I'm leaning toward making this guy an elf, so his age can be tinkered to suit the storyline. His extremely tentative concept is that he was a soldier who had a near death experience and came out of it with the ability to hear voices. Whether they're the voices of the dearly departed or something more sinister, he doesn't know, and it's a pain in the ass more often than not. That said, it might put him in a prime position to correct Anatoleas on something that is otherwise accepted as fact. Let the battle of the mansplainers begin to a resounding chorus of, "Well, actually ..."
These days, he tries to avoid crowds so that nobody will ask him to relay a message to great aunt Bessie. I would especially love it if the land on which his mini fortress of solitude is built is suddenly and mysteriously bought up by an unnamed benefactor, leaving him grumbly and facing eviction. Sort of a Shrek/Lord Farquaad type of deal, if you will.