In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the Master rules Lake-town during the journey to the Lonely Mountain.
Lake-town, also called Esgaroth, is a settlement built on wooden platforms in Long Lake. Thorin Oakenshield and his companions reach it after traveling through Mirkwood and crossing the lake. The town’s people provide them with boats, supplies, and a public welcome when Thorin claims his royal descent.
The Master is an elected or officially recognized leader whose personal name Tolkien does not provide. He is portrayed as cautious, self-interested, and concerned with public opinion. His administration benefits from Thorin’s arrival because the townspeople celebrate the possibility that the Dwarves will restore prosperity to the region. The settlement’s history is tied to Dale, the older human city near Erebor, and to the destruction caused by Smaug. Lake-town is often confused with Dale, but they are separate places: Lake-town lies on Long Lake, while Dale stands beneath the Lonely Mountain.