THE CHANGELING
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (possible Formalhauti - see comments) technology user (Hyborian Era)
Occupation: Exile, life-stealer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None;
Enemies: Conan, ghouls in northern Kush, Phor-Thok, Renaldo, Zareg and his cutthroats
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Conan, Warz Bel Doqh, and many others before them
Base of Operations: Mobile in the Hyborian world
First Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan#73 (February, 1982)
Powers/Abilities: The alien had one eye and several tentacles, but it could not breathe in Earth's atmosphere. It used a device, a necklace with a gemstone, whose light enabled it to assume the form of the human bathed by its light, but would also steal the person's lifeforce. The new form let the Changeling live for a fortnight before it needed to assume a new form. Its victims died immediately or sometimes minutes after. Its form did not hide its real being to animals and beasts, creatures whose instincts were very keen.
History:
(Savage Sword of Conan#73 (fb)) - The alien that would impersonate Conan lived in a planet a vast distance from Earth. Its world and environment was very different than Earth. It violated the law of its society and did not want to face the dire consequences of its actions, and so left its world in a spaceship. It arrived on Earth in the Hyborian Era and quickly discovered that it couldn't breathe the air, but it had a device that enabled it to assume the form of a human being and thus live for a few days more. Many times, its gemstone let the changeling assume the form of several men, although this killed them, until it assumed the form of Warz Bel Doqh.
(Savage Sword of Conan#73) - After having killed the real Warz Bel Doqh in his house, a band of cutthroats assaulted the house and Zareg stole his gemstone. Conan found the transformed Changeling in the middle of the smoke and flames, and agreed to help find the criminals in exchange for half of his riches. During their journey, they met Purani, a tavern girl, and had to fight and avoid the Zingaran squadrons sent by Phor-Thok to kill Conan. Across Stygia and Kush, the false Warz Bel Doqh became weaker and weaker, but when some yellow-eyed ghouls attacked the group, he saved Conan. The Changeling's alien presence scared the ghouls and they ran away.
The Changeling was saved again by Conan when the cannibals attacked them until they reached Zareg, the thief who had the gemstone. In a cavern under a waterfall, while Conan fought a giant spider, the alien picked up the gemstone, and regained its strength. Conan won the battle with the spider, only to be unkindly thanked by the alien with the stealing of his lifeforce. The Changeling assumed the protoplasmic form of Conan leaving the Cimmerian weak with only few minutes to live. The Conan protoplasm left the cavern but was captured by a Zingaran squadron of soldiers. The transformed Changeling was immediately executed. The soldiers went away, sure that they had fulfilled their mission for the King of Zingara. However, away from the action, the real Conan recovered completely. After the alien's death, Conan's lifeforce had returned to him.
Comments: Created by Michael Fleisher (writer) and John Buscema (art).
The Changeling was a name only used in the title of the story. The only other thing we know about the alien's world comes from an exclamation: Fires of Hrrs'hana!
The Changeling's race was never mentioned, but the similarity between it and other Formalhauti is very strong (look at Dumog and Figillulli). However, this is not actually proof; there are a lot of other similarities with other extraterrestrial races. At first sight, humans are very similar to the pink Krees, and the sub-marine Atlanteans are similar to the blue Krees and so on. The Changeling didn't show telepathy, but this could have several explanations: it used it but this power was not seen; it had this power but did not use it; it was not telepathic and the alien developed it (and other powers) in the following 10,000 years and so on.
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Changeling alien has no known connections to
The Ghouls have no known connections to
The giant spider has no known connections to
Zareg has no known connections to
The ghouls were savage humanoids which barely walked erect. They didn't speak and communicated with each other using gibbering sounds. They had sharp teeth and fangs, and yellow eyes. They were hungry for blood and usually moved in packs. They lived in the northern part of Kush, near the border with Stygia. A pack of ghouls attacked Conan and Purani. They overwhelmed Conan, but when Warz Bel Doqh's protoplasmic form approached the wrangle, they sensed that he wasn't human and immediately ran away, terrified by the alien.
--Savage Sword of Conan#73
The giant spider dwelt in a vast cavern behind a waterfall. It was two or three times the size of a man and Conan said that he had never seen a spider as big. It could produce a thin strong web which it used to ensnare its victims. The spider found Zareg in his cavern, then killed and stored him in its web. Shortly after, other prey arrived in the cavern, but one of them was Conan, who proved to be very tough prey. The spider was wounded several times by Conan and finally died.
--Savage Sword of Conan#73
Purani was a young woman in a tavern. She had some "friends" who offered her drinks and food, and would secretly pickpocket strangers passing through the tavern. One day, she met Conan but the arrival of some Zingaran guards in the tavern forced her to flee with Conan and Warz Bel Doqh. She survived the the dangers they encountered while tracking down Zareg and witnessed the astonishing transformation in the cavern when the alien changeling assumed the protoplasmic form of Conan. When the real Conan recovered, she went with him.
--Savage Sword of Conan#73
Renardo, Zareg and the thieves
Renardo and Zareg were thieves. Alongside four other fellows, they looted Warz Bel Doqh's house. Zareg stole a glowing gemstone, which was the alien's device to assume a human form. One night, Renardo, Zareg and one other robber killed the other three so that they could have a greater share of the loot. They fled into the swamps on the border between Stygia and Kush, but Renardo and Zareg saw their companion die in quicksand. Renardo decided to leave Zareg, not trusting him. He was later attacked and killed by the cannibals living there. Zareg managed to find shelter in a cavern under a waterfall, where he was killed by the giant spider. His webbed body was found by the alien who recovered his gemstone.
--Savage Sword of Conan#73
Warz Bel Doqh was the master of a rich house in Stygia. He was found by the alien, which needed a new form in order to continue living. His form and his lifeforce were stolen by the alien and he died. His riches were stolen by Zareg and his band of cutthroats soon after.
--Savage Sword of Conan#73
images:
(without ads)
Savage Sword of Conan#73, p41, pan3 (alien)
Savage Sword of Conan#73, p44, pan1 (alien in Conan's protoplasmic form)
Savage Sword of Conan#73, p28,
pan3 (ghouls)
Savage Sword of Conan#73, p36,
pan1 (giant spider)
Savage Sword of Conan#73, p33,
pan5 (Purani)
Savage Sword of Conan#73, p23,
pan3 (Renardo and Zareg)
Savage Sword of Conan#73, p44, pan1 (Warz Bel Doqh)
Appearances:
Savage Sword of Conan#73 (February, 1982) - Michael Fleisher (writer),
John Buscema (art), Louise Jones (editor).
Last updated: 05/20/08
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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