Holiday dragons are a very mysterious breed. They are only seen during winter, and even then it is hard to catch a glimpse of one. They are responsible for the general cheer that spreads during the holidays. In essence, they are the “Spirits of Winter.”

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

One winter evening, Ember Nuria was cooking for the annual Christmas feast, when all of her dragons would come to the mountain for a celebration. She was waiting for the cookies to bake, when she saw a strange egg sitting in her basket of holly. Picking it up, she discovered a holly leaf stuck to it. Ember kept it in the basket until it hatched, and promptly named it Holly. Holly Nuria was a curious little dragon. She loved the kitchen, but would often fall into batter, cold soup, pie, chopped fruit, and generally anything else she saw. As Holly grew older, she loved to help Ember in the kitchen, and would even surprise her by cooking breakfast when Ember was still asleep. But every year during summer, Holly would disappear to some unknown place, only to come back in the fall and stay until spring. She would never reveal where she went, but would only return the question with a smile and a wink. Holly continues to live with Ember in the highest mountain of Elgar in the cool seasons.