Ruthark
Voice of the Wilds (a.k.a. The Pathbreaker, The Unyielding Claw, Sovereign of the Endless Hunt)
Ruthark is the untamed force of nature made divine, a Leonin of immense strength and primal authority who embodies the relentless struggle of survival. He teaches that growth is only found through hardship, and strength is the reward for those who embrace the chaos of life and fight against it. He does not offer protection or comfort, nor does he coddle those who seek his guidance—Ruthark is a god of challenge, of trial and triumph, of tooth and claw. He welcomes battle, revels in competition, and scorns stagnation, for to him, the greatest sin is to allow oneself to wither in complacency. Whether through the hunt, the struggle for survival, or the conflicts of life, Ruthark preaches that only through adversity does one find their true self.
To Ruthark, freedom is sacred, a lesson hard-won from his own past. Before his ascension, he was enslaved by the angels of Elysium, his spirit pushed down but never crushed under chains of divine order that sought to bend him into submission. It was there that his hatred for imposed servitude was forged, and with it, his unyielding belief that no creature should be denied their own path. However, true freedom comes with hardship—liberation is not a gift, but a trial, and those unwilling to fight for their own survival will never understand its value. Ruthark does not promise peace or fairness; he offers only the struggle that forges greatness. He despises those who squander their potential by seeking comfort over challenge, but he does not pity them—they are simply prey. To follow Ruthark is to walk the hardest path, to welcome the wilderness of existence and shape oneself through conflict. Those who endure will stand strong, unbroken, and ready to claim their place among the great hunters of the world.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Though Ruthark does not actively seek worship, those who revere his ideals of strength, struggle, and freedom have adopted various symbols to represent his presence and philosophy. These symbols are not placed in temples or cities but are instead found in the wilds, on warriors, and upon the scars of those who have survived great trials.
- The Clawed Circle – A circle of claw marks, often carved into wood, stone, or flesh, represents the cycle of struggle and survival. It is commonly used by warriors who have overcome near-death experiences, marking them as having endured and grown stronger. Some carve it into their armor, weapons, or skin to show that they have walked the path of hardship and prevailed.
- The Hunter’s Brand – A stylized lion’s eye, etched or burned into shields, weapons, or banners, represents Ruthark’s gaze—the challenge he issues to all who walk the world. Those who bear this sigil proclaim themselves hunters, never prey, and accept that they must always push forward to prove their strength.
Mental characteristics
Accomplishments & Achievements
Even after ascending to divinity, Ruthark did not seek comfort in his newfound power—he sought challenge, for stagnation is death. When the raging flames of the Elemental Plane of Fire threatened to consume the forests of The Beastlands, Ruthark alone stepped into the inferno, not to plead or negotiate with its inhabitants, but to break the fire’s hold by force. He waded through the searing magma, tore apart volcanic mountains with his bare hands, and redirected the rivers of molten destruction that sought to devour the untamed wilds. The fire lords and elemental forces of the realm sought to burn him to ash, but Ruthark endured, refusing to retreat until he had wrestled the flames themselves into submission.
For several months, he waged war against an unrelenting force, scattering infernal embers and forcing the elemental tide to recede. Though the fires still burn, their reach was broken, and The Beastlands were saved from ruin. The aftershocks of his struggle even extended to Midranor, bringing an early end to the summer as the elemental fires were pushed back. Yet, Ruthark does not mourn the destruction left in his wake. The scars of The Beastlands remain, charred earth and reshaped terrain standing as proof of his defiance, and to him, every burn and every wound is a medal of honor. The land endures because of his struggle, and in his eyes, that is the greatest testament to his truth: only through battle, through hardship, does one shape the world and themselves.
Failures & Embarrassments
During the Liberation of The Beastlands, Ruthark waged war against the celestial forces of Elysium, tearing through their ranks in defiance of the order that once enslaved him. Yet, even as he fought for the wilds, his kin—his pride, his brothers—were taken, bound in chains and dragged toward Elysium for judgment. He gave chase, his fury a wildfire, tearing through angels and divine warriors in his path. But before he could reach them, a mighty Empyrean, one of the high commanders of the celestial host, descended before him, sword in hand, a wall between Ruthark and his captured kin.
He had a choice. He could have moved past the battle, found another way, torn through lesser foes and saved his brothers before the gates of Elysium swallowed them whole. But Ruthark is the Unyielding Claw, the Pathbreaker, the one who never backs down from a fight—and this was a foe worthy of him. He met the challenge head-on, reveling in the clash of strength, knowing that if he could slay the commander, the victory would be absolute. He fought with all the power of the wilds, and in the end, he stood victorious, the body of the Empyrean broken before him. But as the blood cooled and his breath steadied, he turned to see the last glimmer of his brothers vanishing into the light of Elysium. He had won the fight, but lost what truly mattered.
He never saw them again. He was left alone with the corpse of his triumph, a trophy that meant nothing in the face of his failure. That day, Ruthark learned that not all battles are worth fighting, and some victories are empty when they come at the cost of what truly matters. It was a wound that never healed, a lesson burned into his soul—strength is meaningless if it blinds you to what is most important.
Morality & Philosophy
Ruthark, the Voice of the Wilds, believes that struggle is the crucible of strength, and only through adversity can one truly grow. He sees existence as an unending hunt, where survival and challenge shape the worthy into something greater. To Ruthark, freedom is sacred, not as a gift but as something one must seize and defend with their own strength. His hatred for slavery stems from his own past in chains, yet he has learned that freedom cannot be forced upon those unwilling to take it—a bitter truth he has come to accept. He values raw, unfiltered existence, where individuals carve their own path, fight their own battles, and emerge stronger for it. He despises stagnation, pity, and those who choose comfort over the wild struggle of life.
However, Ruthark’s philosophy is not without limits. There are battles even he cannot win, and not all challenges can be overcome through brute force. Though he believes in testing himself against the strongest foes, he has learned that not all fights exist to be conquered—some, like the untamed wilds, are meant to be endured. To follow Ruthark is to embrace hardship, to seek out trials rather than flee from them, and to find one’s place in the world not by bending it to one’s will, but by proving oneself worthy of it.
