Celebrimbor

Celebrimbor is one of the two player-controlled protagonists in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor alongside Talion. However, they share the same body.

At the start of the game, after the slaughter at the Black Gate, Celebrimbor is joined with Talion as a vessel to take revenge. He does not tell Talion this, instead saying that they are bound together by a curse and that The Black Hand must be killed for it to be broken. Throughout the game, he and Talion seek to find out his identity, attempting to track down Gollum in order to do so. Once they discover his identity, Celebrimbor decides to keep increasing his power, with the aim of destroying the Dark Lord Sauron.

Background
Celebrimbor was a Ñoldorin prince, last of the House of Fëanor left in Middle-earth, ruler of the Second Age realm of Eregion, and the forger of the Rings of Power. He was the son of Curufin, fifth son of Fëanor and Nerdanel. Celebrimbor settled into Eregion during the Second Age, and in SA 1500, Sauron befriended him, claiming to be sent down by the Valar as an emissary. He then took control of the smiths and instructing them to craft a set of rings, which would eventually become the Rings of Power, as he in secret created the most powerful of them all, the One Ring.

Celebrimbor was the one to forge the most powerful of the rings, only weaker to Sauron's very own. These were the rings of the Elves: Vilya, Narya and Nenya. Unable to lay his hands on them, Sauron attacked Eregion, destroying the land and capturing Celebrimbor, putting him under extreme torment until he disclosed the whereabouts of the lesser rings. But Celebrimbor refused to disclose the locations of the Elvish rings, and thus he died under harsh conditions and the torture he was subjugated to.

This caused Celebrimbor to become a Wraith. And hundreds of years later, during the period of the Third Age, he possessed the Ranger Talion, setting the events of their revenge into motion.

War with Sauron
It is revealed later that Celebrimbor was not killed at the hands of Sauron after Saurons assault on Eregion, but instead brought to Mordor to perfect the One Ring. It is here that Celebrimbor imbues the ring with a "mind of its own". However, Celebrimbor, tempted by the power of the ring, at the last moment steals the ring, slipping into the Wraith world to escape Sauron.

Celebrimbor, corrupted by the power of the ring and determined to now conquer Mordor, builds an army to match Saurons. A war between the two progresses, until finally the two super powers meet at a large battle. Celebrimbor uses the ring to best Sauron in single combat, having nearly mastered its powers. However, at the last moment before the killing blow, the ring (having a mind of its own) slips off of Celebrimbors finger and onto Saurons. With the power of the One Ring once again, Sauron takes Celebrimbor captive.

Following this, Sauron proceeds to slaughter Celebrimbors wife and daughter as vengeance, while Celebrimbor is forced to watch. Once both lay dead, Sauron then uses Celebrimbors own smithing hammer to visciously beat him in the head, finally using the pick side to finish him off. It is at this point Celebrimbor becomes a wraith, destined to be so until such a time when he can once again battle Sauron.

After the Black Hand is slain, Celebrimbor is finally allowed to rest in peace. However, he chooses not to do so, instead deciding to try and destroy Sauron.

Skils and Abilities
Due to Celebrimbor's Elvish heritage, he was very skilled with his bow.

As a Wraith, Celebrimbor does not use conventional arrows, but instead conjures arrows for himself. These arrows can be set aflame by Celebrimbor or used to pin his enemies' feet to the ground.

As well as being skilled with a bow, Celebrimbor is seen to be skillful with a sword, being able to cut through swarms of Uruks with little effort.

Celebrimbor, like Talion, is also capable of performing a number of acrobatic feats. He can climb large structures in a relatively short amount of time, and with little effort. He grants some of his athleticism to Talion, allowing him to run faster for a short amount of time. This speed is aided by his Wraith abilities to allow him to move quicker.

Not only is Celebrimbor efficient in the art of combat and in the use of Wraith abilities, but he is also a highly skilled smith, with three of the Rings of Power (the Elven rings) being crafted by him.