Name: Rufus of Darkwood
Nicknames: Drifter, Creep.
Age: 110 (Appears 20)
Gender: Male
Appearance:
His general appearance is that of a man not long into his life. He stands at about five feet and five inches tall with dark unkempt hair roughly coming down to his neck. He dons a tattered brown hat and long coat which look to have been worn for miles without repair. Underneath is not much fancier either, just a white shirt and brown pair of pants like a homeless wanderer would wear. Even his thick brown traveling boots look like they've seen better days. His eyes look like deep dark pools of jet with only the faintest hint of blue in them. One detail to note however is that his shirt has a number of holes around the chest, each one stained with blood. Beneath the shirt are the wounds that were inflicted upon him back when he was still mortal. These wounds act as the main entrances and exits for the insects that live inside his body.
Mission:
He doesn't really possess many ambitions. He lives on a whim and tries to stay on the move. His benefactors however along with his companion want to see him become the god they need.
Powers/Skills:
Essence of Life - Rufus's blood holds a number of unusual qualities. Possessing a fraction of a spirit of the dark forest's essence he is unable to die from old age. No matter how much time passes he will never grow older than he was when he underwent the ritual.
Blessed Vitality - His essence gives him exceptional health. He never gets sick and he is immune to the effects of most natural poisons as well as most forms of venom.
Edible Gift - The power of his blood is not exclusive to just him. Any who consume a piece of him, regardless of how small the portion, will be blessed with the power of life. This blessing is not uniform however. It changes based on the creature who consumes it. For humans it simply bestows prolonged life and cures almost all known diseases and poisons/venom. For some beasts it will exaggerate particular qualities in them while healing them at the same time. Given the insects metamorphic qualities their changes tend to be more dramatic and yield the most varieties out of any animal type. Nonliving entities who consume a piece of him will see no benefits from it. Undead and other entities that are opposed to the living who eat of his flesh will experience negative consequences as his gift fills them.
Insects Whispers - Due to a strange honey he was fed he can speak to and understand insects.
Jack of Many Trades - During his travels over the many years he has picked up many different skills. Be it in the woods, in a city or in combat he's acquired bits of knowledge from many corners of the land.
King of Bugs - Thanks to his gift and a rather unpleasant set of events Rufus commands a large following of insects which grow larger as his influence spreads. While many types of bugs don't travel with him should he be in the region they will flock to him and carry out his will. More mobile species will follow him until the land can no longer sustain them.
Weaknesses:
Fire - Though immortal he is by no means invulnerable. A sharp sword or big rock will kill him just fine and that rings especially true for fire. Fire as well as smoke both present a major obstacle as it threatens not only him but his subjects as well. While he is immune to poisons breathing smoke is not counted among his blessings and he'll pass out just as well as any other in his position.
Nonjudgmental Gift - He can't pick who does and doesn't benefit from eating him. Regardless of whether the being wishes to take a small nibble or the whole arm his blood will bless them all the same.
Curse of Immortality - Due to the incident where he acquired his wounds and subsequently his kingdom Rufus is permanently stuck with bloody holes around his stomach and gut. While it doesn't bleed excessively thanks to the bugs living in the wounds it hurts to do anything involving his core muscles.
Sought by Many - Due to his gift there are those who would seek to use him and/or destroy him. Many look to drain him of his blood to use as they wish.
Servant of Servants - While the insects technically serve him he is by no means in control. His advisers guide him along a road they've paved for him and while they often help Rufus it is ultimately his duty to serve the insects. Rufus has the insects to thank for why he's still alive so he is careful to make sure he tends to his subjects first before all others. After all they've done for him it'd be wrong not to plus it would be quite dangerous to spurn an entire kingdom regardless of their size.
Unwelcome - Given his ragged look, strange demeanor, grisly wounds which never seem to heal and the fact that bugs tend to follow him he tends to be stuck with the label of creep. Few towns will tolerate his presence for long so he remains on the road.
History:
In the isolated town of Darkwood there has been an old tradition which has existed for over a thousand years. Starting when a druid had offered his life to the forest as sacrifice so that he might appease it every twenty one years a member of that druid's family would be offered to the forest as sacrifice, renewing the blessing of the forest for another twenty years. As thanks for the sacrifice the spirit of the forest blessed them with plentiful food and safety from the world beyond the woods. Such isolation meant that their practices could continue without interruption for the many years to come.
So it did continue and it's last sacrifice was none other than Rufus. When Rufus's turn to fulfill his family legacy came he underwent the ritual. Stabbed four times, once for each end to the forest's borders, Rufus was buried down to his neck under the great oak tree which was the oldest as well as the tallest tree in the woods. Not all ended as it should have though.
Unlike the times before the god of nature was now dead. The spirit of the forest had no patron and it's power waned with each blessing it cast. Were it to uphold it's promise in exchange for Rufus's life it would lose all grip over the physical world. It would become no better than a ghost, a will without image nor power.
Instead it made a sacrifice of it's own. As Rufus lied dying at the roots of the great oak tree the spirit imbued a bee hive hanging high up in the branches with it's remaining power. The spirit told the queen of the bees it's plan before it dripped down in the form of enchanted honey into his mouth, feeding it's essence to him. He was imbued with the spirit's remaining power which saved him from his slow death.
As he regained his strength, trapped in the dirt as he was, the bees came to carry out the forest's final will. They were the first to come and taste of Rufus's blood. When they sampled his blood they all changed, many becoming tougher or more enduring. Others became smarter, developing their minds and even growing potential for magic. One such bee was the queen. The queen's expanded mind allowed it to fully understand what the forest wanted.
The insects had all felt it, the day the god of nature died. Simple as they might be insects are highly spiritual beings, highly reverent of nature. Through their small brains though limited their thoughts might be they knew they were missing something. Now expanded the queen of the bees used her newfound intellect to aid Rufus. She gathered many other bugs, fed them on his blood and recruited them to serve her cause. The queen of the ants, the other guiding monarch of the insect world, was fed upon the blood and as her intellect grew she united with the queen of the bees to form an unstoppable army. The bees and the ants along with other converted insects all spread the queens will to all insects. Those who did not join them were eliminated.
As for Rufus he was eventually dug out by the ants and beetles. Brought to him were meals of honey and dew fresh off the forest leaves. He eventually regained consciousness only to find the woods surrounding him literally buzzing with throngs of insects. Thanks to the queen of bees newfound magic the honey they nurtured him on gave him the magical ability to speak with insects. She explained to him that he was to be their king, to lead them and unite insect-kind. Thankful for their help even as strange it might of been he agreed to serve as their king.
Ever since then Rufus has wandered the land attending to the needs of his subjects and mending relations between humanity and insect kind. Thanks to the power of the spirit he's lived a long time despite looking no older than the day he was sacrificed. He's seen a lot and done plenty but there's always more to see and much more to do. He has a kingdom to run after all.
Companion:
Rufus's companion is an earwig which has evolved thanks to his special blood and burrowed right down to the brain. On careful watch by the queens this earwig speaks directly into his mind, relaying information to Rufus and assisting him when needed. This earwig calls itself The Director.