The Story of Thrakmas
By Manny Revilla

Once upon a time, long, long ago,
By a summoning circle past labyrinths of stone,
Stood a sorcerer trying to summon a Nothing-is-there-thing.

He stood and he chanted the Come-to-me-now,
A mighty magic spell, that opens the portals to
Long-lost-lands full of many Nothing-is-there-things.

Yet just as the chanting was finished,
He sneezed!

Horror of horrors, what happens now!
For no more serious a thing can exist,
Then a Come-to-me-now chant gone amiss!

The wind how it howled!
The lights how they dimmed!
The summoning circle how it glowed!

"Thrak!" What a terrible noise!
And then, it was all gone!

...And so the story of Thrakmas begins.

Ever since that fateful night I spent in the summoning room, a creature
named "Thrak" has lived in the Labyrinths of Twilight Hall. To the best of
my knowledge, it - for I do not know if Thrak is a he or a she! - has never
harmed anyone. Then again, no one has ever seen Thrak. The only proof we
have Thrak exists, is that if you leave cookies and milk for Thrak in the
Labyrinth in the evenings, it will be gone by morning.

Strange things began to happen around Twilight Hall the next year. There
where unconfirmed reports of something roaming the House on the evening
before the Winter Solstice, it was said to be making a noise that sounded
like "Thrak". Small gifts where found in the rooms of any members who had
been leaving milk and cookies in the Labyrinth (or had them in their rooms!)
when they awoke on the following day.

As time went on, the creature the residents of Twilight Hall named "Thrak"
grew in power, and began expanding its range. Today it is believed Thrak
leaves the Labyrinths of Twilight Hall every evening before the Winter's
Solstice, and roams at least the entire continent of Elanthia, leaving gifts
in exchange for milk and cookies.

As Thrak's roaming increased, so did Thrak's popularity, especially among
Halflings and the smaller children of many of Elanthia's races. In some
towns and villages it has become common to refer to the Winter Solstice as
"Thrakmas Day" and the evening before as "Thrakmas Eve".

Recently, Halfling artisans in the Icemule Trace region have created an
image of Thrak (dressed in bright and colorful red, green, and white furs)
that has become extremely popular among the northern half of the Elanthian
continent. These same artisans sometimes draw Thrak riding a sleigh drawn by
12 Winged Velnalin.

As a result of this situation, The Officer's of Twilight Hall decided to
host a small Thrakmas celebration every year. It is also common for House
members to exchange gifts of toy Thrakmas Bears on Thrakmas Day.