Locke

A Demon decides it should be fun to wind up this desperate mortal and have a poke at a Mage in the same stroke. The Demon is looking for a likely tool to aid in taking out a young Mage who she is certain is about to become uncontrollable. The Mage is becoming enamored of the sanctity of life and is working to bring purity to the spirit of humans and other supernaturals. This runs counter to the Demons natural instincts and so she attempts to push things.
The Demon ran across Eli a few months previous and so she decides to lure Eli to Austin and then starts to feed him information about Mages, about how it is possible to steal their power for themselves. She doesn’t have much time, so she sets the trap fairly simply. All Eli must do is get a pint of the Mages blood. It’s a fool’s errand, really. A snipe hunt of the highest order, but a little bit of mental pushing combines with Eli’s unbalanced state and it sounds like a wonderful idea. Get the blood, invoke the Rite, and bask in the power. There is a huge danger, but it is nothing to him.
Eli hunts down the Mage and catches her unaware, knocking her out. The Demon has supplied a Ritual to render the Mages power into her blood, which of course does nothing of the sort. Eli tries hard to not do any permanent injury but still is not sure he hasn't just killed the woman. Jarred by his actions, but now determined to not let this woman’s suffering be in vain, Eli proceeds with the second of his “Found Rituals”.
Eli finds himself a secluded place and sets things up. He has fasted for days and is weak. He inscribes the final circles in the Mage’s blood and while whispering prayers for forgiveness, he settles in for a long wait. He believes that he has set in motion a brush with death for himself that will invoke an external Power to come to him. He is crazed enough at this point, that he believes completely. His near death experience becomes a Suicide.
The Hollow Man Geist is a creature of emptiness and searching. It is a malleable thing, empty of comfort, but full of secrets. It is drawn to Eli’s death and as it enters the empty room of his final moments, it makes Eli a deal. Merge with him and learn the many secrets at his disposal. Merge and allow The Hollow Man to inhabit the flesh once more.
Eli agrees.

Elijah Fenton was born in 1972 to Emma and Robert Fenton in New Orleans. A white family, living in a middle class neighborhood just blocks from the extreme lower end of poverty evident in the city. Eli grew up surrounded by crushing poverty while living just outside it’s reach. He could play with kids who had nothing and then go home to sleep in a warm bed at night. The older he got, the more these differences stood out to him. He ended up feeling rather powerless in the face of it – all ability to actually touch the lives of those around him for a positive effect were generally shot down by his family as not a good idea.

By the time he reaches High School, Eli is one of the more rebellious teens in his social circles. His family had enough money to provide for the present – not enough to provide for the future. Eli knows this and the yawning chasm of an uncertain future looms in front of him. He remembers reaching out to help those kids who had nothing and being told to not bother. He never wants to be part of the “Don’t Bother.” He’s searching hard for a way out.

In one particularly vicious fight, Eli is pinned down inside a building with two Iraqi’s. One of them is wounded, unconscious and bleeding out. Eli tries desperately to save the injured man and keep the insurgents from rushing their position. Realizing that Eli’s efforts are for naught even though he means well, the third man reaches out to touch Eli and the wounded man. He asks Eli, in perfect English, “Will you give some of your life to save one of us?” Not understanding what’s happening, Eli asks what the man is talking about, but he only repeats the question. Eli answers a confused and hesitant yes, no longer sure what is happening. He becomes aware of a feeling of pure power opening a channel between himself and the wounded man. Then he blacks out.
He comes to just in time to see the sorcerer carry his companion out the back of the building. The sorcerer looks back once with a smile and then he is gone. Eli searches for him the rest of his time in Iraq and his squad mates look upon the incident as the moment that Eli went over the edge.

he is re-deployed to Iraq for his final year of duty. He is prepared this time. He has done research for hours on the middle east and is eager to return. The search itself has become his reason for living, and all else has faded to the background at best. While there he makes limited contact. He uses the constant house to house searches as an excuse now, instead of searching for the ever-present insurgency, he is searching for magic. Twice he finds a place of power that had been occupied by something with the knowledge to use it. He is certain of this, but he never finds anyone to explain the secrets to him. He is left with the puzzle pieces and no guide to their use or manufacture.

In 1994 Eli is discharged from the Marines. He has largely forgotten his earlier aim, having allowed the search for the miraculous to overtake his existence. Now, out of the structured life of the military, Eli starts to really enter the deep end of obsession. He spends the year deep in research until he comes across what he believes is a way to grasp the sort of magical power he’s wanting. What he does not understand is that he has now come to the attention of other powers.