Follow Up to the Blue Mountains Question - Gundabad

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Since the Iron Hills were settled after the trouble the Dwarves had had with dragons when they initially tried to establish themselves in the Grey Mountains, and on the map they really do look approximately equidistant from the Withered heath as Gundabad, I just don't see fear of dragons as being a major factor in the failure of the Dwarves to reclaim the latter. If dragons had not come to the Iron Hills in all that time, why be troubled about Gundabad? I think there were other reasons.

Yes, of course they had other reasons: to settle Gundabad, you first had to wipe out the hosts of goblins there. Then there was the slight chance of a Dragon coming. Iron Hills didn't have the problem with the first prerequisite.

Also, if Iron Hills was something newly settled, then there is another good reason for the Dwarves to go there, of course: the chance to find something new in there. Gundabad was long explored and likely with nothing special in there.