Character:Saint Nicholas of Myra

Not much is known about the actual life and times of Nicholas of Myra, other than that he was a Christian bishop.

The rumors, on the other hand, are as wildly legendary as they come; from giving gold to three young women so their impoverished father didn't have to sell them to a brothel out of an inability to afford a dowry, to literally bringing several children back from the dead after an evil butcher allegedly killed them and chopped them up.

Fortunately for innocent children in 4th Century Greece, it seems the latter story was wildly embellished, but it did lead to Saint Nicholas being associated with protecting and rewarding children, along with merchants, repentant thieves, brewers, prostitutes and various other groups of people that tie surprisingly well into the myths about Sinterklaas.

Post-Resurrection
For the first twelve centuries of his time in the New Real, Nicholas worked at a soup kitchen, feeding those who were either so disadvantaged that they couldn't get a paying job, or had been so rich that they had no skills to offer and were too proud to accept anything less than the lap of luxury. In this time, Nicholas managed to convince 278 different formerly-wealthy people to at least earn their way back to wealth or find a hobby that was more fulfilling than the empty heart left by a full wallet, something which has rarely been surpassed by anyone, in any position, in the New Real.

During the 4th to 16th Centuries, Nicholas was of the belief that God and Jesus had created the New Real and hid from the public because they simply didn't wish to be considered superior in any way for doing so. It wasn't until he heard that the Christian church had killed a child in the Old Real for singing a nursery rhyme about him that he decided to look into the nature of his faith again.

His studies took over a century, during which he continued working at the soup kitchen. It was only in 11583 that the Council of the Descendants granted him access to the Archives of Future Past, at which point he was surprised to find out how the mythology of his Sainthood had changed over the centuries.

The Saint Nicholas Foundation originally started as a charity effort to provide gifts for children in the New Real who were orphaned when they died and their parents didn't. The gifts were carefully selected to be personally meaningful to the child who received it, something they would keep forever because only one gift would be given to each child. The Foundation gradually expanded its list of recipients, until in the 18th Century everyone had received a gift except for the newly-resurrected.

During the 19th and 20th Centuries, the Saint Nicholas Foundation reached its highest capacity. Myths about "Santa Claus" had finally reached the cultures of Gaia from the Old Real, and more children were dying than ever under the leadership of British industry, American racism, German and Japanese death camps, Soviet oppression, and famines and plagues across the entire continent of Africa. The Foundation and Nicholas himself quickly gained a reputation for bringing a bit of light into the darkened lives of many children during this time.

While the Foundation peaked in the 11980's, it continues to bear its good reputation to this day. The reduction of poverty and rise of social services in the Old Real has brought an end to the tragic deaths of children that were common during the 1800s and 1900s, and Nicholas has gone on record to say he's glad to not be needed as much anymore.