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Name: Erik Garnier/ The Phantom

Inspiration: The Phantom of the Opera

Appearance: Erik is a thin Caucasian male in his mid 40s. He was born with serious facial deformities that he hides behind a mask and tends to prefer dark clothing, as well as a hat and cloak. He never removes his mask if he can help it.

Abilities/ Skills: Erik has no superhuman powers, but he is intelligent and has a knack for picking up new skills quickly. He is self-taught to an extremely high level in the fields of engineering and architecture, with lesser but still impressive expertise in the fine arts and the occult. He possesses an unrivaled knowledge of Paris, especially the underground tunnels and his headquarters, the Palais Garnier (both of which he has rigged with traps, storehouses, armories, laboratories, and so on). With his various criminal exploits he has compiled a respectable fortune. Finally, Erik is adept in personal combat, especially with a garrote, but considers fighting beneath him.

History: Erik was born with no last name, no family. His mother immediately cast the infant out on seeing his face and he was left to fend for himself on the streets of Paris. No one, not even churches or homeless shelters, were willing to accommodate him due to his appearance. And so, as he was shown no love or mercy, he grew up without room for either in his heart. He learned to fight, to rob, even to kill when needed (the garotte being his preferred weapon). He stole books as often as money or food, seeking to learn as much as possible.

As a teen he broke into the famed Palais Garnier opera house, intending to sleep there merely one night. But something about the grand old building captivated the young man, especially when he stumbled onto the cavernous cellars underground. He made the opera house his new home, exploring after hours and coming to know the massive structure like the back of his hand. Eventually he found secret connections to the tunnels of Paris, the mines, the Metro, the famous catacombs. A city underneath the city, his for the taking. He would emerge at night to take what he needed, pulling ever more daring heists of the money and equipment he needed to build his own support structures. Eventually he added extortion to his repertoire, threatening businesses and citizens with disaster if he was not paid a handsome fee. It only took the occasional “accident” to convince them of his seriousness. The police never could catch him, easily becoming lost in the labyrinth he knew better than anyone else.

And in spite of his success, the Phantom was lonely. His few attempts at friendship ended in disaster, one particular incident involving a Swedish soprano ended up with him dropping a chandelier on a packed audience in a temper tantrum. Though he would never admit it, his own self-importance got in the way. He came to the conclusion he would never know love or friendship. 

Until one day he was approached by an agent of Dracula and invited to the Council. His knowledge of the subterranean tunnels of Paris came in handy in uncovering many occult secrets beneath the city: forgotten libraries of alchemists, attempts to hide things man was not meant to know, tombs of unknown monstrosities. Dracula approved. The knowledge that there were others like him invigorated Erik and filled him with a new sense of purpose. He vowed that he would never be alone again, that there would be a place free and safe for the creatures of the night. And he, Erik Garnier, the Phantom, will be the one behind it.

Goals: Erik's massive inferiority complex drives him to make sure everyone knows he is a genius, while his desperation for companionship makes him want people to admire and respect him. This megalomania has combined into one goal: create a safe haven for creatures of the night, somewhere they can exist openly and without fear of retaliation.

Notes: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nDw2Fk8tuY]Well, there's really only one choice for theme song, isn't there.[/url]
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