Old Man Manyskins

Old Man Manyskins (a.k.a Laughing Manyskins) is a Nuwisha. He may have been responsible for the defeat of General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn due to deliberate spreading of misinformation.

Biography[]

Old Man Manyskins is one of Coyote's favorite children. In his youth, he was as impetuous as Coyote, and in his adulthood he studied long to understand the wisdom of the Trickster. The werecoyote earned his fame as Coyote's Laughter, gleefully directing the encroaching Europeans to places that were almost certainly their doom. At the same time, he chose the occasional worthy settler family and aided them in finding places that were safe and comfortable.

His escapades throughout the Wild West earned him a place in Nuwisha history and Coyote's favor. From then on, he was known as Laughing Manyskins. Coyote's Blessing to Manyskins was the ability to wear a false skin that completely hid his true nature, allowing him to infiltrate any camp and learn the secrets of his friends and foes alike. His tricks were numerous, and his pranks caused disasters for his enemies everywhere.

Laughing Manyskins was allegedly responsible for Custer's defeat at the Little Bighorn. His deliberate misinformation, some say, led the Son of the Morningstar to his death. When asked why this happened, Manyskins' reply was simply, "It was his time".

Some Nuwisha and Garou alike claim that Manyskins should have been of more aid in the times of the Europeans' great westward move, but Manyskins had other things to do, and other places to see. Tales of his antics are told by the Garou, the Mokolé, the Ratkin, the Nagah, the Ananasi, even the Rokea and all of the tribes of the Bastet. He has seen more of the world than any living shapechanger, and some say he has come back from the dead.

For several years, Manyskins wasn't seen by Nuwisha or human. Where he went remains a secret, and one that he refuses to share. Some say he was trapped in Malfeas and tortured. If so, he bears no scars to prove that he was ever there. Some claim that he has the answers to certain questions.

Now Old Man Manyskins walks where he will, with little concern for the opinions of those around him. In times of great need, he shows himself. Sometimes he aids those in trouble, and sometimes he ignores the situation entirely. Many say Old Man Manyskins speaks with Coyote's tongue, and that may well be true. He certainly acts as crazy as Coyote ever did. There are few mysteries in the world that Old Man Manyskins cannot provide answers for, and he'll likely solve those that remain before his time is done.

Before Predator Came: An Oral History of the Pure Lands[]

The younger Laughing Manyskins is the central narrator for much of the history of not just Mexico, but of the coming of Europeans in their conquest over the Pure Lands. Portrayed in a lengthy "letter" in Werewolf: The Wild West supplement Tales from the Trails: Mexico (p.15-33). This Pre-History as told by him covers a period that predates The Second War of Rage, the Second War itself, and then elaborates upon that internecine period as well bringing the tale up to date as of the then late 19th Century.

From the White Wolf Website: Werewolf: The Wild West Signature Characters (circa 1997):[]

"Laughing Manyskins: One of the most influential figures throughout all the Savage West is Laughing Manyskins, the easy-going, affable and smarter than all get-out Nuwisha hero. Capable of taking whatever form and face suit his whims of the time, Manyskins dances from caern to caern, bringing his own brand of education to the septs of the West. Some of his pranks prove quite lethal, however, teaching the worst of the invaders a most permanent lesson.

Even though many werewolves resent the Nuwisha's interference, Manyskins manages to leave small tidbits of lore in a few packs' paths, setting the unwitting Garou on quests of his own choosing. Although the Garou tribes only vaguely hear the rumors of his deeds, this trickster manages to overcome and humiliate his enemies throughout the West, always leaving nothing more than a discarded, empty skin to mark his passing."

Trivia[]

He can be the shape-shifter that appears in the Ananasi book (the invader of the meeting) and the Bastet book (the visitor who leaves his skin as the last enigma)