How nice to see a Dwarven thread among all the Hobbits, Heros and Elves. (Mind you, all the Free Peoples of M.E. have their own gifts, but this is an interesting change.) What an intriguing question, Kuruharan.
Kuruharan wrote:
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My essential question is was the Lonely Mountain inhabited before the Kings of Durin’s Folk moved in and set up shop there?
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HerenIstarion wrote:
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Probable (and speculative) reason for dwarven 'unwilling' for taking up Erebor may have been its 'Loneliness' - being 'lonely', it was easier to besiege (even if it was fully manned, or rather, 'dwarfed') than Iron Hills or any other mountain range, given sufficiently large army, of course.
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I agree with HerenIstarion regarding the reason why Erebor was not settled before Thrain I and his exiles arrived.
Thinking about it, I wonder if Erebor had been discovered by the Dwarves and minimally developed as a sort of 'emergency' resting/hiding place. (The Dwarven equivalent of a Motel 6, lol?) If your people are in control of a mountain range or two, one lone mountain days away from your nearest kin or tribe wouldn't sound that desirable as a place to live, but it might come in handy for travelling parties needing shelter in the Wild. If Erebor was excavated only to hold small numbers of Dwarves originally, that could explain why the dwarves didn't discover any precious metals or gems before Thrain I arrived and began more extensive work.