History Monster / NightHuntress

-->--'''Catherine "Cat" Crawfield-Russell''' on '''Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer''', ''Literature/{{One Grave at a Time|NightHuntress6}}''

* "[[Literature/DevilToPayNightHuntressWorld Devil to Pay]]": [[ManipulativeBastard Xaphan]] is a primordial being who makes a habit of [[DemonicPossession possessing people]] and driving them to violence. Having taken possession of Blake Turner after his previous host ran in front of a car, Xaphan regularly forces Blake to commit murder, occasionally [[SnuffFilm having the incidents recorded]] in order to taunt Blake. When the vampire Elise, along with Cat Crawfield-Russell and Bones Russell, are in the midst of bringing Blake to their sire Mencheres to see if they can save him, Xaphan [[MockingTheMourner taunts Cat using the voices of her deceased grandparents]]. In his first encounter with Mencheres, Xaphan refuses to leave Blake's body, preferring to inflict whatever suffering he can before the latter expires. Realizing that he is trapped in Blake's body, Xaphan tries to [[DealWithTheDevil force Elise to negotiate with him]], threatening to kill the vampires and Blake if they trap him in the Bonneville Salt Flats.

* ''[[Literature/OnceBurnedNightPrince1 Once Burned]]'', ''[[Literature/TwiceTemptedNightPrince2 Twice Tempted]]'', & ''[[Literature/BoundByFlamesNightPrince3 Bound by Flames]]'': [[TheQuisling Mihaly Szilagyi]], the Hungarian noble turned vampire, is [[UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler Vlad Tepesh]]'s father-in-law turned nemesis. Having previously imprisoned Vlad under inhumane conditions, Szilagyi had made a false alliance with Vlad claiming to want to reclaim Vlad's native Wallachia from the Ottoman Empire, but actually colluding with the Ottomans and causing thousands of deaths. Seemingly dying at Vlad's hands after killing the latter's heir, Szilagyi eventually resurfaces in the 21st century, attempting to abduct the psychic Leila Dalton multiple times, burning a crowded nightclub and endangering several patrons to that end. Eventually capturing and torturing Leila and her mentor Marty, Szilagyi fakes his death once more by destroying a medieval castle formerly belonging to Vlad. Having a subordinate [[AttackOfTheTownFestival target a crowded carnival]] to attack Leila--subsequently massacring Vlad's household and [[TerrainSculpting destroying a mountain]], killing several more--Szilagyi eventually proceeds to capture and flay Leila, intending to have her raped to antagonize Vlad. Thwarted by an infiltrator, when a recovered Leila and furious Vlad come to Slovenia to confront him, Szilagyi [[VehicularSabotage has their plane sabotaged]], killing even more civilians.

* ''[[Literature/ShadesOfWickedNightRebel1 Shades of Wicked]]'' & ''[[Literature/WickedBiteNightRebel2 Wicked Bite]]'': [[MesopotamianMonstrosity Dagon]] is an eons-old demon who makes [[YourSoulIsMine deals with mortals for their souls]]. Discovering the immortal child Veritas in ancient times, Dagon subjected her to repeated HumanSacrifice and other horrors, exploiting her ability to resurrect. Using the resurrection of Veritas to [[GodGuise create a religion in his name]], Dagon tricks hundreds of innocents into giving up their lives to him with false promises of resurrection. Prevented from inflicting further torment, Dagon begins a campaign of [[SoulEating bartering and capturing the souls of mortals before consuming and extinguishing them]] within himself to increase his power. Dagon torments Veritas in the present and begins a quest to utterly ruin her life, later killing dozens of newly resurrected innocents to return himself to power, intending to make his enemy Veritas suffer.
* ''[[Literature/WickedAllNightNightRebel3 Wicked All Night]]'': The [[GodEmperor Deity Triumvirate]], who originally [[EvilOverlord ruled over the world as tyrants]], wish to combine their powers and [[{{Terraform}} recreate]] the world {{in their own image}}, no matter [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans how many millions die in the process]]:

** [[WinterRoyalLady Morana]] is a [[EvilIsDeathlyCold frost deity]] who [[TheRightOfASuperiorSpecies views mortals as bugs]]. After being freed from the Underworld by Phanes, Morana [[DivideAndConquer attempts to manipulate]] the ghoul population into going to war with the vampire population for her cause. When they refuse, Morana [[SnowedIn unleashes her frost powers in an attempt to wreck New Orleans]], leading to the deaths of nearly a 100 people.

** [[MysteriousBenefactor Richard Trove]], the former White House Chief of Staff, is Jason Madigan's shadow backer, and a [[PowerParasite power draining demon]] who wants to [[DivideAndConquer start a war between vampires and ghouls]] so that his own species may reign supreme once more. To this end, Trove had encouraged Madigan to perform genetic experimentation on both species, supervising the BehavioralConditioning of the resulting test subject, Katie, [[TykeBomb turning her into a vicious killer despite her young age]]. When confronted by Cat Crawfield-Russell and Bones Russell, Trove taunts Cat with the knowledge that Katie is her daughter. During the final confrontation, Trove attempts to incite the ghoul population by invoking Apollyon's rhetoric. Trove proceeds to attempt to drain Cat of her energy, only to be stabbed in the face with a demon bone knife.

** [[CorruptPolitician Governor Ethan Oliver]] is the benefactor of the human trafficking network, and a sleazy, corrupt, and [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] figure who [[VillainWithGoodPublicity hides under a good reputation]]. Originally frequenting brothels in order to rape women, Oliver eventually begins colluding with Hennessey--destroying any documents relating to missing women captured by the human trafficking network, and [[DisposableVagrant having the destitute and disenfranchised trafficked]]--in order to further his own political career. After his co-conspirator is eliminated, Oliver has a hospital bombed to eliminate the rescued victims in a bid to [[LeaveNoWitnesses silence them]]. When confronted by Cat Crawfield, Oliver holds her at gunpoint, and boasts about his intentions to become the President of the United States, as well as to continue the process he started.

* ''[[Literature/ShadesOfWickedNightRebel1 Shades of Wicked]]'' & ''[[Literature/WickedBiteNightRebel2 Wicked Bite]]'': [[AncientEvil Dagon]] is an eons-old demon who makes [[YourSoulIsMine deals with mortals for their souls]]. Discovering the immortal child Veritas in ancient times, Dagon subjected her to repeated HumanSacrifice and other horrors, exploiting her ability to resurrect. Using the resurrection of Veritas to [[GodGuise create a religion in his name]], Dagon tricks hundreds of innocents into giving up their lives to him with false promises of resurrection. Prevented from inflicting further torment, Dagon begins a campaign of [[SoulEating bartering and capturing the souls of mortals before consuming and extinguishing them]] within himself to increase his power. Dagon torments Veritas in the present and begins a quest to utterly ruin her life, later killing dozens of newly resurrected innocents to return himself to power, intending to make his enemy Veritas suffer.
* ''[[Literature/WickedAllNightNightRebel3 Wicked All Night]]'': The [[PhysicalGod Deity]] Triumvirate, who originally [[EvilOverlord ruled over the world as tyrants]], wish to combine their powers and [[{{Terraform}} recreate]] the world {{in their own image}}, no matter [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans how many millions die in the process]]:

* ''[[Literature/WickedAllNightNightrebel3 Wicked All Night]]'': The [[PhysicalGod Deity]] Triumvirate, who originally [[EvilOverlord ruled over the world as tyrants]], wish to combine their powers and [[{{Terraform}} recreate]] the world {{in their own image}}, no matter [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans how many millions die in the process]]:

-->--'''Catherine "Cat" Crawfield''' on '''Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer''', ''One Grave at a Time''

[[Literature/NightHuntress Catherine "Cat" Crawfield, Crispin "Bones" Russell III, and their allies]] have faced numerous opponents, whether [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demonic]], TheUndead, or [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters mortal]], but the following threats have proven themselves to be [[CompleteMonster a special breed of diabolical]].

* ''[[Literature/HalfwayToTheGraveNightHuntress1 Halfway to the Grave]]'': The HumanTrafficking network is a vast criminal conspiracy, run by a ruthless vampire gangster, and backed by the Governor of Ohio.
** [[ManOfWealthAndTaste Hennessey]] is a Master Vampire who functions as the ringleader of the human trafficking network. Adopting a [[FauxAffablyEvil veneer of geniality]], Hennessey captures women, including drug dealers, drug addicts, vagrants, and prostitutes, forcing them into a life of vicious [[SexSlave forced prostitution]] and [[HumanResources hemophagia]]. Feared by subordinates and associates alike, Hennessey subjects those who would betray him to slow and painful deaths, with one informant [[DrivenToSuicide committing suicide]] rather than face Hennessey's wrath. Upon discovering Cat's identity as his attempted murderer, Hennessey kills the former's grandparents and captures her mother in order to lure her into a trap alongside his nemesis, Bones. When Cat and Bones confront him, Hennessey mocks the latter for his constant pursuit over the course of many years.
** [[CorruptPolitician Governor Ethan Oliver]] is the benefactor of the human trafficking network, and a sleazy, corrupt, and [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] figure who [[VillainWithGoodPublicity hides under a good reputation]]. Originally frequenting Hennessey's brothels in order to rape women, Oliver eventually begins colluding with Hennessey, destroying any documents relating to missing women captured by Hennessey's organization, having Hennessey [[DisposableVagrant traffic the destitute and disenfranchised]] in order to further his political career, subsequently having a hospital bombed to eliminate the rescued victims in a bid to [[HeKnowsTooMuch silence them]] after Hennessey is eliminated. Upon being confronted by Cat, Oliver holds her at gunpoint, and boasts about his intentions to become the President of the United States, as well as to continue the process he started.
* ''[[Literature/ThisSideOfTheGraveNightHuntress5 This Side of the Grave]]'': [[TheSocialDarwinist Apollyon]], originally [[RabbleRouser Malcolm Untare]], leads a massive cult of ghouls in hopes of starting a species war with the vampire community, viewing vampires as [[FantasticRacism inferior to ghouls]]. Apollyon incited hatred against vampires in the 1400s, having claimed that UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc would become the most powerful undead creature in existence if she became a crossbreed of a ghoul and a vampire. Repeating his rhetoric against Cat centuries later, Apollyon encourages his cultists to murder vampires who lie outside the protection of a Master Vampire. Furthermore, Apollyon habitually recruits younger followers in a cruel and unusual fashion, [[TongueTrauma having their tongues removed]] before murdering them and turning them into ghouls. During the final battle, Apollyon intends to publicly execute Cat in order to consolidate his power. After being defeated in battle, Apollyon begs for undeserved mercy upon being sentenced to death for his crimes.
* ''[[Literature/OneGraveAtATimeNightHuntress6 One Grave at a Time]]'': [[HangingJudge Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer]] is the religious zealot turned malevolent spirit who wrote a treatise on witchcraft which motivated centuries of {{witch hunt}}s and {{burn|TheWitch}}ings--having himself sentenced many innocent women to death--as well as a prolific [[SerialRapist rapist]] and [[SerialKiller murderer]]. Having previously tormented anyone who sensed his ghostly presence to the point of suicide, upon achieving the ability to become tangible on All Hallows' Eve, Kramer seeks out an accomplice, has the pets of his prospective victims murdered, then rapes and burns his victims before murdering his accomplice. Summoned by a medium on behalf of Cat and Bones, Kramer attacks the group, stalking and harassing Cat multiple times, culminating in a bloody confrontation with several paranormal division personnel. Targeting Cat, he captures two other women and forces Cat to allow him to capture her for a chance to free his other victims, a promise he has no intention of keeping.
* ''[[Literature/UpFromTheGraveNightHuntress7 Up From The Grave]]'': The [[TyrantTakesTheHelm new director]] of the Paranormal Unit and his [[MysteriousBenefactor financier]] inflict [[PlayingWithSyringes gruesome experiments]] against vampires and ghouls for nefarious purposes:
** [[SmugSnake Jason Madigan]], the successor to Don Williams as the Director of the Paranormal Unit, initially presents himself as a smarmy bureaucrat, but eventually shows his true colors as a cruel sadist who has experimented on thousands of ghouls and vampires in the hopes of creating a hybrid SuperSoldier. To this end, Madigan had misappropriated DNA from Cat, as well as from an unidentified soldier, [[MedicalRapeAndImpregnate forcibly impregnating a human woman]] with the embryo, the only embryo out of a hundred to survive pregnancy. Once the child, Katie, is born, Madigan had experimented on her and subjected her to brutal conditioning, successfully turning her into a ghoul/vampire hybrid and a ruthless ChildSoldier. When Cat discovers that the Paranormal Unit is missing and arranges to meet up to discuss their disappearance, Madigan leads her into an ambush before taking her to his facility, where he attempts to experiment on her. When Cat escapes, and confronts Madigan alongside the freed captives, Madigan vindictively swallows a CyanidePill in order to deprive Cat of the information leading to his backer.
** [[ManipulativeBastard Richard Trove]], the former White House Chief of Staff, is Madigan's shadow backer, and a power draining demon who wants to [[FantasticRacism start a war between vampires and ghouls so that his own species may reign supreme once more]]. To this end, Trove had encouraged Madigan to perform genetic experimentation on both species, supervising the BehavioralConditioning of the resulting test subject, [[TykeBomb Katie]]. When confronted by Cat and Bones, Trove taunts Cat with the knowledge that Katie is her daughter. During the final confrontation, Trove attempts to incite the ghoul population by reminding them of Apollyon's rhetoric. Trove proceeds to attempt to [[PowerParasite drain Cat of her energy]], only to be stabbed in the face with a demon bone knife.

* "Devil to Pay": [[ManipulativeBastard Xaphan]] is a primordial being who makes a habit of possessing people and driving them to violence. Having [[DemonicPossession taken possession]] of Blake Turner after his previous host ran in front of a car, Xaphan regularly [[ForcedIntoEvil forces Blake to commit acts of murder]], occasionally having the incidents recorded in order to taunt Blake. When the vampire Elise, along with Cat and Bones, are in the midst of bringing Blake to Mencheres, their sire, to see if they can save him, Xaphan [[MockingTheMourner taunts Cat using the voices of her deceased grandparents]]. In his first encounter with Mencheres, Xaphan refuses to leave Blake's body, preferring to inflict whatever suffering he can before the latter expires. Upon realizing that he is trapped in Blake's body, Xaphan tries to [[DealWithTheDevil force Elise to negotiate with him]], threatening to kill the vampires in addition to Blake if they trap him in the Bonneville Salt Flats as intended. After the vampires expunge Xaphan from Blake's body via hypothermia, Xaphan attacks them and demands that Blake be revived so he can repossess the latter, only to be neutralized by Mencheres.

[[Literature/NightHuntress Catherine "Cat" Crawfield, Crispin "Bones" Russell III, and their allies]] have faced numerous opponents, whether [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demonic]], {{undead}}, or [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters mortal]], but the following threats have proven themselves to be [[CompleteMonster a special breed of diabolical]].

->''"I'd read enough of the Malleus Maleficarum to know that second only to his hatred of women was Kramer's deviant obsession with female sexuality. Rape would be yet another tool he'd use in his quest to physically and emotionally destroy women before he had them killed, and in Elisabeth's time, Inquisitors were given absolute power over the accused-and unsupervised access."''

* ''Halfway to the Grave'': The HumanTrafficking network is a vast criminal conspiracy, run by a ruthless vampire gangster, and backed by the Governor of Ohio.

* ''This Side of the Grave'': [[TheSocialDarwinist Apollyon]], originally [[RabbleRouser Malcolm Untare]], leads a massive cult of ghouls in hopes of starting a species war with the vampire community, viewing vampires as [[FantasticRacism inferior to ghouls]]. Apollyon incited hatred against vampires in the 1400s, having claimed that UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc would become the most powerful undead creature in existence if she became a crossbreed of a ghoul and a vampire. Repeating his rhetoric against Cat centuries later, Apollyon encourages his cultists to murder vampires who lie outside the protection of a Master Vampire. Furthermore, Apollyon habitually recruits younger followers in a cruel and unusual fashion, [[TongueTrauma having their tongues removed]] before murdering them and turning them into ghouls. During the final battle, Apollyon intends to publicly execute Cat in order to consolidate his power. After being defeated in battle, Apollyon begs for undeserved mercy upon being sentenced to death for his crimes.
* ''One Grave at a Time'': [[HangingJudge Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer]] is the [[TheFundamentalist religious zealot]] turned malevolent spirit who wrote the ''Literature/MalleusMaleficarum'', a treatise on witchcraft which motivated centuries of {{witch hunt}}s. A virulent misogynist in life, Kramer had [[SerialRapist raped numerous women]], then [[BurnTheWitch burned them as witches]]. After dying and becoming a ghost, Kramer had tormented anyone who sensed his presence, provoking them into killing themselves. A [[LeanAndMean putrid, disgusting, emaciated sadist]], Kramer, upon achieving the ability to become tangible on UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve, seeks out an accomplice, has the pets of his prospective victims murdered, then rapes and burns his victims before murdering his accomplice. Summoned by a medium named Tyler on behalf of Cat and Bones, Kramer attacks the group, stalking and harassing Cat multiple times. During one of the confrontations where Cat, Bones, and their allies try to stop Kramer, he murders many paranormal division personnel before escaping. Targeting Cat, he captures two other women and forces Cat to allow him to capture her for a chance to free his other victims, a promise he has no intention of keeping. Kramer attempts to force himself on Cat before unsuccessfully attempting to burn her to death.
* ''Up from the Grave'': The [[TyrantTakesTheHelm new director]] of the Paranormal Unit and his [[MysteriousBenefactor financier]] inflict [[PlayingWithSyringes gruesome experiments]] against vampires and ghouls for nefarious purposes:

* ''One Grave at a Time'': [[HangingJudge Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer]] is the [[TheFundamentalist religious zealot]] turned malevolent spirit who wrote the ''Literature/MalleusMaleficarum'', a treatise on witchcraft which motivated centuries of {{witch hunt}}s. A virulent misogynist in life, Kramer had [[SerialRapist raped numerous women]], then [[BurnTheWitch burned them as witches]]. After dying and becoming a ghost, Kramer had tormented anyone who sensed his presence, provoking them into killing themselves. Upon achieving the ability to become tangible on UsefulNotes/AllHallowsEve, Kramer seeks out an accomplice, has the pets of his prospective victims murdered, then rapes and burns his victims before murdering his accomplice. When he is summoned by a medium named Tyler on behalf of Cat and Bones, Kramer attacks the group, proceeding to stalk and harass Cat multiple times. During one of the confrontations where Cat, Bones, and their allies try to stop Kramer, he murders many paranormal division personnel before escaping. Intending to make Cat his next victim, he captures two other women and forces Cat to allow him to capture her for a chance to free his other victims, a promise [[ILied he has no intention of keeping]]. Kramer attempts to force himself on Cat before unsuccessfully setting her on fire, only to be captured and sealed in a vessel.

* "Devil to Pay": [[ManipulativeBastard Xaphan]] is a primordial being who makes a habit of possessing people and driving them to violence. Having [[DemonicPossession taken possession]] of Blake Turner after his previous host ran in front of a car, Xaphan regularly [[ForcedIntoEvil forces Blake to commit acts of murder]], occasionally having the incidents recorded in order to taunt Blake. When the vampire Elise, along with Cat and Bones, are in the midst of bringing Blake to Mencheres, their sire, to see if they can save him, Xaphan [[VoiceChangeling taunts Cat using the voices of her deceased grandparents]]. In his first encounter with Mencheres, Xaphan refuses to leave Blake's body, preferring to inflict whatever suffering he can before the latter expires. Upon realizing that he is trapped in Blake's body, Xaphan tries to [[DealWithTheDevil force Elise to negotiate with him]], threatening to kill the vampires in addition to Blake if they trap him in the Bonneville Salt Flats as intended. After the vampires expunge Xaphan from Blake's body via hypothermia, Xaphan attacks them and demands that Blake be revived so he can repossess the latter, only to be neutralized by Mencheres.

* "Devil to Pay": [[ManipulativeBastard Xaphan]] is a primordial being who makes a habit of possessing people and driving them to violence. Having [[DemonicPossession taken possession]] of Blake Turner after his previous host ran in front of a car, Xaphan regularly [[ForcedIntoEvil forces Blake to commit acts of murder]], occasionally having the incidents recorded in order to taunt Blake. When the vampire Elise, along with Cat and Bones, are in the midst of bringing Blake to Mencheres, their sire, to see if they can save him, Xaphan taunts Cat [[VoiceChangeling using the voices of her deceased grandparents]]. In his first encounter with Mencheres, Xaphan refuses to leave Blake's body, preferring to inflict whatever suffering he can before the latter expires. Upon realizing that he is trapped in Blake's body, Xaphan tries to [[DealWithTheDevil force Elise to negotiate with him]], threatening to kill the vampires in addition to Blake if they trap him in the Bonneville Salt Flats as intended. After the vampires expunge Xaphan from Blake's body via hypothermia, Xaphan attacks them and demands that Blake be revived so he can repossess the latter, only to be neutralized by Mencheres.

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