Before the ages of reckoning, Stryder was born an immortal spirit of the heavens, with the power of possession. Although at the time he was not truly divine, he had within him the powers of determination and could often twist fate ever so slightly in his favour.
But the day he became divine was one of note, as even his own twists and schemes were put to the test. He was hailed by all the divines for his exceptional luck and even amongst the gods he was considered almost untouchable. It was the divine Lex Fireheart who challenged him to a duel of fate. Stryder would possess one lesser creature and try to avoid the destructive powers of the gods one by one. If his vessel were to survive, Stryder would be granted divinity himself.
None of the divine believed that Stryder would be able to survive their onslaught, but designated five of their strongest to devise the challenges. Stryder, as per his usual whimsy chose to possess the first creature he saw, which happened to be a tiny fox.
Leonne was first and chose to call forth a great hunter to catch the little fox. She turned herself into a giant tiger and gave chase. But the little fox was quick as well, and with a little bit of luck on his side, managed to crawl into a tiny hole, to small for the tiger to fit into. After an hour of frantic roaring and clawing at the earth, the gods agreed that the first challenge was passed.
Next they chose Ornim, for he would be able to use the earth itself to crush the fox inside his hole. But the crafty fox had anticipated such a move and had long since found another way out of his hiding spot. As the earth started to shake, the little fox was looking down from the branches of a great oak, free from the destructive trembles. When Ornim finally realized that the little fox wasn't in the hole any more, enough time had passed that the second challenge was deemed a pass.
The third challenger was Armara, who saw the crafty fox in the tree, and called for a great owl to grab it from it's perch. With a little bit of luck, Stryder leapt from the branch just as the owl swooped in and was able to escape. He fell between the long grass below, where the owl could not see him, and Armara halted her pursuit as she was starting to root for the little fox herself.
The fall had knocked the wind from Stryder's vessel, and as the fox limped from the grass, Tor called forth a loud flash from the heavens as the fourth challenge. Lighting arched through the sky and ran over the fox's body, scorching his fur. But the god of Storms had sprung his trap too soon, before the clouds had properly formed above. Stryder was not killed by the blow, but its little body wus flung out into a lake. The cool water extinguished the flames on the little fox's body and kept him alive long enough to get back his senses. As luck would have it, he was able to submerge himself underwater as the next lightning strikes came, for foxes are excellent swimmers. Strike after strike fell to the earth surrounding the lake, dispersing across the water where it struck. The fourth challenge was won.
By this time Lex Fireheart had seen enough of Stryder's spirit. He admired his determination and bravery for taking on the challenge of the gods. But he didn't want to diminish Stryder's will by giving him an easy challenge. He decided to truly test the creature's luck, not by using his might and martial skills, but instead to let fate decide his destiny. Also a shape-shifter, Lex turned himself into a fox as well and jumped into the water next to Stryder. At first everyone was confused, but then saw what the Brave One had seen. The storm had roused the giant crocodiles of the lake and they were closing in on the pair.
The two foxes scrambled to get out of the water as soon as they could, the crocodiles giving chase. Side by side they swam to shore, their deaths closing in fast. Stryder saw that they both would meet their demise, not knowing the fox next to him was an immortal divine. With all his remaining strength he called forth the last of his luck.
Next to the lake, the great oak, now struck by lightning and burning, dropped one of its blazing limbs into the water. The water sizzled to steam and created a large wave running over the surface of the lake. The wave hit the side of the lake where a bank had formed, and the washing caused some of the muddied rocks to slide down into the water. The mudslide grew as the bank cracked and broke, and a great mound slid down between the two foxes and the crocodiles.
All who witnessed stood in awe at the amazing circumstance. The fifth challenge was won, and Stryder was granted his reward of becoming one of the divine, as surely his determination and supernatural luck had made him worthy enough.