Appearance:
Houngan Cloak has close-cropped, tightly-curled, dark brown hair, and his skin adorns him like a suit of burnished ebony. Eyes the color of tan-flecked jasper gaze out from a face covered in scars and healed injuries, the accumulated physical reminders of a life of hardship and trauma. His lean, wiry build suggests the strength and power of an expert wrestler, he moves with a deliberate, prowling gait, and he has a daunting mien that surrounds him like an umbral mantle. He typically wears an open-sleeved tunic and loose linen pants, both reddish-brown, which he often covers with a long, black, leather duster. Since they arrived in Purgatory Bluff and started managing the mine, Cloak and the other maroons often carry crowbars with them wherever they go. He has an affinity for dogs and horses, and can often be found caring for animals when not meditating or sparring with his followers and fellow Vodouisants. He is a gifted storyteller and bears a surprisingly relaxed demeanor when recounting stories of freedom, bravery, and protective kinship.
Personality:
Houngan Cloak is intense, determined, and blunt. He rarely attempts to solve problems with finesse and is practiced in focusing on a difficult problem. He believes that life is a journey through fire and pain; it only gets easier when you treat challenges like sparring partners that you must habitually overpower. You can never escape your demons and you can’t avoid your vices by hiding behind your virtues - they won’t protect you, because when you meet a daunting challenge, you’ll revert to the familiar sources of comfort and security: you’ll rely on the devil you know. So, you must learn to trust and understand that devil, so that you can take advantage of what it provokes you to do. Cloak believes that you can only trust people who heed the loa that guide them; respect the spirits that stoke and smother their passions; act in accord with the guidance of their mèt tèt. He builds strong ties of loyalty and is fiercely protective of those who’ve earned his trust.
He prefers to enforce compliance via verbal threats and his intimidating presence, and will only use physical violence if the former does not work. When not confronting a threat, Cloak can sometimes have an infectiously disarming presence, such as when he cares for dogs and horses or tells a story to a crowd.
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