The story of Thorin Oakenshield and his quest to reclaim the lost kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug is the foundation for one of the greatest fantasy stories ever told: J. R. R. Tolkein's The Hobbit. Centuries before Thorin's company once again set foot in the halls of their ancestral home, however, his father led their people through some of the greatest trials in Dwarven history. Who was King Thrin II, the father of Thorin Oakenshield, and how did his actions shape the fate of the rest of Tolkien's mythology?