Talion

Talion was the Captain of the Rangers of Gondor. He was married to Ioreth and had a son with her called Dirhael. Talion is the player-controlled protagonist in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, alongside Celebrimbor. However, the two share the same body.

Portrayal in adaptations
Agreeing, he will use anything the Wraith (who has his own motives) gives him to kill those responsible. Talion hunts down and kills Uruk Captains, and makes a reluctant alliance with Ratbag the Coward, helping Ratbag become a War Chief. During this, Talion encounters Gollum (who is looking for his "Precious") who is able see the wraith form of Celebrimbor (whom he calls The "Bright Master).

Gollum helps them to find gifts of The Bright Master's past that, through touching them, grants visions of Celebrimbor's past. Collecting and finding the gifts, he learns Celebrimbor was an Elf-Lord who crafted the rings of power alongside Sauron the deceiver.

Helping Hirgon, a former slave, destroy the statue of Sauron at an uruk stronghold, The Hammer of Sauron comes and kills War Chief Ratbag (for being the only surviving War Chief). Talion battles and kills The Hammer. Afterward, he meets Lithariel, the daughter of Queen Marwen, who claims to be able to assist Celebrimbor with his mission. Marwen is the ruler of Núrn, a kingdom of sea raiders located in the south of Mordor. She uses prophetic powers to guide Talion and Celebrimbor to another of Celebrimbor's relics.

Talion also gets help from a Dwarf hunter named Torvin, teaching Talion the ways of the hunt to dominate Caragors and Graugs (beasts native to Mordor), eventually fighting a massive Graug from Torvin's past who killed Torvin's hunting partner, later revealed to be his brother. Later, Marwen advises them to use Celebrimbor's powers to take control of an army of orcs and other beasts, using them to lead an assault against Sauron.

Talion eventually realizes that the wizard Saruman is possessing Marwen, and assists Lithariel in freeing her from his control. Talion, however, still carries out Saruman's plan, leading an army of mind-controlled orcs in an assault against the Black Hand's stronghold at Ered Glamhoth. However, rather than the Black Hand, Talion finds the Tower of Sauron waiting for him. The two battle and Talion emerges victorious after viciously stabbing the Tower to death with his son's sword.

Talion now travels to the Black Gate for a final confrontation with the Black Hand. The Black Hand quickly incapacitates him with a spell that also restores the last of Celebrimbor's memories. He then kills himself as part of a ritual that forces Celebrimbor to depart from Talion and merge with himself. This allows Sauron to possess the Black Hand's body and incarnate in physical form. However, Celebrimbor is able to briefly paralyze Sauron from within, allowing Talion to destroy Sauron's physical form. With the Black Hand dead, Celebrimbor wishes to depart for Valinor. Talion instead convinces him to stay and attempt to overthrow Sauron. Gazing at Mount Doom Talion declares his intention to forge a new Ring of Power

Personality
Talion is a rather humble individual and as the captain of the Black Gate was respected by the men under his command. As a knight, he has a sense of honour upon the battlefield. After the death of his family and subsequently revived by Celebrimbor, Talion became grieven with remorse for being unable to save his wife and son and set out to kill those responsible.

Skills and Abilities
Being a ranger of Gondor for most of his life, Talion is skilled in swordsmanship and stealth, as archery (though capable himself) is mainly used by Celebrimbor. Skillful in swords and daggers, Talion defeats all Uruk's with his own abilities, and Wraith abilities. His experience as a Ranger has also provided Talion with a reasonable degree of stealth efficiency, as he is capable of moving swiftly to eliminate his enemies without being detected. Talion is also proved to be a skilled climber, capable of scaling large walls and walking along ropes.

Wraith Abilities

 * Undead: Being dead, Talion returns to Mordor as wraith, and cannot die officially, since being between life and death.
 * Domination: With his wraith abilities, Talion can dominate a Uruk by the hand of Celebrimbor. With this ability, Celebrimbor can interrogate and get information, kill the Uruk, or dominate and brand the Uruk. These enemies will then perform tasks such as gathering intel, spreading dissent, or attempting to assassinate their peers, underlings and commanders
 * Wraith Realm: Talion can see within the Wraith realm, this gives him the ability to see Uruk's, Caragor's, etc. through walls, or locate Captains or War Chiefs.
 * Attacks: Talion can round his attacks, causing his sword to glow blue, gaining the ability to execute his target or ground slam. Talion can also chain an attack, giving the ability to blow an Uruk's head clean off.
 * Shadow Strike: Allows Talion to teleport to his enemies' location and quickly kill them, as well as easily navigate over the terrain.

Behind the scenes
Talion was voiced by Troy Baker, whom is known for other roles in video games (such as the Last of Us and Bioshock). Talion also refers to the Latin phrase "eye for an eye".

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