Minor Battles in The Lord of The Rings - Fight in The Chamber of Mazarbul

Fight in The Chamber of Mazarbul

Combatants: The Fellowship vs. Moria Forces

In the chapter "The Bridge of Khazad-dûm" of The Fellowship of the Ring, the Fellowship is attacked by Orcs in the Chamber of Mazarbul (Chamber of Records) in Moria.

Pippin had foolishly dropped a stone into a well in a guard-room some days earlier, and it is probable that the Orcs were alerted to the intruders' presence. These Orcs had previously fought and wiped out an expedition of Dwarves led by Balin, who had set off to re-colonize the mines, long-abandoned by their folk. The Chamber of Mazarbul contained Balin's tomb.

The attackers included both common Orcs and larger black Uruks of Mordor — the first time the Uruk-hai are mentioned in the book (though the term "Uruk-hai" first appears in The Two Towers). The Fellowship tried to bar the doors to the chamber on the attackers' side (there were two doorways) with broken weapons, but a cave-troll beat on the doors and forced a foot and a scaly arm through.

Boromir hacked at the arm, but only notched his sword. Frodo pierced the foot with Sting and drove the troll off. The Orcs loosed arrows through holes made in the doors, hitting no one. At last, the orcs managed to break their way through the doors, and a fierce skirmish ensued.

Legolas shot two Orcs through the throat, while Gimli hewed the legs from under one. Aragorn and Boromir killed many. Sam received a cut on his scalp but killed his assailant.

When the Fellowship had downed 13 Orcs, the rest fled outside; then a large Orc-chieftain charged, pinning Frodo to the wall with a spear. Aragorn killed the chieftain and carried Frodo away as they left the chamber through the doors on their side, thinking him dead. It is later revealed that Frodo was only bruised, thanks to his hidden mithril chainmail.

Gandalf remained in the chamber while the rest of the Fellowship fled, and set a shutting-spell on the other door. But then a mysterious creature arrived and put a counter-spell on the doors, making them open. Gandalf then used a "word of Command" to shut the doors, but they broke under the magical strain, and the Chamber collapsed. Gandalf only just escaped, and said to the others that he had met his match.

In the same chapter the mysterious creature is revealed to be a Balrog of Morgoth.