When word reached the dwarves that Smaug was dead, they did not celebrate. They looked at each other, and then at the Mountain, and they knew that a new danger was coming.
The treasure of the Mountain was now undefended. And everyone wanted it.
Within days, armies began to gather. The elves of Mirkwood marched to the Mountain, led by their king. The men of Lake-town, led by Bard, came to claim compensation for their destroyed homes. And Thorin, inside the Mountain, refused to give them anything.
"This treasure is ours by right!" he declared. "Our ancestors mined it, shaped it, earned it. The dragon stole it, and now we have reclaimed it. We will not give a single coin to anyone!"
Bungo watched the negotiations with growing unease. He saw the greed in Thorin's eyes, the way the dwarf-king had changed. The treasure was corrupting him, turning him into something hard and cold.
And then came word of a third army: goblins and wargs, massing in the mountains, drawn by the promise of war and plunder. They were coming to claim the Mountain for themselves.
The dwarves, elves, and men faced a choice: fight each other, or fight together against the common enemy.