The first day of December was dawning on the world of Kais.
It was a beautiful planet, with its numerous moons hanging wistfully in the lavender sky, and the usually lush and fertile green land was now covered in inches and inches of snow due to the winter months. The gentle creeks and lazy waterfalls were now iced over, and the mineral hot springs became a coveted favorite during this time of year. It was the perfect winter wonderland.
It was also a busy one.
Elves, known as Kaioshins (or Kais for short), were getting ready for yet another successful season in preparation of Christmas. Everybody had a part to play and a job to do.
However, they weren't the only ones.
This planet was an incredibly unique one, for the planet had one long deep canyon splitting it into two separate halves that acted as both border and equator.
On the northern half - the North Pole - lived Santa, also known as Dai Kaio, a benevolent leader to a high-ranking level of Kaioshins called Supreme Kais that worked for him directly. He was the Lord of Lords, a God of Creation and Compassion. His Supreme Kais were just as good and decent, and governed and protected the lower-ranking - the guards, the workers, etc. Being a Kaioshin himself, Dai Kaio loved bringing joy to the innocents of the universe, especially to children. He was also fiercely protective of all his elves. He went to great lengths in order to keep them safe and happy.
The Kais were a very gentle and compassionate race, neither suspicious nor capable of feeling hate; they were pure in both heart and essence. Their physical characteristics, such as white, spiked hair placed in a mohawk-like fashion, pointy elvish ears, and formal attire were all very similar, but they had enough diversity to be able to establish a difference of personalities and appearances. They were immortals, magical beings. This specific species of immortals were meant to bring prosperity and happiness to others, acting as overseers of the many universes; they were one with the planets, constantly absorbing and flowing with the ki of the universe back to their home. It was their purity and innocence that could ultimately make them targets of abuse and maltreatment, though it was a rare and almost impossible thing for someone to do so.
They weren't completely vulnerable to attacks, though; they had psychic, physical, or magical abilities to defend themselves against negative outside forces. Each power and ability varied and depended on the elf.
And then.. on the southern side - the South Pole - lived Krampus, the Father of Punishment, along with his mass of devilish night-lurkers of all sorts of shapes and sizes, powers and appearances. Some may have walked on two legs, some may have had two arms, one head, used tools, but they were not human. And some may wield many arms, tails, fangs, crowns of extended bone along their craniums, or had horns. Some had the hind-leg shape of animals, no eyes and some had many eyes; the list was endless. There were darkness-dwellers, shapeshifters, ghouls, things with tentacles, gremlins, etc; from hostile animated toys to beast-like monsters of lore, they each enforced Krampus' law. These beings were mischievous and destructive by nature, always playing treacherous pranks, wreaking chaos with slapstick fashion, harassing bad children, and were viciously aggressive to evil people.
Woe to evil-doers, for instinct and duty were more than enough inducement for these night-lurkers to take action. It was hardly a wonder why the elves and these beings had never collided. The inhabitants of either side never crossed into the opposite side's domain. It was a sign of respect and neither side saw any reason to disturb the balance... until now...