Usuaria:Rasarr/Ruin and Ati

To Ruin and Ati

{{shard info
|image=Ruin.jpg
|shard=Ruin
|vessel=[[Sazed]]
|status=Whole, conjoined with [[Preservation]]
|slivers=[[Ati]]
|splinters=None{{wob ref|3020}}
|perpendicularity=[[Ruin's Perpendicularity]], [[Pits of Hathsin]]
|magic=[[Hemalurgy]], [[Feruchemy]]
|residence=[[Scadrial]]
|books=[[Mistborn Era 1]]
}}

“This force was time infinite. It was the winds that weathered, the storms that broke, the timeless waves running slowly, slowly, slowly, to a stop as the sun and the planet cooled to nothing. It was the ultimate end and destiny of all things. And it was angry. ”

—Kelsier

Ruin is a Shard of Adonalsium. Its original Vessel was Ati, but it's currently held by Sazed alongside Preservation, forming Harmony. Ruin is known as Herr to the Southern Scadrians. Its Investiture is typically associated with the color black.

Intent

“Death is necessary. Every clock must wind down, every day must end. Without me there is no life, and never could have been. Life is change, and I represent that change. ”

—Ruin

Ruin seeks change, that everything shall age and pass; an embodiment of entropy and decay. It is not inherently evil, because without change there is no life, but its destructive actions are often contrary to life existing peacefully. Since the Final Ascension, this intent has been tempered by Preservation, which also makes it difficult for anyone holding Harmony to take action.

Associated magic

Hemalurgy

Ruin fuels Hemalurgy, one of the three Metallic Arts on Scadrial. Hemalurgy is a unique magic in that unlike most it is not limited to Scadrial and can be used by anyone anywhere. Hemalurgy is a method of removing a portion of a person's spirit web and grafting it onto someone else. While Hemalurgy's potential is largely unexplored and remains a great mystery, it is mainly used to grant access to various Investiture systems for the recipient. Individuals who are pierced by Hemalurgic spikes can hear Ruin's voice in their head. In addition to this, Ruin can also subtly manipulate the emotions of spiked individuals, and slightly alter their perception of certain things without them being aware of it. The more spikes piercing a person, the more holes in their spirit web, which in turn allows for easier control by the Vessel of Ruin as well as susceptibility to emotional Allomancy. For example, humans with one spike are only subtly affected by Ruin, whereas Koloss, which are human with four spikes, are under direct and absolute control of Ruin. Three spikes or less do not enable Ruin or emotional Allomancy to completely control a human.

Mists

A black mist is a manifestation of Ruin's power. How this affects Hemalurgy is unknown if at all. This mist was present at the Well of Ascension upon Vin's discovery of the well. A similar manifestation appears after Ati's death before Sazed takes up both shards. After the Final Ascension, black mists are sent forth by Harmony, as well as the usual mists, which are of Preservation.

Atium

The solid form of Ruin's power, a metal known as atium, allows the user to see a few seconds into the future when Allomantically burned. Atium can also be used to store youth with Feruchemy, that youth can be compounded to create a semblance of agelessness. When used as a Hemalurgic spike, atium can steal any power, including those of Allomancy, Feruchemy, and possibly other magic systems, though it must first be refined.

Atium burned incredibly quickly; even a relatively large bead lasts for only about two minutes. The metal was produced only in the Pits of Hathsin, which surrounded Ruin's perpendicularity. Production there ceased when Kelsier destroyed the crystals that the Atium grew from.

History

The deal and betrayal

Ruin and Preservation, the two Shards on Scadrial, struck a deal to create life on the planet. Neither Shard could create by themselves but working together they created life. Preservation gave an extra piece of his power to create sentient life. In doing so, he left himself weaker than Ruin, which formed the basis of their agreement that Ruin would be allowed to destroy the world some day.

Preservation broke the terms of the agreement by sacrificing his mind to create a prison for Ruin's mind, preventing him from destroying the world. Furthermore, in an attempt to balance the power (since some of Preservation was now stored in humanity), he sequestered away a portion of Ruin's power by condensing it into the metal atium.

(Pact with Preservation - from Ati)

As one of the sixteen people who shattered Adonalsium, Ati became the original vessel of Shard Ruin. As the vessel, his mind was warped to fit his Shardic intent, making him always want to reduce everything down to its smallest possible form, to destroy everything. In an agreement with the Shard Preservation, he obtained Preservation's help in creating a planet (Scadrial), with the agreement that if Preservation could create sentient life, Ruin could eventually destroy Scadrial and its inhabitants. However, Preservation's Intent prevented him from actually allowing Ruin to destroy Scadrial. He orchestrated the downfall of Ruin on Scadrial with an elaborate plot to sacrifice himself (since holding Preservation meant he was unable to destroy). He sacrificed his mental capabilities to entrap Ruin in the Well of Ascension, effectively preventing Ruin from majorly affecting the world. Ati was still able to use Ruin's power to affect the world, and changed the Terris Prophecies to trick Vin into freeing him from the Well of Ascension. Once free, he began to make the Ashmounts to erupt more frequently, causing the omnipresent ash to fall more heavily and lava flows to endanger several villages close to each Ashmount. Earthquakes were also much more frequent, so much so that Elend remarked that earthquakes were practically unheard of in the Inner Dominances, but during a short time he had already experienced several.

Touch on the world

Ruin's entrapped mind could still influence the world. In particular, he changed the prophecies left behind by Preservation in an attempt to get the Hero of Ages to release him from his prison. This led to Rashek becoming the Lord Ruler. Ruin also encouraged the mists, left behind by Preservation, to choke off sunlight to the planet. This is what became known as the Deepness from Pre-Ascension times.

As a result of his manipulation of the Terris prophecies, Vin unwittingly released Ruin from his prison 1024 years later, believing that the power of the Well of Ascension had to be released in order to right the changes Rashek had made to the world. Once he was freed, Ruin immediately went on a rampage to destroy Scadrial; central to this plan was his need to overcome Preservation, which meant that he needed to find the stash of atium left behind by the Lord Ruler.

The death of Ati

Ruin's rampage was ended when he had Marsh kill Elend. Vin, now the Vessel of Preservation, threw the full force of Preservation at Ruin, telling him that Elend was the last thing she had to live for. Due the opposite nature of these Shards, the conflict killed both her and Ati.

The end of Ruin was Preservation's plan all along. Leras had held Preservation for so long that he was bound by its intent, and could not kill or destroy anything, not even Ruin. He arranged to have the Shard pass on to a new Vessel, who would not be so strongly bound by the Shard's intent and thus would have more freedom to use its power.

Sazed picked up both Ruin and Preservation following Vin's sacrifice, and is the current Vessel of both Shards. Ruin's power mixed with Preservation's, forming the Shard Harmony. It is unclear how Sazed was able to balance the two Shards, since Ruin was slightly stronger than Preservation.

Influence

“You make our religion all about you. They hardly remember the truth any longer. ”

—Leras to Ruin

Quotes

Para a list of quotes from Ruin, ver Ruin/Quotes.

Ati

{{character
|image=Ruin by ML Malandrino.jpg
|abilities={{tag+|shard|Ruin}}
|titles=[[Ruin]]
|aliases=Frue{{book ref|mb6|22}}
|died={{date|1025|fe}}
|world=Scadrial
|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[Mistborn Era 1]]
}}

This article is about the Vessel. Para the Aon, ver Aon#Ati.

“Death is not evil, Kelsier. Death is necessary. ”

—Ati

Ati is a human and the original Vessel of the Shard Ruin, hailing from the planet Yolen. He and Leras, the Vessel of Preservation, created Scadrial together before Leras betrayed him and trapped him in the Well of Ascension.

Appearance and Personality

“Think of me as a caretaker—the one who watches the shop and makes certain that the lights are turned out, that everything is cleaned up, once closing time arrives. ”

—Ati

Little is known about Ati's appearance; he has flame-red hair, and a welcoming, friendly smile. When taking on human form, he wears a robe, and has shadows moving beneath his skin, akin to spines or spider legs. They push against his form, making it pucker outwards erratically. How intense this effect is varies; it's sometimes less pronounced, and sometimes more. When speaking to Vin, Ati uses Reen's voice, though he sounds more aged and fatherly.

As a mortal, Ati was known for being kind and generous. After taking up Ruin, he fought against the destructive impulses it brought about for many years. Over time, however, Ruin won out, and adapted this kindness to its own intent.

Presently, Ati wants to see the destruction of everything in existence. He believes that all life must end eventually, and to force it to carry onward past its expiration date is cruel. In his opinion, the destruction he causes serves a creative purpose; without death, there can be no further life. At the same time, Ati is prideful and boastful. He seems to revel in mocking those he has defeated, and will appear in front of his victims to gloat about his victory. This very quality is his weak point, as it often leads him to underestimating his opponents.

• Images of Ati
• 

  by Kyle Pearson
• 

  by eyeronis Commanding Marsh
• 

  by User: Botanicaxu
• 

  by Maria Lia Malandrino
• 

  by EccoS Behind Vin

Abilities and Attributes

por eyeronis

Commanding an Inquisitor

“I'm all around you—the air you pretend to breathe, the ground beneath your feet. I’m in that knife and in your very soul. ”

—Ati

Ati is a Shard of Adonalsium, making him one of the most powerful entities in the cosmere. He is immortal, unaging and incorporeal; he fuels the magics of Hemalurgy and Feruchemy. Thanks to being heavily invested in Scadrial, he can alter any text other than what is written in metal, changing it to suit his needs. He can also speak to any person wearing a hemalurgic spike. This all comes at a cost of a drastic personality change, as his mind was forced to adapt to Ruin's intent.

Apart from his supernatural abilities, Ati has proven to be adept at deception, when he wishes to be. His alterations are subtle enough to trick the unaware into thinking they are still reading the original text. When appearing in person, he can easily play a role of another; most notably, he was speaking in Reen's voice in Vin's head for years without tipping her off to the fact that she wasn't hearing her own thoughts, and he mimicked Kelsier's voice to Spook to drive him to serve Ruin's purposes. Despite his destructive, megalomaniacal tendencies, he is easily able to play someone kind and affable.

History

Nothing is known about Ati's origins and life prior to the Shattering, other than that he came from Yolen. For unknown reason, he and a group of others broke cosmere's creator deity, Adonalsium, into sixteen pieces. Of those sixteen, he took up Ruin, and departed alongside Preservation for an empty star system that would eventually become Scadrial.

Para Ati's actions as Ruin, ver Ruin#History.

Following his death at the hands of Vin, Ati's body reappeared at the site where the two clashed. His Cognitive Shadow briefly manifested in Scadrial's Cognitive Realm, where he was initially confused, wondering if he'd found himself on Vax. Unfortunately for him, he manifested near Kelsier, who promptly decked him in the face as retaliation. With glum acceptance, Ati faded away into the Beyond.

Relationships

Leras

“As if he could harm even me. ”

—Ati about Leras

It's unknown what, if any, relationship there was between Ati and Leras prior to the Shattering. The two left Yolen together, though it's unclear whether this was due to personal attachment or simply because they realized the need for their Shards to balance each other out. However, Leras tricked Ati; first convincing him to create Scadrial together, under the pretense that he'd be allowed to destroy it later, then sacrificing himself to trap Ruin's mind within the Well of Ascension.

By the time of Ruin's release, the two are extremely hostile to each other. Ati is dismissive of Leras, mocking his weakness and the limitations placed on him by his intent. Leras hates how Ati used his power to twist and change their religion to worship only himself, and bemoans the change in Ati's personality brought about by the Shard. Neither Vessel is afraid of the other; Ati, because he doesn't believe Preservation is capable of opposing him, and Leras, because he's already dead and thus out of Ati's reach.

Vin

por EccoS

Vin and Ruin

“You're all on my side, Vin. I created you. You’re my tools—each and every one of you. ”

—Ati

Ati considers Vin one of his greatest agents, and has taken great pains to twist her to his purposes in order to have an appropriate tool to bring about the end. She was selected at birth due to an unusual combination of circumstances: she herself a Mistborn, with a Seeker sister and an insane mother whom Ruin could influence. As such, he drove the mother to kill the sister and put her power into a Hemalurgic spike that would become Vin's earring.

After Reen's death, Ruin often makes use of his voice, speaking to Vin thorugh the earring to influence her, mostly to make her less trusting of others. He also alters various texts to convince people that Vin is the Hero of Ages, leading to her visiting the Well of Ascension. There, he puts on a kindly persona to convince her to release the Well's power and thus free him.

In the period following his release, Ruin frequently speaks to Vin, trying to beat down her spirit and ensure she would not fulfill Preservation's plans for her. However, it's this very gloating that makes Vin realize that she's not speaking with a force of nature but a person, with very human failings. Rather than feeling defeat, she begins to hope once more that Ruin could be defeated. Ati's final mistake with Vin is killing Elend, thinking it would push her to the depths of despair. Instead, she rallies and, freed from her last tie to the world of the living, challenges him directly, killing them both.

Kelsier

“You can say what you wish, but you don't own me. I am not yours. ”

—Kelsier

Kelsier first learns of Ruin's existence after his death, when he witnesses Leras scream at Ati in defiance. During the time he spends trapped in the Well of Ascension, he learns more about the Shard and even uses bits of its power to see the events happening beyond the Well. He comes to fear the possibility of its release, and tries to aid Leras in stopping Ati from breaking free, albeit to no avail. After Vin releases Ruin, Kelsier sets out to find a way to defeat it.

Ati himself seems to find Kelsier amusing, and Leras notes that even the man's old self would laugh at the situation. When he appears to Kelsier, it's to mock him, and assure him that his own victory is inevitable. Much like Vin, Kelsier does realize that Ati is doing so partially because he is worried that Kelsier might find a way to oppose him; however, he still find Ati's words disturbing.

When Kelsier returns with Ire's orb, Ati once again mocks him, suggesting that it was him who inspired Kelsier's quest in the first place. Kelsier tries to protect Vin from Ruin's influence, but even after taking up Preservation, he is unable to do that until the very end, when he passes the Shard's power onto her. It's only after Vin uses said power to kill Ruin that Kelsier is able to pay Ati back for all the verbal abuse, by punching him hard enough to make the former Vessel fall to the ground.

Trivia

• If Ati managed to give up Ruin without dying, his personality would return to something closer to the original one, though his nature as a Sliver would leave a permanent mark on his psyche.

Notes

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{{Mistborn|Era 1}}
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