Real Name: Count Nicholas Cogliostro.
What's the Story?:
Until surfacing to tutor Al Simmons in the ways of Hellspawn, he was most recently known in history as Count Alessandro di Cogliostro. While his true past and identity remain a mystery, occultists throughout time have sought to validate his claims of ancient knowledge and magic. He has been placed in Babylon sitting with kings, and, more than once, as Pharoah's right hand in Egypt's distant past. He is said to have eaten Passover dinner with Jesus and his disciples, attended court with many popes, and even helped start the French revolution. Whatever the claims, he has gone by many different names in his long life and it is believed he is immortal.The truth is, Cogliostro is immortal.
Further, Cog was and is a Hellspawn himself, down to but one tick on his energy counter. His symbiotic costume has long since disappeared, either separated from him in some way he would never divulge, or out of boredom. He was possibly the first and certainly the most vile of all of the Hellspawn to have cursed the Earth, seeped in the blood of innocents beyond counting. However, he stands out from the Spawns that have enjoyed their power in one way: he no longer relishes evil and carnage. This change of heart has caused him to seek out Spawns everywhere they appear, to persuade them that they don't have to be puppets of the Malebolgia. He teaches them how to use their magic without expending energy, how to work with their uniforms instead of fighting them and how to throw off the yoke of the Malebolgia's tyranny. He has never succeeded in this endeavor.
He is now with yet another Spawn, and appears enigmatically when an event calls for quick resolution through use of heretofore unknown Spawn powers. He is especially drawn to Al, as he believes they are common spirits, cut from the same cloth. While he has yet to fully reveal his secrets to Al, he hovers about him, gauging his new subject, hoping to see the signs he's expected from them all. He suspects that Al is "the One", the weak link in the chain of Hellspawn that will lead to his redemption and the Malebolgia's downfall. For the Malebolgia's part, he tolerates this nuisance Cogliostro, for none of the Spawns have, nor will they ever, believe him. It is possible that the Malebolgia torments the Count to this day by allowing him to pursue such a fruitless ambition.
