Shu

**Shu** is the **Egyptian god** of the wind, the air, storms and order. His animal is an ostrich and his symbol an ostrich feather. He was the third of the Netjer to receive their power from **Ra** (after **Set** and **Isis**) and was supposedly created by **"Mother"**. After Set's rebellion and banishment, Shu stood by Ra and has served as his loyal second-in-command ever since.

## History

### The First Days

Shu awoke on the banks of the Nile approximately 7,000 years ago. The first other he saw was the goddess Isis. As a child of Mother, he was one with the winds; he could feel and speak to the winds but since he had not been blessed by her kiss, he could not control them. Like the others, Shu envied Ra's unimaginable power.

When Isis tricked Ra into sharing his powers, Shu was the fourth to receive that power. He then truly became god of the winds and storms.

### Golden Age & Set's Rebellion

Shu ruled over the humans in the Nile valley and his consort was appointed as Tefnut. He was against teaching humans about writing or agriculture or anything the gods knew. The gods and humans has their respective places in the hierarchy of *ma'at* and he supported Ra's decision.

When Geb and Nut were discovered to be having an affair, Ra punished them by declaring that never could the two meet again. Shu was taked with enforcing this verdict, which he has done for millennia now.

After a few cycles, Set became disillusioned and Scattered Osiris, declaring a rebellion against Ra and *ma'at*. Shu was among those that sided with Ra. This led to a civil war that lasted for many years. During this time, Shu was appointed as Ra's new right hand.

In the wake of Set's defeat, Osiris became the Lord of the Dead and Shu kept his position as Right Hand to Ra. Over the centuries, he loyally served Ra and upheld *ma'at*. He was known for his composure and well-reasoned counsel.

### Apophis

During the reign of Apophis, Shu was kept very busy. As god of winds, he was often put in charge of sending messages between gods and was often on the front lines beside Ra during major battles.

When Ra finally allowed the Netjer to give knowledge to the humans, Shu taught the pharaohs about politics and wise counsel. He also had a hand in teaching agriculture (specifically how to reach weather and about rain).

During the Final Battle with the World-Eater, Shu was among the last nine still standing (Ra, Set, Osiris, Isis, Shu, Horus, Thoth, Sobek and Nut). Shu's hurricanes helped keep the creature at bay and helped with the binding process, not to mention the physical act of forcing Apophis into his prison in the Duat.

After Apophis was defeated, the humans soon turned on the gods. Shu was killed in the initial bloodbath while trying to protect and free Ra from his binding circle.

Over the next several millennia, Shu continued his loyal, unquestioning service to Ra, performing any act commanded by Ra, no matter what it was. Ra's will was the will of Mother and of *ma'at* and it was Shu's duty to carry it out.

### Last Cycle

In the previous cycle, Shu awoke in the body of a common-born French patent clerk in Paris, France.

Set attacked the Netjer in 1913, which resulted in a fire in a Parisian ghetto that killed nearly 100 people. Shu was among the gods that helped battle the Fallen and personally defeated **Hapi** and helped bind Set.

When World War 1 broke out (which was a war between Olympus and Asgard), the Netjer allied with the Olympians. Shu participated in many battles, often carrying out Ra's will on the battlefield. Part of this included interrogating captured soldiers and even a captured god; at one point, Shu interrogated, tortured and ultimately had to execute the Norse god **Dagr**.

In late 1915, Set escaped captivity. In late 1917, it was discovered that Isis and Set had been having an affair since Set's escape. Set was captured again and Shu presided over the following trial. Ra declared Set be Scattered for his many crimes and while Shu respected that, he did not agree with it. Following Set's Scattering, Shu mourned him.

In the spring of 1918, the Netjer--including Ra himself--participated in a joint-offensive with the Olympians known as **The Battle of the Somme**. The battle was to be the final assault on the Asgardians but things didn't quite go that way. In the battle, Ra was killed by a combined offensive of Odin, Thor, Tyr and Ran. The other Netjer lost their power soon after and Shu was killed in the battlefield like the rest of his kin. Specifically, Shu was killed by Thor.

### The Modern Cycle

The most recent cycle began on April 23, 2017. Shu reawoke in the body of a Muslim therapist named Omer Jaseem in Los Angeles, California. He immediately began to prepare for the Council of Ma'at, which was held by Ra at the beginning of every cycle for the last 5,000 years. But the summons never came.

Shu waited for two weeks before he began to investigate and found **Babi**. The two agreed to work together and Babi became Shu's Right Hand. Shu, the new Speaker for Ma'at, began to search for the other gods.

He would discover that things would not be so simple.

## Personality

Shu is a stern, serious, traditionally-minded god. He believes Ra is dead and that he is the new vessel of Mother's word. He supports *ma'at* and believes it must be upheld and enforced at all costs. He has little patience with humans and no respect for human life. He also has little tolerance for disobedience among his fellow gods and will not hesitate to destroy anything that challenges him. However, if he can use Isis to defuse the situation then he will. Shu has a tendency to be arrogant and appointed himself the distributor of Mother's will.

Despite this, Shu is not without forgiveness or mercy, at least when dealing with his own kind. Upon dealing with Nephthys and the other Fallen, Shu is hostile but is willing to forgive them and only imprisons them as opposed to killing them. He always offers his enemies another chance.

Of all of the gods, Shu has carried out Ra's will the most, no matter the order. He has committed many crimes in the name of Ra and *ma'at*, from torture to murder. He is often brought to violence and doesn't hesitate to kill in order to protect or avenge his people.

Still, Shu has absolutely no pride in these acts. He tries to fight his nature and seeks redemption through helping the other Netjer come to terms with the modern age. He acts very sociably and politely to his fellow gods and tries diplomacy before violence.

## Powers and Abilities

As one of The First, Shu is one of the oldest and most powerful beings in existence, possessing a considerably high amount of supernatural power that has made him more powerful than the other Netjer. Merely trying to summon and trap him is "like capturing a hurricane with your hands". Only a few beings are truly more powerful than Shu, such as Ra and Set. Below are listed the powers Shu possesses:

* **Ageless Memory:** He requires the use of a vessel in order to physically interact with humans while on Earth, but his essence "burns hotter" than other gods and is so powerful that it permanently damages the vessel. He has more clear and structured memories of his past incarnations than other pantheons.
* **Ambrosia & Nectar:** Consumption of Nectar & Ambrosia (which has many names throughout the pantheons) greatly accelerates Shu's healing factor, even capable of bringing him back from the brink of death when injured by magic, Celestial weapons or foul Titan magic. Too much is dangerous, however, and he must be careful when consuming it.
* **Auras:** Shu's aura creates a constant pocket of fresh air around him, clearing away toxins and foul odors. He can also bring a light breeze at will and listen to sounds incredibly far away. This ability also gives him a limited degree of omnipotence; if air flows somewhere, he can listen to it. He also has a somewhat calming influence; people feel more at ease around him and find thinking clear and planning to be a bit easier.
* **Combat Intuition:** Like all gods, Shu has an instinctive ability to fight and defend himself using ancient Egyptian methods. He specializes in the use of the spear.
* **Divine Physiology:** Like all gods, Shu never tires and is immune to all mundane disease. He has dramatically increased strength, able to lift weight far exceeding what most people of his height and weight could possibly hope to lift. His senses and reflexes are enhanced to well-beyond superhuman levels.
* **Air** **Domains:** As the god of wind, air and storms, Shu has absolute control of air and winds. While there are several other gods that have influence and control over winds, air and such, Shu is more powerful and can usually negate the air powers of other gods and titans.
	+ **Aerokinesis:** He is able to use wind to perform a number of abilities, such as cushion landings, generate offensive blasts, blow attacks away and many, many other things.
	+ **Flight:** Shu is capable of manipulating air currents to allow him to fly.

* **Dream Walking:** All gods possess a unique relationship to dreams. All gods have a limited capacity for prophetic ability in dreams and all gods are capable of dream walking, or interacting with the dreams of others, to a limited extent.
* **Electronic Manipulation:** A god often interferes with certain electrical appliances or systems when using their powers.
* **Immortality:** A god ages much more slowly than a human; left to their own devices, some gods have lived a few centuries and only appear to have aged a decade or so. If killed by any means other than what it takes to put one down for good (see Weaknesses, below), they will come back to life within 24 hours.
* **Invulnerability:** A god is much tougher than a human and can withstand a greater degree of punishment. Gods can take the amount of pain and injury that would cripple or kill a mortal human and walk it off. They are superhuman in their ability to shrug off damage and evade harm.
* **Native Tongue:** Shu is capable speaking both Arabic and several dialects of Egyptian.
* **Regeneration:** If Shu's body is damaged, it will repair itself almost instantly unless the wound is caused by celestial weaponry or particularly powerful magic.
* **Reincarnation:** If killed, Shu's essence is not destroyed (unless it is **Scattered**, see below) the god will return to the Outer Planes, where it will remain dormant until the start of the next Divine Cycle.
* **Supernatural Perception:** Gods are able to see almost all supernatural activity around them. He can also physically see air currents.
* **Worship Empowerment:** As long as a god's domain exists, a god can usually continue existing. Worship is the lifeblood that keeps them strong; a god can exist without being actively worshiped, but they will not be anywhere near as strong. A lack of worship might cause a god to no longer reincarnate during the next Cycle. Moreover, when a mortal performs an act of worship in the presence of a god, the god will get a boost of energy that is described as being a thousand times stronger than caffeine. The more profound the act of worship, or the more costly the sacrifice on the human's part, the more energy can be harvested from the act.

## Weaknesses

Shu possesses all of the normal weaknesses of a god, with the following notable features:

* **Bans:** Shu has several notable bans and glyphs that can be used to summon, bind or harm Shu specifically.
* **Connection to Ra:** The Netjer do not have a Sacred Tree like most Pantheons. Instead, their power is tied to Ra himself. If Ra is killed, their power fades and they become mortal again.
* **Sycamore Stakes:** Shu can be neutralized with a stake made of sycamore that has been held over a fire.

## Lore

In the mythology, Shu is the father of Geb and Nut. He is one of the primordial gods, a personification of air, and is counted as one of the Ennead of Heliopolis. Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephthys are counted as his grandchildren.

As the air, Shu was considered to be cooling and thus calming and pacifying. Due to the association with air, calm and thus Ma'at, Shu was portrayed in art as wearing an ostrich feather.

Shu holds up Nut while Geb rests upon the ground.

## Trivia

* Evidently, Shu has a fascination with tabloid magazines.
* Likes 80's new wave music.