Name: Lars Eckhart
Gender: Male
Division: 1, but he doesn't spare himself field work and investigations. If not, then D5 with strong connection to D1.
Appearance: He's getting old, and he can feel it. Healthy habits have certainly prolonged his prime, but be still isn't what he once was. Formerly sporting a short blond cut that looked like it was singed with a blowtorch, Lars' hair is now lightening up quite a bit, losing the darker colors he once had in exchange for a growing luster he never had before. His eyes still retain their traditional dull hazel, though, one of the few parts of him that refuses to age. Unlike his eyes, though, Lars' face is evidence of his age and experience, with its assortment of largely healed-up scars, with the notable exception of a gouged-out tract under his right eye, following the trail a tear would, assuming Lars still has tears after these long years. In addition to the scars of demons, though, are the scars of time itself. Wrinkles are starting to show themselves on Lars, mostly skirting the edges of his face and jaw, but they are there even when buried among demonic injuries sustained over the years. His parents were also German immigrants to the States, in case you needed to know.
Gear: Not much, honestly. When he's deployed as an investigator, he'll wear civilian clothing. When in a war zone, he'll put on body armor, but he keeps it light so he can stay mobile. He can use a gun competently, although he rarely goes on mission packing a weapon due to his use of magic. Speaking of magic, he's a mage, but he's not a caster. He manipulates some sort of magic/ki/energy, depending on how shit works, but nonetheless, he manipulates the energy into solid form and pokes people with it. When it stops touching his body, it won't go far/last long, but a few projectiles can be flung as desperate measures. He generally molds the energy around his right arm like a foil, and uses the immaterial blade to facilitate the fencing style he uses.
Personality: If you don't mind me referencing TVTropes, he's a nihilistic Type III Antihero who's reasonably sadistic at times. He follows the "Closed Fist" ideology which, if you haven't played Jade Empire, means that he places individual strength/ability above all else, and refuses to help others if it means depriving them of a chance to become stronger. Condescension is a bad habit of his, and he can't stand stupid people. He's also a grammar nazi.
Bio: Lars was began in a manner similar to other many great heroes: He exited the womb of a woman as an infant, and that woman became his "mother". All facetiousness aside, Lars' mother, Helen, was a German immigrant into the US who arrived a decade prior to her son's birth. His father, Arthur, was also of German descent, but not as directly since his family had entered America quite a few generations ago. Heritage aside, Lars was a wonderful child. He was very respectful and polite, harbored a deep desire to learn and study how things worked, and while not introverted, he was cautious and guarded around people he had yet to know.
Lars lived his life for another twenty three years, with nothing too noticeable showing its face or interrupting his life, at least not yet. At the sprightly age of twenty-three, Lars and several of his college friends planned a two-week trip to India, because why not? They came up with thorough plans, rented a car, prepared passports, and set up pretty much every thing they could think of. Lars went ahead of the group to secure rentals, book hotel rooms, etc. about three days beforehand, partially to do what he described, and also partially to wander around Northern India without the ball and chain of his friends restricting what he wanted to do. That was not a good idea. On his second day there, a massive storm rolled in, cutting off all air traffic in the region, and pretty much stopping all long distance ground traffic. To accentuate this problem, demons were running about. Lars didn't know this at first, though, he just saw the symptoms, like disembodied corpses hanging from buildings and humanoid but deformed shapes skulking in the outskirts of his vision. After about twenty hours of this paranoia-inducing trauma was when the firefights began to break out. They started off in the distance, with the staccato pattering comparable to a drum line out of sync with itself. Given time, though, the noise grew closer and closer until it was right outside of his lodgings. Curiosity overriding his sense, Lars peeked behind curtains and through cracked doors, all to get a look at the conflict steeped between the two sides. Most of the gunfire he heard originated from presumably human, but I use the word presumably because there were other monsters warping from grotesque beasts to exquisite creatures to shapes as human as you or I. Some would pick up firearms and lurk behind enemy lines in plain sight, while others would emerge from their homo sapiens masks to wreak havoc among the human ranks. This continual conflict raged around the building Lars was hiding in for a good while, with both parties eager to vanquish the other frontally than annex the nearby structure. The unfortunate trajectory of some thrown bodies, however, lead to demons storming the residence and Lars removing himself from the premises as expediently as possible. This lead to the first half of his intense hatred for demons.
Lars sprinted through/around buildings and street corners, attempting a mad escape from the Lovecraftian beings haunting every other footfall. He dashed and sprinted, leapt and rolled, and generally maneuvered in the opposite direction of any moving being, such was his paranoia and fear. In due time, though, Lars' luck ran out, just like his places to run. This is where fate kicks in. A man fell (or possibly leapt?) through the roof above Lars, ridding the college student of his pursuers through masterful applications of bullets, a sort of magic, and pointy objects. Upon confirming the temporary security of the situation, the new stranger escorted Lars away from the war zone, with brothers/sisters-in-arms retreating in short order. As Lars was escorted by the combatants away from the battleground, questions poured out of him like water from behind a broken dam. Who are you? What are those? Why are you fighting? Why here? Aren't those guns illegal? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Eventually, his numerous pleas for enlightenment were met with a slap on the back of the head; they weren't out of the woods yet.
Finally, when they were, Lars was properly inspected for demonic influence and found satisfactory, being left with the man responsible for Lars' continued living. They sat in silence for several minutes, each acknowledging the other but not making contact. Finally, the mysterious savior burst Lars' dam of curiosity again: "What happened to all of those questions you had earlier?" This time, however, there was no danger, and each of the questions were answered. The man's name was Arthur Kent. He was twenty-nine years old. He was also of German descent, but lived in Wales. His hair was the color of pine bark, except after it had been ground up in a blender and sprinkled with sand. He was a large and strong man. Hardly a brute, but the closest a human can get to matching the physique of a tiger. His eyes were endlessly blue, and so deep you didn't want to look into them without a parachute on your back. Arthur was both Lars' savior, as well as his mentor and teacher. Arthur taught Lars everything he needed to know, and much more he only used later. Lars was instructed upon the psychology of the demonic, about their bloody history with other races, and how to hunt them while being hinted by them. He was informed about the sudden appearing and mass migration from China to India and the campaign launched by smaller groups or single hunters, united together to stop the demonic "Domino Theory". Arthur didn't just lecture Lars, either. He taught him how to survive, how to keep others from doing the same, how to recognize friend and foe. He even educated Lars in the ways of firearms, hand-to-hand combat, and even utilizing magic to an extent, which quickly became Lars' go-to method of inflicting lethal wounds. The two became fast friends, each sharing something new with the other. Arthur was a flutist, womanizer, and connoisseur of fine wine. Lars was an artist, clever handyman, and damn good soccer player.
Arthur wasn't the only person fighting demons in India, however, nor was he the only person Lars became friends with. During his transformation from college student to demon hunter, Lars fought alongside and bonded with others like Abdul-Hakam, Niami, Irena, Brandon, and Karam. These skilled seven, in conjunction with other pockets of martial prowess, were invaluable in counter-campaigning against the demons, and Lars stuck with them all the way. Even when the civilian side of things cleared up, and transportation opened up again, Lars refused to leave. He had found his place in life, defending humanity from their eternal enemy alongside a multinational ragtag group of (relatively) young people. Lars' days became a comfortable routine, following an amalgamation of scouting with Arthur and Irena, training magic with Abdul-Hakam, and kicking everybody's ass at poker. He even developed a relationship with Niami that flourished during the war. Although it died down to merely a close friendship after they all left India, both of them will vehemently deny that anything happened to this day. In a manner not dissimilar to all other good things, though, this one ends as well.