Pandora

Pandora is a wraithsketeer currently residing in Lasoa Bay. As Elijah Locke, he masquerades as a normal, law-abiding citizen while he works underground as an information broker for many large corporations, political groups and underground criminal organizations.

## Backstory

*If one were to ask Pandora about his past, every time he will give you a vastly different answer, because Pandora is a liar, and not once has he said anything trustworthy.*

*Sometimes, he's an only child and his parents died in a gang war somewhere in Germany.*

*Other times, he'll say his family is constantly on the run from the IRS due to multiple counts of tax fraud, all with a grin that barely tries to hide the absurdity of what he's saying.*

*Often, he'll detail how he met a mystic in Saudi Arabia that gave him the ability to speak to inanimate objects, which he says is why he talks to his briefcase, punctuating the story with a mocking laugh.*

*He'll say he knows the President of Turkey, and will randomly choose to give out stock trading advice that always seems prophetic with its accuracy. On occasion he'll joke about a member of Congress or the British Royal Family falling to illness, just weeks away from its official announcement.*

*When midnight strikes, he'll say he met his Contract Wraith during a trip to ancient ruins in Southern America, and he'll say he has a fear of ghost stories while gleefully slaughtering wraiths by the hundreds.*

*And on occasion, he simply won't say anything at all, only choosing to sport a smug smirk that challenges you to figure it out yourself, with an air that knows you won't find anything.*

*But in the end, no one truly knows what Pandora was before he became what he is, for Pandora is a liar, and not once has he said anything trustworthy.*

*(But only once, only under the secrecy of the night and only to a single person too drunk to even remember, has he ever told someone he's rather annoyed by overly loud, flashy displays and likes to read philosophical novels on occasion.)*

*At 6 years old, he's taken in by his uncle who he's never met before, and stays in a tiny apartment with an even tinier room. Through the thin, broken down walls, he hears his new guardian discuss business with shady men, matters of loans and different jobs in an attempt to stave off debt. At 6 years old, he doesn't have any grander dreams of life, just the fact he's still there.*
*At 8 years old, his favorite place is the library. They don't have enough money to afford school, so the books are the closest he has to education. Eventually, he's read enough that the only books left are the ones he's a few years too early for, but he reads anyways, because there's nothing else to do. His uncle is out of the house more now, and visits from loan sharks become more frequent. Whenever his guardian is home, he gives him advice, practical advice. How to make the most use out of a sachet of detergent. How to properly budget money for the month. What to do when the police stop you for questioning. How to properly hide your emotions. He learns and keeps them in mind.*
*At 12 years old, his visits to the library become less frequent. He's already finished all the college-level books there and his uncle has started giving him errands outside of the house to run, so there's both less and more for him to do at the same time. He's smart enough to figure out the situation has escalated and now they're dealing with the local mafia, but he keeps silent during dinner, and it becomes an unspoken truth between them. When running 'errands', he puts his uncle's lessons to use, his mouth drawn into a thin line and eyes cold and lifeless. He shows nothing and gives no reaction, so he is left alone during whatever delivery he's assigned to for the week. Eventually, he grows used to it, and his face gets used to staring a blank stare.*
*At 15 years old, it reaches past the point of being habit, and he only feels numb. The emotions he always hides begin to feel foreign to him, and eventually he forgets they're even there. Apathy slowly seeps its way into his muscles and perhaps even into his soul, etching his face into the same blank stare he's grown used to. The 'errands' he runs do not stop, only increase, and the visits his uncle receives become violent. The downward spiral is obvious, and it only gets steeper and steeper. He learns to stop caring. He thinks his uncle has too. Whatever happens next will not be a surprise to them.*
*During one late night where the full moon shows and his uncle drinks one too many bottles of beer to be healthy, his guardian teaches him something, the only time he sounds sober in his drunken state.*
*"Don't stop, don't look back on anything. The moment you become complacent or hesitate, you die."*
*He sees sunken eyes that stare somewhere far, far away and hears a hoarse voice that is unable to reach anyone.*
*As always, he learns and keeps it in mind. It is the last thing his uncle entrusts to him.*
*At 16 years old, he finds his uncle lying in a pool of his own blood late into the night, the result of accumulated debt and too many broken promises with too many people, and all he does is stare the same blank stare at the corpse in the house and say in a drowsy voice, "Ah, I guess I'll be on my own now."*
*The next morning he wakes up, cooks himself a simple breakfast while shooing away flies that come from his dead guardian's body, and does the same basic morning routine. He packs his things and doesn't look back, because there is nothing to look back on.*
*He doesn't stop, only move forward, and he eventually finds himself at the doors of the very organization that caused his current predicament. He calmly explains why he's there, every word uncannily coming from someone so young, and they're surprised when he doesn't carry a grudge, but rather a need for a place to work. The people there share confused glances, before shrugging and bringing him in as an associate.*
*By the end of it all, he has a new name and, in the eyes of the law, is a different person. 10 years later, he still doesn't have any grander dreams of life, but he's still here and he thinks he might as well start searching.*
*At 20 years old, he's adapted well to his new life, and he's learned many things. He learns the best bars to gather information in, the cheapest 24/7 restaurant for a late night meal and the most efficient killers that don't leave traces. He makes connections with just about everyone that seems important, both higher up and lower down, just to make his life easier. He learns to avoid trusting people, because he's surrounded by human monsters, and he learns that hiding his emotions doesn't cut it anymore, so he starts faking them instead. The world he now lives in is merciless, and he learns to fit in. By 20 years old, he has a new identity for every local city and enough masks that no one knows what he's really feeling.*
*At 23 years old, he's gone solo and he does not look back, because he still keeps that final lesson in his mind. He jumps from country to country, then continent to continent, expanding his web of connections and meeting people he knows he will never trust, only use, every time introducing himself as a different person. 'Lukas Schneider', 'Elijah Locke', 'Angelo Colombo'. Of course, all of them are fake, without a hint of truth to them.*
*While the locations change, the sights stay the same. He witnesses the same sight of people running around with their self-righteousness, touting themselves as invincible, showing too much of their true self, and then later dying for their complacency. He sees the same sight of spineless people living for things they don't believe in and never wanting anything more. The patterns are easy to spot, and it only cements his beliefs. He refuses to be like them. He refuses to stop.*
*At some point, he realizes he's forgotten what it's like to trust people or what it feels like to not have to calculate every movement and expression, but upon further inspection he also realizes he's stopped caring for such things. He wonders if he's even human, and he comes to the conclusion he still doesn't care. He's been taught to stop doing so a long time ago.*
*At 28 years old, he finds himself at a standstill. There is nothing he needs to do and no one he must turn into another strand in his web of influence. He feels like it's the first time he's stopped in almost a decade and he wonders if someone is going to kill him the moment he becomes complacent.*
*He's done everything that he can and everything he thought he should, and now there's nothing left, leaving him no different from the 6 year old boy that had no greater dreams of life, just the fact that he's still there.*
*The world settles into a lull, and he thinks that perhaps he will die of boredom. He thinks the shadow that's always been stalking him will finally strike.*
*Then, during one late night, where the full moon shows and in a dark apartment that's bigger and more lifeless than the one he stayed in nearly 2 decades ago, he is offered a choice, or rather, a contract.*
*A black mass wreathed in chains and wearing a featureless visage comes to him, and like always, he blankly stares, showing nothing and giving no reaction. It offers him an escape from the lull he despises, a chance at something greater in a world different from his own. He listens intently, going over the fine print in his head as the abyss of darkness and chains stares at him and he stares back.*
*He accepts without a word, not a show of hesitation. After all, he still keeps in mind that final lesson.*
*The moment he becomes complacent or hesitates, he will die.*

## Bio

WIP

He has no 'true' self, simply because everything about him is a lie. Elijah Locke is simply another of hundreds of aliases, and the character of Pandora is no more than him playing the part of a cartoonishly evil villain that attracts people's hatred and reactions. So-called 'cracks' in the facade are lies as well, glimpses into yet another layer of falsehoods to a persona that never even existed.
Due to the circumstances of his upbringing, he has an underdeveloped sense of self, as well as a lack of ego. He has minimal subjectivity and personal bias when making choices or judgements, more fitting a machine than a person. He also has a dissociation from his own identity and emotions, letting him switch them out with ease as if flicking a switch. He has a surprisingly low sense of self-worth and self-esteem, viewing himself as 'less than human' and 'an empty creature'. This manifests in his tendency to throw himself into extreme danger without regard for his own safety in order to achieve his own goals. He shares this same disregard to other people or things, lacking any form of attachments.
He is unable to trust and create relationships not based on convenience or those of a professional nature. His interactions are closeted, focused on prying information from the target and safeguarding his own, often through subtle manipulation and deception. Even small emotional reactions are enough for him to at least partially decipher someone's nature. For this reason, the persona of 'Pandora' was created, in order to rile and draw out emotional reactions from others by prodding them. He cannot give, receive or comprehend one-sided kindness or gratitude, having a deep distrust of others. He will often prepare 'safety nets' in the form of blackmail, threats and other forms of coercion should he be betrayed or backstabbed, or simply to make sure he benefits from the relationship.
He seems to have an irrational fear of anything related to peace or comfort. Experiencing any form of the two leads him to feel discomfort, restlessness and an extreme desire to escape the situation causing it, potentially a form of trauma. Due to this, his mind is constantly active and unable to calm and relax itself, or else he will lapse into periods of mental distress. He will often have trouble sleeping if it is too calm and will forcibly wake up in the middle of the night in a panic if he has a nice dream.
Despite the above, he still has one emotional connection to something that he maintains to this day. Even if doesn't acknowledge or realize it, he values the time spent with his uncle before his death. Because of this, he will often subconsciously carry out small, mundane rituals reminiscent of those times. Situations reminding him of his uncle and their time together will also lead him to act uncharacteristically from his usual behavior, and direct references to his uncle will bring out the most emotional response from him.

## Skills and Abilities

#### As a Human

* **Information Gathering** - As an info broker, Elijah has access to many channels of information, and is extremely adept at navigating them for any specific piece of info he needs at the moment.
* **Eidetic Memory** - Elijah can accurately recall events and small details even after long periods of time.
* **High Processing Speed** - Elijah can quickly process information and perform mental tasks with great efficiency.
* **Basic Hand-to-hand and Firearm Training** - Due to his connections to certain underground organizations, Elijah knows basic self-defense as a safety net.

#### As a Wraithsketeer

* **Enhanced Physical Abilities** - As a wraithsketeer, Pandora's physical abilities are enhanced even greater than that of masketeers.
* **Pandora's Box** - A suitcase that acts as Pandora's main equipment, as well as the physical manifestation of his Contract Wraith. This suitcase is where defeated wraiths are devoured and digested into another weapon in Pandora's arsenal.
	+ **Extreme Durability** - The suitcase is effectively indestructible, able to be used as a shield or bludgeon when needed.
	+ **Void Realm Manipulation** - Pandora's Box is able to access the void realm for storage, where Pandora keeps his weapons as well as other miscellaneous items. These items can easily be accessed by reaching into the suitcase, although only Pandora can do so.
	+ **Consumption** - Creatures shoved into Pandora's box will be consumed whole, primarily wraiths.
	+ **Weapon Creation** - During digestion, the essence and bodies of wraiths can be crafted into weapons or objects as a sort of waste product.
	+ **Tendrils** - Black tendrils are able to manifest from the suitcase, used for either grasping, attacking or quick movement.
* **All the World's Evils** - Pandora's arsenal of weapons that he primarily uses to fight. The weapons are varied in form and function.
	+ **War** - A longsword made of black crystalline material. It always maintains a razor sharp edge, no matter how many clashes it faces.
	+ **Death** - A large scythe similar to that of a Grimwraith's. Its size allows it to behead almost anything it faces, and is also useful in parrying multiple attacks or attacking a large area.
	+ **Greed** - A flintlock rifle. While powerful, it can only be fired 6 times before needing to be put back in Pandora's Box to reload.
	+ **Wrath** - A flail with a long length of chain attatched to it. The chain can be extended by pulling more out from Pandora's Box.
	+ **Pestilence** - A karambit. While it does not do much damage on its own, getting cut or grazed by it will cause debuffs akin to sickness, such as nausea and motor pains. It's been enhanced by the Smith to also induce a lethal poison.
	+ **Scorn** - A glaive. The length of its handle can change according to the user's will, allowing for unpredictable attacks. At most, it can extend up to about 3 meters.
	+ **Isolation** - A thin, nearly invisible string taken from a spider wraith. Pandora can lay the string around an area to entrap opponents. Anyone inside the area will see only darkness. It's been enhanced by the Smith to be stronger and harder to break.
	+ **Frenzy** - An ornate lantern with a bluish, will-o-wisp like flame. Aside from illuminating the area, Pandora can use it to engulf his weapons in fire, increasing their attack.
	+ **Trickery** - A string of rosary beads, 9 white and 9 black for a total of 18. They can turn into will-o-wisps that can be used either for attack or illusions. Stronger, more detailed illusions take more concentration and mental ability.
	+ **Denial** - A sledgehammer. Its mass can be increased and decreased without shifting its shape or volume. This ability has a limit as to avoid creating black holes.
	+ **Pandemonium** - A wind chime, slightly ornate in design. It dulls the senses of weaker wraiths and forces them to act on their instincts. It is effectively useless on high level ones.
	+ **Rampage** - A pair of chainsaws attached by a length of chain. Aside from the ability to shred through extremely hard substances, they can also absorb elemental energy and use it for increased damage and effects.
* **Information Devourer** - Pandora's ability received through his contract. With it, he can effectively 'devour' the information of the surrounding area, giving him perfect knowledge of everything within a few meters of him. His information processing is also increased for faster decision making and cognitive efficiency. Once used however, he will suffer from extreme headaches and migraines, the severity of which will depend on how long he uses the ability for.
* **Gungnir (Spearhead)** - A replica of the spear Gungnir from Norse mythology, heavily modified by the Smith into an autonomous, floating weapon akin to an artificial wisp. It has incredible speed, precision and sharpness, and is able to function on its own obeying mental commands from Pandora. It can absorb and store kinetic energy and electricity, which it can use to increase its speed by immense degrees.
* **Ultimate: Release All the World's Evils** - Pandora's Box opens fully for a short time, bringing out Pandora's full arsenal of weapons. Pandora uses every single weapon in a long and relentless flurry of stabs, slashes and strikes against a single target. In addition to large damage, the target also receives 3 random debuffs corresponding to one of the weapons used.

#### Unleashed Form

* **Devil's Hands** - When entering Unleashed Form, Pandora's Box transforms into two gauntlets that share the same properties, along with additional ones.
	+ **Pandora's Box** - The gauntlets share the same properties as Pandora's Box, including its durability as well as its ability to devour and store things. When devouring something, the armored plates of the gauntlets make way for black tendrils that drag its prey into the Contract Wraith's maw.
	+ **Instantaneous Summoning** - Unlike when using Pandora's Box, Pandora can instantaneously summon his weapons without any delay, as well as unsummon them as long as he is holding them. This applies to other objects as well.
	+ **Amalgamated Evil** - When summoning a weapon, Pandora can choose to add the property of another weapon in his arsenal.
* **Unleashed Ultimate: Elpis** - Pandora summons a pitch black orb about the diameter of a meter for about 5 minutes. The orb has a consuming aura, and the spirit energy of anything in the area gets sucked in, weakening them and certain abilities. Anything that enters the orb, be it voluntary or involuntary, gets consumed and devoured by the contract wraith. The more the orb consumes, be it spirit energy, masketeers or wraiths, the stronger Pandora gets when the ultimate is active.
* **Limited Contract** - Pandora can enter a limited contract with his contract wraith for a few minutes, giving up full control to it in exchange for the wraith accomplishing a determined task.

## Trivia

* Pandora is based on the mythological figure of the same name. The Pandora of myth had a box containing all the world's evils and plagues, and opened it when her curiosity got the better of her. Following this, the contents of the box flew from the box and entered the world of man, though only hope remained in the container.
* Pandora doesn't have an aura, but rather seems to passively devour the spiritual energy around him. If one were to try and sense him, it would be something akin to a blind spot on a sonar.
* He'd be internationally wanted if he weren't so good at hiding his tracks. With how little records or traces he leaves behind, he may as well not exist.
* Aside from his work as an info broker, he makes additional money through stock trading, which he does almost perfectly with minimal loss due to the insider info he has access to.
* Due to the above, he's rather rich, though he doesn't use it for much and lives a modest lifestyle.
* He's ambidextrous, but prefers his left hand.
* He has little to no sense of taste, as such, he has no particular preference for food. Despite this, he can often be found with a sour lollipop in his mouth.
* Sometimes, a voice with a Spotify account talks to him in his head. I am not joking.