The Tall Man
The Tall Man is the nickname Kissandra Vorcien gives to The Angry One because of his unnatural height. He is a Yuglid who acts as an agent of Aristanes and the Glass Knife. In his human skin, he is very thin and about seven feet tall with a bald head and pale skin.
STORY
When Kissandra Vorcien questions Glissandi Magna at the Lampshade Boardwalk, Glissandi prefers to bite her own tongue off rather than spill her secrets under the influence of shackleglass. Kizzie turns and spots the a tall figure lurking in the shadows. Kizzie realizes that whoever he was, he must have had serious control over Glissandi to make her do something so drastic. She watches him walk toward Glissandi's body, and she escapes when she can no longer hear his footsteps.
Kizzie later sees the Tall Man again at the Bingham Brawler's Club just after General Stavri and his officers were murdered by a glassdancer. He takes a step near her, and she blends into the crowd, letting it sweep her away from him. She uses her own sorcerous senses to see if he has any glassdancer talent, which he does not, suggesting that he was not the one who killed General Stavri. However, his presence still puzzles her, so she sends Gorian to find anything out about him that he can.
Gorian does one better by organizing a meeting between the Tall Man and Kizzie at Watchhouse #187. At that meeting, she finds the Tall Man sipping tea and reading the newspaper, completely unperturbed by the twelve armed guardsmen around him. When she gets close, she senses an aura of violence, one similar to the aura she used to feel around Baby Montego. The Tall Man tells Kizzie to give up all Vorcien investigations into Adriana Grappo's death, and in exchange, the Glass Knife would maintain the peace between them. He states clearly that this is a one-time warning, but Kizzie refuses, saying the Vorcien does not take kindly to threats. She orders Gorian to arrest the Tall Man, who sighs and then kills Gorian and the rest of the national guardsmen in mere moments. He leaves her alive to deliver his message to Father Vorcien and then leaves her alone with the bodies. She runs to her father and reports the slaughter to him. He tells her to forget the Tall Man and continue her investigation, leaving his capture to the other Vorcien enforcers and clients. Realizing how desperate she has grown since the Tall Man killed Gorian and her other friends, Kizzie goes to the only person she fears more than the Tall Man: Montego.
When Kizzie and Montego arrive at the Zorlian Mansion, Aristanes leads them to this office where the Tall Man appears. Instinctually, Kizzie shoots him in the face with her pistol, but the distraction allows Aristanes to escape through a trapdoor. The bullet only damages the Tall Man's human-like flesh covering, and he tears it away to reveal his true face, an insectoid visage wreathed in tentacles. Kizzie and Montego run away, and the Tall Man and several dozen Glass Knife acolytes chase them down the hall. After finding themselves trapped inside a room with no exit, Kizzie and Baby realize they have no other option but to fight their way out. Montego limbers up to fight the Tall Man, asking Kizzie to keep the hordes of Glass Knife acolytes off his back while they battle. Moments later, the Tall Man knocks down the door, and Montego attacks him with his cudgel. They fight to the death, and the Tall Man manages to get the upper hand. When he believes he has killed Montego, he goes after Kizzie next. He tells her he is impressed by Montego's fighting prowess, and the Yuglid will sing songs about his strength long after humanity disappears. However, Montego stands one last time and declares that he will sing his own songs. He grapples the Tall Man in a head lock while sawing at his neck with Kizzie's fallen stiletto. As the Tall Man dies, Montego then rips his head off and tosses it aside.
After the fight, Professor Sumala Volos arrives at the Zorlian Mansion and sees the Tall Man's corpse. She is shocked that a human could kill him. When she decides to take Kizzie and Montego away for surgery, Aristanes arrives to stop her. She argues that The Angry One would have wanted his killer to be treated with respect, but Aristanes disregards the desire, saying the Angry One is dead and therefore useless. Professor Volos also notes Aristanes ignoring the body, a further insult to the memory of their fallen companion. This helps her decide she made the right choice in defying Aristanes.
Species
Circumstances of Death
Killed by Baby Montego at the Zorlian Mansion
Children
Aligned Organization
