"Even before my family came to town, you should know never to trust what you can see. Since you've failed to learn that lesson, it seems I must teach it to you."

Nicodemus Whateley is a bit of a dandy, always neatly dressed in a well-pressed suit, a bowler derby, a walking cane and his own special deck of playing cards. He wears his red hair long, and is never without his ruby-tinted glasses perched on his nose. The skin beneath his clothes ripples sometimes, as if there were something beneath it pushing out.

"I do like to keep my hand in with an occasional game of cards. 'tis a pity though: I most often end up playing solitaire. Strange how so few people want to sit down and play a hand of poker against me.

While friendly and polite in his dealings, there is something deeply unsettling about Nic, and anyone who spends any amount of time with him comes away feeling nervous and disturbed.

"Deals with the devil are bad? Where ever did you get that idea? Like they say, 'better the devil you know...' and all that."