Mistborn · Character

Ruin

Also known as Ruin (in Reen's form)

Major
First seen · Book 3 · Ch. 46

Ruin is a character in Mistborn (Book 2).

Gender: male
Age: ancient
First appears: Book 3 · Ch. 46
Books: 5

Ruin is the ancient Shard of destruction, an immortal force imprisoned at the Well of Ascension who manipulates events for millennia to engineer his own release. In The Hero of Ages he walks free, often wearing the likeness of Vin's dead brother Reen, and wields Hemalurgy and his spike-bound Inquisitors, chief among them Marsh, to bring the world to the brink of annihilation before Vin and Sazed defeat him. Sazed then takes up Ruin's power alongside Preservation's, becoming Harmony. In the later Wax and Wayne era Ruin survives as an ancient god of destruction, a figure of theology and lingering Hemalurgic legacy whose influence still colors Harmony's divided nature.

Description

A tall, broad-shouldered man with a hard, angular face unrelieved by any humor, standing in a straight-backed posture that conveys authority and occasional benevolence. His eyes are distinctly unnatural and piercing, betraying the immortal force controlling the form of Vin's brother Reen, while his mouth can slacken open in moments of blissful pleasure during destruction. He has fair skin, short dark hair, and a powerful build suggesting a lifetime of hardship, dressed in simple dark garments as he gestures with clasped hands behind his back or folded arms. Ancient god figure associated with destruction and Hemalurgy

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Marshpossessed servant
Ruin seizes control of Marsh through his Inquisitor spikes, using him as a key agent to perform tasks and influence events; Marsh struggles against this domination until he helps undermine Ruin near the end.

Story so far

BOOK 3The Hero of Ages
- Released from his prison at the Well of Ascension after manipulating Vin into freeing him
- Appears to Vin in the form of her brother Reen, taunting her with his inevitable victory
- Controls Steel Inquisitors, especially Marsh, through Hemalurgic spikes to carry out his will
- Seeks his hidden body, the atium hoard, to restore his full power and end the world
- Defeated when Vin takes up Preservation's power, and his Shard later passes to Sazed, forming Harmony
BOOK 5Shadows of Self
- Referenced as a past force of destruction whose essence is now merged within Harmony
- His legacy of Hemalurgy and kandra manipulation shapes the conflict around Bleeder
BOOK 7The Lost Metal
- Remembered as an ancient god associated with destruction and Hemalurgy
- His aspect within Harmony is tied to the Ruin-leaning tensions affecting Harmony's actions
- Hemalurgy's dangerous legacy resurfaces in the conflict against Trell and the Set