SHOKKOTH
Real Name: Shokkoth
Identity/Class: Sorcerous creation (possibly an elemental being)
Occupation: Guardian of Zoqquanor's Lair
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Zoqquanor (creator and master), Stefanya (master's assistant)
Enemies: Conan
Known Relatives: Inapplicable; if Zoqquanor was his creator, possibly other members of a demonic or supernatural race.
Aliases: Shokkoth of the Many Stones
Base of Operations: Zoqquanor's Lair
First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#46 (January, 1974) (See Comments)
Powers: Shokkoth was a large, powerful creature, likely with some form of enhanced strength and endurance. Shokkoth was invulnerable to iron and conventional weapons, able to snatch away razor sharp swords from opponents with its multicolored jewel-encrusted hands, but proved to be extremely vulnerable to corrosive acids.
History: (Conan the Barbarian I#46)- After rescuing the young woman Stefanya from a violent mob bent on burning her at the stake, Conan diverted his ride from Phalkar to escort her to the lair of the wizard she once served. Conan didn't understand why Stefanya wanted to return to her master's lair if the mob had, in fact, slain him. Stefanya protested, saying that due to an enchantment put upon her at birth, if Zoqquanor were actually dead, she would have died the instant her master did. If Zoqquanor was such a powerful mage, why hadn't he removed the spell? Because he placed it upon her himself in order to prevent her from sticking a dagger in-between his ribs, Stefanya informed Conan. Impressed by her fiery spirit, Conan agreed to search the ruins of Zoqquanor's keep with her. Finding that only the keep's stone roundhouse was left standing after the villagers' attack, Stefanya recalled how they cornered Zoqquanor inside there. The last she saw, the villagers had been trying to burn their way through the roundhouse's stout oak door. Something must have happened to stop them, because she was most definitely NOT dead and lifeless, quoth Conan. They found the door still standing, but just barely. Conan kicked it in, and Stefanya told him to wait downstairs in case they were followed, while she searched upstairs for Zoqquanor.
As Conan contemplated balling Stefanya all the way down the long road to Phalkar, suddenly his pleasant reverie was suddenly shattered by the girl's terrified shriek of: "Aieeeeeee! Shokkoth!" and the tread of heavy, inhuman footsteps above. Racing upstairs, Conan found Stefanya cowering in fear from the hulking, bejewelled beast.
At Stefanya's urging, Conan leapt forward to kill the monster, but found it was immune to typical hack, slash, and impalement attacks from his trusty steel sword! Bludgeoning it with a hastily snatched up iron tripod didn't work any better. ĚThen, noticing that the stones on Shokkoth's foot had begun to crumble and fall away where he stepped into an unnamed liquid spilled from a shattered amphora, Conan had a sudden flash of inspiration. Seizing up a vial of the unnamed liquid from a nearby shelf, Conan hurled it fully into Shokkoth's face, where it shattered! Screaming in pain, Shokkoth clutched his face, and crumbled into a disordered pile of colorful stones...as if the cosmic glue which had held them living together had abruptly ceased to exist! Bye, bye, Shokkoth!
Comments: Adapted by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.
Shokkoth was a summoned being, or one of a race of elementals; There might be a way to summon more of his kind. If Shokkoth was a creation of Zoqquanor's, then the formula by which he was brought into existence might still be on file somewhere. Paging, Dr. Strange!
Shokkoth appeared in a storyline bearing the tagline: "freely adapted from Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse by Gardner F. Fox". I have not yet read this fantasy novel, but if anyone has read both the novel, and the issue of Conan adapted from it, I welcome any and all comments. If you'd like to sell it...even better!
Clarifications:
Shokkoth should not be confused with:
Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#46 (January, 1975) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Joe Sinnot (inks)
Last updated: 01/01/11
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