#soothbound

This is Pandora, and she is essentially a mashup of several different characters’ art, concepts, and DnD archetypes that I’ve been playing with for literally a decade. But I’m excited for where she’s ended up for the sake of this story! It feels like the natural evolution of all her source material.

In the world of the Court of Eyes, there are different types of “Seers", and Pandora Exodos is classified as an “Oracle". She hails from a mountain hamlet home to a shrine where her family would tend to recently departed spirits and usher them to the afterlife. The (later to be) queen of the kingdom came to Pandora’s shrine just days after the last of her family had all passed away, leaving behind the young girl to tend the offerings and handle pilgrims’ requests of the dead. The queen took great interest in Pandora’s ability to read her fortune, and with some cajoling, convinced the small child to follow her back to the capital of the kingdom as her "honored guest". Despite the pleading of her family’s spirits just behind her where only she could see, Pandora accepted the queen’s offer.

Over the years since, she has been raised in the palace like a noble, paraded around to events as a party trick to read strangers’ futures and omens, and ultimately when she is of age, is sent to attend the Schola Prophetic — a university based in the city that trains young seers to harness their gifts. Under the queen’s guidance, Pandora has been groomed to assume a position in the Court of Eyes as soon as she completes her studies — but in some ways, she’s already been a part of the queen’s inner circle as long as she can remember.

For a woman who can commune with ghosts and read anyone’s life story with a single touch, Pandora is a bit odd in terms of her persona. Around the queen, she is quiet and demure, obedient to whatever the monarch requests. But around other students or anywhere away from the queen’s watchful gaze, Pandora is strong willed, opinionated, and sharp of tongue. Unafraid to weaponize the secrets she can find to win an argument, Pandora has few but very loyal friends, and she takes pride in knowing pretty much everything about anybody who’s anybody.

But she has never met someone quite like Binu. She’s not ready for what she’s about to see when it comes to the new Witness.

Pandora’s powerful abilities to read the entire lifespan of a human can take their toll. Too much continuous contact with another person in the process of searching for a fortune starts to make the skin on her hands and arms decay, and she spends some time after such sessions painstakingly tending to the new wounds and wrapping fresh bandages from fingertip to elbow. The decay from leveraging her foresight over the better part of two decades has also started to affect her normal sight as well. Her once-dark eyes are beginning to grow pale and clouded, and she sometimes needs assistance working through written lesson materials — whether by a friend or by a small animal recruited for the day. Pandora often walks with a cane and/or wears a supportive brace for her left leg.

The shortest among the Court of Eyes, Pandora is petite and curvy, with dark waves and curls hanging over her forehead and around her shoulders. Perhaps the most expressive of the Court as well, she often wears a wry smile, with occasional dimples to boot.

Binu is easily the character who I’ve thought the most about, since I’ve played a version of them in a D&D campaign for the better part of 2 years now. I think in the context of a narrative set in this world, Binu would be a primary protagonist.

So Binu is type of seer called a "Witness", meaning they have the ability to see imminent events in their vicinity just before they happen and can intervene accordingly. It’s essentially an extreme case of constant déjà vu, combined with superhuman reflexes. This is a skill that the kingdom treats with extreme caution (and prejudice) because a Witness has an inherent advantage in combat — and is near impossible to counter or defend against. So, the kingdom has a centuries-long policy to identify every Witness from birth, remove them from their parents, and enlist them in the military under the rationale that they will be conditioned into becoming assets for the kingdom — instead of potential threats. The stronger the ability of a Witness, the riskier the missions they are assigned.

Binu’s skill level was such that they were often put on the front lines in several battles — and assigned multiple would-be suicide missions — all through their adolescence. Having survived against all odds, Binu has been raised to a post in the Royal Guard and is the newest member of the Court of Eyes. The Queen harbors hope that Binu will finally break the dying streak of past Witnesses in the Court. Considering Binu’s fellow soldiers have secretly nicknamed them "Binu the Immortal", the odds are good.

But Binu is very, very mortal. For every bullet they dodge, they do get grazed or hit by plenty of others, just barely managing to avoid a wound to a vital organ each time. Their lifetime as a child soldier has left them paranoid and hypervigilant, so unlike any other Witness in history, Binu forcefully maintains constant foresight every second of every day — even when they sleep. The impact of constant déjà vu layered with PTSD means that Binu has developed chronic migraines and sensory intolerances, particularly to sound; the sound of their own voice in particular creates a terrible reverberating echo in their mind. So these days, Binu is largely silent, and almost all communication is done through sign language. They’re often seen with a scowl, but it’s not that they’re in a bad mood — they’re either scouring the imminent future for threats, or they simply are fighting off another migraine.

Binu is of average height but is physically powerful and swift. They hide many battle scars under their robes, but they have a couple reminders of past close calls marking their face as well. They have silvery-white hair partially shaved on one side and pulled into a half-ponytail, and they often wear protective armor under their robes despite spending most days in the palace. After over 10 years of gunfire, Binu prefers the simple quarterstaff for combat instead of bullets — but is no less lethal for it. Binu’s forehead bears a white, 3-dot mark, tattooed from childhood as part of the kingdom’s policy to identify any Witness on sight.

Despite the intense physicality of their upbringing and abilities, Binu is quite passive in their personal life. New to the world of monarchs and politics, they take great interest in the lives of others, and they like to observe the activities and relationships between their friends and allies. They want to learn what makes people tick. Binu is slow to make friends, and even slower to confide their struggles. But those whom they trust, they protect fiercely — far beyond mortal limits. It takes some time and a few close calls, but after the Court experiences Binu’s talents firsthand, their presence in the room sets all at ease with the knowledge that they are safe and secure.

Kor is a highly-ranked operative in the Queen’s intelligence network. She also quietly holds the position of “Siren” in the Court of Eyes, as she possesses the ability to project visions of future outcomes into the minds of others with a very high level of proficiency. Kor is aware that Sirens are historically stigmatized because of the high potential of treason given their abilities. (The evil advisor whispering in the ear of a monarch and swaying their actions and policies? More often than not, they’re rumored to be a Siren.) For that reason, Kor keeps her own abilities under wraps to all but her most trusted inner circle, which includes the Queen. She comes from a sisterhood of Sirens who specifically trained in both swordcraft and rhetoric, among other subjects, to be capable in both a throne room and on a battlefield.

At over six feet tall, Kor easily towers over her friends and allies - and has the habit of using others’ heads as an elbow rest for fun. She wears a full headdress in all public appearances, and she sometimes carries a curious medallion that allows her to enhance her own abilities to entrance and "guide" the intentions of others. Kor has a calm and collected disposition, with wisdom beyond her years. Few have ever seen her show rage, sadness, or even fear. But surely she feels those emotions just like anyone else… right?