Mount Gundabad was a mountain adjacent to the northern reaches of the Misty Mountains. It was revered by the Dwarves but usually occupied by Orcs.
Description
From the northern part of the Vales of Anduin, Mount Gundabad appeared to be the northern endpoint of the Misty Mountains and the western endpoint of the Grey Mountains, although slightly separated from both ranges. In actuality, the Misty Mountains continued past Mount Gundabad in a north-westerly direction (this extension was known as the Mountains of Angmar). In all maps the mountain was shown as having three conjoined peaks. Bordering Forodwaith to the north, the mountain undoubtedly had a cold climate.
According to the Dwarves, Durin the Deathless, eldest of the Fathers of the Dwarves, awoke at Mount Gundabad shortly after the Awakening of the Elves. From that time forward, the mountain was revered by the Dwarves. However, since Durin awoke alone he did not stay at the mountain; he walked southward until he founded Khazad-dûm. In the early ages, Mount Gundabad did serve as a place of assembly for delegations of Dwarves, yet there is no mention of any making permanent residence there.
In S.A. 1695, Sauron invaded Eriador. In 1697, he conquered Eregion and would have overwhelmed Elrond, leading refugees northward, but he was attacked in the rear by forces sent from Khazad-dûm. Sauron drove the Dwarves back but could not breach the Doors of Durin. Frustrated, he commanded the Orcs to harry the Dwarves wherever they could be found. Soon thereafter, came the First Sacking of Gundabad, followed by a long occupation by Orcs.
Around the year T.A. 1300, the realm of Angmar arose. Its lands lay on both sides of the Misty Mountains so Mount Gundabad was part of its domains. Although Angmar was destroyed in 1975, the last remnants of its people east of the mountains were driven away in 1977. Gundabad itself remained populated with Orcs.
After the death of King Thrór in 2790, the Dwarves gathered for vengeance. The War of the Dwarves and Orcs began in 2793 and the Second Sacking of Gundabad occurred. Although it is likely that the Dwarves cleared the mountain of all Orcs, the Orcs returned and Mount Gundabad again served as their capital in the North.
In 2941, Thorin Oakenshield, Gandalf, several Dwarves, and Bilbo Baggins, entered the Misty Mountains. While in the mountains, the Great Goblin was killed and the party escaped. Furious, the Orcs gathered at Mount Gundabad under the command of Bolg to seek revenge. Hearing of the death of Smaug, they marched on the Lonely Mountain. However, the Orcs lost the Battle of Five Armies and three parts of their numbers. Orcs still lived at Mount Gundabad by the end of the Third Age but in a very reduced state.