Chapter 1

"*One fight is over. Until the next: thrive.*"
— Joel Crestello
**The Grux Saga** was the primary roleplay storyline for the Hall of Prophecy server from December 2019 to June 2022. The storyline revolved around the goblin Grux and his attempts to fracture the Wizarding World, culminating in his attempted use of the Obscurium.

## Chapter 1

### The Death of Lauren Strudel (Dec 2019 – Jan 2020)

On the 13th of December, 2019, Lauren Strudel was appointed as the new Chief Auror with promises to crack down on crime by employing more Hogwarts students to supplement the Auror forces. These new policies created friction among the Wizarding populace, many concerned about this new increase in Auror power. This discontent came to a head in a series of protests led by Aviforma, demanding a more representative leadership and end to corruption.

"*In this position, I swear to do everything in my power to ensure that the law is upheld and peace is kept within the magical world.*"
— Lauren Strudel to the Daily Prophet
After several weeks of protests, Lauren Strudel was found brutally murdered on January 24th, 2020. Aviforma was deemed the chief suspect and arrested, though he denied responsibility. A few weeks later, Aviforma was tried for the Chief Auror's assassination in a public trial, during which he claimed the Ministry of Magic was trying to silence him and even accused them of perpetrating the murder. At that moment, an explosion rocked the courtroom as three Dark Followers—Joel Crestello, Noah Pendragon, and Justin Quintin—entered the scene. They declared their opposition to the Ministry and claimed they had rigged the system against Aviforma, before proclaiming they would accept as many people into the Dark Followers as possible. The Dark wizards and Aviforma soon escaped through the chaos.

Shortly after, the Dark Followers held a trial by combat to determine their next Dark Lord or Lady. After several rounds of duels, Joel Crestello was victorious. He appointed Noah Pendragon and Sara Selwyn as his lieutenants.

"*Throughout history, society has frowned upon the Dark Followers. They fear us because that’s what they’ve been told by those in ‘power’. They may call us the bad guys but in this world, there are no bad guys. There is only ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and we are what’s right..*"
— Joel after winning the First Dark Duel
### Operation 83-C (Apr–May 2020)

In response to the chaotic end of Aviforma's trial, the Ministry of Magic appointed Shakti Bhardwaj to serve as a stand-in Chief for the Aurors. Meanwhile, Joel sent Noah and Sara to the Auror Manor in Hogsmeade in search of proof of corruption. The duo found fragments of correspondence that suggested someone within the Ministry was coercing aurors, demanding that the recipient make sure aurors were following orders and imprison any "troublesome" ones. As the Dark Followers wrapped up their investigation, they were suddenly surrounded by aurors as a brief fight broke out. Sara managed to escape, but Noah was captured.

On May 3rd, 2020, Shakti and other Ministry officials held a meeting to discuss recent events. They determined the Dark Followers had become an intolerable threat and began to make plans to crush the group, or else reduce their numbers. They also discussed the possibility of the Dark Followers reaching out to the Werewolves, but determined this wouldn't be a problem as they were monitoring all Werewolves' locations. Suddenly, two figures stepped out of a nearby fireplace—Joshua Pendragon and Andreu Zoldyck, members of the Order of the Phoenix. The two cautioned the Ministry officials that they had lost touch with the desires of the people, and how the people are the source of the Ministry's power. They offered their help to earn back the support of the people, and Joshua revealed he had been chosen as the new Lord of the Phoenixes.

"*It's only a matter of time until the Dark Lord rallies his army through the Atrium.*"
— Joshua warning Shakti
As the Phoenixes and Ministry officials talked, the Dark Followers chose that moment to break into the Ministry to free Noah. After springing Noah from his cell, Joel blasted out a section of roof before fleeing the Ministry. This explosion alarmed Shakti and the other officials, who accused the Phoenixes of colluding with the Dark Followers and serving as a distraction to aid in Noah's release. Joshua helped fend off the Ministry officials to let Andreu get to safety, but he was soon stunned and placed in captivity. Shakti then ordered that the Aurors proceed with Operation 83-C.

On the night of May 21st, elite squads of aurors commenced Operation 83-C, attacking and destroying the Phoenix and Dark Follower bases. The night resulted in casualties on all sides, though the Phoenix and Dark Follower inner circles were able to escape unharmed. After this event, the ruined bases were searched for useful items before being abandoned due to their compromised locations. Shortly after Operation 83-C, Phoenix Flamekeeper Andreu Zoldyck and Phoenix Songstress Kade Everard liberated Joshua Pendragon from his imprisonment.

### The Fall of Shakti (Jun 2020)

"*Whatever happens next, we'll be ready for it. It's time for the Ministry to face true justice.*"
— Joshua to the Phoenix-DF aliance
Following Operation 83-C, Joshua, Andreu, and Kade met to discuss their next move. Realizing they lacked the numbers or resources to face the Ministry head-on, they decided to contact the Dark Lord and request an alliance. A few days later, the two parties met in the White Wyvern pub. Although tensions simmered between the two inner circles, Joel was intrigued by the prospect of an alliance. Joshua revealed that, during his escape, he discovered that the Auror base had been built on top of the remains of a long-forgotten Ministry building. The allies agreed to use these tunnels to infiltrate the heart of the ministry and bring Shakti to justice once and for all.

On June 20th, the Order of the Phoenix and Dark Followers infiltrated the Auror base, confronting Shakti. She taunted the allied forces, calling them delusional vigilantes, before ordering her guards to attack them, before vanishing with magic. After a brief scuffle, the allied forces separated to perform different tasks; the Phoenixes worked to obtain as much Ministry intel as possible, while the Dark Followers assembled magical explosives to bring down the Auror base. The leaders of both groups took this time to search for the cornered Shakti, while the aurors scrambled to create portkeys to evacuate their base.

After several minutes, the Phoenix and Dark Follower leaders found and cornered Shakti. The two groups quickly fell into debate about what should be done with Shakti; Joshua argued that she should stand trial for her crimes, while Joel believed she was better off dead. Shakti began to ramble, describing the Aurors as "half-witted robots who only follow orders", and that if they killed her "he" would retaliate. Before she could say more, however, Joel struck her down with a Killing Curse. Joshua was angered by what he saw as a foolish choice, and the two allegiances went their separate ways, their alliance now broken.

"*You will all pay for this, he will find you and kill you all-*"
— Shakti before being murdered by Joel Crestello