Claremont Academy

The Claremont Academy is a prestigious private school in Bayview Heights. The Academy, founded in 1871 by Dr. Charles Claremont, has maintained a small and exclusive student body. In recent years, attendance at the Academy slowly declined as students attended newer private schools in the Freedom City area.
The school was forced to close its doors due to severe damage from the Terminus Invasion. It was rebuilt and revitalized with money from Duncan Summers, who also became the school’s new headmaster when it reopened.
Unknown to the world at large, Summers was once the masked hero known as the Raven, and the Claremont Academy now serves as a school for young superheroes-in-training and home base of the student body’s unofficial “training team,” The Next-Gen.

Structure

From left to right: Basil Faulks, Demetrius Kuzkin, Leroy Hawke, Gabriel Marquez, Martha Dugan, Duncan Summers, Alan Archer, Jesse perry, Stephanie Harcourt, Darian Skyler, Aretha Joy

POWERED STAFF

GABRIEL MARQUEZ

Gabriel Marquez was a teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy for a handful of years before the Terminus Invasion. His legs were shattered while saving students from an Omegadrone squad, but the event awoke his ability to nullify powers. When Duncan Summers heard about Gabriel’s heroism and his new-found powers, he offered the counselor a new position at Claremont Academy as the Head Counselor. While Gabriel enjoys his job, he is haunted by the attack. In the last few years, Gabriel has been training and participating in wheelchair races. He can often be found racing around the track on the athletic field in his racing chair.

JESSE PERRY (AKA GHOSTMAN)

Jesse Perry is quiet about his origins, much less his adventures as the mysterious Ghostman. A crime fighter who appeared sporadically throughout the 1980s, Jesse used his unearthly powers to strike fear in the hearts of organized crime. Then one day, he simply vanished. Many hero buffs figured he was killed by the mobs he targeted, but it was Duncan Summers who uncovered the truth. Jesse Perry had retired to write a series of pulp novels using his experiences to fuel the stories. Duncan Summers recognized a few of the incidents and approached Jesse, offering him a job as the academy’s creative writing teacher. Jesse, who’d suffered writer’s block for a few years, accepted in the hopes that he could find new stories to write about. He has started writing short stories again and is slowly working on a novel; however, he’s concerned that someone else may be able to discern the truth about the Claremont academy if he releases the book, because he’s used occurrences there as inspiration for the book.

ALAN ARCHER (AKA HOT ROD)

Exposed to chemical fumes, Alan Archer became the speedster known as Hot Rod. Archer only operated for a handful of years in the late 1970s and early ‘80s before he realized he wasn’t making an impact—not on crime, but on people’s lives. Alan retired the spandex and went back to school to pursue his first passion, teaching. He’s been working as a physical education teacher ever since, though the Terminus Invasion saw a brief return to duty to help save the city. A couple of years after the invasion, the Freedom League put Duncan Summers in contact with Alan when Duncan was looking for teachers to help educate young supers. Alan’s been at Claremont Academy since then, and he’s become good friends with Duncan. Alan reconnected with his high-school sweetheart, Sarah, in recent years after she lost her first husband in a car accident. The two are engaged to be married.

STEPHANIE HARCOURT

During the Grue Invasion, while most folks were busy screaming and hiding in terror, one woman was busy handing out weapons and devices to stop the invaders. Neighbors brought Stephanie their electric appliances, and she spot-modified them to create tech-weapons. When an injured Star Knight fought in her neighborhood, Stephanie braved incoming fire to rush to Star Knight’s side and repair her armor’s damaged systems. It was through Star Knight and the Freedom League that Stephanie came to Duncan’s attention, and through him that she got a job teaching advanced sciences at the academy to a new generation of heroes. Stephanie loves to travel and she takes trips to different parts of the world as often as her schedule and budget allow.

NON-POWERED STAFF

The following staff members have some influence or notoriety at school.

VICE-PRINCIPAL MARTHA DUGAN

When Martha Dugan’s daughter, Cassie, demonstrated her ability to fly—to her entire preschool—Martha and her husband Charles didn’t know where to turn. The Hero Boosters Club came to their rescue, introducing the Dugans to Nancy Gardener, Captain Thunder's wife. Nancy was speaking to other parents of powered children, but because Cassie was so young, she decided to introduce Martha to Duncan Summers. Duncan and Martha hit it off, and given Martha’s extensive experience as a school administrator, Duncan offered her a job as the school’s VP with a promise to help teach Cassie. Martha has been living on campus with her family since, watching her daughter grow in age and ability.

NURSE ARETHA JOY

Nurse Joy may be un-powered, but she has that special kind of touch that seems to diminish pain and make students feel better with just a smile. That’s not to say she isn’t qualified. She comes from a household of nurses and doctors, so the healing touch runs in the family, as does the skill. What makes the pretty redhead even more beautiful, however, is her humble demeanor and outgoing personality.

DARIAN SKYLER

Darian is that teacher the students love to hate. Arrogant and filled with righteous self-importance, Darian teaches calculus with effortless disdain and makes going to class utter hell. He won’t just ask questions. He’ll ask the questions you can’t answer. Some students think he’s jealous of their powers, but Skyler sees it as his job to teach them never to underestimate the human mind; a weaker opponent can always beat a stronger opponent by outwitting him.

LEEROY HAWKE

Leeroy Hawke is a reformed villain. Known as the criminal Turbo-Boost, Leeroy was defeated repeatedly and eventually thrown in Blackstone after trying to rob a Federal Treasury truck. For the next decade, he rearranged his priorities and participated in several “Stay Straight” programs for kids. He proved to be a powerful motivational speaker, enough so that he did the talk show circuit for several years after his release. Eventually, Duncan Summers convinced him to work at the school, teaching kids about meta-powered ethics and the need to treat one’s abilities responsibly.

DEMETRIUS KUZKIN

Demetrius is a strange old bird. He heads the theater department and teaches drama to students. He’s also busy each semester putting on a play, generally a classic Greek or Russian piece. Demetrius claims the theater is haunted, and that if Duncan does nothing to silence the “impetuous” ghosts, he’ll leave. It’s not the ghosts that bother him, it’s that they don’t appreciate the artistic process. He’s been making this threat for more than a decade now.

BASIL FAULKS

Basil Faulks is the chief janitor at the academy. You’ll also never see him outside any buildings. He travels through the underground network, sometimes at all hours of the night. Basil keeps to himself, and he mutters to himself constantly. Students sometimes catch bits of his diatribe, not enough to understand everything he’s saying, but enough to feel really creeped out. “That shouldn’t have been down there,” “Who the hell moved that door?” and “I keep telling them ghosts don’t talk,” are some of his reputed quotes.

Assets

Students

Bluebird

Cassie Dugan is Vice-Principle Martha Dugan’s daughter. She’s the reason the Dugan family moved to Freedom City and why Martha took her position with the Claremont Academy. Cassie can fly and has been able to since she was a toddler. She’s never known any school except the Academy, and while she’s enjoyed her time there, she can’t wait to leave. Now a sullen 15-year-old, Cassie is “over” superheroes and has very little interest in being one herself. She has excellent control over her flight and maneuverability…better than most heroes, actually. She’s recently begun exhibiting telekinetic abilities, but she’s keeping them secret from everyone because she’s afraid they’ll expect her to join the Next-Gen and be a superhero. She chose the codename Bluebird when she was in grade school because she leaves a blue ribbon of light behind her as she flies. It’s more of a nickname now and she’s referred to by many permutations of the name, such as Blue, Birdie, B.B., and Beebs by people on campus. Her burgeoning telekinetic abilities also have a blue hue to them.

Battlecry

Clarence Beaudrie, grandson of billionaire and Freedom City socialite Angela Beaudrie, always wanted to be a hero, so much so that his family spent a fortune on questionable gene treatments for their rather spoiled child. When one process finally took, Clarence developed superpowers, though it’s obvious he isn’t the heroic type. He may believe he is, but he’s too privileged and arrogant to ever risk his own neck helping others. He is good at convincing others to do the hard work while he takes credit.

Casanova

Sebastian Shields is a superior, entitled snob. Although he’s not from a wealthy family—his mother is a Pakistani immigrant who works as a house cleaner, much to Sebastian’s embarrassment—he dresses and acts like the son of a family from old money. He is cruel and petty with no time for anyone who can’t do something for him. He’s like this because he always gets his way, because Sebastian has the ability to control minds. Before he came to the school, because his family could no longer deal with him, if he wanted something, he got it—more accurately, he had someone else give it to him. Duncan Summers is concerned about the boy and fears he may be too far along the path to true sociopathy to help, but he’s still going to try. Sebastian has frequent meetings with school counselor Gabriel Marquez, who’s on call to nullify Sebastian’s powers as needed. Sebastian considers himself the king of the school and has a small group of followers and troublemakers, including Chump, who go everywhere with him.

Chump

Eddie Fell was abused by his father his entire life…until Eddie lost his temper during a beating a few years ago and sent his father through a wall and into intensive care. Duncan Summers recruited Eddie to Claremont when he heard about his case and thought a change of scenery might be all that was needed to put the boy on the right track. Unfortunately, years of poor treatment have made Eddie terribly underconfident (despite his size and abilities) and he gravitates toward strong personalities. At Claremont, he mostly hangs out with Sebastian “Casanova” Shields. It was Sebastian who nicknamed Eddie “Chump” and the name has stuck.

Eel-Skin

Charles Kumble is a good natured lad from Bombay, India who moved to Freedom City with his family when his mutant powers manifested. The Hero Boosters Club managed to put the Kumbles in contact with Duncan Summers, who then invited Charles to Claremont Academy. Charles is well-liked all around, especially for his enthusiastic antics to introduce his classmates to cricket, convince the kitchen staff to cook curried meals, and show various Bollywood hits during movie night. Charles dreams of becoming a hero.

Feline

Feline was discovered in the alleys of Rio de Janeiro, after she attacked a squad of killers targeting street kids. Duncan Summers heard about the incident, and the Next-Gen raced to retrieve the young mutant before SHADOW or the government could get to her. Feline has no memories of her past, though it’s certain she was a street kid who went feral once her powers manifested. As a half-cat, she’s among many of the visible mutants at the academy, and she’s taking special tutoring to catch up to everyone else.

Firepower

Nathan Peter Collins knew better than to play with fire. He learned that lesson from Dr. Phineas, an old family friend. Doc Phineas always encouraged Nathan’s intellect and interest in reading, even if Nate sometimes preferred comic books to Popular Science. Nathan, in turn, was happy to help Doc out in his workshop from time to time.
So it was lucky when he came by one day after school to find the workshop in flames. Without even thinking of himself, Nathan ran inside and managed to pull the unconscious Dr. Phineas out, although not before getting a strong lung-full of acrid smoke and suffused with strange chemicals. Dr. Phineas’ experimental fuel was a failure, but the chemical, the fire, and the adrenaline triggered some thing in Nathan: he was completely untouched by the flames. What’s more, he discovered he could create fire at will!
When he learned of Nate’s newfound abilities, Dr. Phineas got in touch with an old friend of his and asked the young man if he was interested in a visit to the Claremont Academy in Freedom City, where our story begins

Jargon

Donny Pasternak had a good life with loving parents. They worked hard to make sure Donny was treated well and were perhaps a bit overprotective. When he started taking things apart and creating gadgets straight out of science fiction, they knew they needed to get help. They visited Claremont and after discussing Donny’s special needs decided to send him to school there. Donny has autism, but he also has one of the most high-functioning minds on the planet. Some of his symptoms make him the butt of jokes from his peers, such as his inability to look people in the eyes, repeating words and phrases over and over, taking things literally, and a need for order and routine (he wears the same clothes every day). Donny has done well at the school, but he’s still adjusting to the chaos of the place and tends to isolate himself when he’s not in classes.

Kid Alchemy

Terrance “Bling” Brown was an urban kid in danger of falling in with the wrong crowd. He earned the nickname Bling for his ability to transmute metals into gold, and he was making a living selling cheap watches for a substantial mark-up. When Sonic and Foreshadow saved Bling from a street gang that was using Terrance’s ability to make them money, the two heroes convinced the young mutant to enroll at Claremont. Sonic also convinced Terrance to change his name to something less stereotypical. Kid Alchemy was born, and Terrance has since become a better student with a deep respect for “his boy,” Sonic.

Leapfrog

Noah Garcia likes to say he’s the most boring, white-bread kid in the world (despite being half-Colombian). His parents moved to the States before he was born—to Wisconsin of all places—got educations in computer programming, and started a family in a comfortable suburb of Madison. Noah is the youngest of three and definitely the baby of the family. He’s also a mutant whose powers popped into existence when Noah instinctively teleported to safety when an out-of-control car nearly hit him while he was riding his bike home from school. Noah researched schools for the “gifted” and was eventually contacted by the Claremont Academy (and the Elysian Academy, but he had a “squidgy” feeling about them) and signed up with his parents' permission. Noah is the class clown and loves attention. He honestly wants to be a hero, but he’s still training with his powers.

Morgana

Zoe Robinson is the all-American girl. She’s pretty, smart, athletic, and has always been popular, especially after she survived being at ground zero during the Silver Storm and walked away (physically) unchanged. That hasn’t changed since she’s come to the Claremont Academy; the problem is that she didn’t want to come and she hates it at the school. She would have been happy to finish her school years in her small hometown, east of Emerald City, but her parents caught her creating illusions of some of her girlfriends—naked—in her room and freaked out, both because of her powers and because their daughter was a lesbian. Zoe feels, rightly, like she’s been disowned and pawned off on strangers so they can “deal with her.” Zoe likes her powers, but doesn’t think she wants to be a hero (or villain)—she just wants to have fun and live her life.

Pusher

Very few people feel comfortable around Naomi Vasquez. Her mind powers allow her to read thoughts, which she won’t hesitate to use against someone if they annoy her, and she can make people “do things.” As a victim of child abuse, Naomi refuses to be pushed ever again. She’s also afraid of letting anyone get too close to her, though she’ll never admit to that fear.

Shadow

Yuna Tanaka did not, as her parents hoped, grow up to a be a proper, young Japanese woman; instead she grew up to a join a street gang and cause all sorts of trouble. It was as if something drove her to make bad decisions, and that wasn’t far from the truth. Yuna is the recipient of an old family curse, one that brings out her dark side, quite literally. Yuna can turn into a shadow, but the shadow influences Yuna constantly and encourages her to do things she wouldn’t normally. She ended up in America, going to school at the Claremont Academy because Raven encountered her while in Japan dealing with a death-worshiping sect of the Yakuza she was working with. Raven convinced the girl to talk to Duncan Summers and he in turn convinced her she could take back control of her life. Now Yuna is trying to adapt to a new life. She is the daughter her parents always wanted: prim, proper, and nice…most of the time. She’s noticed Martin Conte noticing her. If the two of them get together it could be very good for both of them, or really, explosively bad.

Sloth

William Polzysky is one of the school bullies. He’s not misunderstood or hurting inside; he’s just mean. Sloth is a massive teen, with a linebacker’s bulky build plus a couple of extra feet in height. And, he likes pushing his weight around, literally. Only Junior has managed to plant him on his butt, but most other students don’t have that kind of power. Sloth leads a small clique of troublemakers who constantly seem on the verge of expulsion.

Storm King

Adnan Homsi was born and raised in Syria. When the civil war there approached his region, his family fled and after months of travel was able to join part of their family in America. Adnan’s family knew he was different, that he could control the weather, but that only made him more special to them. An encounter with Dr. Metropolis when Adnan accidentally created a storm that dumped a foot of snow on a section of Freedom City resulted in Adnan being referred to Claremont Academy. Now receiving an excellent education for free, thanks to a scholarship, Adnan has thrown himself into his studies and spends his free time advocating for refugees like himself.

Student Body

Daisy Gibbons is the it girl at school, meaning she’s beautiful, she knows it, and she makes sure you never forget it. Daisy and her popular clique are elitist; high school is a popularity contest, and Daisy plans on being the only contender. She has no interest in being a heroine…her ambition is to be a model, a singer, or an actress, preferably all of the above.

Toxin

Charlene Hart’s body is poisonous. Ever since she found some kind of alien power source cracked open on her family’s property, her merest touch makes people very, very sick. She needs to wear protective clothing all the time in order to interact with others. Despite this precaution, most of the students avoid her. As a sensitive young woman, this sort of treatment hurts Charlene deeply, and she’s slowly becoming very unhappy and unbalanced. She longs to gain control over her powers, but so far nothing seems to have made a difference. She’s starting to wonder if maintaining such tight control over herself is worth it. Never making friends, never touching anyone, never kissing anyone, never feeling anything…maybe she’s supposed to let the toxins out instead of holding them in?

Triton

Prince Telemachus of Atlantis is the younger brother to Neried, a previous student at the Claremont Academy and one of the earliest members of The Next-Gen. Tel, as he’d called at school, is a sensitive, artistic soul who loves singing, the arts, and studying. Also unlike his sister, who can transform into water, Telemachus has his grandmother’s talents for magic and music. Although he’s considered a shoo-in for membership in the Next-Gen, he’s not sure he wants to be a superhero. He understands he has to live up to his family name and the responsibilities that come with it, but he’d much rather listen to surface-world music, explore, and especially sing karaoke

THE WHITE WITCH

Angel Davis is from the wrong part of Chicago. She’s one of three siblings, all raised by a single mother in one of the worst neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side. Angel was told by her grandmother they had witches in their family history, which Angel laughed off. She didn’t think of it again when she started seeing spirits after she “became a woman.” She spent a lot of time digging through used book stores, trying to find anything she could about witches and magic. She learned quite a bit and realized she could easily fall into black magic instead of white if she did the wrong things with her powers. She felt the power within her as a pure, glowing light and she never wanted to use it in a way that would corrupt it, so she began looking for someone to teach her how to use it properly. Angel is at the school because one day, she called Duncan Summers on one of his private cellphones. She told him she had “the light” of magic in her and she had received his number when she performed a ritual to find the person who would help nurture her spark. At the Academy, Angel is a hard worker and takes her abilities seriously. They may not be very powerful now, but that won’t be true for long at the rate she’s learning.

History

Go back, before Duncan Summers walked across the campus with its scorched grass and partially ruined buildings with their blackened walls and collapsed roofs. Go back further, to the private school before it turned co-ed out of desperation, and the boys in their school suits walked to class as autumn leaves chased at their heels. Further still, past the Warner Incident when the Burning Ghost walked school grounds, fire cascading from him while the wind chased the flames across the grass and up buildings. Further, past 1871, when Dr. Charles Claremont had a priest bless the land by night.
Just a little further now, you’re almost there. Past the Burning Ghost again and his scorching wake, past the buildings being built on the ashen ruins of the old governor’s mansion, past the Colonial mob celebrating Major Joseph Clark’s victory over the British. Further still…
… and you’re there ….
PROPHET’S CRUSADE Freedom City of the late 1600s was a mere pebble, yet to be cast in the waters, yet to make its ripples. In those young years, men like Lucius Cabot and the Reverend Elijah Prophet pursued and persecuted their share of witches and warlocks. All they succeeded in doing, however, was maiming and killing many innocent folk and allowing the real practitioners of the dark arts to escape into the shadows of the surrounding woods.
In those days, Bayview Heights was entirely forested, covered in country darkness, and untamed. It was no place for respectable men and women, which is why a coven called the Brood of Tiamat conducted their rituals there. Unlike the true witches who practiced their arts without hurting a soul, the Brood of Tiamat were violent, powerhungry, and clumsy. They didn’t know what they were doing, until Crown Prosecutor Lucius Cabot approached them. Lucius had learned the secrets of summoning, thanks to a witch named Justina Vervain, who was trying to escape the rack. Lucius offered to share that power with the cabal if they helped him conjure one of Hell’s many princes.
If you’ve never heard of the Brood of Tiamat before, it’s for good reason. Lucius Cabot was never interested in sharing his power. He just needed sacrifices to offer the demon and knew the cabal would willingly walk into the mouth of Hell for their chance at power. The demon approved, the sacrifices were accepted, and the deal struck. Cabot left the hill, forever young and immortal, never to return. He left the mummified remains of his victims and the summoning circle in the open for winter to devour, but the hill slowly grew over the site, trapping it in a cavern of roots and earth. Nature would not let this travesty be entirely forgotten.
THE VERVAINS British control over the Colonies continued into the new century, until the rule of Governor Terrance Strype. Governor Strype was a handsome widower and much sought after by the local families and their unwed daughters. Strype, however, went against convention and married—well beneath his station, some muttered—a woman named Constance Vervain, granddaughter to Justina. It caused a minor scandal, given that Justina was hanged for witchcraft, and while the local gentry considered themselves above the brutal excesses of the Witch Trials, they remained a superstitious lot. Strype and Constance, however, were in love.
Constance convinced Strype to build their summer home outside the city, atop the beautiful forests of Bayview Heights that overlooked the settlement of the same name. Freedom was expanding, and it wouldn’t take long before the Heights would become prime real estate. In truth, though, Constance was serving a higher purpose. She hated to use Strype, but the Vervains knew a great misdeed had been committed against them. And, they knew they had an enemy in Lucius Cabot.
The Vervains had continued practicing and passing along their tradition of magic to their children, and already there was talk that one of their descendents would be the one to destroy Lucius. Through augury and divination, Constance’s mother believed the secret to killing Lucius rested in the summoning circle and the sacrifices he left behind. In performing the ritual, she believed he also left something of himself—something that could destroy him and weaken the demon who gave him his powers.
Unfortunately, the Vervains also foresaw generations of misery ahead of them. Lucius, who knew a descendant of a witch he hanged would destroy him, would stop at nothing to hunt down and kill them. They could not act against him, not yet, not for centuries. All they could do was protect the grounds upon which the ceremony had taken place until the chosen one came. To that end, Constance convinced Strype to build his summer estate over the very site of Cabot’s ritual.
THE REVOLUTION Freedom and the surrounding settlements continued to grow, including Bayview, which slowly spread up Bayview Heights. The Colonies bucked against British rule, and while Governor Strype had his hands full trying to retain control over Freedom, Constance was busy with an entirely different crisis. The sacrifices Lucius made and the hanging of Justina Vervain had attracted a powerful vengeance spirit, a mystic entity similar in nature to the murder spirit.
The spirit latched on to desires for vengeance, but without a target, it would simply attack anything in its way. Constance spent her time trying to keep the spirit pacified so it wouldn’t rampage; at least. not until they could unleash its righteous fury against Lucius Cabot. Constance planned to teach her children all her secrets, including that of controlling and pacifying the vengeance spirit. Unfortunately, the American Revolution robbed her of the opportunity.
It was not the Revolution itself that killed her, but one of Cabot’s schemes to rid himself of the Vervains. Lucius could not strike against the governor’s family openly, but when war came to the shores of Freedom, he had the cover he needed. By this point, the British loyalists were escaping into Freedom for refuge, but Constance refused to leave her Bayview Heights estate. She knew the war would rouse the vengeance spirit to awaken and wreak havoc. It was her duty to keep it pacified.
Lucius’s assassins found Constance at home and struck. She managed to fend them off long enough to send her children and their nanny to safety through secret tunnels to the Wading River’s shores. Constance died, her murder disguised as the work of Colonial soldiers. Strype was devastated and retaliated against the Colonial forces with ruthless bloodlust; the vengeance spirit had awakened and taken hold of Strype, fueling his anger and empowering him in a coat of flames when he desired.
In a battle unmentioned in the history books, Lady Liberty, Minuteman, and the French hero Bastille fought the powered Strype in his summer home where his wife had been murdered. The battle engulfed the main house in flames, and Strype was burned alive, despite the heroes’ attempts to save him. That’s when they discovered the true nature of the vengeance spirit; vengeance consumes.
Without their commander, the British forces fell to Colonial Major Joseph Clark. Freedom had reached the city of Freedom at last. The vengeance spirit lingered, however, its effects felt when the celebrating Colonials ransacked the estate on Bayview Heights and burned the remainder to the ground. But with its energies spent on Strype, the vengeance spirit returned to sleep to regain its strength.
DR. CHARLES CLAREMONT Constance’s descendents managed to survive the decades, despite Lucius’s continued attempts to eliminate them. Many fled Freedom City, but returned occasionally to put the restless vengeance spirit and the ghost of Strype back to sleep before they could cause too much damage. The full story of what happened was lost with Constance, though some lore survived. At the very least, the Vervains knew that their fate was tied to Bayview Heights, and it was their responsibility to keep the vengeance spirit quiet. The name Lucius Cabot, however, was forgotten save in one place…the journals Constance was said to have written and hidden on the estate in case anything happened to her.
The estate was purchased and sold multiple times through the next century. It was always the home of Freedom City’s rich and affluent, but the property carried with it “stories.” People wouldn’t call it haunted, but occasionally, someone would report seeing a burning man stumbling through the area, oblivious to the flames and crying out for his wife and children. The stories could never be corroborated, but the reports would coincide with mysterious wildfires that would break out in the area.
Finally, after the property remained unused for several years, it was sold to Dr. Charles Claremont for a pittance. Claremont dreamed of running a prestigious private school in Freedom City, but when the Burning Ghost returned and nearly burned down the entire construction site, Claremont secretly called in a priest to sanctify the ground. Father Lee Vervain was happy to oblige on condition that the school be a Catholic institution and that he be hired into the faculty to ensure the spirits remained suitably quiet.
Unfortunately, Father Vervain believed the troubles visited upon his family and his ancestors were God’s punishment for their involvement in witchcraft. He was determined to uncover the “secret rooms” hidden beneath the school—a cavern said to hold the original taint of Lucius Cabot’s actions, the vengeance spirit, and a room built with the original Strype estate that escaped notice—a room said to hold Constance’s journals and notes with the truth she did not have time to teach her children.
It was because of Father Vervain’s sway over Dr. Claremont that the campus for St. Thomas Aquinas Academy grew. Lee was trying to uncover the cavern and the room to destroy their contents as an act of redemption for his ancestors and family. Under the guise of constructing new buildings (like the dorms and additional wings for classrooms), Father Lee used every opportunity to dig up the campus grounds, but he never found the chambers.
THE 20TH CENTURY William Warner was a student at St. Thomas when Hitler was marching across Europe. Because of his German accent, William endured three years of torment at the academy, while his parents lost their jobs and friends because of anti-Nazi sentiment. None of them were Nazis, but that didn’t matter. Finally, in his senior year, William was on the verge of being expelled, because his parents couldn’t afford next semester’s tuition. He loathed St. Thomas by then…loathed every soul, and the spark of his hatred awakened the vengeance spirit.
The vengeance spirit turned William into the new Burning Ghost. He walked the campus grounds, setting portions of the school on fire and exacting his revenge on his cruel classmates. This time, it was Eldritch who fought him with the help of a witch named Lillian Vervain. They stopped Warner and managed to put the vengeance spirit back to sleep. Eldritch wanted to banish the spirit entirely, but Lillian explained the spirit’s importance from what she knew. Eldritch consented, and the two became close for a time. Lillian’s daughter was born not long thereafter.
The school blamed the tragedy on a freak fire, and the events at Pearl Harbor managed to distract any deeper investigation. Eldritch left Freedom City, while Lillian kept a watch on the school, raised her child, and did her best to keep the ghosts of Strype and Warner dormant.
The damage was done, unfortunately. The school never fully recovered its prestige from the tragedy, even after it turned co-ed in the 1960s to draw in more students. St. Thomas Aquinas was considered too old and outdated. The vengeance spirit appeared at least once more during the dark period of the Moore administration in Freedom City, in association with the vigilante known as the Hellrider, but it was eventually returned to its fitful slumber. Finally, on the verge of closing anyway, the campus was heavily damaged during the Terminus Invasion and simply abandoned.
THE CLAREMONT ACADEMY The history everyone knows picks up when Duncan Summers opened the Claremont Academy in honor of its original founder. With its history all but forgotten, the new, progressive school was an attractive alternative to school in the city itself. More so, following the Terminus Invasion, Freedom’s citizens were on a kick to restore the city’s former glory. So when Duncan reopened the school, while some protested the loss of its original name, they still wanted to show their support by enrolling their children in one of Freedom City’s oldest schools.
Since then, Duncan Summers has turned the Claremont Academy into a strong academic force, suppressing those aspects of its history he managed to learn along the way. He hasn’t learned everything, but he knows enough to remain vigilant for odd phenomenon like the Burning Ghost.
Lillian Vervain, meanwhile, had a daughter shortly after the Warner Incident. In turn, her daughter bore another girl later in her life, named Serena, also known as Seven. Lillian believes Serena is the one who will uncover Constance’s secrets and discover the identity of the man who has been hunting their family for generations. She believes it is Serena who will find a way of putting the Burning Ghost to rest and use the vengeance spirit against their enemy and the demon empowering him. It is for this reason that Lillian sent Seven to train at Claremont Academy, and it is also why Seven learned magic under the aegis of Eldritch.

From left to right: Pusher, Feline, Eel-Skin, Desert Wasp, Battlecry, Sloth, Kid Alchemy. Student Body

Founding Date

2001

Type

Educational, School/Academy

Leader

Duncan Summers

Location

Bayview

Controlled Territories

• Claremont: School Grounds

Other Students of the Claremont Academy, from left to right: Toxin, Chump, Casanova, Shadow, The White Witch, Triton, Bluebird, Storm King, Leapfrog, Jargon, Morgana