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The Valaraukar, the Balrogs of Morgoth, were Maiar affiliated with the elements of fire and smoke, who were suborned by Morgoth in the days of his glory and became some of his greatest minions. In the Years of the Lamps and Trees, there were dozens of Balrogs, but after the War of the Powers only ten remained, and they became known as the Balrog-lords, the greatest of their kind to survive, and they terrorized the Free Peoples of the First Age. These demons of might served as fearsome warriors, bodyguards and military commanders for Morgoths armies in the Wars of Beleriand.
After the downfall of Morgoth, the few surviving Balrog-lords buried themselves beneath the earth to the least accessible places, especially in the tunnels dug by the Nameless Things in the mountains of Arda. By the Fourth Age, they were believed to have all been purged when the Dwarves reclaimed their lost holds.