VAH RUTA

Vah Ruta, along with three other Divine Beasts—Vah Rudania, Vah Medoh, and Vah Naboris—were the culmination of Sheikah technology and genius ten thousand years ago. They were created to thwart a great evil prophesied by seers and divinators alike that would strike Hyrule. The Sheikah worked together with Hyrule's Royal Family at the time, gaining support and trust from the king.

Each Beast was designed and created with certain races in mind—Vah Ruta was meant to be gifted to the Zora, with vetting for a suitable Champion and Pilot in process before Ruta's construction had even finished. The Zora King's firstborn and only son, Prince Triton, was tentatively chosen to be Vah Ruta's pilot.

As Vah Ruta was finally done being built, she attempted to communicate with the Sheikah scholars and scientists running final tests and diagnostics on her via morse code. Understandably, but also frustratingly, they either didn't catch on, or were unable to decipher what Ruta was trying to say. This lead her to manifest her consciousness into a familiar form for them—the form of a Sheikah woman—in order to speak with those who created her. This was an unexpected revelation for the Sheikah, but a boon nonetheless that would make it much easier for Beast and Pilot to forge a connection and bond.

Ruta would live amongst the Zora in their domain nestled in the Lanaryu region, taking the Prince under her wing in order to teach him the ins and outs of piloting a Divine Beast. They spent much time together, naturally, forging their bond and connection (something paramount for Beast and Champion to share) to further hone Triton's abilities and finesse over piloting. The duo became two peas in a pod quite quickly, and like the other Beasts and their pilot, were seldom seen apart. They would often travel to Castle Town and Hyrule Castle during the preparation period, fellow Champions mingling in order to further boost their camaraderie given that teamwork and cooperation would be paramount against such a great and evil threat.

When the day prophesized finally came upon them, and the Calamity reared its head, they were all more than ready and capable. The attack against Calamity Ganon was fierce, with each of the Divine Beasts firing down upon it. With the Hero, who wielded the Blade of Evil's Bane, and the Princess, wielding the sacred power of the Goddess, combined with the innumerable forces of Guardians, the Calamity was soundly trounced and sealed away. Their planning and preparations went flawlessly, and while the battles was not without casualties and loss of life, their efforts mitigated the outcome from being much, much worse.

After those who lost their lives in the battle were lain to rest, and following the mourning period, a grand celebration was held in Castle Town for the Champions, and the Divine Beasts they had piloted. It was a festival that seemed to last for days, with day and night bleeding together in an incomprehensible mess with all the food and drink being offered. The purpose the Divine Beasts were built for was eradicated, though it seemed their roles still were not fulfilled entirely just yet. In the meantime, Vah Ruta celebrated fervently with the other Beasts, drinking and eating her fill and mingling with anyone and everyone who would give her their time of day.

With the Calamity sealed, the presence of monsters waned significantly across Hyrule. The Champions returned to their respective regions with their Divine Beasts in tow, and life in Hyrule for all returned to a sense of normalcy and peace—at least, for a time.

Cryonis

Cryonis is a very versatile ability that Vah Ruta has. It really can’t be called ice, for it does not melt, it does not have a slick surface, and it can’t be broken by anything but Ruta’s will. To make her Cryonis disappear, she has to consciously choose to erase it, or become incapacitated somehow. Besides the differing shapes and objects she can make, she does not need water to create it either. The Sheikah Slate’s Cryonis is a weaker, more limited version of her Cryonis, where the user can only make blocks upon water, and can only have 3 blocks at a time. Not all the runes on the slate are based off powers the Divine Beasts hold, but a few abilities were ported over to the Slate. The Slate was created after the Beasts were constructed, as the Sheikah Slate acts as a sort of ‘master key’ to override the Beasts and ‘reset’ them in the event of an emergency, shut down power to them, control certain parts of the Beasts/their abilities, etc. It's been used in a lot of troubleshooting and diagnosing problems, and can restore control away from the Blights.

Ruta’s Cryonis does have its limits. she can only create so many objects per day. She can either have a few large Cryonis objects out at a time (and I mean LARGE), or dozens of smaller objects at a time. There’s ground in between obviously (like having several medium sized objects out, or combinations of sizes), but she does need to destroy some objects when there’s too many out. There’s no real rhyme or reason to how she creates the objects—she just envisions what she wants to make, and it crystallizes for her. Her creativity with Cryonis has helped her in a lot of situations before, such as defending herself, or using it offensively.

Lasers

Vah Ruta's mechanical form boasts a powerful laser, able to significantly aid in weakening the Calamity itself. This ability is something she can also use in her Sheikah manifestation. These lasers are not as large and strong as her true body, lacking significant power—though they still remain lethal, being much beyond that of a normal Guardian's laser. She can fire a single, strong laser, or quick rapid fire lasers that are weaker.

Like in her Beast form, she can fire a strong, blue laser about once every few days. This is similar to how a guardian scout charges its strong laser attack, in which Ruta is completely immobile while charging. This is a last resort move as it is extremely destructive in nature and can hurt her if miscalculated. After firing, she needs to rest for several minutes before she can fully move again, thus making it very risky to use in battle. Ruta often opts not to, unless she’s really in a pinch.

Water Magic

Ruta's manipulation of water is limited to both the water and magic within her body. It can permeate out through her skin, pooling around her hands most often of all. She can use this to blast opponents with water, often stunning them long enough to strike. The more pressurized she can make it, the more it hurts. However, using this ability can make her feel dehydrated and fatigued if overused. Ruta needs to drink a few liters of water per day to stay hydrated if she’s using her water abilities frequently. Using this power in arid climates (like the Gerudo Desert) is more dangerous, as she gets dehydrated and loses energy much faster than if she used it around Zora’s Domain. Similar to her strong, one-shot laser, she can draw in moisture from the air or lakes/rivers around her once every few days to make a devastating blast of water. This is very strenuous on her for obvious reasons. Like with the large laser, she needs to stand completely still and focus in order to draw in the moisture around her. It’s also more of a last resort move, as she also needs to recharge for several minutes after use, thus rendering her unable to move.

As for her ability to make rain come down on the scale it was in the domain, she must be one with her true body. She can shoot short jets of water from her Divine Beast form when she’s not within the main terminal, but to continuously spout water to create a downpour Ruta must be joined with her mechanical form. The rain that plagued zora’s domain was only a fraction of what she could really do. Defying Waterblight’s influence and control to lessen the effects of the rain was what helped Zora’s Domain considerably, as she easily could have flooded the entire area out and caused the dam to overfill. Ruta has never had to churn out her full power, but she is capable of creating a torrential downpour strong enough to cause devastating floods and massive, widespread damage.

Combat Prowess

Ruta’s fighting style is adapted both to how the Zora fight and how the Sheikah fight. It's extremely swift, yet graceful. From the Zora, she was trained personally by her first Champion, who was regarded as the best spear user in the domain. She even has her own custom made spear, adorned with gems and luminous stones. Ruta does have her spear fixed at even the smallest sign of a crack, as she does NOT want it to break despite it being extremely durable. This is the spear she was trained with, and what she uses in battle. her movements are quick and powerful, fighting with a gracefulness most would not expect. 

She’s used to quick opponents all around. Ruta's Champion, Triton, and the other Zora she sparred with for fun were fast. She had to learn to think quickly and adapt to their movements, almost as if she were trying to predict what they’d do next. When it comes to actual combat, she’d often fight Lizalfos. They were just as cunning and sneaky back then as they are in current times, blending in with their surroundings and swiftly charging a foe to catch them off-guard. The only difference between then and now was their numbers. Make no mistake, the Lizalfos are not completely stupid. They know Zora are weak to electricity, and they fully utilize shock arrows (and lightning weapons 10,000 years ago). It was good practice for Ruta to patrol the paths, fighting opponents for real instead of just simple spars.

the inability to cherish the good things that happen out of fear of them disappearing

Uh-oh, that can’t be good.

“Your teeth? What’s with your teeth?”

Daruk’s worry was genuine enough, but he was painfully unaware of the fact that the small woman’s teeth nor jaws, or her entire physiology for that matter, were ill-suited for consuming minerals.

He would rub his beard for a moment, before muttering, “Maybe your teeth just aren’t strong enough yet.” Ah, yes, leave it to Daruk to imply infant goron logic to non-gorons. “Maybe pumice or clay will do you better. Or maybe a simple rock roast.”

“My teeth hurt.” Ruta drops the rock and rubs at her teeth. She’s not really sure if it helps any, to be honest. Thankfully, they didn’t feel broken or chipped at all. She would have felt even more dumb if that happened.

“Do you think they’ll get stronger over time?” She soon asked, tilting her head curiously. “I think starting with softer rocks would be better. Maybe then I can gradually work my way up to the tougher stuff as my teeth get stronger!” 

“It’s easy! Watch…” Daruk paused and looked around for a suitable rock to demonstrate with. Finding one, he went over and picked it up, holding it towards the woman.

… Before biting into it like it’s an apple.

One could clearly hear the crunching and crushing as Daruk’s goron molars went to work, grinding the rock into dust before swallowing.

“See? Easy!”

Ruta watches him eat the rock as if it were nothing more than an apple. It... really did seem as if he had an easy time with it, surprised eyes watching him ground the rock with strong teeth. She was strong too, so a rock should be no problem, right?

“That does seem super easy!” Ruta replied, bending down to pick up a small rock. “Here I go!” She tried to bite into the rock.