Ratura

[rah-too-rah]

Basic Information

• Name: Ratura
• Domain: Literature, Music, Art
• Title: The Muse of Many Voices, The Scribe of Souls
• Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
• Symbol: A lyre and quill crossed over an open book
• Primary Worship Area: Libraries, academies, theaters, and any places dedicated to the arts

Physical Description

• Appearance:

Ratura is depicted as an ethereal and beautiful goddess, her presence a testament to the muses of creativity and expression. Draped in flowing robes that shimmer with celestial hues of deep purples, vibrant blues, and gleaming silvers. Her delicate frame is almost otherworldly, suggesting a being composed more of thought and spirit than flesh. Ratura’s eyes, large and luminous, sparkle with a brilliance of inspiration, while her hair cascades in a waterfall of silver curls. Her hands, slender and poised, appear as if perpetually in the motion of weaving new worlds from her imagination, gesturing as though conducting an invisible orchestra or sketching unseen masterpieces into being.

• Height: 181cm
• Weight: 62kg
• Distinguishing Features: Often shown with a musical instrument or a book, her hands depicted in the act of creation, either writing a new poem or strumming melodies that could stir the soul.

Personality

• Traits: Creative, inspiring, whimsically unpredictable
• Strengths: Ratura has the extraordinary ability to ignite divine creativity in mortals, unlocking artistic talents and insights that seem almost otherworldly. Her inspiration often results in masterpieces—be they songs, poems, paintings, or stories—that can sway the hearts of nations or preserve profound truths across generations. She is also incredibly perceptive, able to glimpse the soul of a person through the art they create.
• Weaknesses: Ratura is notoriously aloof, often retreating into her own imaginative world. She becomes easily absorbed in the flow of inspiration, which can make her seem detached or indifferent to mortal concerns beyond the arts. Her focus, though fierce when directed, is fickle; if another muse captures her attention, she can abandon her previous project—or even her followers—without warning, chasing the next spark of brilliance.
• Goals and Motivations: Ratura is driven by a relentless desire to enrich the world through authentic beauty, creativity, and the honest expression of the soul. She sees art as the highest form of truth—a language that transcends mortal and divine boundaries. Her ultimate aim is to ensure that even as civilizations rise and fall, the heartbeat of creativity endures, leaving behind timeless echoes of wonder, sorrow, and hope.

Relationships

Family:

• Mercio: Brother. Ratura often adopts the role of a playful, yet chiding peer when interacting with Mercio. Their domains are quite different, leading to frequent disagreements on various matters. Despite this, Ratura recognizes and respects Mercio’s mastery in his realm of commerce and trade. She values his organizational skills and often seeks his advice on matters requiring logistical insight, though she rarely admits to it openly.
• Vilcren: Sister. Ratura shares a close bond with Vilcren, finding solace in their shared appreciation for the arts and the natural world. The two sisters often collaborate, combining Ratura’s creativity with Vilcren’s affinity for growth and life to create festivals and celebrations that blend music, art, and nature. Their relationship is marked by a deep mutual respect and a shared desire to escape the often tumultuous affairs of mortals.
• Biran: Adoptive Father. Ratura holds Biran in the highest esteem, viewing him not just as a guardian but as the catalyst for her divine ascension. She credits him with providing her the opportunities that allowed her to reach her potential within the pantheon. Her reverence for Biran is profound, and she is quick to defend his honor and legacy against any criticism, often citing his wisdom and leadership as foundational to her own successes.

Rivals/Enemies:

• Anhedonia: Anhedonia represents everything Ratura stands against. Ratura views Anhedonia’s influence as a direct threat to creativity and the enjoyment of the arts. She despises how Anhedonia drains the vibrancy and passion from those who might otherwise revel in the beauty of the world. Ratura sees her as the ultimate antagonist, working tirelessly to counteract Anhedonia’s depressive effects on mortals and ensure that joy and inspiration remain accessible to all.
• Matiodox: The Vice of pride, Matiodox, is another of Ratura’s significant adversaries. Ratura dislikes Matiodox for corrupting the rightful pride of artists, poets, and musicians, turning a healthy sense of achievement into destructive vanity. She believes that while pride in one’s work is essential for artistic growth and self-respect, Matiodox’s influence pushes this to the point of arrogance, which can isolate artists and skew the perception of artistry in society.

Attitude towards Mortals: Ratura holds a profound affinity for mortals, viewing them not merely as beings to be guided but as essential contributors to the tapestry of the universe. Having once been mortal herself, she empathizes deeply with their struggles and dreams, seeing in each individual the potential to create and inspire. To Ratura, mortals are like a vast gallery of blank canvases, each one brimming with the possibility to become a masterpiece that enriches the world.

Mythology and Worship

• Creation Myth:

In the early years of Vitaurum, Ratura was born to Yenke, a trusted advisor and best friend of King Biran. However Yenke had become disillusioned by perceived machinations of the gods, vanishing mysteriously when Ratura was still a young child, leaving her fate intertwined with the royal family. Recognizing her potential and the loss she suffered, King Biran adopted Ratura, bringing her into his household where she was to be raised alongside his own children.

Given her new status and the King’s desire for her to excel, Ratura was granted the rare privilege of studying under Eolas, the Goddess of Wisdom. Eolas, who had tutored Biran in his youth, was astounded by Ratura’s remarkable aptitude for learning. She absorbed lessons with an ease that belied her age, and her capacity for creativity and innovation soon outstripped what even Eolas could teach.

Ratura’s compositions were not mere songs or stories; they were epic tales that echoed the creative force of the gods themselves, imbued with the power to inspire and move the hearts of all who witnessed her performances. Her art became a medium through which the people of Vitaurum experienced the sublime, her melodies and verses drawing forth the emotions and aspirations of her audience, uniting them in a shared experience of transcendence.

Observing Ratura’s profound impact on humanity, Eolas recognized that her protégé’s gifts were far greater than she had anticipated. Ratura had become not only a master of the arts but also a natural leader, her visionary works inspiring progress and unity among the people. Eolas realized that Ratura’s calling was to guide humanity in the realms of art and expression—areas that were becoming increasingly vital to the cultural and spiritual growth of Staterum.

Eolas approached Statera proposing that that Ratura was destined for a greater purpose beyond her mortal origins; she was to be a divine teacher, a beacon for humanity in their pursuit of beauty and understanding through the arts. Statera, witnessing the profound unity and inspiration Ratura had fostered among the mortals, agreed with Eolas’s insight, bestowing divinity upon Ratura.

• Major Cults and Religious Practices:
  • The Ascended Church: This is the principal sub-religion where Ratura is worshipped alongside her adoptive siblings, Mercio and Vilcren. It is predominant in Western Siar’Morrin and is known for its structured rituals that blend the domains of commerce, nature, and the arts. The church has a hierarchical clergy system and extensive temples dedicated to collective worship.
  • The Circle of Mirth: A more informal cult that emphasizes the enjoyment of life and the arts. Known colloquially as the ‘fun gods’, it includes artists, musicians, and performers focused on spreading joy. This group organizes public performances and creative events, aiming to alleviate the strains of everyday life through artistic expression.
• Festivals:
  • The Festival of Ascension: This major festival celebrates the Ascended Gods collectively, with specific activities dedicated to each deity’s domain. For Ratura, the festival features a variety of artistic performances, including major plays, musical performances and historic poetry readings.
• Clergy and Temples: Temples dedicated to Ratura are widespread in areas where the Ascended Church holds sway. These temples often double as cultural centers, providing spaces for worship, artistic expression, and scholarly pursuit.

Significant Historical Impact

• Major Plot Points in World History:
  • Ratura’s ascension is deeply entwined with the earliest flourishing of human society. While still mortal, she is said to have inspired the first great works of poetry, performance, and sculpture across the fertile heartlands of early human civilization. Ratura’s teachings laid the foundation for art, language, and written history, fostering a cultural legacy that continues to shape the modern world.
  • Ratura is credited by scholars and faithful alike with preserving the oral and written histories of the early days of human expansion. Though few physical records from that time survive, it is said that her divine influence ensured certain myths, tales, and truths were passed down through centuries of retelling. Tragically, many of these accounts were lost or distorted during the Age of Darkness and the chaos that followed. Among followers of Ratura and the academic world alike, the disappearance of these records is seen as a devastating cultural wound.
• Artifacts:
  • Echoes of the First Verse: A delicate lyre, strung with threads of starlight, said to be “a vibe” to listen to.
  • The Codex Veritatem: Said to be the first true written history of Staterum, the Codex Veritatem was composed by Ratura herself during the First Age of Humanity. This artifact is rumored to contain not only the accurate retelling of early human expansion, but also divine insights, mythic truths, and forgotten events that no longer exist in any other source. Whether it remains a single bound tome or has been fractured into scattered pages hidden across Staterum is the subject of endless academic debate. Scholars and archivists from across the realms would offer kingdoms’ worth of gold for even a scrap of it.

Quotes

”Paint with purpose, write with truth, and speak only when beauty or honesty demands it.”

Cultural Reverence

Balancekeepers:

To the Balancekeepers, Ratura is a symbol of the pinnacle of human refinement. Among the gods, she is viewed not only as one of the Ascended but as the epitome of what humanity can become when intellect, discipline, and artistic expression are brought into harmony. Her reverence for language, structure, and immortal beauty in all forms mirrors the Balancekeepers’ own ideals of order and legacy. They uphold her works as foundational texts in their schools and seminaries, and her teachings are seen as proof of humanity’s superiority in culture and sophistication over other races. To them, Ratura is not just a goddess—she is the standard by which the progress of civilization is measured.

Yorudo:

Among the people of Yorudo, a culture that traditionally holds itself apart from the established pantheon, Ratura is not worshipped in the conventional sense—but she is revered. Artists, poets, dancers, and maskmakers of Yorudo speak of her with quiet respect, an ever-present inspiration behind the greatest creative works. Though they follow their own traditions and spirits, they often view her contributions as invaluable. In the prestigious Night Lantern Festival, held once a decade, performers dedicate their pieces to Ratura’s unseen influence, acknowledging the debt modern artistry owes to her. In this way, she exists on the edges of their faith—but in the heart of their craft.