Eltariel

Eltariel is the tritagonist of the 2017 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War and the main protagonist of the story expansion, The Blade of Galadriel. 
She is an Elf assassin that was called by Lady Galadriel to be her "blade", and was tasked with holding the Nazgûl back in Mordor. She made an alliance with Talion and Celebrimbor in stopping them, and eventually betrayed Talion when being offered the New Ring by the Bright Lord. 
Eltariel was later tasked with stopping Talion, who had acquired Isildur's ring, and eventually worked with him on holding Sauron's army back across the regions. Despite Talion fall into darkness, Eltariel decided to stay in Mordor to honor him after she learned of his backstory. She would witness the fall of Sauron, and hearing Celebrimbor's call, decided to follow him.
She was voiced by Laura Bailey, who also voiced Mary Jane Watson in Marvel's Spider-Man, Supergirl in Injustice 2, Nadine Ross in the Uncharted series, Fiona in Tales from the Borderlands, Catwoman in Telltale's Batman series, Abigail Walker in Infamous: Second Son and Infamous: First Light, Helena Harper in Resident Evil 6, Serana in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Wonder Woman in Lego Batman Superheroes, Lust in 2003s Full Metal Alchemist and many others.
==Biography==
===Early Life===
Eltariel was an Elven Assassin who was selected by Lady Galadriel to be her "blade", and was given the Light of Galadriel and tasked to go to Mordor. She was tasked in hunting down the Nazgûl and keeping them confined them in Mordor, and Eltariel was initially delighted wit her task. However, as time went on, Eltariel began to question her task, as every time she defeated one of the Nazgûl, they would return after regaining their strength. Eltariel realized that she was finding an unbeatable war, but also started to believe that stalemate was victory against Sauron's forces.
==Shadow of War==
===Meeting Talion===
Upon the fall of Minis Ithil, Eltariel rescued Talion from being dominated by the Witch-king of Angmar and the Nazgûl. She protected him from the Nine, but eventually killed him in order to prevent him from being dominated, and raced off to Celebrimbor's barrows to meet up with the ranger. While waiting for Talion to be resurrected, she sharpened his sword as the Witch-king claimed Minis Ithil, and was given it by Sauron, who renamed it as Minas Morgul. Upon his return, Eltariel questioned on how did it feel to die and to come back to life, and confirmed to him that Sauron claimed Minis Ithil.
While conversing with Talion, Celebrimbor noticed she wielded the Light of Galadriel, and told Talion they could use it to recover the New Ring. Eltariel responded to Celebrimbor, surprising both Talion and the undead Elf, and revealed that she could both see and hear the Bright Lord. Eltariel told the two she would help them battle against the Nazgûl, and she stated they needed to stop the Ringwraiths from collecting the New Ring from Shelob. Eltariel and Talion rush to Shelob's cave, and the former proceeded to attack the Nazgûl by using Galadriel's light. The Nazgûl retreated, and when returning to Talion, she saw that he and Celebrimbor had re-acquired their ring from Shelob.
Eltariel confronted them and told Talion to get rid of his ring, but he refused as he and Celebrimbor planned to build their army to face Sauron. Eltariel warned Talion that she struck down men who wore those rings, urged him to not become one of them, and said she would meet him again.
===Fighting the Nazgûl===
Eltariel and Talion met once again as the latter build his army across the regions of Mordor, and adopted the persona "The Bright Lord". Eltariel, Talion and Celebrimbor made an alliance to stop the Nazgûl from collecting the New Ring, and uncovered a plan by the Nazgûl to reclaim the purified Haedir's across Mordor by creating "Chosen" Uruks. The trio worked on stopping the Nazgûl and killing the Chosen, but Eltariel stilled disagreed with Talion and Celebrimbor on using their ring. She also told them that the Nazgûl will hunt them so they could collect the new ring, and warned them that they will return despite being defeated each time.
Later on, Talion and Celebrimbor returned to Minis Ithil, and Eltariel joined them, and told them that one of the Ringwraith's had retreated there after they stopped them at Shelob's cave. The trio progressed through Minas Morgul and made it to the upper city, and were confronted by a Ringwraith. The Nazgûl claimed that the Witch-king possessed the city, and would possess Talion soon, and battled the group. After defeating the Nazgûl, Talion and Celebrimbor dominated him and learned the history of the Ringwraith, who was revealed to be Suladân. He was once a great warrior who managed to fight his way to Sauron, who tricked him by pretending to surrender, and corrupted him by giving him a Ring of Power.
Eltariel later saved Talion again before he could be claimed by Helm Hammerhand, and was able to injure him so he couldn't go far. Eltariel, Talion, and Celebrimbor ventured through Seregost and confronted Hammerhand, who used his control over the animals of Mordor to battle them. Talion and Celebrimbor managed to dominate him and learned that he was the King of Rohan who was killed by a warrior who wanted Helm's daughter in marriage. Sauron gave Helm a Ring of Power, which caused him to become corrupted and accidently kill his daughter, the warrior, and his own men in a fit of rage. Talion became disgusted to learn that Celebrimbor made the Rings of Power, but Celebrimbor retorted that the rings weren't perfect like the New Ring.
Eventually, Eltariel, Talion and Celebrimbor investigated the ruins of Gorgorth, and learned that the Ringwraith Isildur was using necromancy to create Wights. Talion realized that the Wights were the fallen soldiers from Minas Ithil, but Eltariel insisted that they were no longer men, and were bound to serve the Dark Lord. Though the trio got to Isildur, he left his Wights to fight against them, which was lead by Castamir, the fallen warrior that betrayed his men to save his daughter, Idril.
===Fighting Sauron===
Eltariel joined Talion and Celebrimbor on attacking Sauron's stronghold, Barad-dûr, with his dominated army after seizing the fortresses across the regions. Eltariel witnessed Talion and Celebrimbor defeat Isildur, and Talion freed the Ringwraith from Sauron's hold, granting him peace in death. After an angry confrontation between Talion and Celebrimbor, Eltariel sided with the latter and accepted the Elf Lord's offer to wield the New Ring to dominate Sauron and destroy his forces. 
Upon doing this, Celebrimbor left Talion's body, causing him to die slowly as Eltariel comforted him, and traveled to Sauron's tower with the undead Elf. However, Talion spoke with Shelob, who revealed that in one future, she saw Talion and Celebrimbor dominate Sauron, and conquer Middle-earth. Since he had to change the future, Shelob told him his battle wasn't over, and Talion acquired Isildur's ring, which had fallen off of his finger when he was dominated. Talion returned to Minas Morgul and defeated the Witch-king, banishing him from the region, and looked through the Palantir to see Eltariel and Celebrimbor confront Sauron.
Eltariel and Celebrimbor battled Sauron, who took on his fair form, Annatar, and his armored form during the fight. Eventually, Sauron was defeated and the two dominated the Dark Lord, but Sauron sliced off the New Ring from her finger, separating her from Celebrimbor. Sauron forcibly merged with Celebrimbor, causing the two to become one and create the Flaming Eye above Barad-dûr.
===The Blade of Galadriel===
Eltariel awoke in a strange realm and was confronted by Lady Galadriel, and confessed she had failed to defeat Sauron. Galadriel criticized Eltariel, telling her she was sent to Mordor to fight the Ringwraiths, not Sauron, and was tasked to travel to Minas Ithil to stop the Nazgûl that dwelt there. Eltariel told Galadriel that Talion was dead, as she left him to die on the bridge of Barad-dûr, but Galadriel responded that the ranger wielded Isildur's ring. Eltariel said she couldn't face him, and pleaded with her lady to let her return home, but Galadriel denied this, telling her to wield the New Ring and to finish what she had started.
Traveling to Minas Morgul, she confronted Talion, who showed her mercy and claimed he wasn't of darkness yet. Eltariel and Talion decided to work together to hold the fortresses he had claimed to stop Sauron and the Nazgûl. Galadriel warned Eltariel that Talion would eventually submit to the Ring of Power and that he would become a member of the Nine soon. Talion told Eltariel that they needed new recruits for his army, and Eltariel refused to dominate Orcs, and decided to recruit them. Eltariel aided in helping Talion protect his fortresses, but the ranger lost his fortress at Seregost by the Nazgûl sisters. 
Eltariel continued her campaign of reclaiming Talion's lost fortresses, and made alliances with numerous Uruks, such as Maku, Flak and Torz, and Krimp. Though Eltariel and Talion managed to regain most of the fortresses, Seregost was lost forever due to it being contaminated by a toxic agent to keep the fort empty. In addition, Eltariel battled the Nazgûl Sisters, defeated them, and learned how they were corrupted by Nazgûl rings. After recapturing Gorgorth, Talion pleaded with Eltariel to take him to Minas Morgul, as he wished not to die in Mordor. Despite Galadriel's warning to strike him down, Eltariel granted Talion's wish due to feeling remorse for causing him to become a Ringwraith.
When arriving to Minas Morgul, Talion succumbed to the ring, as it drew out his anger at Eltariel and Celebrimbor's betrayal, and making him fight the war alone. Eltariel defeated Talion, but he reminded her that he was banished from death, and was bounded to the Flaming Eye. Eltariel learned of Talion's past, seeing him lose his family to The Black Captains, and how he came to make the New Ring with Celebrimbor. Eltariel felt extreme remorse afterward, and when tasked by Galadriel to go to the West, she refused and decided to stay in Mordor to honor Talion's sacrifices.
In the epilogue, it's reveled that Eltariel returned to Mordor many times, and witnessed Sauron's fall due to the One Ring's destruction. She also saw Celebrimbor escape the Flaming Eye, and pursed him, claiming she would answer his call.
==Quotes==
==Gallery==
Eltariel.jpg
Eltariel-SOW.jpg
Eltariel-vs-Ringwraith.png|Eltariel vs. a Ringwraith.
Celebrimbor-offer.jpg|Eltariel being offered the New Ring by Celebrimbor.
Middle-earthe284a2_-shadow-of-ware284a2_betrayed.jpg|Eltariel and Celebrimbor overlook Talion, after betraying him.
Eltariel-and-Galadriel.jpg|Eltariel and Galadriel.
==Trivia==
*It's possible that she is one of the rarest of the Elves, the Vanyar, due her awareness of the Unseen.
*Her name is an alternate spelling of "Altariel" or "Alatáriel", which is also the original quenya name of Galadriel.
*It's possible that Eltariel could become the main protagonist in the sequel, as she is last seen following Celebrimbor's apparition after the fall of the Flaming Eye.
*Laura Bailey and Troy Baker previously worked together in numerous video games, notably Telltale's Batman series, Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands, the Uncharted series, Infamous: Second Son, Resident Evil 6, 2011's Catherine, the Batman Arkham series, The Last of Us series, and many others.
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