Shelish

Belonging to the Nightsister clan of Dathomirian witches, Shelish was a Dathomirian Zabrak characterized by her pale skin, black hair, and yellow eyes. As a Nightsister, Shelish received instruction and training in magick, a unique application of the Force by the Witches of Dathomir, linked to both the light and dark sides of the Force. In her younger years, she departed from her homeworld of Dathomir. Years after her departure, in 20 BBY, the Separatist Droid Army under General Grievous annihilated the Nightsisters, a consequence of Count [Dooku]'s betrayal of his Dathomirian Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress. Ventress had rejoined her Nightsister family, and they had conspired to assassinate Dooku multiple times. Only a handful of Nightsisters survived the battle, including Shelish.

Shelish established her residence on the swamp moon of Jhas Krill, the eleventh moon of Jhas within the Hoth system. Shelish had previously traveled back to Dathomir on several occasions to uncover what had happened to her people. After learning of their fate, Shelish resolved to never return to Dathomir. However, she decided to continue to honor her sisters every day. She bore a child, who would later be known as Deathstick. Shelish and Deathstick separated, with Deathstick growing up in the Anoat sector. Deathstick became an assassin serving Lady Qi'ra of the Crimson Dawn before establishing her own crime syndicate, the Kouhun.

Shelish formed a bond with Owacchi, the Wookiee pirate who had been double-crossed by his crew, the Starhowl Pirates. Sometime between 2 BBY and 4 ABY, a pirate crew including the thieves Houliet, Marath, and Kalab, found themselves orbiting Jhas, fleeing from another group of pirates they had betrayed. They landed on Jhas Krill seeking refuge and eventually stumbled upon Shelish's hut. Detecting the pirates through her window, Shelish invited them inside, inquiring about their presence. After hearing their story, Shelish shared her own experience as a survivor of persecution, noting that they were her first visitors in years. While Shelish prepared warm broth for the pirates, they plotted to betray her, steal her treasures, and seize her home. As the pirates consumed their meal of broth, wine, and fruit, Shelish drank water, aware of their true intentions. When Marath approached Shelish with a dagger, Shelish summoned shadows to reveal Owacchi, who stopped Marath. Shelish banished the pirates, cursed them by turning their treasure to dust, and teleporting it to herself.

Between 4 ABY and 5 ABY, a young smuggler, searching for the Kouhun's origins, obtained holodiscs that led him to Jhas Krill to meet Shelish. Sensing power within the smuggler, she offered to teach him magick. When the traveler expressed skepticism, Shelish placed him in a complex illusion on Hoth, where he battled Deathstick and her Kouhun. After defeating the illusionary Deathstick, Shelish's voice returned the smuggler to reality, sparking his interest in learning magick. She gave him a talisman and instructed him to travel to Mataou to defeat powerful beasts, energizing the mist within him. Upon his return, Shelish briefly explained her Nightsister heritage. Knowing he had already consumed the Waters of Truth with the Kouhun, she sent him to Anoat to drink the Waters of Change, once held by the Nightsisters but now possessed by a Festering Shaman. After his return, Shelish requested one final favor: to eliminate the pirates who had betrayed Owacchi, as they sought to kill both Shelish and Owacchi. The smuggler located and killed them on Cloud City on Bespin, returning to Jhas Krill, where Shelish questioned his worthiness of the Nightsisters' gifts. She placed him in a final illusion, similar to the first, where he fought through Hoth's wildlife until he faced Shelish herself within the illusion. Angered by his perceived incompetence, Shelish battled the smuggler. After he defeated her, Shelish revealed it was all a dream. With the illusion dispelled, Shelish awakened the magick within the smuggler, warning him to use it wisely.

Shelish sometimes struggled to recognize humor used as a coping mechanism for fear. She was inclined to share details about her past and relationships once someone proved trustworthy. Shelish possessed knowledge of her homeworld's fate and expressed sorrow that she would never see Dathomir and the Nightsisters in their former glory. She was willing to teach magick to talented individuals in exchange for their service and adherence to her goals, but she questioned those who trivialized her powers.

Shelish displayed affection towards individuals like her daughter, Deathstick, whom she called special, and Owacchi, her rescued Wookiee companion, whom she sought to protect from the Starhowl Pirates. Shelish was disgusted and vengeful towards the pirate crew's crimes and sought to incapacitate them. After the Smuggler dealt with the pirates for her and Owacchi, she abruptly claimed they were no longer her concern, hinting at manipulative tendencies.

Throughout her life, Shelish utilized various Force-based abilities through magick. She could create rings for protection, conceal beings within shadows, teleport items using curses, sense the Force in others, create realistic illusions, generate force lightning, and summon whirlwinds. She was also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and blade combat.

Shelish wore red, black, and yellow robes and a yellow headpiece. She also carried a long blade.

Shelish debuted in the 2015 mobile game Star Wars: Uprising by Kabam, voiced by Kari Washington. Designed by Kate Burgess and modeled by Jay Doherty, Burgess enjoyed working on Shelish, viewing it as a unique opportunity to design an older female character who "falls outside the traditional mold of heroes/villains [sic]." Her distinctive hairstyle was inspired by fiddlehead greens.

In the comic Crimson Reign 2, Lady Qi'ra of Crimson Dawn tells her associates Margo and Trinia that Deathstick escaped the Battle of Dathomir with her mother during the event. However, other sources state that Shelish left Dathomir long before the event. This article prioritizes those other sources as more accurate.