Cole Aran

Cole Aran is a character in The Great Belligerency.

Weapon:
His own body; see below.

Abilities:
Any living being that touches Cole directly experiences a mild shock. Very small creatures (namely, insects) are immediately paralyzed by this shock and become stuck to his body. They remain alive, and their life energy sustains his form. Cole's rotting body also emits a strong smell that draws insects to him, so he rarely lacks nourishment. Cole can also modify his body to mimic the natural abilities of insects. He needs to have an insect of the appropriate type among the masses covering him, but he's amassed quite a collection over the years, so this isn't usually a problem. Simpler changes, such as making his hands and feet cling to surfaces or modifying his legs to jump higher, can be done almost immediately. For a more complicated shift, such as giving himself wings or a scorpion tail, he needs more time.

Description:
Cole's flesh is permanently rotten. He has few recognizable features other than the general shape of his limbs. Without any insects covering him, he looks more like a walking pile of rancid meat than a man. There are vague impression where his mouth and eyes would be. Of course, most of the time he is covered in insects, of a wide variety, and will generally use them to produce eyes and a mouth of some form at all times. In terms of personality, Cole is very bitter about his form. He is quite intelligent, but quick to anger, and utterly despises insects in general. He hates being so dependent on them, but the fact that he causes so many to suffer at once provides him some small comfort. Cole places a high value on intelligence, and a low tolerance for perceived stupidity. Any alliances he forms will largely center around these preferences. He originally believed that humanity was supreme, but this was solely due to his limited experience; he is willing to consider any sufficiently intelligent species his equal, possibly even his superior (though he has enough of an ego that this is unlikely). However, he has little tolerance for gods of any sort, for reasons that his biography will make clear. He is also easily annoyed by simple pranks.

Biography:
Cole was once a famed biologist, who believed that humanity's intelligence made it the supreme life form on Earth. As his beliefs gained sway, they drew the attention of the Spider God, Anansi. Anansi was not entertained by the foolish human's pride, and decided to make an example of him. At a major scientific conference, Cole was suddenly swarmed by a large number of insects. There was nothing left afterwards. Cole's theories about the supremacy of humanity were rarely repeated, his evident death frightening them away. But Cole was not dead. Rather, Anansi had spirited him away.

Trapped in an enormous web, Cole stared at the spider god, terrified. "So, you think humans are so special?" Anansi laughed. "But the insects of the world outnumber you. And we shall live on long after your species dies out." "You're an arachnid," Cole corrected, reflexively. He regretted it as soon as he said it. "You dare to tell a god where his domain lies?" the trickster laughed. "Your classification system is meaningless to me. Now, you should be punished for your hubris. And I know the perfect way." Cole screamed as his body seemed to burn. A moment later, the sensation passed, and he could not move. "Humans are little more than a useless lump of flesh. And now, that is all you will be, without the help of my subjects." A fly appeared out of nowhere, and buzzed its way over to Cole. As it landed on his body, Cole felt a small shock, then slowly stepped forward. "The insects - and arachnids - of the world will be drawn to your delicious smell. And when they touch you, they will be paralyzed. They will feed you energy so you may move, and they will also grant you their power." "But without them, you will be nothing." Anansi laughed, and the mass of flesh that was Cole found itself in the middle of an African jungle. It was not long before insects swarmed around, and he could move once more.

Despising his new form, Cole swore to find a way to exact revenge on Anansi and prove himself more intelligent than the spider god. He quietly travelled the world, gathering myriad insects, arachnids, gastropods, and anything else he could hold on his body, as he sought out the means for his revenge. And then one day, he simply vanished.