However, Celebrimbor is able to briefly paralyze Sauron from within, allowing Talion to destroy Sauron's physical form. This allows Sauron to possess the Black Hand's body and incarnate in physical form. He then kills himself as part of a ritual that forces Celebrimbor to depart from Talion and merge with himself. The Black Hand quickly incapacitates him with a spell that also restores the last of Celebrimbor's memories. Talion now returns to the Black Gate for a final confrontation with the Black Hand. The two battle and Talion emerges victorious after viciously stabbing the Tower to death with his son's sword. However, rather than the Black Hand, Talion finds the Tower of Sauron waiting for him. Talion, however, still carries out Saruman's plan, leading an army of mind-controlled orcs in an assault against the Black Hand's stronghold in the Ered Glamhoth. Talion eventually realizes that the wizard Saruman is possessing Marwen, and assists Lithariel in freeing her from his control. 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 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. She uses prophetic powers to guide Talion and Celebrimbor to another of Celebrimbor's relics. Marwen is the ruler of NГєrn, a kingdom of sea raiders located in the south of Mordor. Afterward, he meets Lithariel, the daughter of Queen Marwen, who claims to be able to assist Celebrimbor with his mission. Helping Hirgon, a former soldier from the Black Gate, destroy the statue of Sauron at an Uruk stronghold, the Hammer of Sauron comes and (seemingly) kills War Chief Ratbag (for being the only surviving War Chief).

Collecting and finding the gifts, he learns Celebrimbor was an Elf-Lord who had helped Sauron create the rings of power. Gollum helps them to find gifts of The Bright Master's past that, through touching them, grants visions of Celebrimbor's past. During this, Talion encounters Gollum (searching for his 'Precious'), who is able see the wraith form of Celebrimbor (whom he calls the 'Bright Master'). Talion hunts down and kills Uruk Captains, and makes a reluctant alliance with Ratbag the Coward, helping Ratbag become a War Chief. After being ritualistically murdered by Sauron's Black Hand and left for dead, Talion learned he had been bonded with Celebrimbor's wraith, who offered to help him find the ones responsible for murdering him and his family.ДЄgreeing, he will use anything the Wraith (who has his own motives) gives him to kill those responsible. One fateful night, however, Sauron and his Black Captains returned, putting everyone at the Gate to the sword until only Talion and his family remained. Because Sauron had been gone for over three millennia, life at the Black Gate was usually uneventful, and Talion would often pass the time taking care of his family and sparring with his son. He killed a nobleman in defense of his wife, and instead of being executed was appointed to the Black Gate as a punishment by a sympathetic judge. At some point after marrying Ioreth and fathering a son, Dirhael, he joined the Rangers of Gondor, quickly rising through the ranks to become captain.

The darkness within shadow of mordor