Shanar is a Wizard.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Shanar was born c. 1245.[1] Her father was an alchemist. However, he didn't want her to follow in his footsteps.[2] At his funeral, she pilfered a medallion from his neck before his coffin was lowered into the ground. Throughout her life, she was never seen without it.[1]
At some point she studied under a group of sages who taught her subjects such as runecraft and the history of the Children of Bul-Kathos, and their vigil.[3]
Sword of Justice[]
Meeting Jacob[]
- Shanar 'greets' Jacob(src)
Shanar searches for El'druin
Shanar became aware of the Lightsong that emanated from the Crystal Arch. She thought that this resonance might shape the path of humans as well as angels. In this, she was correct, and found a way to detect the flows of resonance from the arch. This sparked a hunt for the sword El'druin, which had been separated from Tyrael after the destruction of Mount Arreat.[2] At some point she was present in the Dreadlands while looking for the sword.[4] She eventually found it in Aranoch,[2] but was ensnared by it.[4] The blade imparted glimpses of the life of Jacob to her, and she found herself compelled to record what she had seen on the surrounding stone. The blade staved off hunger and thirst, but also forced her to stand guard until a worthy bearer arrived.
Jacob frees Shanar
Months later, Jacob arrived, freeing Shanar from her vigil. She explained how she had found the sword, but introductions were cut short as a group of soldiers from Staalek arrived, seeking revenge on Jacob for the murder of his father. Jacob begged her not to kill them, and while Shanar was able to use her magic to keep them at bay, not taking their lives was becoming exceedingly difficult, under the proviso of keeping hers at the same time. Jacob was taken prisoner, and they threatened to kill him unless Shanar departed.
Shanar tracked the men west, and rescued Jacob as his kinsmen tore into a boar, having succumbed to the Blood Rage. Within the forest, Shanar departed to search for herbs. Whether intentional or not, she encountered some bandits, defeated them, and retrieved some new clothes for Jacob. As they mulled things over the fire, Jacob suggested returning home, though Shanar cautioned against it, having seen what had become of his kinsmen. Jacob expressed his disgust for the Barbarians, for it was they who had brought the Rage Plague to Staalbreak, but Shanar cautioned against such hatred. The Barbarians that Jacob had encountered were not those that the histories wrote about.
Jacob's kinsmen once again caught up with them, but Shanar teleported them both away, ending up in the Black Marsh. With the soldiers closing in, they were forced to hide, as they saw a band of khazra.[2]
The Journey North[]
Shanar starts talking with Jacob again
Because of the Rage Plague, the khazra were willing to cooperate with Jacob's countrymen. They were also willing to join them in the attempt to kill their quarry. Shanar unleashed her magic against their foes while Jacob swung El'druin. He struck Ivan, drawing a lot of blood, but the man remained alive. Jacob eventually surrendured, and agreed to return home, on the condition that he be allowed to do so freely, and not as a prisoner. Aside to Shanar, he expressed his concern for his people, and that he still felt responsible for his father's death. The two had a falling out, as Jacob mocked Shanar's suggestion that the sword was acting through him. She headed north with him, but the two remained on non-speaking terms for much of the trip.[3] She was nonetheless intent on finding out the source of the evil that was plaguing Jacob's people.[5]
Shanar eventually responded to Jacob's words as they entered the Dreadlands. Shanar eventually relented, and discussed the marks Jacob had made on Ivan's chest, how they resembled divinity glyphs. She pointed out that Jacob couldn't have known what they were, but the sword might have guided his hand. As they approached Staalek, Shanar commented that there was something...wrong, with the place. Even some plants she'd found in the snow appeared diseased. Regardless, they marched on, encountering the corpses of some soldiers who had been slain by Barbarians. Shanar didn't deny what she saw, but this still didn't make sense, given what she knew of Barbarian history. And there was also the people of Staalek themselves. Outside the walls, they encountered heads on pikes, and moving through the gates, found khazra skulls arranged like trophies.
Entering the town, Jacob was pelted with stones until Constable Varik calmed the crowd, taking Jacob into his custody. Shanar slinked away while Jacob gave himself up in order to speak. However, he was instead strung up and tortured. Shanar freed him, but a group of soldiers descended upon them.[3]
A Thwarted Execution[]
Shanar and Jacob in the Gray Wards
Shanar teleported them both away into the Gray Wards— a particuarly disreputable area of the city. They came under attack by feral animals (also infected by the plague), but she fried them with her magic. They headed to their goal; a structure that was owned by Bertram the Apothecary. Only his body remained as a twisted, distorted mess. Shanar revealed that he was actually a Mage, and that he had been studying Mount Arreat and an artifact. When the plague hit, he tried to study its effects. While dead, his writings gave the pair insight into its origins and means of transmission. His body was the end result of the infection.
The guards caught them, and Jacob once again gave himself up, still intent on trying to save his people by explaining what had happened to them. Shanar once again slipped away. Before dawn, she encountered Ivan, who'd indeed been saved by Jacob earlier thanks to the cuts he had made on him with El'druin. Ivan helped her cure the other members of his band by mimicking the rune cuts, curing them of corruption. Ivan returned to his post as executioner as dawn came. Jacob was given his right to speak, but his people were too far gone. Ivan rose his awe, but instead turned it on the soldiers as fighting errupted. Shanar arrived and freed Jacob, joining the fight herself. Jacob slew Varik, and Ivan and his men were able to take control of the town. Which was just as well, as they now had to deal with a Barbarian attack. Shanar, Jacob, and the soldiers under Ivan's command charged out the gates to meet them.[5]
The Lifting of the Plague[]
As the battle waged, Jacob was empowered by El'druin. He charged ahead, despite Shanar's warnings. The Barbarian chieftain, Khelric, goaded him, but Shanar got Jacob to pause in his pursuit. Khelric retreated, but Ivan stated that he had to go on. His blood was tainted, and if this continued, cities to the south would be infected as well. Jacob and Shanar thus traveled north together, Jacob explaining that he had heard an archangel's voice talk to him through the sword, telling him of the Barbarians and their vigil over the Worldstone. He admitted that his view on them had softened, but the attacks had started before Arreat's destruction. As they headed north, they encountered Gynvir, of the Owl Tribe; the same group of Barbarians that had attacked earlier. She was not infected however, and told them the origins of the Rage Plague, how it had come from the demon Maluus. She took them to Khelric's fortress, where her honor guard awaited.
Shanar and Jacob depart
The group descended into the depths of Khelric's fortress. Eventually, they found Khelric, and a horde of infected Barbarians with him. Jacob slew Khelric (and Mallus, who had become one and the same with him), and lifted the plague. The two said their farwells to Ivan and they departed for the East.[6]
Separation[]
Shanar and Jacob remained together for nineteen years, fighting against injustice in Sanctuary. Ivan occassionally helped them. Over that time, Jacob developed romantic feelings towards her, but could never express them. Shanar underwent no aging over the next two decades. During the period, El'druin was ripped from his hands as it returned to Tyrael, per his reconstitution in Heaven. Jacob was deeply affected by the loss, and Shanar offered sympathy.
It was Jacob's inability to express his feelings that contributed to them parting ways. At some point, Shanar came into contact with the demon Bar'aguil. She survived, but it stole her medallion. Over this period of time, she remained in touch with the Lightsong.[1]
Storm of Light[]
The New Horadrim[]
One year later, Shanar reunited with Jacob in Caldeum, helping him slay the demon Bar'aguil. She retrieved her father's medallion from him, and told him of a new 'adventure.' That she had been following the Lightsong. Jacob agreed to follow her. Their destination turned out to be Tristram, where they met with the Monk Mikulov, the Necromancer Zayl, Gynvir, Thomas, and Cullen. And finally, Tyrael, who had gathered them all (and in Shanar's case, drawn her to him through the Lightsong), with the intent of reforming the Horadrim. He told them of his intent to retrieve the Black Soulstone from Heaven, lest it corrupt the Angiris Council. As part of this, they would find the lost nephalem city of Corvus, which Tyrael believed could store the stone safely. It was insanely dangerous, and Shanar was only the second person to point it out. She remembered how El'druin had ensared her years back, and had little intention on undergoing a suicide mission. The conversation was cut short as they came under attack by a group of demons. The group survived the encounter, and rested in the Slaughtered Calf Inn in New Tristram.
Within their rooms, Shanar and the others discussed their prospects. Shanar fumed at being manipulated by Tyrael, and wondered if he'd had a hand in guiding her to El'druin twenty years ago. Culllen vouched for Tyrael, citing his history in the Eternal Conflict, but as Shanar pointed out, that was then. The Tyrael of the now was mortal. Her companions decided to trust the archangel, and Shanar relented to the group's will. They subsequently departed for Bramwell.[1]
Bramwell[]
The Horadrim found Bramwell to be 'off', as it had been plagued by an unknown foe. Shanar talked with the townsfolk and learnt that they had suffered abductions; people vanishing in the night. They stayed in the house of Commander Nahr. Later, in the woods, they came under attack by more demons. Shanar fought alongside Tyrael, keeping them at bay. But these paled in comparison to the Sicarai that was unleashed upon them. Shanar unleashed a torrent of attacks on the angel, but it shrugged off her assault. She rushed to Gynvir's aid as the angel struck her. Finally, the Sicarai was felled, and the group returned to Bramwell to heal Jacob. Following clues gleaned from artifacts they had gathered, they headed for Westmarch. Along the way, Shanar noticed that Jacob had gained some of his old swagger back.[1]
Westmarch and the Wastelands[]
The group entered Westmarch, hoping to gain entrance to Corvus through the Zakarum Cathedral. They stayed at the Inn of the Snapping Dog while trying to get word to Lorath Nahr. Listening in on the patrons' conversations, Shanar and the others could sense the undercurrent of tension within the city, per the abductions, and tensions between the Knights of Westmarch and Templar Order. Eventually, Lorath arrived, who elaborated on the knight-templar tensions and the disappearances of Westmarch's people. Lorath told them that he might be able to help them gain entrance to the cathedral.
In this, the Horadrim gained entrance as the Knights of Westmarch assaulted the cathedral, the Templar trying to hold them off. Shanar fought alongside Gynvir. The Horadrim cornered the Templar in the lower chambers of the cathedral. Many Templar fought to the death before their commander gave the order to surrender. General Torion gave the Horadrim until nightfall to search the cathedral. They found the entrance to Corvus, and proceeded to search for the Tomb of Rakkis.
Within Corvus, Tyrael trained the Horadrim for the coming assault on Heaven. Tyrael took Shanar and Jacob to the Wastelands, a murky realm located on the edges of Pandemonium. Shanar was trained to listen to the Lightsong while overcoming her personal demons alongside Jacob. Other members of the Horadrim were likewise trained. Shanar was also trained in honing her abilities. Before they departed, they came under attack by Phantoms. Shanar fought alongside Tyrael.[1]
Assault on Heaven[]
Shanar and Jacob entered Heaven first, emerging in the Pools of Wisdom. The pools bombarded them with visions, but they were able to resist, and the plan proceeded. Shanar used her magic to cloak the Horadrim as they made their way to the Black Soulstone. Along the way, they lost Zayl, who was enticed by the Library of Fate. They entered the Gardens of Hope. Jacob snapped due to the realm's psychological effects, and in doing so, robbed the Horadrim of the safety of Shanar's spell. Tyrael gave the order to run. They sprinted to the Courts of Justice, though Thomas, Cullen, and Tyrael fell behind. Jacob, Shanar, and Gynvir made it into the Courts, and once again, the psychological effects of the realm hit them. Yet they withstood it, and headed towards the Angiris Council Chamber.
Within the chamber, they found the stone, and reunited with Zayl. Shanar wanted to leave, but Jacob insisted on helping Tyrael. They rescued him from the Fist, fighting through the Sicarai. Jacob was badly wounded in the fight. Tyrael ordered them to head back to the portal. Shanar beged Zayl to help Jacob; Zayl managed to do so using prime magic, reviving Jacob, but temporarily incapacitating himself in the process. Shanar dragged Zayl along as Gynvir carried Jacob. Making their way back to the Gardens of Hope, they encountered Auriel. However, she let them go, having recognised the adverse effect the soulstone was having on Heaven.
The Horadrim returned to Corvus, Shanar briefly kissing Jacob and asserting that he "owed her one." Tyrael returned safely, congratulating the Horadrim.[1]
Personality and Traits[]
- Tyrael to Shanar(src)
Shanar possesses a slender frame, and is considered to be beautiful. She has black hair that was originally long, but by the time of her recruitment into the Horadrim, it had been cut to be shoulder length. She otherwise looks the same at the age of 40 as she did at the age of 20.[1]
Shanar held respect for the Barbarians.[3] She generally worked alone, and claimed not to be good at rescues.[5] She has a practical mindset,[4] and often displays a dry wit.[2][3][5][6] Tyrael was of the belief that Shanar used humor to hide her true self.[1]
Abilities[]
Shanar is equipped with a staff.[1] Her abilities include teleportation[2] (a spell she finds particuarly useful),[5] Mirror Image,[3] Rays of Frost, Shock Pulses,[5] Arcane Orbs, Blizzards,[1] and the Hydra.[6] She holds a low opinion of Mages, considering them cowards and "frustrated poets."[5] She remained in tune with the song of the Crystal Arch, which can guide her actions.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Storm of Light
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Sword of Justice: Issue 2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Sword of Justice: Issue 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 2011-12-19, Blizzplanet Interviews DC Comics Diablo: Sword of Justice writer Aaron Williams and artist Joseph Lacroix. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2012-05-28
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Sword of Justice: Issue 4
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Sword of Justice: Issue 5