Near the center of Graypool there stands a strange rock a bit more than two meters high. It is roughly conical, but has a spiraling shape as if someone took hold of the top and twisted it. The locals call it the Twisted Man, for that is what it is—not just a natural stone, but a man cursed by the fey. And this is not a mere guess or superstition, because on nights of the new moon the Twisted Man takes fleshy form again and walks the streets. Even during these times, however, he is not entirely as he was before the curse, as presumably before his body below and above the waist was oriented in the same direction, rather than as now his chest and stomach facing the direction of his buttocks, and his back above the front of his pelvis. One of his arms is likewise wrong, the mirror image of what it once was, and the same is true of his left ear. What transgression against the fey gained him his curse, no one knows; it happened too long ago for Graypool's current residents to remember, and the Twisted Man himself cannot say—apparently the curse also robs him of the ability to speak, and when he opens his mouth he just makes a sound like a howling wind.

During his time as flesh and blood, the Twisted Man roams the streets of Graypool apparently at random. He never stops walking, at least not willingly; it seems from those times that people have tried to stop him that not walking causes him pain, or at least severe discomfort, so he strives to always keep moving. Most of the people of Graypool give him a wide berth, for anyone he touches becomes twisted as well—not necessarily exactly as the Twisted Man is twisted, but their arms may be exchanged with each other, or their head reversed in direction. This twisting is temporary, and the victims return to normal in a matter of days, but it is still disturbing enough that most people avoid it—some reckless youths have been known to seek out the Twisted Man's touch intentionally to experience the temporary twisting, but their elders strongly discourage this, and they seldom try a second time. The Twisted Man does not chase people down or actively try to touch them, but with his head facing backward he has trouble seeing where he's going, and he may push past people who block his progress, so he may end up incidentally touching the inattentive.

The Twisted Man has been in its location for well over a hundred years. Certainly people have considered destroying or moving the rock to end the curse and stop the Twisted Man's wanderings, or even killing the Twisted Man during his brief time in the flesh, but none have done so for fear of the consequences. If the fey cursed him to be in his current state, they may bristle at any attempt to interfere with their curse, and even if someone did manage to free the Twisted Man from his situation, by doing so they may bring a worse curse on themselves.

When in fleshy form, the Twisted Man is a young human with light brown skin and an athletic build. He has a smooth face with a slightly pointed chin, a small nose, and large ears. He carries nothing and wears no clothing.