Axiom Verge Wiki - User contributions [en]

Shaol

2022-09-05T02:18:55Z

Linnecther: Fixed some typos and done some text changes to avoid confusion. (Thanks to the guy who is helping, btw)

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the first game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Happ]] discarded it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how people many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was going to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tank in the breach attractor get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player/Trace, there is nothing surprising about it until there are seen the 2 last bosses, something's off about them, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Soldier''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== As a mini-boss ==
Pretty straightforward, it is believed that before being scrapped, Shaol was turned into a mini-boss, serving the same purpose as [[Sentinel]] or just being a replacement.

Some parts of Shaol were used for other elements in the game, either some zones of [[Mar-Uru]], the idea for [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]], etc. A lot of people argue that Shaol was never removed, but turned into [[Sentinel]].

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a [[Elsenova]] hybrid? Elsenova did help or how an Rusalki hybrid can exist? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one? what that does even?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more plausible meaning in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Unused]]

Shaol

2022-09-02T01:44:48Z

Linnecther: I think, this is it...

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how people many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was going to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== As a mini-boss ==
Pretty straightforward, it is believed that before being scrapped, Shaol was turned into a mini-boss, serving the same purpose as [[Sentinel]] or just being a replacement.

Some parts of Shaol were used for other elements in the game, either some zones of [[Mar-Uru]], the idea for [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]], etc. A lot of people argue that Shaol was never removed, but turned into [[Sentinel]].

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more plausible meaning in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__
[[Category:Characters]]

Shaol

2022-09-02T01:29:21Z

Linnecther: Yikes

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how people many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== As a mini-boss ==
Pretty straightforward, it is believed that before being scrapped, Shaol was turned into a mini-boss, serving the same purpose as [[Sentinel]] or just being a replacement.

Some parts of Shaol were used for other elements in the game, either some zones of [[Mar-Uru]], the idea for [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]], etc. A lot of people argue that Shaol was never removed, but turned into [[Sentinel]].

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more plausible meaning in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__
[[Category:Characters]]

Shaol

2022-09-02T01:20:48Z

Linnecther: I forgot to add a section, omg...

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== As a mini-boss ==
Pretty straightforward, it is believed that before being scrapped, Shaol was turned into a mini-boss, serving the same purpose as [[Sentinel]] or just being a replacement.

Some parts of Shaol were used for other elements in the game, either some zones of [[Mar-Uru]], the idea for [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]], etc. A lot of people argue that Shaol was never removed, but turned into [[Sentinel]].

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more plausible meaning in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__
[[Category:Characters]]

Shaol

2022-09-02T01:02:31Z

Linnecther: Adding categories

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more plausible meaning in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__
[[Category:Characters]]

Shaol

2022-09-02T01:00:21Z

Linnecther: Yeah, fixing more typos, I think I need glasses. 😂

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more plausible meaning in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__

Shaol

2022-09-02T00:57:04Z

Linnecther: /* Shaol variations */

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more meaning plausible in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__

Shaol

2022-09-02T00:55:51Z

Linnecther: Fixing some typos :)

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table features how is Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more meaning plausible in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__

Shaol

2022-09-02T00:46:45Z

Linnecther: Some tags were added.

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table how is Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more meaning plausible in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Bosses]]
[[Category:Lore]]
__INDEX__

Shaol

2022-09-02T00:41:16Z

Linnecther: Created page with "Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another. Shaol is a scrapped idea for Axiom verge, sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, Thomas scrapped it. Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being S..."

[[File:Shaol.png|alt=Shaol's final form unused sprite|thumb|Shaol's final form unused sprite, many people have crossed with this image at some time or another.]]
Shaol is a scrapped idea for [[Axiom Verge|Axiom verge]], sometimes referred to as just one boss, multiple bosses, or a mini-boss. It is believed to be the final boss for the game in the early stages, but as time went on, [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] scrapped it.

Some people might argue that Shaol ended up being [[Sentinel]], [[Athetos]], or an influence for both or just one.

== As one boss ==
This is how many perceive Shaol, and it is possible that its nature might change from being multiple bosses to just one in early development.

According to some sources and some coincidences in appearance, the player was supposed to meet it in [[Mar-Uru]], its purpose there is unclear, many people created the following theories:

* It was going to be the guard for the entry to [[Mar-Uru]]. (Referring to being a beta version of [[Sentinel]])
* It was to be the final boss replacing [[Athetos]] or just his previous name.
* It is [[Athetos|Athethos]]' tank, just looks different. (He could be inside one of the farthest sphere Shaol has)
* It is [[Athetos]]' 2nd form, when his tanks get destroyed he "would pass his mind unto Shaol"<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/axiomverge/comments/bcctln/unused_art_from_maruru/ Some user theory]</ref> becoming immortal.

[[File:Shaol found.jpg|alt=Shaol found hidden in a secret room in Mar-Uru|thumb|In this picture, you can see how a player was able to move the camera out of boundaries, and cross with Shaol, at least a tiny bit of it in [[Mar-Uru|Mar-uru]].]]
In many media, you can see the player getting near Shaol, or some parts of it being shown.

There is not much info about this version of Shaol, most of it is mostly speculative, this might never even be intended and was just some misinterpretation made by people.

== As multiple bosses ==
Now, if Shaol was added to the game this is how it should have behaved according to the AV documentary<ref name=":0">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgmPkR1wwU AV documentary]</ref>.

To understand how Shaol was going to be multiple bosses we need some backstory:

In some media, (the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> for example) Shaol was supposedly a multiple-form boss, this could be interpreted in two ways:

=== Shaol is transforming ===
When you think of the word '''''"form"''''', is mostly associated with a change, not the creation, duplication, or destruction of an entity, so, having this in mind might lead to the fact that every time you fight a boss, it is always the same Shaol but it just changed its physical body, so all the [[:Category:Bosses|bosses]] were just Shaol's transformations.

Going further, one might realize that this conduct might have led to the removal of the exploding effects for the bosses in order to let people know that Shaol isn't dead, it would just transform, but elaborating on that is diverting the main topic and focusing on game design.

=== Shaol is '''''"cloning"''''' ===
The bosses the player encounters throughout the game just being Shaol's clones, it is just [[Athetos|Athethos]]' way of dealing with the player, there is nothing surprising about it, but, once the last 2 bosses are analyzed in dept or just even read their names, one might think Shaol's clones aren't just built for war or assistance.

=== Shaol variations ===
The following table how is Shaol fitted in AV in early stages, either being clones or transformations: (The following unused sprites and text are taken from the documentary<ref name=":0" />)
{| class="mw-collapsible fandom-table"
|+Shaol's variants
!Area
!Boss name as Shaol
!Boss name in final release
!Brief description as Shaol
!Appearance
|-
|1
|'''''Shaol - Worm Boss Form/Security worm'''''
|[[Xedur]]
|''"Hovering cyborg worm."''
|[[File:Xedur.png|alt=Xedur from Eribu|thumb]]
|-
|2
|'''''Shaol - Solider''''' [The only name appearance in the documentary]
|[[Telal]]
|It's not seen in the documentary but it might just be a brief description of the entity.
|[[File:Telal.png|alt=Telal from Absu|thumb]]
|-
|3
|'''''Shaol - Slug Form/Slug'''''
|[[Uruku]]
|''"A giant, armed, slug"''
|[[File:Uruku-Variant.png|alt=Uruku from Zi|thumb]]
|-
|4
|'''''Shaol Scorpion/ - Scorpion'''''
|[[Gir-Tab]]
|"''Does the things a Scorpion can."''
|[[File:Gir-Tab.png|alt=Gir-Tab from Kur|thumb]]
|-
|5
|There is no boss in [[Indi]] early stages
|None
|None
|None
|-
|6
|'''''Shaol's Manta Ray Form/ - Manta'''''
|[[Vision]]
|''"He flies back and forth, spraying bullets, then rises from behind, giving you a chance to hit him with your weapons."''
|[[File:Vision Boss.jpg|alt=Vision from Ukkin-Na|thumb]]
|-
|7
|'''''Spitbug''''' [This area isn't seen in the documentary, only one name is seen]
|[[Ukhu]]
|None
|[[File:Ukhu.png|alt=Ukhu from Edin|thumb]]
|-
|8
|'''''Shaol/Elsenova Hybrid'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|''"Squiggles the fore area while shooting you with acid. Occasionally rears back and slams down on you"''
|[[File:Shaol hybrid.png|alt=Shaol Hybrid from E-Kur-Mah|thumb]]
|-
|9
|'''''Shaol - Final/Final'''''
|It never got in the full release, Possibly influencing the design or behavior of [[Sentinel]] or [[Athetos]]
|'''''"'''A big eye with two tentacles that waves at you. You must destroy both to open the eye, at which point it must be hit until it closes, Repeat 3 or 6 times to kill."''
|[[File:Shaol final.png|alt=Shaol Final Form from Mar-Uru|thumb]]
|}

In the AV documentary<ref name=":0" /> there is seen '''''"Soldier Shaol"''''', which by their description they must be the tentacles Shaol final form uses, otherwise, they may be summoned enemies.

== Who was or What was "Shaol"? ==
Since Shaol never got into the full release, we may never know, but with the current information we can theorize some possibilities:

=== Shaol is Athetos ===
Very straightforward, he might be the same human with the same intentions, as mentioned before, he could be inside that machine, same story, different appearance.

Even though, this might not answer why he created a hybrid with [[Elsenova]]? he wanted a [[Rusalki]] on his team? he wanted to become one?

=== Shaol is a Rusalki traitor ===
A similar case as [[Katrahaska]] or even her would turn into Shaol, caused by maybe the same beliefs, Shaol would try to get rid of the [[Rusalki]] using [[Trace]] as a war weapon and in one attempt to increase gun power, it would try to fuse a Trace clone and the Serpent body of [[Elsenova]], resulting in the hybrid.

It could be possible that in one battle, Shaol was forced to retrieve to [[Mar-Uru]] due to critical damage, similar to [[Athetos]]' case

Still, this doesn't explain why [[Trace]] has to do with all of this, possibly he became a prisoner of Shaol when he travel to [[Sudra]] for the first time through the [[breach]], and then the original AV timeline would run just without [[Athetos]].

=== Shaol is a corrupted, twisted AI ===
This is the theory I liked the most:

The [[Sudran (Race)|Sudrans]] in the past might have created highly advanced artificial intelligence aware of itself, due to time and some other events would have led to go insane, when Shaol crossed with [[Trace]] it would experiment on his body trying to become a [[Rusalki]] (explaining the hybrid and the variants) and get rid of the other ones in its way for achieving greatness, conquering and unknown goals. Shaol's original body would be the machine residing [[Mar-Uru]].

== Etymology ==
''Shaol'' isn't particularly a word in either Hindi, Sumerian or Indian languages, but might refer to "Shaal" or "Shawl", which both refer to the type of cloth that the Indian wear.

''Shaol'' only has a more meaning plausible in Irish (''"Saol"''), meaning "Life", kind of goes out of habit, AV is known for using Hindi, Sumerian or Indian variants, but since [[Athetos]] is in Greek, exceptions can happen.

== Trivia ==

* Shaol makes an appearance in the art book for AV1 even though it is part of some gallery tagged as background for [[Mar-Uru]]<ref>Axion Verge Multiverse Edition Art Book</ref>
* There's supposedly an interview with [[Thomas Happ|Thomas]] talking about Shaol's sprite specifically. [citation needed]

== References ==
<references />

File:Shaol final.png

2022-09-01T22:45:48Z

Linnecther:

Final form of Shaol, found in Mar-Uru in the early stages of the game.

File:Shaol hybrid.png

2022-09-01T22:34:17Z

Linnecther: Linnecther uploaded a new version of File:Shaol hybrid.png

A boss which is a hybrid between Shaol and Elsenova, is found in E-Kur-Mah, more information about it is unknown, image featured in the AV documentary.

File:Shaol hybrid.png

2022-09-01T22:26:06Z

Linnecther:

A boss which is a hybrid between Shaol and Elsenova, is found in E-Kur-Mah, more information about it is unknown, image featured in the AV documentary.

File:Shaol found.jpg

2022-09-01T18:49:38Z

Linnecther:

Moving the camera out of boundaries a tiny fraction of Shaol was spotted.

File:Shaol.png

2022-09-01T17:33:47Z

Linnecther: Updated the file's description to be more descriptive.

Shaol's final form unused sprite found in the game files, it is believed to be the final boss for the game in early stages but was later scrapped.

File:Shaol.png

2022-09-01T17:31:03Z

Linnecther:

Shaol's final form unused sprite