Pandora

\*\*\*THE FOLLOWING PAGE IS JUST A DRAFT AND WORK TO EXPAND IT IS CURRENTLY UNDER WAY. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IS HIGHLY FRAGMENTED AND FOR THE MOST PART INCOMPLETE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS THUS A MUST, ALSO BECAUSE OF THE INEVITABLE SPOILERS.\*\*\*

Pandora is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the videogame Dry Drowning.

## The Pandora case:

Pandora is the codename of the most dangerous and prolific serial killer of Nova Polemos. His first murder dates back to 2056 and he has since then reached a total of at least eight victims, six of which were women.

In 2060, after 4 years of investigations, Mordred Foley's agency discovered the killers were actually two: Jennifer Kingston and Robert Herrington. Both were sentenced to death during their trial after some very crucial pieces of evidence were presented against them.

The two were executed shortly after, but Foley Investigations was later accused of having tampered with said evidence in order to have them convicted, an event that completely destroyed Mordred Foley's professional integrity and caused him to be put under trial as well. The case is currently considered still open.

## Overview (spoilers):

When discussing Pandora the line between reliable facts, biased perception and mythological construction is as blurred as it can be. The original killer (or killers, in line with Mordred's original hypothesis of multiple culprits) was likely aware this would be the final outcome and was just as likely to have purposefully staged his murders in a way that would progressively turn him into a transcendent symbol (his recreation of timeless Greek myths bearing a strong resonance with this goal too). The success of his task can be equally attributed to several factors. On the one hand Pandora's skills as a serial killer were outstanding to say the least: not only did he manage to kill at least 8 people in a context where security and technological surveillance were top notch, he also managed to do so without ever leaving significant traces. On the other hand it can also be ironically argued that Nova Polemos' ill relationship with information contributed just as much to the birth of the Pandora myth: both censorship driven media and ignorant masses are prone to ditch (or at least distort) truth and facts in favor of fictional construction (although they do so for different reasons). As a matter of fact, some people's perception is so distorted they don't even believe Pandora existed in the first place, considering him just a hoax.

The Pandora myth is already well established once the main plot begins and since the game is narrated through the protagonist's eyes the player himself will have a hard time finding reliable information, often finding himself in front of several plot twists. This condition resonates strongly with the experience of Mordred Foley, whose obsessive chase of Pandora is the main theme of the game. The biggest testament to the power of Pandora's myth is perhaps the fact this chase is ultimately doomed to fail in one way or another: depending on player choice (and consequent ending) Mordred will either fail to discover the full picture, find his own destruction in the process or become instrumental to the myth himself. The ultimate implication in either case is that by the ending Pandora will have grown into a social phenomenon beyond anyone's control, with several characters rather than a single culprit having by then either impersonated him or exploited his figure for their own gain.

## Involvement within the main plot (spoilers):

The first time Pandora is mentioned within the main plot is in Chapter 1, as the murder of Alicia Hart bears a very close resemblance to Pandora's past murders. Richard Baker was initially assumed to be the killer but investigations led by Mordred Foley and the video shot by Abigail Sherman eventually unveil the presence of a different culprit, described by Abigail as a man with a black coat and a wolf mask. Abigail furtherly described him as a maniac who dragged her twice in front of the corpse of her friend (whom he had assassinated shortly before). The killer was allegedly also prone to laugh frantically and other psychologically ill behaviours, but whether this was his real personality or he was just pretending remains unclear, as specific narrative branches belonging to subsequent chapters eventually reveal this person is actually not the original Pandora but an impersonator who was trying to revive his myth. Nevertheless, the killer is successful in tricking Mordred (as well as the entire city if the player chooses to make Abigail's video public) that Pandora is back. Said person was also responsible for the kidnapping (and possible death, depending on narrative branching) of Freya Goldsoul at the end of the chapter. This move had basically two meanings: on the one hand, retaliating against Freya for having tried to investigate his real identity. On the other one, luring Mordred into a trap aimed at making him even more obsessed with hunting Pandora (something that would contribute to cement his myth even further). The real identity of this kidnapper will only be discovered if the player chooses to have Mordred shoot him, in which case the player will also learn a lot earlier about the presence of multiple people behind Pandora's mask (since his death won't prevent the murders of Chapters 2 and 3 from occuring).

Pandora is mentioned again in Chapter 2 because of another murder that bears a very close resemblance to his typical style. Fearing an escalation that would soon escape its control the police decides there's no choice but to establish a regular cooperation with Mordred Foley, being him the only person that knows the serial killer well enough. Investigations led by the detective reveal the killer is actually not the original Pandora yet again, this time being instead a foreign ambassador who had conspired to kill a very influential scientist, hoping the blame would fall on the serial killer.

## Trivia (spoilers):

* The very first scene of the game features Pandora as he directs a monologue to the viewer, actually addressing another character that is being held captive in front of him. The themes emphasized in said monologue are closely connected to the ones around which revolves the final dialogue between Mordred and Pandora that closes Chapter 1. Despite this, all people involved are actually different as the captive prisoner is later revealed to be David Casey and the person speaking to him was likely the original Pandora rather than the impersonator encountered by Mordred.
* One of the most important sources of inspiration for Pandora was the Zodiac killer. In this sense, Mordred's self-destructive obsession is also a reference to Robert Graysmith's experience.
* Daryl Hope's name is likely a reference to hope lying on the bottom of Pandora's box, as narrated in Greek mythology.