Quote: “…”

Background: When he was fifteen, Ezekiel was a troubled young man, frustrated with the slow pace of life on the Seminole reservation. His uncle, Black Rabbit, feared that the boy would leave the tribe for good when he came of age, and decided to take the boy on a vision quest in the Everglades, in an attempt to prove that there was value in their “ancient superstitions.” The next day, Black Rabbit returned to the reservation carrying the bloody, unconscious body of his nephew, covered in bite-marks and scratches from no known animal.

Afterwards, Zeke became a troubled and antisocial young man, given to fits of anger and dementia. When he came of age, he moved out of his parent’s home and into a little shack in the ’Glades. About four years ago, he stopped coming into town altogether, and most of the tribe simply assumed that a gator had finally gotten him.

In truth, Ezekiel spent most of the intervening time in Arcadia, and upon his return, found his reputation ruined beyond repair. He fled to New Orleans, to become a Scarecrow Minister, and became close companions with the young Alexandre Corbeau.

As a Minister, Ezekiel adopted the persona of the Slender Man, a modern-day, internet-created nightmare, with the intention of returning to “the Rez” and forcing his tribe to confront the twenty-first century, by any means necessary. Ezekiel spent a few years in seclusion working on his “dissertation,” but no word was ever heard from him, and it is not known where he went during the intervening time, or how he spent it.

Description: The Slender Man is impossibly tall (well over eight-and-a-half feet), but weighs no more than normal man; it’s almost as if he has been stretched like soft taffy. His immaculate black suit is darker than his own shadow, and his skin is whiter than bone, with hands like pale, long-legged spiders, their fingers constantly moving and questing for soft, warm flesh to grasp.

The Slender Man’s most unnerving feature is his perfectly-smooth head, which is utterly devoid of facial features; there aren’t even indentations where his eyes ought to be. This apparent shortcoming does not seem to impede him. Indeed, he seems to see as well as anyone, in both darkness and daylight.

Curiously, the Slender Man appears to mortals exactly as he does to Changelings (Naamah speculates that this is either because his Mask and mien are identical, or his Mask has somehow been lost, damaged, or removed). Further complicating the mystery is the fact that he seems to exhibit powers associated with the Kindred, which were previously believed unlearnable by the Lost. Whether he has been able to learn them due to his innate Leechfinger abilities, his research during his time with the Scarecrow Ministry, or if they are merely new Contracts meant to imitate the powers of the undead, none but the Slender Man can say.

Storytelling Hints: The Slender Man is mute. It is not clear whether he lacks the inclination, the sanity, or the physical ability to communicate through speech.