The Characters of Warcraft/Shaohao

This article is a copy of "Shaohao", an official article by Blizzard Entertainment located in "The Characters of Warcraft" section of the online Game Guide. It presented information about Emperor Shaohao.



Shaohao

 * Last Emperor of Pandaria

The emperor of ancient Pandaria sacrificed himself for the wisdom to rule, and sacrificed his rule for the good of all.

Shaohao was born many thousands of years ago, before the Sundering, and his time as emperor of Pandaria seemed truly auspicious…but not for the reasons he dreamed about. Young, devoted Shaohao began his reign as all emperors did, by consulting a venerable Jinyu waterspeaker to learn of his future. The Jinyu waterspeaker saw tragedy and destruction approaching; green fire rained from the sky, and the land was awash in chaos. Determined to keep his empire from ruin, Shaohao vowed to overcome his weaknesses, and so he set off to seek the advice of the Jade Serpent Yu'lon, the Celestial of Wisdom.

It is not an easy thing to master one's self. Shaohao's journey hurled him headlong into peril, and the burdens he felt only became heavier. The embodied darkness of the Sha emerged from all of his negative emotions: doubt, despair, fear, anger, hatred, and violence. One by one, he conquered almost every single emotion until only pride remained. But there was no time to eliminate his final weakness.

The earth shook with the tremors of the Sundering, and the land teetered on the brink of annihilation. When the cities of the pandaren seemed doomed to fall, Shaohao appeared before his people, urging them to take courage. In his travels, the emperor had learned that overcoming his weaknesses did not mean physical strength or perfect statecraft, but rather placing the sanctity of Pandaria above his own safety in order to protect his people.

Though Shaohao was seemingly gone, some say the Last Emperor's presence can still be felt, particularly when walking in his footprints up the hills of Kun-Lai Summit.

Related Content

 * The Burdens of Shaohao

Source

 * Archived page