Adult Female
Name: unnamed
Species: Nikollus
Birthday: Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Owner: dreamsandlove
Element: Fire 
Your playful Nikollus bounds toward you, melting snow a foot deep with each step. It yips happily without a care in the world, apparently unaware that the wind is cold enough to make little icicles form on the tips of your eyelashes. These winter companions love to play outside, letting the warmth of their bodies carve out tunnels and dens underneath thick snow banks on the hills around the Keep. Nikolli will gladly curl up around their master's feet should a magi come and join them outside, but luckily the warmth from their ribbon extends to any creature or surface the dogs happen to touch. This ability has spurred many stories about lost travelers wandering through the Arkene being rescued by friendly dogs, for a person need only hold onto a tangle of fur in order to be warmed as if by a pleasant fire. The extent of their magic is unknown, but Nikolli tend to make people cheerful whatever the occasion and are often depicted as bringers of joy and warmth, especially important in the dark winter months.
Nikolli are curious creatures, and have their origins in several classic tales told around a fire during wintertime. One legend tells of a wizard, Nikollus Stefan, who travelled through the Arkene delivering packages to remote villages. One night, he was travelling across a glacier when a shallow crevasse opened up and he fell inside. Knocked unconscious, Stefan’s life was saved by a mysterious shaggy dog that wandered down into the crevasse and spent the night curled up beside him to keep the wizard warm. Stefan was grateful to the dog, and so crafted a red and blue ribbon for it so that the dog may remain warm wherever it went. Years later, Stefan found an extra gift among the packages he was delivering, and found a small puppy inside bound with a warm ribbon. Ever since, Stefan is said to have taken the dog with him wherever he went, and turned to crafting and delivering presents to children in those remote towns. He is said to have spread so much joy and happiness that his dog, and all the dogs that came after, took on his name so that they might embody the spirit of the holidays.
Sprite art: Lazuli (adult) | Description: PKGriffin