✿ Ruby Rosenthorne

Disclaimer: Ruby's past lore is tied to Endwalker MSQ Spoilers. Read at your own risk! I highly suggest clicking "Present" if you would like to remain spoiler-free to the MSQ or her history.

• Past
• Present

Ruby drew her first breath thousands of years ago, in the world of the Unsundered. Ancient researchers had been working tirelessly to create the perfect familiar, bringing about many "proto-carbuncles." All of these trials were faulty in some way, one of which was so egregious it was deemed a danger to society and locked away. One young scholar, Antheia, saw these proto-carbuncles and dreamed of creating one who not only could use aether but also manipulate dynamis without compromising its delicate body composition. Above all else, Antheia wished for a true companion who could travel the star and learn from its inhabitants, not simply a mindless arcane servant.Using a rubellite gemstone as a magical focus, the young scholar molded a massive amount of magic into the form of a small Rubellite Carbuncle, identical to the carbuncles we see today. Antheia poured all of her love for the star into her creation, and these emotions served as the core of her little carbuncle's being. Unlike other proto-carbuncles, Ruby was born with a soul. She was capable of speech, could be easily summoned, and she had the power to transform her body however she wished by interacting with dynamis. Her imagination and thin aether were her only limits. The scholar named her creation Ruby, after the beautiful rubellite gem affixed to her forehead.With time, Ruby grew in magical talent, surpassing each and every goal that her creator set for her. Her aptitude for aether manipulation grew over time, but her body was still weak- quickly growing tired after using her powers. Antheia did not submit her creation for assessment by the world's most distinguished researchers, worried that they would deem Ruby to be unfit for release unto the star due to this deficiency. But while she could not use aether to the same capacity as her creator, she was far more powerful when she interacted with dynamis.When the Final Days approached the star, Antheia knew her life was coming to an end, but it did not have to be the end for Ruby. "I have to go away now, and you must leave this world too," Antheia told the carbuncle. "But the sea shall not consume you. This star may be entirely different upon your return, and I shall not be the same either, but the brightest little spark of my soul shall one day call for you. It is your destiny to live and protect your summoner."Antheia and Ruby shared one final hug, and then the little carbuncle was cast into the aetherial sea, protected by a powerful bubble that would preserve her form while she dwelled within its depths. Ruby fell into a deep slumber, not knowing when she would wake, but she never lost hope that her creator's soul would call for her as promised...

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Ruby has been traveling with her summoner A'vana for years, growing stronger with every trial they face together. They have always shared a unique bond, and although she cannot speak to her creator, A'vana always seems to know how she is feeling. Ruby's always been different compared to most of the carbuncle summons A'vana has encountered, but she could never quite place why or how. All she knew was that Ruby could somehow alter her size, becoming large enough to carry A'vana across the land. She could also choose not to be dispelled once she was summoned.Ruby sensed a kinship with Honey Meringue, the carbuncle of A'vana's friend Emiko Br'ando. However, the grumpy carbuncle preferred to keep to herself and seldom spoke. Undeterred, Ruby found ways to grow close to Honey. She would sneak Honey extra desserts from the Free Company's kitchen while their owners weren't looking, and despite the permanent scowl that seemed to be stuck on Honey's face, on rare occasions she would flash Ruby a gentle smile.Ruby told Honey all about the strange dreams she had of a world long lost, and a woman whose soul was the same color as A'vana's. Those dreams felt more like distant memories, and the more adventures she went on, the more she remembered this past life. The memories slowly pieced themselves together into a beautiful mosaic within her mind, most of them vague, but eventually it became clear: she was meant to be something more than what she currently was. It was then that Ruby formed a new wish: to become a real person so that she could protect the star and all the people whom she loved so dearly.Ruby practiced her shapeshifting until she was finally able to take her desired form; however, the transformation did not come without risk. The process involved a massive amount of dynamis to change her body, and an sizeable amount of aether to stabilize her soul and keep her from losing her sense of self. As a result, some of her memories became scrambled. They weren't lost to her, thanks to A'vana's aether mitigating the worst of the damage. Thankfully, it did not take long for her memories to be restored.In her new humanoid form, Ruby gained fragments of A'vana's power. She is attuned to her job stones and can change at will; however, one unique job called out to her, one that was not attached to A'vana at all. That was the soul stone of A'vana's fallen sister A'mitola. It was recovered in Tural along with her old rose roundbrush. When Ruby touched the stone it pulsed a brilliant prismatic light, and she felt A'mitola's memories flood into her mind. She was able to pick up the brush and use it like she had traveled with it all her life, turning her paintings into living spectacles. She had become a Pictomancer, and A'vana beamed with pride knowing that a piece of her little sister would live on in Ruby.

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