Merry Christmas to All

[Handi_Smith]

From the members of The Blood Cloak Clan, We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!!

[Caelan]

The Night Before Festivult

'Twas the night before Festivult, when all through the guild house
Not a creature was posting, not even a were-mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Festivus soon would be there;

The halflings were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads;
And Caelan in her dragon plate, and I in my scale,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's tale,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moons, on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a luster of mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wandering eyes I do behold,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny kobolds,
With a little old driver, with jelly cakes to fuss,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Festivus.

More rapid than eagles his kobolds they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
"Now, Goldscuttle! now, Greezix! now, Jeeka and Neecha!
On, Scrag! on, Zizoo! on, Khakat and Kneeza!
To the top of the tavern, to the top of the wall!
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away, all!

As unprepared parties that before the wild Velah fly,
When they meet with her wing buffet, mount to the sky,
So, up to the tavern-top the kobolds they flew,
With a sleigh full of jelly cakes―and St. Festivus too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in awe
The prancing and pawing of each little claw.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney the Jester came with a bound.

He was dressed all in minotaur fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of jelly cakes he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a vendor just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like dragonshards, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a lily petal wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his kardin's eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the packs; then turned with a jerk,
producing a special jelly cake in his small little hand,
he cast his dimension door spell so grand;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he teleported out of sight,
"Merry Festivus from all Legends of Aerenal, and to all a good night!

:p