Last Semester

The circumstances surrounding the events of last semester are a still a bit hazy. Officially, it was stated that two professors suddenly went rogue upon discovering a way to seize the magical power supply that fuels the school. Both Professors had perished in the incident, and so no further investigation is necessary. The truth, however, is much more intricate.

Dr. Nocte, the unicorn Headmaster of Briarthorne University, was absent for some time prior to the Incident, leaving her duties to be fulfilled by Professor Rauf in the meanwhile. He, of course, took advantage where he could and slacked where he shouldn't, resulting in a few bad deals & commitment to re-open a Demon Prison Portal; as in, where even the Demons lock up their worst offenders. The prison held a vast variety of both criminal and plain evil Demonic entities, one of which held the contract to Lavendula's soul upon his release and her removal from campus grounds.

Rauf maintained a balance of feigning progress with the portal as well as lying to Lavendula about her situation for about 30 years before tensions grew to a boiling point. The Portal had to be opened now, or Else.

Vulpes, on the other hand, had sold his soul long, long ago to a Demon of Greed in order to better serve his wife and child. Unfortunately, when you make such a deal, you end up watching all of your loved ones die, while you continue serving the Entity that holds your soul hostage. He ended up with an extended lifespan, growing more and more demonic each day, and eventually found himself teaching Demonology at Briarthorne. Vulpes and Rauf became friends at that point, for Rauf was beginning his transition from Student to Professor upon Vulpes' arrival.

Throughout their friendship it became clear that Vulpes had a demonic link, and Rauf was fascinated by this. He confessed about his responsibility over Lavendula (prior to her choosing her name) while his friend and former professor Dr. Skamos was imprisoned. Vulpes offered to help, perhaps allowing Lavendula to become a member of society instead of a vapid living doll would be a better use of everyone's time. Rauf accepted this advice and began teaching Lavendula how to speak, read, etc.

After a few years of Lavendula's successful transition into student life, Vulpes began favoring her in his classes about possession. As she was essentially an empty vessel, it was much easier to demonstrate possession & exorcism with her than any other student. Lavendula began to view Vulpes as sort of an uncle, another person on campus she could trust. Rauf, of course, she considered a Father.

One night of late drinking and revelry with the faculty, Vulpes got to talking about the demon he served, Avarice, demon of Greed. Rauf was inspired by this character and felt he had to meet him. Against the wishes and warnings of Vulpes, Rauf indeed sought out Avarice through his many nefarious connections. A night of cigars & cards was arranged in Rauf's castle, and the guestlist included Avarice.

The night of the gathering, Rauf invited Vulpes to come for a round. Vulpes of course refused, as he preferred as little contact with his Master as possible. So Rauf went alone, meeting up with a few of his past-life friends and the three demons Avarice came with. After several hours and bottles of Mesopotamian wine, Rauf realized he was quickly running out of funds. He had decided it was a string of bad luck, and of course he would win the next hand. Instead of coin, he placed Lavendula's soul stone on the table.

Unfortunately, a bad better will always lose a bet. The demon, a nameless friend of Avarice, then claimed the stone while Rauf, thinking little of it, said his farewells to the guests.

The soulstone ended up back in Rauf's possession when the Demon Hierarchy found the Nameless Demon guilty of tormenting fellow demons (likely under the direction of Avarice but that has yet to be concluded). The policy of soul contracts had a loophole for souls not belonging to living vessels, but were still unclaimed/unbound to an afterlife or vessel. It simply went back to it's owner. Which, in this case, was Rauf, since Lavendula was technically not a "living person". The whole legalese of it is complicated.

Nameless eventually found a way to contact Rauf, and explained that if he did not help him to escape, a worse Hell will befall him. Vulpes, Lavendula, and the entire campus would suffer. Rauf had been threatened enough to know the difference between an empty one and a real one; and this was much to real to ignore. Nameless demanded contact with Lavendula in the meantime, as he planned to collect her soul and body once he was released. He would pilot her undying corpse until the end of time.

Vulpes and Avarice had a similar encounter once Nameless was jailed. He needed this portal opened ASAP, or else.

Rauf explained to Lavendula a lie about her origin. He told her the Demon she was required to speak to in the black mirror every week was her true Creator, and he was trying to come back to her. But she needed to be obedient and learn as much as she could in the meantime (not advice from the Nameless, but from Rauf and his misplaced Fatherly feelings). This is what ultimately set the sequence of events in motion.

Vulpes, nearly finished with the device for the portal, requested assistance from Rauf. A conduit was needed to power the core battery, a living body that cannot die. Both Vulpes and Rauf fit that description, but Rauf believed that using Lavendula for it may spare her the nasty fate of being used by a Killer Demon for the rest of eternity. Once again, he offered her up as a sacrifice.

Onyx Ren, the best friend of Lavendula, overheard one of these meetings between Vulpes and Rauf. She warned Lav, but to no avail. Lavendula denied their involvement vehemently. Once her anger got the better of her, she sought our Rauf for the truth. When he gave it, she decided to save herself.

Lavendula faced the sea, the giant natural thing that killed both her and her best friend many years ago, the thing she feared more than anything else, and asked for help. She pleaded with the waves for someone, anyone, to help her...or to kill her. Similar to the last time, she closed her eyes and leaned into the ocean breeze, toppling over the cliffs and onto the rocky waves below. The next thing she remembers is waking up on the cliffs edge, feeling strangely energized, and with two small horns on her head. She had become possessed by a Dragon.

Now, she was no longer an empty vessel, thwarting the Demon plans. And, since she was no longer Just Undead, she was able to fight back against Rauf and Vulpes. When she returned to campus, the Resistance was already forming their alliance, while Rauf and Vulpes attempted to recruit folks for the Posessed side. Smaller, weak semi-portals were opening around campus allowing an influx of imps and Dark Entities to captivate unknowing students and faculty.

Vulpes' machine was siphoning energy from the security wall around campus in order to charge the battery. In order to power it, he needed Lavendula. When the Nameless made himself known to the campus by projecting his voice through the semi-formed portal, Rauf lost all confidence. A deep regret filled him, seeing Lavendula attempt to save herself alongside her well meaning friends. They'd be destroyed; everything would, if this guy got out. He had lost.

At that moment Vulpes' announced his change of heart. His demonic power was transmuted into a healing burst of energy; his Purified body on the battery shorted it, and sent a wave of Exorcism magic through the campus. Any demon not meant to be there was zapped, and the portal was sealed once again. This time, however, it sealed with Rauf inside it. Against his wishes, of course.

Vulpes was finally able to rest peacefully, and presumably Avarice claimed his soul for his collection, furious that his plan was unable to manifest.

There was a memorial service before summer break to honor the sacrifice made by Vulpes. Rauf, however, had his name expunged from almost every corner of campus. Lavendula made a small stone memorial for him in the forest, and occasionally visits to light a candle and tell him about her day. Everyone believes he is dead, and the two who perished were both a Villain and a Hero. The truth, however, is much more intricate.