A city of Men at the foot of the Lonely Mountain (Erebor), closely linked to the Dwarf-kingdom within. Dale was destroyed by Smaug when the dragon conquered Erebor, but after Smaug's death it is rebuilt by Bard the Bowman and his descendants. By the time of the War of the Ring, Dale is once again a prosperous trading city, and its warriors fight alongside the Dwarves of Erebor against Sauron's eastern forces.