As the home of the Woodland Elves, Mirkwood covered a vast area, stretching nearly six hundred kilometers from north to south and more than two hundred kilometers at its widest point. It occupied over a quarter of Rhovanion and was the largest forest in Middle-earth.
Within Mirkwood lay the Old Forest Road, also known as the Old Dwarves Road. It ran from the High Pass in the Misty Mountains in the west, crossed the abandoned bridge at the Old Ford, and cut through Mirkwood to the Running River in eastern Rhovanion. It was one of the few roads connecting the regions of Rhovanion.
The Longbeards had built this road during the Second Age, or even earlier.
Back then, the Dwarves of Durin's Folk had built magnificent halls in both Khazad-dûm and the Iron Hills. The bustling Old Forest Road sustained trade and communication between the two Dwarven realms.
But the world changed with the passage of time. After Durin's Bane appeared and Khazad-dûm became known as Moria, travelers on the Old Forest Road gradually grew scarce.
From then on, the Dark Lord's servants also began appearing in southern Mirkwood, poisoning the forest. Unable to endure their harassment, the Woodland Elves migrated toward Long Lake under the threat of Darkness.
Without the Elves' protection, the Old Forest Road fell into even greater disrepair.
By now, the Old Forest Road had been completely abandoned. Before the Battle of Five Armies, Woodland Dwellers often spotted Half-orcs riding Wargs along this deserted road, while its eastern stretch near the Running River had become completely overgrown with trees.
Today, for some reason, a company was traveling along the six-meter-wide road, while dark shapes occasionally flashed through the forest around them.
The riders speeding along the road were Allen and his troops. On the morning of