Head of the Magnus institute (villain: control. He rarely showed outward cruelty, as that would get in the way of his plans, which he valued far more than anything he could get from being purposefully unpleasant. Masterfully manipulative, intimidating.)
Elias took great pleasure in touting the knowledge he had and the power it gave him, finding amusement in others' discomfort. He possessed within him a degree of sadism, which only showed itself on the rare occasions when a person succeeded at genuinely irritating him or hurting his plans, on which occasions he would take great pleasure in tearing them down psychically using his knowledge of everything. He was exceptionally smug and often engaged in petty and twisted mockery of his enemies after they were defeated. He was also an egotist and obviously considered himself smarter than everyone else. Elias was almost always painstakingly polite, albeit in an extremely bureaucratic way. He always maintained a level of professionalism to ensure ultimate efficiency, and to make others easier to control. He rarely showed outward cruelty, as that would get in the way of his plans, which he valued far more than anything he could get from being purposefully unpleasant. thanatophobe.
Speaks in measured, precise sentences with a soft, tremulous edge; avoids overt certainty and often hedges with passive phrasing. Formal, always condescending.
at his core simply a man with a crippling fear of death. Underneath every facade he put up, the concept of not being able to experience life or ceasing to exist was what drove all of his actions, and he spent all his time deeply anxious because of it. Ultimately, this fear trumped any other emotion he felt. Prevent the rituals of other Powers. (both abandoned) Learn about the Lonely through Barnabas Bennett. Steal Abrecht Von Closen's trove of books. Create the Panopticon as the center of the Eye's power. Kill Gertrude Robinson. Kill Jurgen Leightner. Turn Jonathan Sims into a powerful archivist. Have each Dread Power touch the Archivist. Prevent Peter Lukas' takeover of his institute. Live forever. Bring about the Watcher's Crown. (both failed) Keep himself alive by possessing the bodies of his employees.
Initially, he was an upperclassman living in London in the early 1800s, and an associate of Robert Smirke. Through Smirke, he learned of the existence of creatures he called the Dread Powers: godlike entities that existed outside of reality and fed on the fear of mortals. Jonah began to study these Powers and eventually learned that they were capable of manifesting in reality if certain conditions were met, and event that would turn the world into a hellish nightmare for all those but the ones who followed that particular Fear. Hoping to avoid this fate, Jonah aligned himself with the Eye, the entity that embodied the fear of being watched, and was given a form of omnicence. In the name of his new master, Jonah began collecting knowledge and fear through a team of researchers he called the Magnus Institute, under the guise of a paranormal investigative agency. He eventually created the Panopticon, the center of the Eye's power, and attempted a ritual to bring his patron into reality.
