Denallian was born in a small village in Gondor. He and his younger brother were both trained to fight as young boys, but Ethener was always the better fighter, having the strong, lean frame that he had.

As a young man, Denallian set his eyes on a girl named Veréwen. He longed to have her, but her love went to Ethener, who knew it not. He became jealous, and when Ethener left home to go wth the Rangers, he felt that he had a chance.

But Veréwen rejected him, and soon married another man, and moved from the village. Denallian was outraged, and left home for a while. He wandered ever closer to Mordor, and was captured and taken to Minas Morgul to be tortured. He was tortured cruely for a while, but became strong with a deep malice. Sauron saw this and had him brought to Barad-dur. There Denallian learned many evil things. He was then sent out to do many evil deeds for Sauron’s purposes. In return, Sauron promised him power and revenge, and most of all, the woman whom he lusted for.