~Hades~ A Christmas Special

Long ago, in the Time Before, when the world was young and the skies were wild, there was no distinction between warmth and cold, life and death. The land was a raw, untamed place, and the first beings, ancient spirits of light and shadow, roamed freely. Among them was a single, solitary spirit, born when the first snowflake kissed the earth. This was Saint Nicholas, a spirit who would become known as Red God.

Saint Nick was different from the other spirits. While they reveled in chaos and destruction, Kris wandered the earth, drawn to the fragile spark of mortal life. He saw how the small, flickering fires of humanity lit up the coldest nights. He watched them carve homes out of stone and snow, raising families despite the biting frost. Their courage fascinated him, and over time, he came to love them.

The Great Winter came next—a curse cast by the Wraith King of the Endless Night, who hated the light of mankind's fires. The frost deepened, the winds howled, and the Wraiths descended, feeding on the despair of mortals. Nick, unable to bear the suffering, made a pact with the Aurora, the spirit of the northern lights and keeper of the world's balance. In exchange for his immortality, Kris became the Red God, the eternal guardian of warmth, hope, and joy.

The Aurora gave him powers beyond imagining:

The ability to command frost and snow, bending it to his will. The gift of incredible strength and speed, allowing him to cross vast distances in the blink of an eye. An unending well of magic, drawn from the joy and belief of children and the kindness of humanity.

But Nick knew he couldn't fight the Wraith King alone. So he sought allies among the forgotten folk of the world. Deep beneath the ice, in a labyrinth of glowing crystals, he found the Fae, small but powerful artisans who had been banished there long ago. They were master craftsmen, able to shape magic into toys and trinkets. Nick freed them from their icy prison, and in gratitude, they swore fealty to him, becoming his workers. Together, they built a fortress at the top of the world—what we now call the North Pole, though in truth, it is hidden from mortal eyes by powerful enchantments.

But what of the reindeer, you ask? Ah, they were no ordinary beasts. Long ago, Kris encountered a herd of majestic stags, The Magnyr Deer. They were powerful and quick able to run across the snow as it fell, Nick knew that he needed to have them and so he did what he had to take them. He hunted them down collecting those that he caught alive. Nine of the best in the herd. 

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and we can not forget the leader Rudolph.

Nick faught the Wraith King and fashioned a great sleigh from the bones of his throne, a sleigh that could soar through the skies faster than any storm. It became his chariot in his eternal mission.

But why, you ask, does he travel on Christmas night? That is his greatest vow. Long ago, when the Great Winter had finally been pushed back, Kris looked down upon the world and saw that darkness could still creep into the hearts of men. The Wraith King might have been defeated, but despair, loneliness, and greed could still spread like frost on a window.

So Nick made a sacred oath. Every year, on the longest night, he would ride across the skies, bringing gifts to rekindle the light in people's hearts. Each toy crafted by the Fae carries a spark of his magic—small, but enough to inspire hope, laughter, and love. He chose Christmas Eve, a time when the world gathers to celebrate togetherness, as his night of wonder.

And so he travels, unseen by most, his sleigh pulled by his Magnyr Deer, his Fae working tirelessly to craft wonders. Some say he fights off the last remnants of the Winter Wraiths as he flies, scattering them with his booming laughter and the ringing of his bells.

But his journey is not just about delivering gifts. It is a reminder—a promise—that no matter how dark the world may seem, light will always return. His red coat, they say, symbolizes the fire in every hearth, the warmth in every heart.

So when you leave out milk and cookies, remember—they're not just a treat for him. They are your way of showing him you still believe, that you still carry the light he fights so hard to protect. And when you hear the wind whistle through the trees on Christmas night, listen closely, for it may just be the echo of his sleigh as he passes overhead, the Red God keeping the frost at bay for another year.