The Witches' Curse

Ozulard Constantine, beloved ruler of Emberwind, is betrayed by the malevolent coven of witches led by Melisande Wraithborne. Through dark magic, they curse Ozulard with vampire plague which transforms him into the first of his kind in Emberwind.
== Chapter one ==
The Harvest Moon shone blood-red over the treetops of the Black Forest that bordered the kingdom of Emberwind. Within the densely wooded glen known as Nightmare Hollow, thirteen robed figures had gathered in a circle beneath the ominous sky. They were the coven of witches who dwelled in this cursed hollow, masters of forbidden sorcery. At their head was the most powerful and cruel among them - Melisande Wraithborne, high priestess of their unhallowed order. For decades, she had nurtured her jealousy and hatred towards Ozulard Constantine, the noble Emperor of Emberwind.
While Ozulard's rule had brought prosperity to his people, it had also meant exile for the witches and their dark arts. But Melisande had devised her vengeance at last. As the blood moon rose to its zenith, she began her incantations to summon a fell power from the netherworld.A haze of scarlet miasma swirled into being at the centre of the coven's ritual circle. Two burning crimson orbsappeared within, regarded the witches with ravenous malevolence. A guttural voice hissed from the smoky entity: "I am Beelzebub, prince of demons. How may I be of service to you, daughters of witchcraft?"
Melisande prostrated herself before the demon. "Great Beelzebub, we beseech your aid. Curse the noble Emperor Ozulard Constantine who has oppressed us so. Transform him into a being of darkness and disease, that his kingdom may fall to ruin!" Demon Prince, Beelzebub laughed a rattling chuckle. "It shall be done. In exchange, Emberwind shall become my realm to do with as I please." The scarlet eyes faded back into the nether, and the pact was sealed...
== Chapter two ==
Melisande cackled in delight as the demon departed. Her vengeance would at last be realized. The other witches joined in her malevolent laughter, celebration of their dark rite beneath the bloodred moon.Two nights later, as the people of Emberwind gathered in the capital city for their annual Harvest Festival, dark wings descended upon the revelry under cover of night. The witches had unleashed Beelzebub's curse - a swarming horde of demonic bats, their small bodies harboring a twisted new plague. The winged terrors swooped into the crowds, sinking fangs dripping with contagion into unwary flesh. Chaos erupted as panic took hold. When the bats at last fled back to the Black Forest, dozens lay bleeding in the streets.Among their number was the good Emperor himself, slumped against a merchant stall with twin wounds marring his neck. As Ozulard gazed with fading sight upon his people succumbing to wretched fits, a dreadful transformation came over him. His body was wracked with unnatural fever, blood turning to fire in his veins.When dawn lit the crimson sky, Ozulard had vanished without a trace. All that remained was the ruins of the festival, and piles of the dead and dying left in his place. The witches' curse had taken root - Emberwind's noble ruler had become the world's first vampire.
== Chapter three ==
In the ruins of the festival, survivors wandered aimlessly amidst the carnage. All had witnessed their beloved emperor suddenly vanish after being stricken by the fell plague. Yet none could have fathomed Ozulard's horrific fate - or the horrors that would soon be unleashed upon the kingdom. Within the depths of the Black Forest, Ozulard lay writhing in unholy agony. His body was warping and mutating under the curse's influence, twisting into a nightmarish new form. Razor-sharp fangs erupted from his gums as his features contorted in anguish. When the gruesome change at last completed itself, Ozulard opened scarlet eyes that burned with a dreadful thirst.He was now the first of a new breed of ruthless predators - a vampire. Every fiber of his reborn being cried out for the scarlet elixir that would slake the inferno raging in his veins. Rising unsteadily to clawed feet that were no longer fully human, Ozulard stumbled from the forest in a frenzy. The corrupted emperor emerged amidst the ruins of Emberwind's capital. Its people fled in horror from this hellish apparition, not recognizing their once noble leader. Yet none could escape his preternatural swiftness as Ozulard pursued his first victims. In a blur of fangs and claws, he seized two terrified citizens - and drank deeply of their crimson founts.Revitalized by the sacrilegious draught, Ozulard let out an earsplitting scream that echoed to the heavens. It was a howl of anguish, rage...and the dawning of a dark new era for the kingdom. Under the light of the bloodred moon, Emberwind's nightmare had only just begun.
== Notes ==
this story is inspired by Faustian bargains The pact made between the witches and the demon prince Beelzebub to curse Ozulard in exchange for mastery over Emberwind parallels a Faustian legend where a man trades his soul for diabolical powers in exchange for knowledge or rewards.
Category:Spirits
Category:Witches
Category:Female characters
Category:Succubus
Category:Villains