Operation Weihnachtswunder (A CK2 Style Quest to Save Christmas!)

You are Krampus. The Shadow of Saint Nick. The Punisher of the Naughty. The Demon of Christmas. And here you are, looking at the very birthplace of The Son. Or so says the fourteen-point silver star that marks the location.

You are looking for… something. You're not really sure. Salvation? No. There was no salvation, on either side. The moment you decided to join Nicholas and sided with Christmas, the gates of Hell were forever barred to you. And there was no way the Father would ever let you into Heaven. Even if you weren't born until after the Fall - and you don't exactly trust either side's say on it - a Demon would never be welcome past the Pearly Gates.

Was it vengeance? Surprisingly, no. You did want to crush Midwinter's throat until their eyes popped out of their skull. And you still wanted another shot at Bezos. This time without him piloting the damned Mech Suit that the traitor gifted him with. But you felt you were weaker than you'd been before.

Maybe all you really wanted was answers. Why was the world becoming more cold and cruel? Why was man so bent on killing man? Why would a member of the Council of Christmas betray Santa Claus to some billionaire?

And maybe the biggest question, why did your best friend die, while you get to live?

And why had He let it all happen? He was supposedly in charge. If The Father had killed you, that would have been understandable. But Nicholas! The man who only wanted to bring toys to children and help those in need! Why did he have to die? Was it because he talked with Odin a few times? Or because he preferred not being one of His Saints? Was it because he was one of the few who seemed to give a fuck anymore?

You can feel yourself shaking violently. You need to force yourself to calm down. Anger will not do anything now. You are better than this. Especially when one of the elves is in your care and in a down mood herself.. You look over to her, her schematics and plans rolled up besides her. You don't remember her name. There were so many Elves, and you weren't good at conversations. She was an inventor. One of the best, too. Considering it was her prototype that Midwinter stole for their Takeover, which is probably why she's currently not her excited self.

So instead of lashing out, you start thinking more about your friend.

Nicholas. The one who told you that you could be more than your instincts. More than what others told you that you had to be. In the end, you could choose. Nobody else got to decide who you were, other than you. Not Satan. Not the Father. You.

He had you dead to rights, after an attempt to derail him on his Christmas journey over what was now modern day Germany had gone badly. He could have banished you back to Hell. Hell, he probably could have even killed you. You weren't immortal, after all. But instead, he taught you what Christmas was really supposed to be. Peace. Goodwill. Love for your fellow beings. To care for those who had little. And to help others that many would have just written off as a lost cause.

So you joined Nicholas on his crusade. But while Nicholas spread the gifts, you chose to become his shadow. To deal with the naughty kids. You'd give them practical gifts for the time such as coal, though that would become socks and underwear in the modern time. You also had your birch rod and your wicker basket for the naughtiest kids. Though unlike what the legends said, you never took the kids to Hell to suffer, or to the North Pole to work. It was mainly to show them the error of their ways.

But as times changed, and the world became more as it is now, your role changed as well. Because sometimes, children don't ask for toys and money. They asked for dad to stop beating mom, or their uncle to stop telling them they were going to Hell. And the moment Santa went to work on that, many of the other Holidays pitched a fit. Mainly because it was overstepping in the affairs of the Seen World. Or not the image of Santa many people had in their minds. Or one of a thousand different reasons.

So you took up that mantle for him. He didn't ask. But he didn't need to. He was your friend, and you were going to let him take care of the good side of Christmas. The peace, love, and goodwill towards men. You would take care of the other side.

While many of the same problems from the Holidays persisted, you were already a punisher of the Naughty. If anyone asked, this was just an extension of your duties. So you got away with a bit more than he could. Granted, Heaven and Hell didn't really like this either. Interfering in their domain or something. But they could go screw themselves.

Jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle!

It comes suddenly, knocking you out of your inner thoughts. The smell of freshly cooked ham. The fresh scent of baked buttery rolls. The jingle of bells, and the mirth of Christmas itself. But that's impossible!

But it is! It's the Ghost of Christmas Present, active outside of the one day a year he lived! And if the Ghosts of Christmas were still active, then Christmas was still alive!

Both you and the inventor look over, as Present moves through the walls of the church. "Krampus! Am I glad to see you! How did you end up here of all places?"

You give a mirthless laugh. "Nicholas threw me this way. Probably didn't even plan it." You look over towards the star again. "Didn't know where else to go, really. And I didn't want to leave her by herself." You nod over to the Elf. "So, I'm assuming we have a new Santa?"

"Ol' Ebenezer himself!" Present booms. "He sent us out to try and find anyone we could. Don't know if the others found anyone, but we need to get the two of you to London as soon as possible! It's…" You can detect the hesitation in the Spirit's voice. "There's no way to sugarcoat it. Christmas is in a bad state. We need you now. More than ever."

It must be really bad then, if they need the Demon of Christmas. But you cannot allow all the work Nicholas put into this to fall at the hands of the Naughty. And for the first time in a few days, you smile. "Then I am at his command. Where shall my Rod be pointed?"

You may not have the answers you were hoping for. But at the very least, you know that you can continue the work of your friend.

(To Be Continued in Interludes: Getting To Know One Another and A Tour of the Workshop)

–

Reward: Krampus is now your Martial Adviser. ??? is now with you.


Vote time! What is her name?

[ ] Cecilia

[ ] Eudora

[ ] Madeline

[ ] Agnes

[ ] Zylphia

[ ] Something Else? (Subject to QM's Veto)