Meridia sat alone in her sanctum. She was a gorgon. She had snakes sprouting where her hair should be, greenish, scaly skin, and bright yellow almost glowing reptilian eyes. By night (and on weekends) she would sit in her sanctum underneath the high school. By day, she posed as the school principal. Her snakes would transform into brown, shoulder length hair that turned up at the ends, and she would don a violet pinstripe jacket and skirt and hugged her vivacious body. But now it was night, and she was in her sanctum, being incredibly bored.
Her sanctum consisted of a large, round, domed room. The only entrance to the sanctum was a secret door in the school's main office that led to a long spiral staircase. The ground in the sanctum was littered in stalagmites, among which sat hundreds of mason jars, each containing a small, multicolored sprite. More of these jars filled carious alcoves in the walls of the sanctum, supplying a dim light. In the center of the sanctum stood an imposing stone alter. Atop the altar was an ebony, lupine head with ivory teeth and gems for eyes.
The bust was Meridia's dark elder god. It was the reason she posed as a high school principal. It was her job to go out in the world and collect the youth and virility of young men. That's what filled the jars in the sanctum. She would then feed the sprite-like essences to her god, and maybe take a little for herself. Her favorite method of stealing the essence was to break the man's spirit, usually by means of trickery, signed agreements, and devastation of their youthful bodies. There were, of course, other ways to collect masculine essence. She knew of a sister who would entice a man with extreme muscle growth, then trick them into agreeing to give away their youth for great physical power. Sometimes she had briefly considered adopting one of her sisters' methods just to change things up.
But right now it was night and she had nothing to do.
"Ms. Leery!" Meridia called out. Ms. Leery was Meridia mortal associate. She appeared as a middle-aged, severe looking woman.
Ms. Leery stepped into the sanctum. She wore a long-sleeved blouse and an ankle-length skirt. She wore a pair of old-fashioned glasses on her pointed nose.
"Yes, m'lady," Ms. Leery murmured as she entered.
Meridia sighed. "Do we have any potential conversions, Ms. Leery? I'm at my wits and and need something to occupy my thoughts. Perhaps planning a way to break some man will make me feel better."
Ms. Leery nodded. "Perhaps. Here is a list of potential positions in the school to be filled. Alongside them are potential hires."
"Ooh," cooed Meridia, glancing over the list. Her head of snakes swiveled their attentions to the paper as well. "I can see some potential here. Good work, Ms. Leery."
Ms. Leery bowed slightly. "And I went through and made sure they were all single, as requested."
"Good," Meridia nodded. "We can't have any of that nonsense, can we. Now, leave me so I can plot."
Ms. Leery bowed slightly again and left the sanctum, leaving Meridia to her plotting and occasional mischievous chuckling.