Celebrimbor (Shadow of Mordor)

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Evil-doer
Full Name	Celebrimbor
Alias	The Bright Lord The Wraith The Gravewalker (shared with Talion) The Ring-maker (by The Tower of Sauron) The Elf Silver Hand Little Elf Lord Thief (by Sauron and Gollum) Arrogant Fool (by Sauron) Bright Master (by Gollum) Ringmaker (by Shelob) Elf-lord (by The Black Hand of Sauron) True Lord of the Rings (by himself)
Origin	Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Occupation	Wraith Elven blacksmith (formerly) King of Eregion (formerly) Wielder of the One Ring (formerly) Wielder of the New Ring (formerly) Talion and Eltariel's companion (formerly)
Powers / Skills	Intelligence Intimidation Deception Cunningness Expert tactician Expert strategist Expert forging skills Archery Swordplay Manipulation Skilled bowman Knife-fighting The One Ring (temporarily) The New Ring (formerly) Various spectral powers as a Wraith: Branding Domination Shaming
Hobby	Forging (formerly). Killing orcs. Finding and branding Orcs to make them join his cause.
Goals	Use the One Ring against Sauron as the Bright Lord (failed). Reunite with his Family (failed). Destroy Sauron and take Mordor for himself (failed). Help Talion get his revenge against the Black Captains (succeeded). Forge a new Ring of Power with which to destroy Sauron and supplant him as the new Lord of Mordor (failed).
Crimes	Theft Abuse of power Treason Destruction Mind control Mongering Vandalism Conspiracy Corruption Enslavement Assassination Mass murder Psychological abuse Attempted mass mongering Attempted world domination
Type of Villain	Dark Lord Wannabe

“	Finally...all will fear me and rejoice!	„
	~ Celebrimbor moments before merging into Talion.

“	This isn't about your petty vengeance or mine...this is about restoring order to Mordor. To all of Middle-earth. "The end you fought for"? You are but a vessel...and there are others.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion, betraying him.

Celebrimbor the Bright Lord, otherwise simply known as Celebrimbor, is one of the two main player controlled characters of the video games Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.

Despite this, Celebrimbor is in fact the secret antagonist to Middle-Earth: Shadow of War thereby making him a villain protagonist.

Having been corrupted by the One Ring long ago and Celebrimbor now exists as an undead wraith, determined to not only get his revenge on Sauron, but also to replace Sauron as a would-be ruler of Middle-Earth. This is reflected in how he is the "Bright Lord" to Sauron's "Dark Lord".

He is voiced by Alastair Duncan, who also voiced Senator Steven Armstrong in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and Curtis Blackburn in Killer7.

Backstory

Celebrimbor was a Ñoldorin prince, last of the House of Fëanor left in Middle-earth, ruler of the Second Age realm of Eregion, He was the son of Curufin, fifth son of Fëanor and Nerdanel.

One day, he was approached by Sauron in his fair form who introduced himself as 'Annatar the lord of gifts'. In this form, Sauron claimed he was sent as an emissary of the Valar and gifted Celebrimbor a mithril smithing hammer, much to Celebrimbor's amazement and gratitude, commenting that "it is so fine a gift." Eventually over time 'Annatar' earned Celebrimbor trust by sharing his incredible knowledge of ringcraft ultimately deceiving Celebrimbor into forging the 16 rings of power. In secret however Celebrimbor used everything he learned to forge the 3 greatest rings Vilya, Narya and Nenya.

When Sauron created the One Ring, Celebrimbor along with the other elves immediately felt the ring's presence and became aware of 'Annatar's' true identity and intentions. The elves then immediately removed their rings of power thus thwarting Sauron's plan for domination. In fury Sauron invaded Eregion and, despite his best efforts the city fell and Celebrimbor was captured by Sauron along with his family, taking them all to Mordor in chains. Celebrimbor was brought before Sauron to the heart of Mount Doom where he caught sight of the One Ring for the first time and was instantly captivated by the ring's incredible power and consequently pledged his allegiance to the Dark Lord, handing over his knowledge on the location of the other rings.

The two smiths would work on perfecting and refining the One Ring further in order to mask its incredible power. It is very possible that it was during this period of time that the duo visited Helm Hammerhand on his deathbed and gifted him with a ring of power subsequently saving his life but also dooming him to an eternity of servitude as one of Sauron's Nazgûl. In time Celebrimbor not only successfully masked the ring's power but in addition gave the One Ring "a will of its own".

When Sauron picked up the finished ring with thongs to examine their great masterpiece however Celebrimbor chose that moment to show his true intentions by slipped his finger through the now complete ring in Sauron's hands and using its powers made a quick escape from a shocked and furious Sauron resolving to use the power of the One Ring against the deceiver in order to avenge his family, whom he believed slain.

For a time, his efforts appeared to be successful as one by one Sauron's warchiefs fell under the control of the newly proclaimed Bright Lord. At first Sauron threatened Celebrimbor for his treachery and attempted to intimidate him into returning what he stole however as time went on and Dark Lord lost more and more ground the he became fearful and eventually desperate even attempting to bargain with the fallen elf lord by offering both his family's safety and a position of power by his side should he return the ring however, Celebrimbor now drunk with the power of the One refused both believing them to be little more than the deceiver's lies.

Eventually the final warchief fell and Sauron was left with no choice but to take to the field himself. In an attempt at gaining a psychological advantage Sauron unveiling Celebrimbor's family alive but in chains. However this plan backfired as the elf lord instead flew into a rage and using the One Ring's power, easily cut his way through Sauron's orc army to reach the Dark Lord. There the Bright and Dark Lords of Mordor fought as their armies clashed in a devastating battle. Celebrimbor with the One Ring in hand ultimately held an enormous advantage over the weakened Sauron and consequently toppled him in single combat.

When Celebrimbor raised his blade prepared to finish off his helpless opponent the tide suddenly turned, the One Ring, sensing its master's defeat, chose this critical moment to fall off the finger of Celebrimbor and onto that of Sauron. Now reunited with his ring the Dark Lord rose again restored to his full might and easily struck down the powerless Celebrimbor, taking him back to his fortress of Barad-dûr in chains. Enraged by his near defeat Sauron struck down Celebrimbor's wife and daughter as he was forced to watch helplessly before returning to his fair form and approaching the defeated elf lord.

The Bright Lord shared one final look of mutual hatred with his adversary before being brutally beaten with the very hammer gifted to him upon their first meeting, forever scarring his face. Finally Sauron finished him off with the hammer' s claw. For his role in the creation of the rings of power and his treachery in working with the deceiver coupled with his own personal desire for vengeance Celebrimbor was both denied and unable to find peace and instead wondered the lands of Mordor waiting for the opportunity to strike back against the Dark Lord once more.

As A Wraith

Years later, Celebrimbor's wraith would become bound to the recently killed Gondorian Ranger Talion. Joining forces with him, Celebrimbor convinced Talion they were on the same side, and they began waging war with Sauron's Uruks in the lands of Mordor. Eventually though, Talion learned that Celebrimbor was actively preventing him from passing on to be with his slain family, but even after this deception was exposed, Celebrimbor convinced Talion to maintain their bond so they could keep up the fight against Sauron (a fight in which Celebrimbor cared more for revenge than protecting Middle-Earth's people).

After defeating Sauron, Celebrimbor and Talion maintained their bond for the purposes of forging a new ring of power to counter Sauron's own. With this, Celebrimbor secretly plotted to not only take his revenge on Sauron, but also amass more power for himself and take the lands of Mordor for his own as the Bright Lord. This stood in contrast to Talion's goals, as Talion wished to actually keep Middle-Earth safe. One of the many bones of contention between them was the fate of the Gondorian fortress Minas Ithil: Celebrimbor cared not for what happened to it, arguing that it would "go the way of all flesh", whereas Talion was set on keeping it safe. This along with his growing obsession with the New Ring, showed his turn into villainy.

Quotes

Part 1

“	It is so fine a gift.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to a disguised Sauron.

“	Sauron's army is without number, my kingdom lies in ruins and family is in chains. And yet... in The One I have a weapon that could reforge my fates, and illuminate the path through this darkness.	„
	~ Celebrimbor in the opening of The Bright Lord DLC.

“	I have a power greater than death. I will forge these Uruks into an army of my own. As the first Dark Lord tortured and corrupted the elves, I will redeem them in flame. They will be MINE!	„
	~ Celebrimbor after using the power of the One Ring.

“	You will build a tower in MY name! Erect a monolith for your Bright Lord in defiance of the Shadow!	„
	~ Celebrimbor after gaining a group of Uruks.

“	Without the One Ring you are nothing! I will tear down Barad-dûr and rebuild Eregion in the ruins. Release my family and I will let you serve me... Bringer of Gifts.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Sauron.

“	You know nothing of true power, Sauron! The light will always prevail! All who resist will be burnt by it!	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Sauron.

“	Come face me, Sauron! Let us end this once and for all! You will be destroyed!	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Sauron after branding five captains.

“	Face me, Sauron!	„
	~ Celebrimbor calling out Sauron.

“	You have no claim, Deceiver! I AM THE TRUE LORD OF THE RINGS!	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Sauron.

“	You are banished from death. Cast adrift between the worlds of light and dark. A curse binds us together within the walls of Arda.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion in the opening of Shadow of Mordor.

“	What do you know about the Black Hand of Sauron?	„
	~ Celebrimbor dominating an Uruk, asking for the Black Hand.

“	I shaped the history of Middle-earth. I crafted the Rings of Power...	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion upon gaining his memories.

“	I see you!	„
	~ One of Celebrimbor's domination quotes.

“	You will obey!	„
	~ One of Celebrimbor's domination quotes.

“	Suffer me now!	„
	~ One of Celebrimbor's domination quotes.

“	Do not resist!	„
	~ One of Celebrimbor's domination quotes.

“	We bow to no one.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to the Tower of Sauron.

“	Silence!	„
	~ Celebrimbor after the Tower reveals to Talion that he is a vessel.

“	I thought you wanted revenge. I can leave you. But there is only one way to close the circle. The Black Hand remains.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion.

“	Thief? It was mine to keep.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Gollum on the One Ring.

“	Stike now, Talion. I cannot hold him for much longer...	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion to strike Sauron.

“	The Black Hand of Sauron is dead. The Hither Shore is calling us. This is no longer our battle. I tried fighting him. It can't be done.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion.

Part 2

“	Talion. Talion.	„
	~ Celebrimbor calling for Talion after being captured by Shelob.

“	You have doomed us, Talion. Her power was vast before and now you have given her mine. I poured my life force into that ring.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion on giving Shelob the New Ring.

“	It is a gift. We shall use the enemy's weapons against him.	„
	~ Celebrimbor's spirit to Talion.

“	So, Talion, did we make a difference?	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion after aiding Baranor.

“	The only reason to go back is for my ring.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion on returning to Shelob, showing his growing obsession over the New Ring.

“	For fighting this pitiful enemy, the Dark Lord promised mercy! Gaze now upon the Bright Lord...I MAKE NO SUCH OFFER! Run! Run! Run to your master and give him this message...I COME FOR HIM!	„
	~ Celebrimbor after defeating Sauron's champion in the arena.

“	There was a time when I thought of them every day...That was a long time ago.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion on remembering his past life and family.

“	I like him!	„
	~ Celebrimbor upon seeing Brûz's prowess in the combat arena.

“	Edwenno o gwath!	„
	~ Celebrimbor dominating a captain.

“	Nan ¡Chir Gelair!	„
	~ Celebrimbor dominating a captain.

“	Ochedin Valannor!	„
	~ Celebrimbor dominating a captain.

“	You are mine!	„
	~ Celebrimbor dominating a captain.

“	Knee before me!	„
	~ Celebrimbor dominating a captain.

“	On your knees!	„
	~ Celebrimbor dominating a captain.

“	Abandon your master and serve me!	„
	~ Celebrimbor claiming a captain.

“	Here, my enemies will find no weakness! No mercy! Only the unassailable strength of MY ARMY!!!	„
	~ Celebrimbor after reclaiming the fort from Brûz.

“	You are no use to me!	„
	~ Celebrimbor casting out a follower.

“	You disgust me!	„
	~ Celebrimbor shaming a captain.

“	Crawl away from me, cur!	„
	~ Celebrimbor shaming a captain.

“	I only kill true warriors!	„
	~ Celebrimbor shaming a captain.

“	Accept your bright lord!	„
	~ Celebrimbor calling in allies.

“	Of all the Nazgul, his fall was most tragic.	„
	~ Celebrimbor on Helm Hammerhand.

“	We have conquered the forts of Mordor...but it is still not ours! Sauron's army advances, ready to butcher every last one of us! But we will not die under his rule! We do not serve the Dark Lord! We will sally forth on the battlefield and take this land for our own! You fight for Mordor! You fight for the BRIGHT LORD! CHARGE!	„
	~ Celebrimbor to his army in the beginning of Act 3.

“	This isn't about your petty vengeance or mine...this is about restoring order to Mordor. To all of Middle-earth. "The end you fought for"? You are but a vessel...and there are others.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Talion.

“	You will serve the Bright Lord now.	„
	~ Celebrimbor to Sauron, confronting him with Eltariel.

“	Your time is over.	„
	~ Celebrimbor while battling Sauron.

Gallery

Celebrimbor before becoming a Wraith.

Celebrimbor and Sauron in his fair form.

Celebrimbor fights against Sauron.

Celebrimbor captured by Sauron's minions.

Celebrimbor after creating the one ring for Sauron.

Celebrimbor in his memories.

Celebrimbor in the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor story expansion, The Bright Lord.

Celebrimbor leading his army against Sauron.

Celebrimbor in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Celebrimbor and Talion.

Celebrimbor in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, merged with Talion.

Celebrimbor attempting to negotiate with Shelob for his ring, telling her he will bring Sauron in chains.

Celebrimbor branding an Orc.

Celebrimbor betraying Talion.

Celebrimbor offers Eltariel the ring so that they can defeat Sauron.

Celebrimbor and Eltariel confront Sauron.

Celebrimbor fights Sauron once more.

Celebrimbor manages to defeat Sauron, attempting to dominate him.

Celebrimbor being forcingly merged by Sauron.

Celebrimbor and Sauron in the great eye; fighting for dominance.

Celebrimbor escapes from the great eye upon the destruction of the One Ring.

Trivia

• As an Elf turned to Darkness by the One Ring and planning to overthrow Sauron as a supposed "Bright" Lord to his Dark Lord, Celebrimbor is in essence the embodiment of everything Galadriel feared turning into, and indeed what she nearly became when offered the One Ring by Frodo Baggins.
• His being an excellent Elven blacksmith who forged items of great power coveted by a Dark Lord and then went mad in his attempts to reclaim those same artifacts, is all quite similar to the story of his grandfather, Feanor, who like Celebrimbor is one of the few Elves in the mythos to qualify as a villain.
• In Shadow of War, one of the ways for Talion to finish off an Uruk has Celebrimbor's form materializing and killing the Uruk with a ghostly apparition of his smithing hammer in a manner identical to how Sauron killed him.
• His voice actor also voiced Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman. This is an interesting coincidence, as Talion (who Celebrimbor aids and works with), voiced Batman in Batman: The Telltale Series.
• The only reason Celebrimbor's rebellion ended in failure was due to the One Ring forsaking him at a critical point and returning to its true master. In the biggest twist of irony, this feat was only possible due to Celebrimbor's earlier modifications on the ring in order to give it "a will of its own". If the elf lord had not modified the One Ring to include this ability then it could well be possible that he would have succeeded in his rebellion.
• It is possible that Talion and Celebrimbor truly considered each other friends and brothers in arms given their connection and similar pasts. This can be evidenced in Shadow of War where if the player decides to pursue the lost Gondorian artifacts the two would at times banter and joke with each other.
• Alastair Duncan and Troy Baker would work together again in 2018's God of War.
  • Duncan would also work with Nolan North (who voiced The Black Hand of Sauron in Shadow of Mordor) again in Shadow of War and God of War, with the latter voicing Zog the Eternal, Isildur and Modi.