Haze

Sven Threinax (aka Haze) is a superhero and member of Last Call. A police officer by day, by night he takes on his true demonic form - where paperwork won't get in the way of stopping crimes! Usually!

Background
Born from the pits of The Seven Seals, Sventhreinax spent the early portion of his life alongside his kin in the Demonic Realm's armies. Appointed as part of it's vast naval forces, Sven's innate abilities proved useful to shroud his ship's passing into the mortal world, disorienting their foes as his allies pillaged and plundered. It came as quite a surprise to him then, that said allies would give him up so easily. When he and the crew he served found themselves ambushed through their own mists, it was a matter of seconds before the others abandoned ship - escaping back to their home realm as Sventhreinax was left to go down with the vessel. Unable to navigate an escape, the large demon was shipwrecked and cast away...

Washed ashore, injured and desperate, Sventhreinax wandered from town to city, seeking shelter. Unfortunately, his enormous stature and otherworldly appearance resulted in him being chased out and hunted down. Each event took a further toll on his body, until he could take no more. He realised that to be able to survive the humans... he'd have to take their form. And so he did. At first, the newly minted 'Sven' was embittered. The human form was alien to him - less perceptive, with weird noses and tongues and mouths that elicited sensations altogether unfamiliar to him. He was so much smaller, so much more compact - and yet so much more empty at the same time, the airs that may've once blown over him now filling him up and emptying out, over and over. Not only was the form horrible, it was the form of his oppressors too - he looked, sounded, even felt like the enemy.

And yet, despite his anger - despite his stand-off-ish nature with the Doctors he now demanded tend to him... the world started to seem kinder. In The Seven Seals he was born, enrolled, and sent off to serve. He didn't even truly know beyond that what The Seven Seals was, what it was like - he'd spent so much time at sea he'd never even had chance to understand his homeland. Now though, without orders, without a higher-up... he was free. He could go place to place, he could explore, he could have experiences. One of his Doctors gave him the chance to have his first ever real conversation, whilst a kindly vicar allowed him his first ever taste of bread. In the demon army, he had commands and instructions. Out here though... he was slowly gaining wants and desires.

Of course to get anywhere in this world, he'd need a job - and however much he resented the idea of returning to the sea after finally finding his freedom to travel land, his past provided him with enough of the right experience to take up work on a trade vessel. It was easy work as far as he was concerned - plus, it gave him the opportunity to see and experience places his world-foreign brain couldn't even have imagned. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. At least until one particular trip... On one of their standard journeys, Sven's ship happened across a sight very familiar to him - and yet, extremely foreign to his fellow travellers. A demonic portal, a rift directly into the home he once knew. The Seven Seals. He immediately realised that this could be an opportunity. Whilst his time on land had been fun, right now he was looking at what could be his last chance at returning to where he belonged. Any second now a Seven Seals ship would come sailing through. All he'd have to do is take his true form, mingle in with the demonic crew, and son enough he'd be back in the familiar waters he knew so well.

And there they came - a monstrous vessel from the other world. The creatures from it began to flood the trade ship, darting left and right as they raided the supplies and conquered the crew. In among the chaos, Sventhreinax took his moment. Stepping forth, he took his true demonic form... ...And began fighting BACK. Using his size, power, and pure element of surprise to his advantage, the enormous demon battled back against the invaders. Using his mists and shrouds he confused them further. They'd been ready to fight humans. They'd never expected to encounter one of their own. Soon enough, the demonic vessel was on the retreat, escaping back through the rift. Leaving without Sven. He'd made his choice.

The crew of the trade vessel were... thankful, albeit apprehensive. Whilst they'd heard tales of attacks from such demons before, very few expected to encounter one for themselves. None at all expected to discover a demon among their own crew. Still, as things settled, they came to an agreement of sorts. The crew would keep Sven's true nature a secret... if he would protect their ship - and other ships in their company - from similar such attacks. Sven of course agreed, and soon enough garnered a reputation as a protector of the seas - fighting off demon invasions and pirates alike.

Still, as time passed, he soon found his services less and less required. The reputation of the area meant pirates and thieves no longer really dared to interfere. Attacks from the Seven Seals too, seemed to quite abruptly stop. Sven had enjoyed serving and protecting people - it had made him a pretty penny, and had earnt him a degree of acknowledgement and popularity from the crews he'd served. But now, he seemed so much less neccesary... and the friends he'd made were growing old and passing around him as he remained inhuman and young. It was time, he decided, to move on. During his time in the mortal realm, a lot of news had spread around about one nation, developing growing and evolving over the years. This nation had garnered his attention and his curiosity - and thusly, with the blessing of his past crews, and with some assistance from their vessels, he set sail for a new land. Soon enough Sven set foot in America.

Wanting to get away from the ocean, Sven travelled around in-land for a while - moving from state to state as he grew to understand his new home. He lived the simple life of a traveller for a number of years - making coin here and there as a hired hand for various causes. He spent a lot of time carrying heavy objects or watching over unruly bars, before eventually settling down in the state of Nevada. During that time, the American West seemed to be going through a significant crime problem, with bandits and corruption abound. Thusly, he considered it important to do his part to help local law enforcement. At first, this was as an outside force - travelling from town to town, bringing criminals in and collecting their respective bounties. Being able to move out into the wilderness to catch people allowed him more opportunity to use his demon form without running the risk of terrifying locals. Over time, he became a legend of sorts - 'The Sandstorm', his obscuring mists misconstrued in the desert by those who saw him.

Eventually however, as all things, the Wild West period came to an end. Whilst legends of 'The Sandstorm' hung around for a while, Sven came to find his role as a bounty hunter less neccesary. Not only that, but life on the road was lonely. Whilst for a while the demon had tried to avoid establishing friendships and relationships with mortals, well aware he'd outlive them, that series of years as a lone ranger of sorts had left him desperate for any form of social bonding. It was thusly at this point he decided to settle down, taking on the official role of a lawman in one of the many towns he'd frequented on his travels. He rose through the ranks over time, eventually taking on full duty as a Sherriff. And whilst he was popular and well-liked where he worked, whispers and rumours began to emenate about the fact this young man was... still a young man. Sven became increasingly paranoid about his true nature being discovered...

Thusly it was that when war broke out, Sven took it as an immediate cue to enroll and distance himself well away from the town. During World War I, Sven fought alongside humans as a regular soldier. He fought as well as he could as a mortal, trying to blend in among his 'fellow man'. Through the first war, he considered it for the best... at least 'til he heard the heroic tales of Legacy. Thusly, once the second World War rolled around, Sven re-enrolled... but this time, as far more than a normal soldier. Speaking with American Officials, he asked not to be made a public icon like Paul Parsons - but to at least be allowed to use his powers to help. He suggested a pseudonym of his own, bringing forward his past as The Sandstorm. They offered him a new moniker to fight under instead; Haze. And so it was throughout World War II that a demon fought among the Allied forces in secret. An unsung hero at the time...

Returning from the second war, Sven settled back into police work. But it was a very different world now from when he'd once been the Sherriff of a small town... Where he worked now was a big city, more rampant with crime than ever before. Not only that, but now there was the new ever-increasing threat of super-crimes. A rarity in the past, but in a post-war world? An increasingly common problem. At first, Sven tried to handle things as legitimately as he could. Acting as one of department's many officers, he dealt with crime when and where he could. And yet... as a 'human' this was increasingly hard, especially as the department became more and more hesitant to expend it's forces against potentially insurmountable threats. This city needed him... but not neccesarily as an officer of the law.

That's when he came up with an idea. As The Sandstorm, Sven had assisted the law, by standing just outside of it. As Haze, he'd been a hero in the battlefield, using his powers to fight off enemies and protect his allies. Since those war days, Legacy had become a common name, no longer of a soldier, but of a superhero. And if the name Legacy could continue to play hero in the public eye, perhaps the name Haze could continue to serve the people from the shadows...

By day, Sven Threinax was any other man. A police officer doing his day to day, living his life, eventually falling in love, marrying, having a child. Working hard to support his family and their life together. By night... the demon Haze prowls the streets, and lets people know. Anywhere his mists may reach... are under his protection.

True Form
Haze has the power to swap between two key forms. The first, is that of a tall human figure, relatively striking in size, but otherwise normal. The second form however, is his true demonic form. In this form, Haze gains a huge advantage in size and strength over most opponents - as well as an additional pair of arms and a tail to add a few extra striking implements to his arsenal. Sventhreinax in his true form is something of a juggernaut powerhouse, and whilst he generally tries to avoid straight-out fist fights, he can certainly handle himself in a brawl. Otherwise, he mainly uses this form mainly as a form of disguise and as a form of intimidation. Turns out that just the sight of an 8-and-a-half foot demon is enough for many to throw down their arms.

Vexing Mists
One of Haze's primary powers is the ability to release a disorienting gas. At low levels, it is mostly impercievable, having minor effects on the perception or focus of those breathing it in. Haze often makes use of this to more easily stealth after people, trying to make it harder for them to notice him or clues of his presence, dulling their senses subtly enough for them to not pick up on it. At higher levels, the thicker mists and fogs have a significiantly more evident presence and effect - causing spells of dizziness and confusion that can slow down foes and prevent their ability to act or respond properly to situations. Haze will often employ heavier uses of his powers during chases or confrontations, hoping to allow his opponents to incapacitate themselves in the course of events.

Mist Burst
Haze can often use his powers to further enhance his physical abilities. Using compressed bursts of gas, the demon is capable of launching himself forward - or high up into the air. He may also use such bursts at close range as a means of blasting opponents back with a quick disorienting blow.

Demonic Handcannons
Haze has four matching guns, custom made for his enormous demon form. Appearing as some cross between a flintlock and a revolver, Sven uses these as a means of siphoning his mists, shooting bursts of cloud out to allow his powers to influence at a greater range. Large shells may also be placed into the gun, allowing Sven to effectively shoot them at foes using that same burst of gas.

Comics & Publication
One of Sentinels Comics' oldest characters, the character of Sven was originally created for a short story in Curiositie Comics. At the time he was simply represented as a police officer working against a corrupt force, with his demonic nature heavily implied but never directly shown. The story proved popular enough to provide a follow-up story with his demonic nature more heavily exemplified - however the following shift of comics towards superheroes soon saw the character fade into obscurity. It wasn't until very late into the Silver Age that Sven was bought back again. With a lot of more newly-introduced characters having fallen to the wayside, largely due to their derivative nature in relation to other heroes, the editing staff decided they wanted something more unique - some kind of 'monster hero'. One writer suggested bringing back the character of Sven - allowing his big demon form to take that role of 'monster hero' that they hoped would stand out from the crowd. They also suggested they could use his role in the police force as a means of tackling and addressing more social real-world issues. It was agreed, and soon enough the character was revamped, a new book released under the title of 'The Severe Sventhreinax'. Whilst at first the character struggled, eventually he grew in popularity enough to become one of the staples of the Bronze Age - during which he gained the more memorable title of 'The Hazardous Haze'. His comic series was renamed to match, and did well enough for itself right up until the early Dark Age. Unfortunately, at this point his popularity dwindled. Complaints came that the character wasn't relatable enough, with others saying his stories had become predictable with how much he overwhelmed his foes. It was decided then, that the long-running series would be cancelled. Haze spent a couple of years in limbo - occasionally appearing in the odd crossover book, but rarely having his own stories to himself. Using this time to revamp the character, the writers added a couple of extra details to Sven. Firstly, they decided to give him a family, a wife and child. To add more weight to this, tied to this family was a new nemesis too - Sven's demon-hunter father-in-law, Albrecht. Secondly, it was decided to add him and a few other characters together into a team, to better engage him into the wider world of Sentinels Comcs. Thusly, when Haze returned, it was with two titles. The new book, The Haze, as well as the team book, The Immortals. Both have proven to be relatively popular, and still run as mainstays of the Sentinels canon.
 * The Haze - Haze's current ongoing series. Not exactly a dark series, but does occasionally touch upon deeper and darker themes. Splits time between depicting Haze the hero and Sven at home, with a lot of interpersonal plots.
 * The Immortals - A crossover comic involving team-ups between Last Call's immortal heroes. Occasionally tells stories based in other eras involving those heroes individually, allowing the writers to tell unique stories they may not have opportunity to in the Heroes' own books.
 * Curiositie Comics - A proto-superhero era comic series, containing both one-off stories and longer ongoing tales. The original incarnation of Sven made his appearance here, before being revamped for the modern age.
 * The Severe Sventhreinax/The Hazardous Haze - Sven's first ongoing series - later renamed to give him the superhero title of 'Haze'. Was the Haze primary series for an extended period of time, rounding out the more modern interpretation of the character.
 * Haze vs White Fang - The finale crossover of the Haze and White Fang comics, in which G.O.L.I.A.T.H. set each on a path to fight the other. Haze vs White Fang covers the battle itself, as well as going into some of the aftermath, resolving the core issues. Also acts as Haze and White Fang's initial introduction to each other.
 * Last Call - Haze is one of the many heroes associated with the Last Call program. Whilst many would consider him having proven his worth as a heroes, others are hesitant about calling on a literal demon to do hero work.

Trivia & Extra Info

 * Sventhreinax seperated his name up into 'Sven' and 'Threinax', simply because the first Doctor he encountered upon taking his disguise misinterpreted the name he was given. Since then it made sense to stick with it.
 * In his demon form, Sven does not require air, food, or water. In fact, due to lacking a mouth, he CAN'T have any of those things.
 * Sven's wife, Sarah, is entirely aware of her husband's true form, and his heroics.