a Dûrbaghâsh or Fire-Ruler
Of all of Moria's Orcs, the Durbaghâsh (or. "Firerulers") were the most skilled in the arts of mining and smithcraft. Their symbol, a simple blood-red circlet, betrayed their passion for "burning fury." They bore the circlet on their shields and wore it on their foreheads (as a brand), proclaiming themselves as the most obvious host among an unsubtle race. The Fire-rulers resided in the First and Second Deeps, but they seeked control over all of Moria's mines and smith-halls. They hoped to seize those sites held by their weaker but more numerous Snaga brethren. The Snagahai controlled the westernmost reaches of the upper and central Deeps; however, they faced considerable pressure from the Durbaghash. Moving slowly and steadily westward into Snaga territory, Fire-ruler war-bands systematically slaughtered any Snagahai they encountered, collecting food, territory, weaponry, and trinkets. The Durbaghash averaged about four feet in height and had a grey-black complexion. They carried oval shields and heavy scimitars. War-band chiefs and champions often bore stout spears and falchions and dressed in chain armor, but the majority of Fire-rulers traveled relatively light. The Durbaghash relied on quick, pitiless strikes to achieve their goals. Led by an unstable, and often deranged Hobgoblin, Maugrath the Pale, they were given to making peculiar and capricious demands and then launching devastating and unpredictable assaults. Their ever-angry, five foot tall Chieftain prefered war as a means of settling disputes and honing the skills of his two hundred and forty Orc fighters. Thirty-six mail-armored, Wolf-riding bodyguards comprised the core of Maugrath's host. Accompanied by a like number of Wargs, they acted as the Fire-rulers' elite shock troops. They also kept their fiery brethren in line. Maugrath's ruthless persona and fondness for elaborate sacrificial ceremonies endeared him to many of his subjects, but others only responded to the threat of the lash or the prospect of ritual execution. The Durbaghash took prisoners only when they needed slaves. Otherwise, they slaughtered all of their captives. Some prisoners found their way to the open fire-pits or the dinner table, while others ended up a Fire-ruler tribute and suffered their end in the awful care of the heinous Balrog.