Ben Cotton

Ben Cotton is one of the Signature Characters from Orpheus, as well as a Storyteller character.

Ben was born to a teenage mother in Ohio. Her father terrified her into keeping the child, despite the shame of having pre-maritial sex, but she was also scared for another reason; Ben's father was black, something he would not take well when she gave birth. She managed to run away to a friend's house, where she gave birth to Ben. Shortly thereafter, she left, abandoning Ben to her friend. Unable to care for him, the friend turned him over to the local orphanage.

Run by a convent, Ben remained in the orphanage for most of his childhood. He was sickly and constantly caused problems by bullying and attacking the other children. Many couples refused him because of these qualities. Finally, Ben got out of control when he was angered by another child and nearly crushed his windpipe. The sisters decided they could no longer care for him as he was a threat to the other kids. Ben was turned over to juvenile hall, where he remained until he turned 18 four years later.

When he was released, Ben was even tougher than before, strengthened by the fights and survival skills needed in juvie. Ben ended up working for a large crime organization, but his head-bashing ways and lack of personal skills made him several enemies. At last, fed up with it all and wishing for a quiet life, Ben fled and ended up in the hands of the Orpheus Group. He became one of their most accomplished Poltergeist agents. Although he is a dependable agent, he also has a short fuse and a penchant for solving problems with violence.

After NextWorld obliterated Orpheus, Ben went with the other survivors into the underground. He was one of the agents who witnessed the horrific rave massacre, where hundreds were killed by poisoned pigment, and was on site when a watchtower pierced the Stormwall and caused a massive earthquake in the living and dead worlds. He also went with the agents when Lazarus Redux was formed, as well as when they summoned their final rally against Grandmother. Like many of the Orpheus signature characters, his final fate is unknown.