Shauku
| Shauku | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Colors |
 |
| Species |
Vampire Formerly Human |
| Birth, Life & Death | |
| Birthplace | Probably Jamuraa, Dominaria |
| Lifetime | War with Phyrexia or before, still active |
| Born | Long before 3310 AR |
| Sources | |
| Jedit | |
Shauku (shaw-koo[a]), also known as the Endbringer, is an ancient vampire of Femeref descent.[2]
Description
Shauku is a dangerous creature who is capable of draining the life from all other beings to assist her undead existence. An isolationist whose tone was generally curt and threatening, even her wisdom is abrasive. She considers herself masterless and free to do whatever she wants, especially with life and death.
She reigns in Aku within the Uuserk Marshes and has several minions, mundungu, and servants that do her bidding throughout Jamuraa. With their aid, she also maintains an ancient and unpleasant library.[2] Those wanting to read the texts must study under her for a year and donate blood to her regularly. Shauku uses the blood to divine much about the students, and while they can leave Shauku's home in one piece, she will always own and control a piece of them.
Shauku can project a vision of herself as an Enchanted Being, a beautiful golden-brown-skinned woman with startling black, flowing hair, and blue layered robes, a small hand poised as if to ask a stranger a question.[3]
History
Shauku's past is shrouded in mystery, but she was already ancient by 3334 AR when she lured Emperor Johan of Tirras into her service. She kept her lair in Arboria underneath a ruined castle. Shauku's dominion included the Caverns of Despair which lay beneath the ruin, where she kept a Cosmic Horror trapped with a ring of fire. From this being, she gleaned much secret knowledge and could reach her mind to contact those far away from her. In this manner, she appeared before Johan in the form of an Enchanted Being, who lured him to her lair with the promise of knowledge about Cat Warriors, a desire she plucked from his mind through their telepathic connection. When Johan arrived at her lair, she provided him with a tome of knowledge, and her spellcraft made the tome appear as if it held all the knowledge he sought, when it instead drained his pre-existing knowledge into its pages. Johan eventually discovered that Shauku's appearance was an illusion, and found the Cosmic Horror in the tunnels below the ruin. However, Shauku detected Johan even through his invisibility and insubstantiality and locked him into an Amber Prison. He was only freed accidentally when Adira Strongheart and her Robaran Mercenaries invaded the tunnels, spilling blood on the water-sensitive crystal. Shauku was knocked back by Jedit Ojanen, and the freed Cosmic Horror summoned a Falling Star to obliterate the entire ruin. Johan and the Robarans managed to escape the ruin before the meteorite struck. The impact annihilated the castle ruin, the tunnels, and the cosmic horror. Shauku too was presumed dead, but she had secretly fled her lair and survived the impact.[3]
Shauku eventually made her way north, leaving Arboria behind and coming to Zhalfir. During the Mirage Wars, she was approached by Kaervek to aid him in his conquest of Jamuraa, but she declined.[2] A xenophobe, Shauku disliked strangers and crowds and was underwhelmed by the notion of being involved in an open conflict; she was savvier about the powers of her opponents than Kaervek and knew better than to get involved.
A cult surrounding Shauku was active during the time of the Prophecy War, but it is unknown whether the cultists simply revered her or if they were actually in her service.
During the first Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria, Aku and all its surroundings were phased out along with the rest of Zhalfir by the temporal planeswalker Teferi Akosa. If Shauku was present then, she has been brought with the rest of Zhalfir to its plane of existence during the New Phyrexian Invasion.
Gallery
-
Shauku can project an illusion of herself as an Enchanted Being.
Story appearances
| Title | Author | Publishing date | Set | Setting (plane) | Featuring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominian FAQ part 4 | Pete Venters | February 1998 | Mirage | Dominaria | Shauku |
| Jedit | Clayton Emery | Desember 2001 | Legends | Dominaria | Johan, Jedit Ojanen, Questing Lip, Terrent Amese (mentioned), Ruko, Musata, Hestia, Noddel, Ergerborg, Zellig, Badger, Murdoch, Wilemina, Simone, Adira Strongheart, Hazezon Tamar, Lustra, Echo, Makou, Virgil, Whistledove Kithkin, Wullab, Jasmine Boreal, Heath, Canute, Gerda, Shauku, Peregrine, Gybo, Firestorm Phoenix, Phanal-Unorg, Hebe, Cefus, Fedelm, Stangg (mentioned), Noah, Heta, Bardolph, Darswin, Rimon, Crooked-Nose, Matty, Sea King, Edsen, Xira Arien, Beckoner, Magfire, Taurion, Kyenou, Sacred Tree, Peaceflower, Dog Ears, Lady Caleria (mentioned), Pink Eye, Biscuit Tooth, Prince, Sivitri Scarzam (mentioned) |
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
Notes
- ↑ Transcribed from the original "shor-koo" to conform with Wikipedia's pronunciation respelling standards.[1]
References
- ↑ The Mirage Document
- ↑ a b c Pete Venters (February 1998). "Dominian FAQ" The Duelist #22, p.33.
- ↑ a b Clayton Emery. (2001.) Jedit, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-1907-8.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (November 12, 2008). "Shauku and Sidar". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.