History Characters / MiddleEarthShadowOfMordorOther

* TortureTechnician: The Terror Tribe's schtick.

* CastOfSnowflakes: All Uruks are randomly generated with different looks, personalities and traits.

The officers of Orc and Troll society, from Captains all the way to the Overlord. Aside from names and fancy titles, these orcs have a number of strengths that make them much, much more dangerous than your rank-and-file grunts. However, they also have weaknesses you can exploit to great effect. Over the course of Talion's journey, he gains the ability to brand them, which forcibly converts them into his followers.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, as there's really no reason for them to appear in ''Shadow of War'', but the game does [[StockFootage reuse]] ''Shadow of Mordor'''s cutscene of Celebrimbor's fateful FinalBattle against Sauron -- and while ''Mordor'''s cutscene shows that Celebrimbor's wife and child were bound to a rock right behind Sauron, that bit is noticeably ''absent'' from the cutscene in ''War''[[note]]Although they are still visible in the distance in a FreezeFrameBonus[[/note]]. It could count as {{Foreshadowing}} that Celebrimbor is starting to forget about them.

[[folder:Saruman]]
!!Saruman the White
->Voiced by: Roger L. Jackson

Leader of the Istari Order, Saruman has a presence that echoes even into Mordor.

Defeated in ancient days, he was the first Dark Lord and Sauron's master.

* GreaterScopeVillain: The very first Dark Lord and Sauron's master back in the day.
* PresentAbsence: Arguably even more in ''Shadow of War'' than in ''Shadow of Mordor''. One of the Carnán sidequests in ''War'' features the Archers of Morgoth, whom [[{{Necromancer}} Zog the Eternal]] is resurrecting for his own ends. In the ''Blade of Galadriel'' DLC, Ogg Bow of Morgoth is [[TheFundamentalist a Morgoth loyalist who sees Sauron as a usurper]]. Also, while not mentioned in-game, Balrogs such as Tar Goroth were originally Morgoth's most powerful servants.

* Arguably {{averted|Trope}} and even {{inverted|Trope}} with regards to Warchiefs in ''Shadow of War''; while they're no longer the regional top dogs due to the introduction of fortresses and their Overlords, they actually serve a story purpose now, as each Warchief is assigned to guard a specific sector of the fort in the event of a siege. (This also serves as an InUniverse {{justifi|edTrope}}cation for Warchiefs' absence from the open world.) You're still required to play a mini-mission to draw them out, or you can encounter them all during a siege. Also, infiltrating a follower as a Warchief weakens the fort's defenses.

[[folder:Eryn]]
!!Eryn
->Voiced by: Emily O'Brien

The peacekeeper of the Outcasts, tribes of men and women who chose not to live in the Black Gates. Technically the daughter of the jailer, her peaceful demeanour and beautiful singing voice had calmed more trouble and defused more tense situations than the guards ever could.

* FantasticRacism: She despises Talion for being a Man of Gondor, the nation that mistreated her people.
* HeroAntagonist: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, but while she's one of the good guys, there's no love lost between her and Talion.
* HappilyMarried: To Hirgon.
* MadeASlave: Talion helps Hirgon to rescue her from Uruk custody.

[[folder:Saruman]]
!!Saruman the White
->Voiced by: Roger L. Jackson

Leader of the Istari Order, Saruman has a presence that echoes even into Mordor.

* MeatPuppet: He uses [[spoiler:Queen Marwen as one in the same manner in which he will later use King Théoden in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' films.]]
* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite never showing up in either game, it turns out that it was Saruman who influenced Marwen to suggest to Talion and Celebrimbor that they utilize HeelFaceBrainwashing to raise an army of orcs, which has ''enormous'' ramifications across both games.
* TheSpymaster: Heavily implied to be this in the artifacts that reveal [[spoiler:insider information about Sauron's movements within Mordor.]] In the sequel you can find captains named "of the Hand" who comment that there is another tower rising and implying that they are TheMole in Sauron's army.
* TheVoice: Aside from dialogue, he doesn't make a physical appearance in the story.
* VillainOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler:His corruption is implied to have already taken place, and he is plotting to overthrow Sauron by the time of the series. Having said that, he only "shows up" through Marwen in one scene to try to bind Celebrimbor's spirit to him. In ''Shadow of War'', you can run into Uruks in his service (usually but not always bearing the title "of the Hand") who have infiltrated Sauron's army]].
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Significantly {{downplayed|Trope}}, but since Saruman's treachery is not revealed to the Free Peoples until the beginning of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', Saruman enjoys this status throughout the games. In ''Shadow of War'', [[AllThereInTheManual the Appendices entry for Rohan]] mentions that the kingdom is "aided" by Saruman's counsel.
* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler: Offers this to Celebrimbor, insisting that together they can overthrow Sauron and claim Mordor for themselves]].
-->'''Saruman''': ''([[spoiler:speaking through Marwen]])'' [[spoiler:Do not resist me, Celebrimbor! Together we can be invincible! The Dark Lord Sauron is still weak. Our army can destroy him!]]

[[folder:The Blue Istari]]
!!The Blue Istari

Two of the five Istari, the Blue Wizards travelled east long ago and have not been seen since.

* ReligionOfEvil: The subject of one, at any rate. Sauron influenced Ar-Pharazón's mind to institute the worship of Morgoth as Númenor's state religion, a fact very much resented by a woman who narrates the idol's memory found by the player.

The officers of Orc and Troll society, from Captains all the way to the Overlord. Aside from names and fancy titles, these orcs have a number of strengths that make them much, much more dangerous than your rank-and-file grunts. However, they also have weaknesses you can exploit to great effect. Over the course of Talion's journey, he gains the ability to brand them, converting them to his forces. Needless to say, Nemesis Orcs will be a source of both powerful friends and foes.

* TheAnticipator: Some Uruks will be vigilant against stealth making them immune to all Stealth attacks.
* ArrowCatch: While arrow-proof orcs will sometimes just let the arrows bounce uselessly off them, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8lEYo8J6Nw there can be an introduction where they actually catch it]].

* BloodKnight: Olog-hai's with the title "Warborn" will do PunctuatedPounding, saying "I LIKE IT!" each time.

** In ''Shadow of War'', we can add "born with two malformed faces" and "host to a Morgai fly hive" to the list.

** Inverted with other early-game captains, who are so vulnerable and/or easily shaken that there's not much separating them from grunts other than a few special abilities.

* CameBackStrong: Any Uruk that undergoes an UnexplainedRecovery comes back with a few extra levels in power, meaning they're (theoretically) stronger than before. Uruks who are Shamed into becoming Maniacs will leap beyond level 60, regardless of their level.

** Minstrel Uruks are ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, coming into battle with [[ImprovisedWeapon weaponized lutes]] and singing in verse to describe your doom. They are no less powerful than any other Uruk captain despite their silly nature, and can kill Talion just as dead as any other Uruk.

* DegradedBoss: Arguably {{averted|Trope}} and even {{inverted|Trope}} with regards to Warchiefs in ''Shadow of War''; while they're no longer the regional top dogs due to the introduction of fortresses and their Overlords, they actually serve a story purpose now, as each Warchief is assigned to guard a specific sector of the fort in the event of a siege. (This also serves as an InUniverse [[JustifiedTrope justification]] for Warchiefs' absence from the open world.) You're still required to play a mini-mission to draw them out, or you can encounter them all during a siege. Also, infiltrating a follower as a Warchief weakens the fort's defenses.
** Played straight with nemeses in general, however. At the start of ''Shadow of Mordor'', taking on an Uruk of NominalImportance and a health bar is a bit of an intimidating prospect. At the end of the game, taking on five at once barely registers as a challenge.

-->'''Uruk''' : [[DidntSeeThatComing Didn't see this coming.]] No matter. Just finish it.\\
'''Uruk''' : Good brawl in front of a cheering crowd? Can't think of a better way to go.\\
'''Uruk:''' A good death, in Sauron's name. Thank you, Ranger.

* GangUpOnTheHuman: Literally. If Talion interupts a conflict between two Uruks, they'll both drop the issue until one of them (or Tallion) is dead or flees. Some of them even lampshade the fact, telling Tallion he should have waited until the duel was over to strike. Amusingly, if they're far away enough from Talion, the other minions and Captains will resume attacking each other anyway.

** Uruks that have a lot of different rage triggers are arguably worse in that respect; you can easily find yourself in a situation where the Uruk in question will get enraged no matter ''how'' you choose to fight them.

* HeroKiller: In ''Shadow of War'', rank-and-file Uruks who manage to kill Talion will sometimes declare themselves "Tark-Slayer" and gain that as their sobriquet.

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: The result of shaming a captain down to level 1, They loose their titles and no longer have Mooks. The only thing seperating them from regular Uruks being dialogue and unique appearance.

* InstrumentOfMurder: In ''Shadow of War'', Uruk bards and minstrels will wield lutes with axe-blades attached as weapons.

* MadeOfIron: There are Uruks who can take a lot of punishment.
* MadnessMantra: Deranged Uruks will suffer a CoolAndUnusualPunishment in which they forsake their former desires. Famously with [[spoiler:Brûz]], who will constantly moan, "I don't want the fort! It's his/your fort! It was always his/your fort!"

* MookPromotion: Sometimes, a random grunt can become a captain, either by killing Talion or just through random events.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: If you make an orc kill their blood brother in a duel, they will immediately turn on you afterwards.

** Played completely straight in ''War'', though; an Uruk or Olog with a higher level than Talion can break free of his control and immediätely turn on him. There are other ways to trigger a betrayal, but this one plays the trope the most straight.

* VillainousBreakdown: Uruk Nemeses who are Shamed in ''Shadow of War'' have a chance of becoming Deranged as a side-effect. This ranges from being driven mad to ending up outright lobotomized. Deranged Uruks and Ologs immediately counter the loss in Power Level from Shaming by [[PowerBornOfMadness instantly gaining a whole new swath of combat bonuses]] [[PowerOfHate and rage triggers.]] It's also possible to have them become Maniacs instead, which boosts their level instead of decreasing it. Averted in the case of a few Uruks who become Unashamed, boasting about their shaming as a mark of pride and taunting Talion about it.
* VillainousCrush: Unfortunately, this is actually an attitude some captains can have in regards to Talion. It's a messed-up ball of [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence lust and maybe love]], where the Uruk seesaws between all but stating they'll be taking their prize from Talion's (currently) dead body, to nearly romantic last requests before they die. Uruk romance is very dysfunctional. In Shadow of War, Orcs with "the Obssessed" takes it a step further as their first line if they kill you is how lovely your corpse is.

* WolfpackBoss: Getting noticed in a stronghold tends to result in multiple nemeses ganging up on Tallion. Some even have special dialogue when this happens, snarking that their arrival is unfortunate for the ranger.

* TheAnticipator: some Uruks will be vigilant against stealth making them immune to all Stealth attacks.

-->"See, there were two of them, and they both came in from the road with a hard look in their eyes, as if they'd traveled too far and seen too much. They were Wizards, true, both of 'em caked in dust, and when one's talk he'd stop to think and there'd be the other to finish right up, like they had one brain and two mouths. It was creepy for sure, but neither seemed to notice. I heard them say they were hunting the darkness. Darned if I know if they found it. But I guess those fellows can find trouble when they're looking for it."

* NoodleIncident: Audio during the loading screens indicate that in their youth [[spoiler: Talion killed a Gondorian nobleman who assaulted Ioreth. The penalty for that was death, but when Ioreth told her father Hallas she was pregnant with Dirhael and threatened to claim she killed the nobleman in self-defense, her father pulled strings to get Talion transferred to the Black Gate instead]].

* TheCameo: Ioreth -- or at least a twisted version of her -- appears briefly in a vision in ''Shadow of War'''s prologue, and she and Dirhael appear during [[spoiler:the flashback of Talion's life that Eltariel sees after defeating Nazgûl!Talion at the end of ''Blade of Galadriel'']].

->Voiced by:

* PresentAbsence: Arguably even more in ''Shadow of War'' than in ''Shadow of Mordor''. One of the Carnán sidequests in ''War'' features the Archers of Morgoth, whom [[Necromancer Zog the Eternal]] is resurrecting for his own ends. In the ''Blade of Galadriel'' DLC, Ogg Bow of Morgoth is [[TheFundamentalist a Morgoth loyalist who sees Sauron as a usurper]]. Also, while not mentioned in-game, Balrogs such as Tar Goroth were originally Morgoth's most powerful servants.

* TheCameo: Ioreth -- or at least a twisted version of her -- appears briefly in a vision in ''Shadow of War'''s prologue, and she and Dirhael appear during [[spoiler:the flashback of Talion's life that Eltariel sees after defeating Nazgúl!Talion at the end of ''Blade of Galadriel'']].

* TheCameo: Ioreth -- or at least a twisted version of her -- appears briefly in a vision in ''Shadow of War'''s prologue, and she and Dirhael appear during [[spoiler:the flashback of Talion's life that Eltariel sees after defeating Nazg&uacute!l!Talion at the end of ''Blade of Galadriel'']].

[[folder:Helm's Daughter]]
!!Helm Hammerhand's Daughter

* NoNameGiven: Even in the credits, she's listed as "Helm's daughter."

[[folder:Helm's Daughter's Suitor]]
!!Helm's Daughter's Suitor

A nobleman who seeks the hand of Helm Hammerhand's daughter in marriage...and is not afraid to spill blood to obtain it.

* NoNameGiven: Even in the credits, he's listed as "Daughter's Suitor."

-->'''Suitor''': You should have given me your daughter's hand when I asked.

-->'''Suitor''': If you kill me, you'll start a war.

* GoneHorriblyRight: He's almost certainly the one who waged the campaign against Mordor that ended with his daughters killing two Nazgúl and confiscating their Rings of Power.

Talion's family, his wife and his son, respectively. Living a peaceful life in the Black Gates, Ioreth had joined her lover in his exile, his son had been training to become a ranger and continue his father's legacy. The former had expressed many, many times an interest in leaving the Black Gates, a wish that unwittingly, tragically becomes true on the night of Sauron's return.

* TogetherInDeath: Ioreth tearfully assures Talion that they'll be together forever after the Black Hand kills them. Sadly, it was not to be... at least, [[spoiler:not for much, ''much'' longer than anyone expected]].

[[folder:Eryn]]
!!Eryn
->Voiced by: Emily O'Brien

The peacekeeper of the Outcasts, tribes of men and women who chose not to live in the Black Gates. Technically the daughter of the jailer, her peaceful demeanour and beautiful singing voice had calmed more trouble and defused more tense situations than the guards ever could.

* FantasticRacism: She despises Talion for being a Man of Gondor, the nation that mistreated her people.
* HeroAntagonist: {{Downplayed|Trope}}, but while she's one of the good guys, there's no love lost between her and Talion.
* HappilyMarried: To Hirgon.
* MadeASlave: Talion helps Hirgon to rescue her from Uruk custody.

[[folder:Saruman]]
!!Saruman the White
->Voiced by: Roger L. Jackson

Leader of the Istari Order, Saruman has a presence that echoes even into Mordor.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Despite never showing up in the game, it turns out that it was Saruman who influenced Marwen to suggest to Talion and Celebrimbor that they utilize HeelFaceBrainwashing to raise an army of orcs, which has ''enormous'' ramifications across both games.
* TheSpymaster: Heavily implied to be this in the artifacts that reveal [[spoiler:insider information about Sauron's movements within Mordor.]] In the sequel you can find captains named "the White" who comments that there is another tower rising and implying that they are TheMole in Sauron's army.

* VillainOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler:His corruption is implied to have already taken place, and he is plotting to overthrow Sauron by the time of the series. Having said that, he only "shows up" through Marwen in one scene to try to bind Celebrimbor's spirit to him. In ''Shadow of War'', you can run into Uruks in his service (usually but not always bearing the title "of the White Hand") who have infiltrated Sauron's army]].

-->'''Saruman''': ''([[spoiler:speaking through Marwen]])'' [[spoiler: Do not resist me, Celebrimbor! Together we can be invincible! The Dark Lord Sauron is still weak. Our army can destroy him!]]

Two of the five Istari, the blue wizards travelled east long ago and have not been seen since.

* UncertainDoom: Many artifacts suggests that the Istari were ultimately killed, but it isn't conclusively revealed.

* PredecessorVillain: Long gone by the time of the game.
* ReligionOfEvil: The subject of one at any rate. Sauron influenced Ar-Pharazon's mind to institute the worship of Morgoth as Númenor's state religion, a fact very much resented by a woman who narrates the idol's memory found by the players.

* PosthumousCharacter: Long dead by the time of ''Shadow of War''.

* PosthumousCharacter: Long dead by the time of ''Shadow of War''.

* MeatPuppet: He uses [[spoiler:Queen Marwen as one in the same manner in which he will later use King Théoden in the ''Lord of the Rings'' [[Film/LordOfTheRings films]].]]

A nobleman who seeks the hand of Helm Hammerhand's daughter in marriage...and was not afraid to spill blood to obtain it.

!Ioreth and Dirhael

!Eryn

!Saruman the White

!The Blue Istari

!Morgoth

!Helm Hammerhand's Daughter

!Helm's Daughter's Suitor

** Acharn, Talion's "dagger," is the broken hilt of Dirhael's sword, recovered immediately after Talion initially revives and used to devastating effect throughout both games. [[spoiler:Even more tragically, [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget after succumbing to Isildur's ring and becoming a full-blown Nazgúl, Talion even comes to forget ]]''[[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget why ]]''[[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget he's keeping it]].]]

* MeatPuppet: He uses [[spoiler:Queen Marwen as one in the same manner he later used King Theoden in the ''Lord of the Rings'' [[Film/LordOfTheRings films]].]]

* VillainOfAnotherStory: [[spoiler:His corruption is implied to have already taken place and he is plotting to overthrow Sauron by the time of the series. Having said that, he only "shows up" through Marwen in one scene to try to bind Celebrimbor's spirit to him and several Uruks in his service (mostly marked the "White Hand" title, but can happen to others) appear in the second game, presumably to infiltrate Sauron's army]].

* NoNameGiven: At the rate that people forget their names, it's implied that they deliberately wipe it from peoples' minds.

!!Ioreth and Dirhael

!!Eryn

!!Saruman the White

!!The Blue Istari

!!Morgoth