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“ | I shaped the history of Middle-earth. I crafted the Rings of Power... | „ |
~ Celebrimbor to Talion. |
“ | 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's speech in the arena. |
Celebrimbor, also known as the Bright Lord, is the deuteragonist of the 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its 2017 sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War, and the titular main protagonist of its 2015 DLC The Bright Lord, and one of the two overarching protagonists (alongside Galadriel) of its DLC Light of Galadriel.
He is the Elf lord who created the nine rings of powers, and was betrayed and killed by the dark lord Sauron. He and Talion share the same body when Celebrimbor is called by the Black hand, deciding to help the ranger get his revenge against the Black Captains.
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 and instead says 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.
He is voiced by Alastair Duncan, who also voiced Nihlus Kryik in Mass Effect, and Mimir in 2018's God of War and God of War: Ragnarok.
Biography[]
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, the 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 instructed 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 Sauron's 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 Sauron's. A war progresses between the two until finally, the two superpowers 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 Celebrimbor's finger and onto Sauron's. With the power of the One Ring once again, Sauron takes Celebrimbor captive.
Following this, Sauron proceeds to slaughter Celebrimbor's wife and daughter as vengeance, while Celebrimbor is forced to watch. Once both lay dead, Sauron then uses Celebrimbor's own smithing hammer to viciously 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. Celebrimbor and Talion forge a new ring, but it's taken by Shelob and decided to continue their journey to defeat Sauron. During the journey, Celebrimbor's past is further explored, such as him helping Sauron with each ring he crafted. When Talion refuses to follow Celebrimbor's orders after freeing Isildur, Celebrimbor leaves Talion's body and instead works with Eltariel to defeat Sauron.
Despite defeating Sauron, when preparing to dominate the dark lord, Sauron manages to merge with Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor and Sauron battled in the great eye until the latter was destroyed when the One Ring falls into Mount Doom. Celebrimbor's spirit is freed from the eye, and he is seen leaving, but Eltariel decides to follow him.
Skills 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.
Quotes[]
“ | It is so fine a gift. | „ |
~ Celebrimbor to Sauron, who is guised as Annatar. |
“ | 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. |
“ | 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. |
“ | Face me, Sauron! | „ |
~ Celebrimbor calling out Sauron. |
“ | You have no claim, Deceiver! I AM THE TRUE LORD OF THE RINGS! | „ |
~ Celebrimbor to Sauron. |
“ | Finally...all will fear me and rejoice! | „ |
~ Celebrimbor at the end of The Bright Lord DLC. |
“ | 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. |
“ | 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 at the end of Shadow of Mordor. |
“ | 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. |
“ | 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. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Duncan also worked with Troy Baker and Nolan North again in Shadow of War and 2018s God of War.
See Also[]
- Celebrimbor at the Villains Wiki.