In "The Hobbit", the protagonist Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit in comfortable middle age, is hired as a "burglar", despite his initial objections, by the wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves led by their king in exile, Thorin Oakenshield. The Dwarves are on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasures from the dragon Smaug. The adventure takes Bilbo and his companions through the wilderness, to the elf haven of Rivendell, across the Misty Mountains where, escaping from goblins, he meets Gollum and acquires a magic ring. His journey continues via a lucky escape from wargs, goblins, and fire, to the house of Beorn the shapeshifter, through the black forest of Mirkwood, to Lake-town in the middle of Long Lake, and eventually to the Mountain itself.