Ritus

The **Ritus** are the Hindu spirits of the six seasons in the Indian calendar. They consist of Spring (*Vasanta*), Summer (*Grishma*), Monsoon (*Varsha*), Autumn (*Sharada*), Pre-winter (*Hemanta*), and Winter (*Shishira*). They often travel in pairs, one for the incoming season and one for the outcoming.

## The Pandava Quintet

### Aru Shah and the End of Time

Aru, Mini, and Boo meet the Ritus at the Night Bazaar hoping to get some weaponry. Boo tells the girls to be careful as they were brilliant but horrible artists, which was apparently worse than eating people.

Winter and Summer first appear discussing how Mini thought there were only four seasons. Winter thinks that's boring and bourgeois but Summer sees this an opportunity to make it's season endless, people will burn up in the infinite fire but they don't like people. They weren't in the mood to design for random people, they only make dresses for the most fabulous beings, they say they are ateliers who dress the world with ice and make it hot. Monsoon and Spring then appear, the former makes the world elegant with a dress of water and the latter reveals that she dresses the earth in jewels and that Autumn and Pre-winter are currently in the outside world. Summer didn't really like the Spider-Man pajamas Aru was wearing, but she made a plan where she'll think that the seasons weren't the best and put on some accessories she had with Mini and Boo. The seasons were surprised that they were actually the Pandavas, Monsoon says rain reveals the truth, they agree to give them armor and weaponry.

Winter makes Mini a diamond bracelet out of ice in a black velvet box, it freezes an enemy in their tracks if thrown on. Spring knits a cube out of a thousand flowers which turns into a box containing four Petit fours when eaten they will decrease your hunger and pain for a few days. Monsoon turns a waterfall into a grey pendant for Aru, it will cause her to hit any target like how water can go anywhere and reach anything. Summer caused fire and air to create a gold headband with delicate roses and a glittering butterfly on it, it will cause its wearer to forget something important.

The bracelet from Winter was used to slow down the Sleeper so the reincarnated Pandavas could get the second key to the Kingdom of Death before he does. When Aru threw Summer's headband on the Sleeper, it caused him to forget out the Vahanas he stole, allowing them to be freed. Aru and Mini ate the Petit fours from Spring during their Quest, Mini mentioned them when they were getting the third key. Aru constantly used Monsoon's pendant, but took it off during a test of the Palace of Illusions.

## Physical Apperences

Winter was a pale-skinned man with frosted hair and silver eyes. He wore a shiny blazer and pants that were made of white ice.

The light changed Summer's facial features from feminine to masculine and back again. According to them, "Hotness doesn't belong to any one gender." They had bright gold hair, wore a tunic of flames, and their skin was the color of a smoldering ember, red-veined with fire.

Monsoon was a gray-skinned woman whose hair clung damply to her face. She looked soaked to the bone but delighted about it.

Spring had vines crawled over her skin, flowers in her hair, and a rose for a mouth.

## Personality

At first, all of them were haughty and proud continuously referring to the girls as something under their level.

They seemed to hold a lot of respect for the Pandavas since once the girls revealed that they were the reincarnations of the Pandavas, the Ritus instantly started praising them and even made them special gifts.

## Abilities

* **Seasons Alteration**: As the six gods and goddesses of the six seasons, they have control over their specific seasons.
	+ Summer: They make the world the hottest thing out there
	+ Monsoon: She makes the world an elegant dress of water
	+ Autumn: It is unknown what exactly they can do, but it is probable that they can control their specific season.
	+ Pre Winter: It is unknown what exactly they can do, but it is probable that they can control their specific season.
	+ Winter: He embroiders the earth in ice and frost, which us the most delicate silk in the world
	+ Spring: She dresses the earth in jewels

## Etymology

* The word Ritu is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Ṛtú, a fixed or appointed time, especially the proper time for sacrifice (yajna) or ritual in Vedic religion; this in turn comes from the word Ṛta (ऋत), as used in Vedic Sanskrit literally means the "order or course of things".

## Trivia

There are many alternate names for the Ritus

* Summer can also be called Hot Season.
* Monsoon can be referred to as the Rainy or Dewy Season.
* Pre-winter is sometimes referred to as Prevernal, Late-Autumn, Cool Season, or Fall, the latter also being another name for Autumn in North American English.
* Winter is sometimes referred to as Late-winter.