Ruin is the destructive god released when Vin gives up the power held in the Well of Ascension. He is a Shard of Adonalsium.

History[]

Eons before the founding of the Final Empire, Preservation and Ruin worked together to create life. Preservation convinced Ruin to help him create sentient life, which would contain a tiny bit more Preservation than Ruin. The terms of the deal stated that Ruin would eventually destroy all life—as the population expanded, the gap between the two would widen and Preservation would grow progressively weaker. However, Preservation sacrificed his mind to bind Ruin's consciousness into a prison, violating their agreement. Doing so separated Ruin's consciousness from his body, the metal Atium. The Lord Ruler was aware of Ruin and that atium was Ruin's body.

Ruin was unable to affect the world directly. However, he was clever and found ways to influence the world indirectly. He was able to change text and images not inscribed in Allomantic metals.

Hemalurgy is of Ruin; it takes existing attributes and transfers it in a reduced form to another. This allowed Ruin to influence anyone with a hemalurgic spike; more or stronger spikes gave him greater influence over the person. His influence also grew the longer someone bore a spike.

Ruin could easily influence creatures with Hemalurgic spikes in them. He had to concentrate on a particular individual to control them; the amount of concentration required was dependent upon the amount of metal in their body. Creatures with a great deal of metal in their body, such as Steel Inquisitors, were almost under complete control of Ruin, while those with fewer spikes were harder to control. Ruin could also directly control the Koloss, whose minds were very weak. Ruin was also able to control the kandra,^[1] who bore two spikes each, though the Lord Ruler created them with a failsafe to circumvent his power.^[2] People pierced with single pieces of metal (like Vin, Spook, and Zane) could not be directly controlled. Instead, Ruin could appear as a voice or an image in their mind, nudging their thoughts in the directions he wanted. In some cases, others pierced by metal could see the image.^[3]

Mistborn: The Final Empire[]

It is revealed that Ruin was the one spreading the rumor about the Eleventh Metal to Kelsier, which ultimately gave Vin the clue needed to defeat the Lord Ruler.

Mistborn: Secret History[]

Following his death at the hands of the Lord Ruler, Kelsier decides to stay in the Cognitive Realm and successfully resists the pull of the Beyond.^[4] After Preservation traps him in the Well of Ascension,^[4] Kelsier gradually becomes aware of Ruin.^[5] He soon realizes Ruin is working to destroy Scadrial and collaborates with Preservation to foil Ruins's plans. He is freed from the Well when Ruin is freed.^[6]

Mistborn: The Well of Ascension[]

When Vin releases the power of the Well of Ascension, the prison around Ruin is broken and he is released into the world.^[7]

Mistborn: The Hero of Ages[]

After Ruin uses Marsh to kill Elend Venture, Vin kills Ruin's host,^[8] a man with flame red hair.^[9]

The man who was Ruin's host in the time during this time was named Ati. According to Hoid, he was "once a kind and generous man."^[10]

Sazed, the Hero of Ages,^[11] absorbs the powers of both Ruin and Preservation.^[9] He becomes Harmony and restores Scadrial.^[9]

Wax and Wayne Series[]

During the 2nd series of Mistborn, Ruin's presence is limited as he is part of Harmony, and the main antagonistic god is Autonomy instead of him. However, by the end of the series, it becomes clear that Ruin is slowly overtaking Harmony's personality and sometimes even becomes visible as a shadowy figure that accompanies Harmony's appearances.

Nature[]

Ruin is a cruel and violent god. Unlike Autonomy who wishes to conquer Scadrial, Ruin wants to completely destroy the world. Not only is he destructive, but he is also manipulative as seen how he convinced Zane that he was insane.

References[]