the town quite consistently) but isn't actually Sindarin. Two etymologies exist for the name:

1. Deriving from the root-word *esgar*, meaning "reed-bed" in Ilkorin Elvish. The whole name *Esgaroth* translates as "…Reedlake, because of reed-banks in west".
2. Translated as "[?]strand-burg", from *esgar* "shore" (not given any designated language).