Party Member: Ratatoskr

Party Member: Ratatoskr · by Krysta Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:08 am

Name: Ratatoskr (Ra-ta-tosk-kir)
Age: Unlisted (well over 2,000 years old.)
Species: Somebody (Anthropomorphic, ancient rodent.)

Primary Elements
1.) Light
2.) Time
3.) Plant
4.) Wind

Personality:
Nobody plots quite like the squirrel. A creature who gets his kicks out of being quick, both in wit and body, Ratatoskr loves nothing more than to pick fights. He is snide, cocky, and beyond crude; a natural prankster and general ne'er-do-well at work. Cheeky and sly, the messenger lives up to his name, going out of his way to make everybody's day perfectly miserable with just the right rumor, in just the right spot. Once the fight gets started, he sits back and chortles as everything erupts into chaos. Egotistical and prideful, Ratatoskr claims he is one of the oldest and most powerful beings in the entire universe (even though he isn't, far from it,) and is quite boastful of any accomplishment he makes, no matter how small.
Perhaps the only thing he loves more than causing problems among hapless individuals, is nuts. Every type and every shape, Ratatoskr will go out of his way to get his hands on them. Half the time, he doesn't even eat them...we're quite sure he just throws them into his nook back in the world tree somewhere...

His relationship with everybody else is nasty at best. He pokes and prods, not out of spite, but out of a hopes he'll get a reaction. He is particularly clever with reading people, though the removal of his godly status disallows him from being able to read thoughts and memories, much to his disguntledness.
The one person he DOES genuinely dislike, is Krysta herself. Ratatoskr loathes to lose, and moreover, he despises being bossed around, both of which the girl has managed to accomplish. While he obeys out of compliance with a bet he made, he does go to certain lengths to get his unwelcome partner into trouble, even if he is pulled in with her. To his displeasure, however, he's often used to pull her right back out again.
On an additional note, the little immortal does seem rather sensitive to his own weapons--words. He utterly despises being called "squirrel", "rat", or "rodent" and will actually lose his temper if he hears it.

While not completely heartless, the squirrel is a little tough to crack open. He can be caring, but he quickly hides it, and while he is quite terrible, he is actually incredibly intelligent. He never causes wanton destruction, and while he does enjoy people getting hurt, he'd never put the innocent lives of people who couldn't defend themselves into peril. Ratatoskr is often cruel, but wouldn't (and couldn't) kill someone for play or sport.

Appearance:

Spoiler:

A squirrel who just barely touches above two feet in height. Very touchy about his size. Hide your nuts.

History: In Norse mythology, there is a mighty tree--Yggdrasil--upon those mighty boughs are held the nine realms of existence, and nests the wise Eagle. Far below, across the galaxy spanning trunk, and beneath the roots, coils Nidhogg, the deplorable serpent. In eternal, bloodless conflict are the Eagle and Serpent locked. Perhaps these two enemies would have forgotten each other long ago were they not able to trade jabs and threats across that impossible distance. Yet, there is one that takes great pleasure enabling this feud, one whose mischievous talent for insults and barbs knows no bounds. And he’s just a squirrel.

Ratatoskr, the sly messenger, has lived in the World Tree since time immemorial. Where he came from or why is truly unknown, but if there’s a way for him to stir the pot between any two sides, he’ll do it. He’s a master of gossip and coy, backhanded compliments. And yet, all the Gods come to him for news. His home on the trunk of Yggdrasil conveniently places Ratatoskr at the center of all cosmic activity.

As Light and Darkness clash, as his world slowly begins to feel the force of war, how could Ratatoskr pass up the opportunity to instigate new rivalries? Quite simply, he cannot.
And so how would it be that a mere child could harness the power of a being who claims to be a god?

It so happened that Krysta Hyalus ran into the rodent by accident on a voyage through the world of Olympus. The mischievous immortal decided to play a trick on the girl, by leading her astray on a mountain path. Darkness began to fall, and the Mooglette found refuge in a cave to shield herself from the bitter cold. However, Rataoskr was not done fooling around with her yet; he'd forced her to take shelter in the home of a giant, who threatened to eat her whole. When she bested the brutish beast, the tiny being flew into a rage (for misleading people to their doom was one of his favorite pastimes,) and threatened to smite her where she stood.
Krysta, curious as to why a squirrel would talk, let alone try and take her life, asked him who she was. When told he was a mighty deity, she began to plot.

"I don't believe you," she said. "You'll have to prove it."
"If I killed you, that'd be enough proof," the furry being grumbled.
"How can I believe you if I'm dead?"
The other thought for a moment. "Fair enough," he continued. "Though it doesn't matter whether you believe or not, I'll kill you anyway once I'm finished, how would you like me to prove I'm a god?"
"Well," Hyalus muttered, thoughtfully. "If you're a god, that means you know everything, right?"
"Of course I know everything!" Rataoskr snapped indignantly. "I carry the messages for the gods! There's nothing I don't know."
"Then you won't mind if I challenge you to a bet," the girl replied. "I'll ask you a riddle. If you can answer it, I'll do whatever you say. I won't even try and run. You can do whatever you want."
"As if you could run anyway," the rodent scoffed. "And what, might I ask, must I do if you win?"
"If I win, you have to do whatever I say," the youth stated. "It's only fair, right?"
Rataoskr paused to consider the proposal, and nodded his little head. "Okay. It's your hide."
"This should be easy for you then." She cleared her throat.
"From the beginning of eternity
To the end of time and space
To the beginning of every end
And the end of every place.
What am I?"

The rodent pulled on its whiskers. He paced along the dirt floor. His tail twitching and swishing as he contemplated, the little immortal felt the shadow of defeat creeping up on him. He pondered for hours. Night turned to day, but still, Rataoskr couldn't find an answer. He was speechless. Stumped. He could figure out the kinks in almost every god's armor, he could cause allies to turn against one another with just a rumor, but somehow...he had been out-witted by a little girl.
Furiously, the squirrel whirled on her.
"You gave me a bad riddle! There's no answer for such a stupid question! Hold still little girl, you automatically lose since you cheated, so I'm going to murder your little face!"
"I didn't cheat!" Krysta insisted. "It's not my fault you're too stupid to figure out such an easy question!"
"Oh yeah?" The other sneered. "Then you won't mind telling me what the answer is, will you?"
"Sure. It's the letter 'e'."
The expression on the sly messenger's face was golden--a mixture of horror and sickness--the face of defeat. "What?!"

"The letter 'm'," Hyalus repeated.
"Well the joke's on you, stupid little girl," Ratatoskr sneered. "Even if you wanted to, you couldn't kill me. Mortals can't hurt gods like me!"
Krysta blinked, puzzled. "I never said I was going to kill you. I said you had to do whatever I said. You lost the bet, squirrel...and I think our first order of business, is that you're going to keep doing whatever I say until I'm bored of you."
"Th-That's not fair!" The immortal cried. "You can't just do that! I'm the messenger of the gods! I have an important job! I am NOT your pet!"
"Well it looks like a vacancy just opened up then," the tween smirked.
"Y-You can't just do that!" Ratatoskr shrieked. "I can't just quit my job! They'll take away my title, m-m-m-my powers....my NUTS!"
"Then I guess from now on, you're just a terrible, horrible, rude little magical squirrel who likes to try and threaten people's lives," Krysta replied. "C'mon, little squirrel...we have a glorious quest to complete."

"Your quest is stupid, and you're stupid too! If you think for one second I'm going to take orders from you, you're dead wrong!"
"If you're a god, that means there are other gods," Krysta said. "I'm guessing that means you've got a leader, too. I'd hate to see what they say when they find out you've broken your word."
The rodent's ears fell. "Od-d-d-din and Tyr would skin me alive," he stammered. "B-b-but I don't want to get bossed around, you hear me?! I am an all-powerful, almighty, all-seeing, incredibly handsome and omnipotent being!"
"Good, you can start by pointing me back to some kind of safe path."
"Fine," the squirrel grouched. "But if you're going to drag me around on your stupid little adventures, you're carrying me, you hear? I'm not sullying my paws with the stupid ground."
"Fair enough."

Other Notes: Ratatoskr is not a god. (Because having a god as a party member would just be stupidly overpowered.) He simply believes he is one. Then again, if I were a talking, immortal, magical squirrel who could travel the cosmos freely, I would probably think I was a god, too.
Ratty-Tatty does not hail from his own world--he has always lived in the world of Olympus. Gods from other pantheons do exist within that world (though how they get along, or why they do, is honestly beyond my comprehension, as there's no explanation for it in ANY of the Hercules canon,) to include the Norse, Roman, and Egyptians. How? Why? That's above my paygrade, really. (Heck, even Aladdin made a cameo appearance in the series, and Ariel makes an appearance in Aladdin's series...makes you wonder how deep the Disney Rabbit Hole goes.)