THEORY
IN THEORY: RUOHTTA,
THE PLAGUEBRINGER
By Allison Jean
Sitting astride his ebony horse a comfortable distance away, he watches the battle wage on with an
intensifying furor. The horrifying sounds of steel piercing flesh, cracking bones and explosions shatter the air.
H
of choice for the Norsemen.
is lips curl into a
Due to their close proximity,
vicious smile; he can
Sami mythology is heavily
feel the gap between
influenced by Norse mythology,
Battleground of the Gods as
life and death closing for the
including frightful giants and a
a Mage with burst and zoning
ignorant fools clashing swords a
prominence of the thunder god.
potential. The Plaguebringer has
Due to their close ties to
a number of tricks up his sleeve
distance away. The time has come
Ruohtta roams the
for him to spread his own form
nature, and the natural flow of
to handily cripple and defeat his
of discord. His gaze now one of
life, defying the natural order was
enemies - even ravaging their
fierce determination, he charges
akin to indulging in the 7 deadly
bodies with his mere presence.
steadfast toward the combat. Once
sins. As such, those who didn’t live
in a desired position, Ruohtta, the
their lives accordingly deserved
weaken when Ruohtta steps onto
Plaguebringer, raises his arm.
punishment beyond measure and
the battlefield, their physical
The battlefield falls quiet as the
were sent to Rotaimo, the Sami
forms showing the first signs
noxious cloud spreads, and soon
version of hell. Once banished to
of the virulent diseases that the
coughs and wheezes replace
the land of the dead they received
Plaguebringer carries. ‘Contagion’,
the clash of steel on steel.
a new body but they were bound:
Ruohtta’s passive, lowers the
they could never leave Rotaimo
power and defenses of the
lands encompassed the northern
again. The ruler of this realm
enemies in a radius around him
parts of Scandinavia, held a
of decay and punishment was
by a small percentage. While the
complex religion consisting of
Ruohtta, the Sami personification
reduction is minor, it can ensure
three main elements: animism,
of death, disease and sickness.
kills that would have gotten
the belief that major natural
Though information on this deathly
away with a sliver of health, or
features have souls; shamanism,
figure is scant, what is known is
allow Ruohtta to escape death
a religious practice that uses
that he traveled on horseback.
when the damage would have
altered states of consciousness
This was a practice contrary to
been just enough otherwise.
to communicate with spirits;
Sami beliefs because to them,
‘Contagion’s effect is just big
and polytheism, the belief in
the horse was a feared, ]