Friday, February 11, 2011

The Well-Dressed Man from Elsewhere


He appears without warning, other than perhaps the briefest sensation of jamais vu. He has been seen anywhere from deep underground, to swank nightspots, to the soft places which border the near Astral. He often asks a question--a single question--in a voice somewhat muffled (which might be expected, given the mask), and distant, and with a diction very, very precise, like an old priest intoning an old liturgy. Few have been able to recall the question he asked after the meeting, but many are certain that he did ask one.

He has been known to raise a hand sometimes as if in warming, sometimes as if supplication. He has never been known to make an aggressive act, but It is unwise to touch him, or to be touched by him. The results vary, but they are often fatal, and always strange.

More than one appearance of the Man in the same area, almost surely means he will appear again, and in increasing frequency until something happens, typically some dire event. There are said to be bas-reliefs recovered from drowned Meropis with images bearing an uncanny resemblance to him.

Those encountering the Man would be wise to leave his vicinity as soon possible--though a polite departure is recommended. Just to be in his presence for extended periods has been associated with the development of certain rare cancers and unusual autoimmune diseases.  The smoke escaping from beneath his mask, and from his collar and cuffs is luminescent, and radioactive.

10 comments:

Gothridge Manor said...

Ha, this guy...err man, is very cool. I believe you are the first person I've read that ever used jamais vu. He reminds me of a much cooler version of the Mothman.

The Angry Lurker said...

jamais vu is that never seen, very interesting and after seeing Tim's post, yes Mothman.

Trey said...

@Tim-That's the by-product of psychiatric training I suppose--obscure terminology. ;) And yeah, the mothman was one of the inspirations here, after the picture itself.

@ALurker- yes, it's "never seen." It's a lesser known neurologic phenomena than its opposite deja vu. Sometimes seizure disorder patients have it as an aura.

NakiaPope said...

I have to look up the Mothman, now. He reminds me of the albino-ish guy from Fringe. I am sure we know more about him now, but I am about 2 seasons behind on that show. Great, as usual.

Harald said...

This is a disturbing NPC if I've ever seen one. I do have a question for you, though. As a GM, how would you handle jamais vu?

John Matthew Stater said...

Obscure terminology is the hallmark of great fantasy.

netherwerks said...

Andre Breton would no doubt be proud. That's a wonderful image and a very intriguing being to have never seen before...

Trey said...

@Prof. Pope - Thanks. Yeah, the Observers on Fringe havea little bit of this too, though less menacing.

@Harald - I would say something like: "all of a sudden you feel an odd sensation. Things seem a bit unreal, or dream-like for a moment. But then, as quickly as I it came, its gone."

@Matt - Hah! True. It worked for HPL and CAS. :)

@Akrasia - Thanks.

@NetherWerks - One can hope. :) Yeah, tumblr has opened new vistas of cool picture discovery.

Mark Siefert said...

" He often asks a question--a single question..."

"Are you my mummy?"

Trey said...

Ha! I hadn't thought of "The Empty Child" but that fits, doesn't it?