The Porous Man

The Porous Man is a bogeyman of old Kith stories, appearing in various cultures under different names and forms but always described as a pleasant stranger who appears on one's doorstep when the person finds themselves in a a terrible situation with no seeming way out. The Porous Man offers solutions or schemes to help the person in question, only asking for a trifle sum in return.
The true cost of the The Porous Man's help is only witnessed later, as his advice always brings unforeseen misfortune for the one who accepts his advice.

Origin

It is said that The Porous Man was once a prolific charlatan who sailed from port to port, up and down the The Abyssal Divide and the shores of the Sea of Sorrows. He was a loved miscreant, a charming rogue who only ever truly upset the rich and the local lords who were often humiliated by him and his antics.
His one true mistake was angering Gwilha, the goddess of the sea and trickery. He considered himself even more wily than the goddess of the sea and trickery herself, and was not afraid to announce it where he went.
The goddess took great offense to this, and cursed the man for his arrogance. His once fair skin was now pocked and brittle like a sea sponge, and he was transformed into a foul creature no folk could gaze upon.
Thus transformed, the goddess now presented him with a deal. He would use his charms to trick and manipulate those who had offended the goddess, and in return for each such a victim, his fair body and appearance would be returned to him for one day.
Though not a malicious man, he was twisted by the agony of living in fear of other, unable to perish for centuries on end. Since then he has traveled the land, searching for those who have insulted The Mercurial, so that he may punish them and regain his former self for another day.