The Old Man of the Mountain
I'm going to come back and give this a proper write-up, but here are my ideas.
- Long, flexible, segmented, insectile body.
- Limbs are long and tapering, the fore-limbs branching several times. The finest endså can be held and used like hands, but also may spread apart. Many-jointed.
- The "hands" contain holographic projectors, which the Old Man uses to paint words in the air. It cannot speak, so this is how it communicates.
- A node at the font is covered in muscular stalks attached to chitinous plates. The creature can form these into various noh masks. The node also has a long, white beard. The mask's appearance is often incongruous with the creature's actual mood. Draped with ivory-colored leathery folds over back and between leg joints.
- Several irregularly places rasping mouths on underside.
- Draping skin folds between the limb segments, connected to the back. Folding them around itself and using its "mask", the creature somewhat resembles an old man in long robes perched on a rock.
- The Old Man loves circuitous riddles and cryptic proverbs, which he poses through his light-painted words. However, the riddles have no answers, and the proverbs are just oddly-phrased nonsense.