I am currently on Volume 7 again and throughout the story of RWBY it likes to follow a certain formula for each arc. Case in point (other than the Headmaster being shady or evil):
The Headmasters all have died and each of the previous Maidens have all died as well. Plus after each arc the huntsmen schools are either destroyed or defunct. Not to mention. At the end of each arc the heroes (or villains) will grab the Relic. So far the villains possess two Relics while the heroes are protecting the Vacuo one and the Crown of Choice is still hidden.
Also funny enough, the plots for the Mistral and Atlas arcs are adjacent to one another. What do I mean by this? Well, during the 4th Volume the heroes fought a Grimm more powerful than the riff-raff they've fought before. Then in Volume 8 they fought a Grimm more powerful than the riff-raff they're used to. The Headmasters betray the heroes. Then there's the characters grabbing the Relics while learning about there functions either in the next Volume or in the very same episode they're introduced. One more thing, a heroic character convinces a villainous character to fight for the side of good.