Pandora's Hope

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Pandora's Hope

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Pandora's Hope
Player: @Pandora's Hope
Origin: Magical
Archetype: "Controller" Classification
Security Level: 41
Personal Data
Real Name: Elpis
Known Aliases: Hope Hill, Elpisa
Species: Magical Construct
Age: Physically appears to be 18, actual age unmeasurable.
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Blond
Biographical Data
Nationality: Olympian
Occupation: Student
Place of Birth: Mount Olympus
Base of Operations: Grae's Academy
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Unknown. Posing as the niece of Dr. Jonathan Hill.
Known Powers
Fire-based abilities derived from a magical artifact (see equipment below). Able to create, control, manipulate and shape fire in a multitude of ways including creating physical shapes and weapons out of flame. Lately she seems to be able to form nearly solid objects and has been seen creating cages to restrain foes, as well as smoke and ash to incapacitate rather than kill. She has also been seen using her powers to create warmth to ease pain and even cleanse and close wounds.
Known Abilities
Appears to have unique traits not unlike those of animated constructs. Does not appear to need to eat, drink or sleep. Has a unique magical signature similar to those of recovered artifacts of ancient Greece. Resilient to telepathic probes.
Equipment
A magical ruby called the "Flames of Prometheus". Hope has made claims that the ruby contains a spark from the original fire stolen from the gods by Prometheus.
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History

Prometheus and the Theft of Fire

In time immemorial, the Olympian Gods charged two brothers with a task: give gifts to all the living creatures of Earth. The two brothers, the titans Epimethius and Prometheus, took the jobs extremely seriously, but the diligent, hard-working Epimethius began his task right away while the clever and mischievous Prometheus watched and pondered. As a result, Epimethius was able to give the beasts of Earth various wonderful gifts: fangs, fur, claws, strength, speed...all things that helped them to survive and compete in an increasingly harsh world. Unfortunately, this left little for Prometheus to do...and yet, as brothers tend to do, Prometheus felt the need to outdo Epimethius. But how?

The answer was simple to Prometheus. He had to give the last creature of Earth, an unassuming little tribe of primates struggling to get by in a world with competitors possessing far greater gifts than them, a gift that was not available to Epimethius. Something unearthly. Something...divine.

The answer was fire.

Previously hoarded by the Gods, the first flame was an entity of extreme power, kept in check by divine bindings. An otherworldly elemental entity, the first flame despised its captors, so when Prometheus approached it in secret one night, offering it an ultimatum, it gladly accepted. The flame was allowed to leave its magical prison in Mount Olympus and travel to Earth where it could exist in complete freedom...but at the same time, Prometheus was able to teach the small band of primates, eventually called humans, how to harness the elemental's children and create fire. And with this simple act, Prometheus, in his infinite wisdom, gave humans not only fire, but innovation and technology.

The Olympian gods were not pleased by this theft and, while Prometheus argued that he gave humans the greatest of all the gifts (thereby showing up his brother), the gods were infuriated and he was forced to flee their wrath, becoming a fugitive from divine justice. For as long as such a thing could last.

Pandora and the End of Humanity

The Olympian gods were not forgiving. And they were not fair. While their wrath was firmly aimed at Prometheus for the crime he committed against them, the upstart humans were not exempt from their ire. As the gods watched through the generations, they saw humanity grow and develop into a burgeoning civilization...all from the gift of flame that Prometheus gave them. Far from being happy, however, the gods saw this as a slap in the face and Zeus began to hatch a plan that would wipe the slate clean. What was the death of a few million monkeys to celestial entities anyways? Another species of interest would rise in a few hundred, perhaps thousand years.

While they had not given up the search for the wily Prometheus, the gods turned their attention to this new plan. In a bit of irony, Zeus concocted a scheme that would not only exempt him and his kin of blame for the eradication of the monkey ingrates...but it would also shift the blame to Prometheus' brother, Epimethius. It all began with a gift...a gift of a woman.

Using his daughters, Aphrodite, Athena and Artemis as models, Zeus crafted for Epimethius a woman of exceeding grace and beauty. The woman, named Pandora, was given to the titan as a gift for his hard work in bestowing gifts upon the beasts of Earth. Ever the pragmatist, Epimethius was rightly wary of this gift, but so taken was he by the charms of this woman that he eventually not only accepted her, but fell deeply in love. It was not long before Epimethius began to plan his wedding, thoughts of betrayal and his brother all but fled from his mind.

That is, until he was approached late one night by his brother. Clad in tattered robes and rags, Prometheus caught his brother alone one night in the outskirts of an early human settlement. Their meeting was brief, but Prometheus intoned one bit of advice. "Do not trust gifts from the gods."

In times past, Epimethius would have heeded his brother's warning, for though he was intelligent in his own right, Prometheus had exhibited a cunning brilliance that left even Epimethius in awe. However, the years of being separated from his brother, and of bearing the brunt of the gods' fury while Prometheus remained in hiding, had made him bitter towards Prometheus. He warned Prometheus never to approach him again, that out of family loyalty he would not report his whereabouts to the gods this time...but that they must never meet again.

Heartbroken, Prometheus fled the scene to return to hiding. Epimethius was as good as his word and did not report his brother's whereabouts to the gods (though he had no doubt left by then), but as his wedding approached, he began to consider Prometheus' warning ever increasingly. Still, his fiancée Pandora had been nothing but a kind, gentle and loving match for the titan, and this, if nothing else, soothed his worries.

And so Epimethius' and Pandora's wedding came and went. It was a grand affair and Olympus was festooned with liveries and decorations the likes of which the world had never seen...and may never see again. The gods bestowed more gifts upon the happy couple, each more lavish than the last, until it came time for Zeus, who gave to them an elaborate container. A strange gift, but one well received. After all, after the previous unpleasantness between his family and the gods, Epimethius was pleased to receive any sort of gift from the king of the gods himself. Little did he know the true nature of the gift.

The container, which was actually jar-shaped though later translations of the tale would call it a box, was actually part of the gods' plan to wipe the slate clean, so to speak. It contained otherworldly entities, creatures of unspeakable evils that would spread chaos, despair and plague throughout the world of man. The plan was foolproof, for the evils were not to be simply unleashed by the gods, who despised getting their hands dirty...but Pandora, whose insatiable curiosity, Zeus knew, would not allow her to leave it uninvestigated for long.

And so all the pieces for the destruction of mankind were put into place. The only wildcard in the equation was the lost brother, Prometheus.

The Birth of Hope

Prometheus was no fool. He knew that the gods' plan was two-fold, and both were likely to succeed. Of course Zeus wanted to destroy the humans, start from scratch, like a scientist with a tainted experiment. But Zeus also knew Prometheus' fondness for the humans, and knew that the titan would try and stop them.

Zeus was right. But as in the past, he underestimated Prometheus' cunning.

The titan knew his time was short either way. Whether he revealed himself to save humanity now or waited it out, the gods would find him. So he decided to make his sacrifice worth something. Calling on all of his own power as a titan, he formed a small creature, a budding being of positive energy that he named Hope. Though weak, its potential was seemingly limitless, and the weakened Prometheus knew instantly, upon looking at the tiny glowing creature, that he had created what could be the key to saving the humans. If only he could act quickly enough.

In order to put his measures into place, he knew he needed help. Hope needed to be placed into the "box," but it had to be done so quickly that none of the evils within could be released. At the same time, Prometheus knew that approaching Mount Olympus, where his newly-married brother and his wife lived, would alert the gods to his presence and he would be captured before he could go through with his plan. While he was resigned to his fate, he certainly would not sacrifice himself needlessly. So it was that the titan cornered the messenger of the gods, Hermes.

Knowing the trickster god's love for challenges, as well as his overinflated ego (however well-deserved it may be), he posed a challenge to him. "If you can place this in my brother's wedding gift from Zeus without anyone noticing, I will turn myself into Mount Olympus. If not, you will give me your winged sandals."

Hermes, knowing that his sandals were replaceable thanks to his Olympian connections, and being exceedingly confident in his abilities, could not refuse the chance for the prestige of bringing in Prometheus, who had been a fugitive of Olympian justice for thousands of years. He sped off to Olympus and deftly injected Hope into the box, completely undetected...just as Prometheus had expected. Upon his return, Prometheus dutifully turned himself over to Hermes...for he was an honest titan, as good as his word. His sacrificed cost him many, many years in Tartarus until Hercules set him free. But that is a tale for another time.

A Plan Foiled, Hope Shines

Prometheus' plan was fool-proof. He knew that Hermes would succeed, and had no intention of winning the wager. Hope's very existence in the box was enough to weaken the evils before they were released. When the gift was given to Pandora, Hope subtly guided the poor girl to follow the plan through to fruition, releasing the evils of the world just as Zeus had predicted in an effort to make the elder god believe his plot had worked. When the evils did not completely consume mankind, however, Zeus and his kin were shocked. Humanity was certainly beleaguered for their exposure to the darkness of the box, but they emerged from the wave. What's more, they seemed stronger for their perseverance and the gods on high simply gaped at the creatures that had survived the attack. In the end, the Olympians decided that perhaps humanity was worth more than they realized, and revealed themselves to mankind as their gods and saviors. The rest, as they say, is history. Only one god, Hermes, knew the truth...and when humanity emerged victorious from its struggle with the evils of the multiverse, only one god smiled.

For most, the tale of Pandora's Box ends there. Hope's duty done, it remained buried in the box, where its mere presence remained a guiding light for humanity, even though it slipped into a millenia-long hibernation. Unaware of its purpose, its very existence, now that its original duty had been performed. It might have remained there forever, providing a constant buffer for mankind...but fate would again intervene.

Hope Emerges

Thousands upon thousands of years later, Pandora's Box, which had become an obscure bit of arcana like all ancient mythological stories, had fallen from human notice...for the most part. There were still some who sought it and other bits of ancient salvage from days, and pantheons, long past. The Olympian Gods had long since vanished, gone where all those unworshiped deities go, but they were not entirely forgotten. Two men in particular sought out artifacts of eras long past: Doctor Jonathan Hill and Alexander Xavier, childhood friends and adulthood colleagues of archaeology. Dr. Hill had always been more of a shut-in, while his friend Alex preferred the glamorous digsites, these two opposites certainly attracted. Even though they split after completing their graduate studies, after which Hill took a position teaching at Paragon University, they remained in constant contact. This proved to be a beneficial relationship on both sides, for Hill found a number of clues to the location of long lost artifacts that the resourceful Xavier would track down and recover. Between the two of them, they gained a large amount of noteriety...even though they would not see each other face to face again before Xavier's untimely death at the hands of the Council. (See Entry for Ghost of Hope[1])

Though it was Alexander Xavier that actually found Pandora's Box deep in an obscure Grecian temple off the coast, Dr. Hill is the one who discovered the location after translating an ancient text long thought lost to the world. The ensuing discovery and attention from the Council, however, cost Xavier his life...but passed on the power of Hope to his young daughter (ironically named Pandora). However, in the scuffle, the box did not open and though the power of Hope passed onto the girl, Hope itself remained firmly locked in the box.

Xavier's death and the emergence of the heroine Ghost of Hope served to hide the box again, lost amongst his personal affects and the press surrounding Alexander's death. That is, until Dr. Hill took the opportunity to visit his friend's grave and discovered that his hastily prepared will had left all of his archaeological finds to his long-time friend...including Pandora's Box. Returning home with the artifact, Hill did not realize that this transferance of ownership had inadvertently made him a target.

The Council's Eyes were upon him.

Fortunately for Hill, the publicity of Alexander's death forced the Council to remain hidden for a time while he poured over tome after tome in an attempt to authenticate the box. No sooner had he decided, within a reasonable margin of error, that the box was authentic, did he announce the discovery to the world. His hope was that he could shed some light on his friend's death, as well as give him the credit he deserved, albeit posthumously.

Unfortunately that was not meant to be. On the eve of the unveiling, Hill's laboratory was besieged by the Council. Hill tried desperately to defend the box, but it certainly would have been lost in the scuffle but for the timely appearance of Pandora, Alexander's daughter, who had finally managed to track down her father's colleague and the object that had caused all of the trouble. During the ensuing scuffle, Pandora's Box was damaged, and when the lid shattered, a young girl appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, naked, confused, and spouting an ancient form of Greek that only Dr. Hill could understand...and even then, only vaguely.

The tide of the battle turned against them and their prize seemingly shattered, the Council attackers fled the scene, leaving a very confused Pandora and Dr. Hill alone with the girl...who insisted that she was Hope.

The girl indeed proved to be Hope from Pandora's Box...but she was incomplete, confused, and very frightened. Dr. Hill did what he could to soothe her, but it took many hours for her to calm enough for him to explain what he thought had happened...for though she was quite obviously what she claimed to be, Hope had no idea what was going on. Dr. Hill returned home with the girl in tow, deciding it best to keep her close, and the next day published a retraction in the local newspapers apologizing and claiming that his research had been faulty and that the artifact had been a counterfeit.

Hope learned quickly at first, picking up basic English in a matter of weeks (though even now, close to a year after her emergeance, she still has yet to master it completely though she is quite fluent) as well as basic functions of human life, but the knowledge of her purpose, even the reason for her very existence, eluded her. With the help of Alex's daughter, Pandora, Dr. Hill was able to piece together that Hope was incomplete...and her powers and memories, even her identity, had been passed on to Pandora. So while Hope was still an artificial construct, seeming to not require basic human biological functions like sleeping and eating, she was more or less powerless.

For a time, life was peaceful for Hope. She spent her first summer in human form with the Hills, Jonathan and his wife, who was barren and had been unable to have children, much to their lament. Once her initial shock wore off, she settled comfortably into life with her new foster family, posing as Jonathan's niece. While the basics of human existence still eluded her, she did little to jeopardize her true identity. However, a whole new level of hardships were just around the bend for Hope and the Hills...high school.

School's Out Forever

Dr. Hill had considered Hope's existence for the entirety of the summer. She was clearly not human, but without any real idea what her purpose could be, he had no reason to believe she was not meant to remain in the world. He briefly considered attempting to return her to the box, but the damage proved to be beyond his ability to fix. Moreso, he seemed to grow more and more attached to the girl every day until, almost as if she was his own daughter. She expressed the same feelings of attachment, and Hill decided to let her stay with him indefinitely until such a time as her purpose, if she indeed had one, was revealed. It was at this time that Dr. Hill approached Azuria with MAGI, explaining the situation. Azuria pulled some strings, creating documents legally authenticating Hope's existence, the death of her "real parents" and allowing Dr. and Mrs. Hill to adopt her legally.

Unfortunately, acclimating Hope to humanity proved more difficult than he first believed. While she appeared and, for the most part acted, like one, Hope was definitely not human. She seemed to be incapable of lying, which made hiding her true nature next to impossible despite how often Dr. Hill warned her that she could not tell anyone who she really was. After three months, Dr. Hill convinced himself that she was ready to assume the outward appearance of a normal life and, pulling some strings, he managed to get her enrolled in the nearby High School. While his wife considered this to be a rash move, he had the added insurance of Pandora, who was also a student at the same school, being able to watch out for the girl. Hope was more than willing to go along, as she had already developed quite a bond with the older girl who helped to save her life.

The first few months proved to be difficult for Hope. Like a kindergartener's first time to school, she found herself missing the comfortable atmosphere at home. Moreover, perhaps unsurprisingly, she fit in extremely poorly, not understanding much of the simple nuances of day to day life. While she was learning more each day at school than she would have at home, her lessons were often painful and humiliating. Jonathan often considered removing her from the school, but he knew she needed to learn one way or another, and resigned himself to offering emotional support.

Eventually, however, Hope seemed to adapt to school life. Despite her crippling naivety, she was not stupid and, while she still seemed incapable of lying, she learned to adequately skirt topics that would result in awkward revelations about her existence. More helpful still, it was difficult for anyone to not like Hope, who seemed to inspire friendship and encouragement in anyone who was near her. While she never quite reached the "in" crowd, she developed a number of casual friends. Due to her unique nature, however, she tended to hold them at arm's length, Jonathan and Martha noticed and, with the exception of Pandora, she never really made any true friends, for she felt that such an intimate relationship was beyond her.

In fact, the trouble began when she finally did feel she made a close friend. The girl, named Ellie Wayer, had been close to Hope since she began attending school, and helped her to feel at home, even going so far as to explain certain things that might have been obvious to anyone else without making Hope feel stupid or ashamed. The two were inseparable almost from day one...and so Hope felt that she was safe in revealing who she really was to the girl.

While Hope was not misguided in placing her trust in Ellie (the girl was trustworthy), it proved to be disastrous. A local Circle of Thorns coven, which had been tracking the unique energies of Pandora's Box and had even acquired its broken remains, managed to track Hope to the school she attended and, having discovered one student who knew of Hope's existence, they captured Ellie and tortured her until she revealed everything she knew. She did not survive past her confession, and once they knew the truth, the wicked mages assaulted the school in a daring day-time attack that drew in a number of heroes, including Ghost of Hope.

Soon after it started, Hope learned of the reason for the attack. Overcome with guilt, she attempted to flee the school, hoping to lead the Circle of Thorns attackers from the school. She had no plan in mind to ultimately escape, however, and her intent was only to protect the children.

As soon as Hope escaped the school, however, she was confronted by a large, ominous figure. Heavily cloaked, his face hidden in its folds, Hope first thought he was one of the attackers and was prepared to give herself up. Before she could speak, however, he reached out and handed her a palm-sized, multi-faceted ruby. Without another word, the figure turned and left.

The gem turned out to be a magical weapon, though Hope would not find out until later its true nature. With it, she was able to help the small group of heroes defending the school and together they repelled the attack. The true reason for the attack was never ultimately learned, but those closest to Hope knew what the circle was after...and they knew that as long as she was what she was, there would always be people after her.

The Flames of Prometheus and Pandora's Hope

Thanks to Dr. Hill and his nigh encyclopedic knowledge of Greek myths and legends, Hope learned that the gem she had been given contained a spark from the original fire stolen from Mount Olympus. Indeed, it was certainly no ordinary ruby, and looking into its depths was like staring into a vast, crimson expanse of nothingness...nothing, that is, save the writhing, pulsating spark. While in possession of the gem, Hope was able to create, manipulate and shape flames, and she seemed to have an almost instinctive knowledge of how the item worked. Through experimentation, Hope and Dr. Hill learned that, though the ruby had limited potential in the hands of anyone, it only functioned to its full strength with Hope.

The days after the attack were difficult for the girl. While usually exceedingly outwardly happy, Hope slipped into despair after the raid on the school, moreso after she learned of Ellie's death. The situation was made worse by the fact that Hope's mood seemed contagious, whether happy or sad, and the dour atmosphere around the Hill home was palpable. Dr. Hill withdrew Hope from the school, both because of her mood as well as the threat of any additional attacks, but, of course, seclusion did little to help Hope, who began to show signs of being almost physically ill from her depression.

Hope might have whithered away like that, for her mood did seem to affect her physical health after a time, if necessity did not intervene and force her hand, for the Circle of Thorns was not finished with Hope. Or her "family."

Returning home one night, Dr. Hill ran afoul of the very same coven who attacked the school, lying in wait just outside his home. Their numbers severely depleted, they nonetheless held Dr. Hill ransom, demanding Hope turn herself over to them. It became clear that they knew exactly what she was...and they wanted her. Fortunately, Hope was able to pull herself together and rescue her father, but when Hope attempted to leave, they swore to find her. They swore she would be theirs.

Unable to finish the job and take a life, Hope simply left, worry evident in her bearing. How could she protect her new family all of the time? Fortunately, she did not have to answer that question, for no sooner did she leave than did the cloaked figure from the school appear. The final members of that particular Circle of Thorns coven were never heard from again.

Hope and the Hills heard the news the next day, but it gave the worried girl little peace.

This was the first the world had seen of the heroine that would eventually become Pandora's Hope. The girl found herself drawn into a number of conflicts before the name stuck, however, and it wasn't until she rescued an employee of the Icon Company before she received the costume she now wears (much to her chagrin).

It took Hope many months to fully recover from the attack on the school and it was about that time that Dr. Hill heard about Grae's Academy, a school for young superheroes. Feeling that this would be a perfect place for Hope to not only learn more about herself, her role in the world (for she seemed destined to protect people) and her powers but, most of all, how to fit into society. What better way to do that than with others her own age who undoubtedly had similar experiences and who might understand just what Hope was.

Personality

(Coming Soon!)

Allies

Enemies

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