By popular demand (yee-haw, I’m popular! ;)), I’ve finally compiled a bio on my main 
character, Firebringer, and a little info on the world she comes from.
DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to be a definitive authority on unicorns, nor on unicorn 
mythology through human history. The creatures described in this text and in my art are 
my own creation, from my own universe. Your unicorn may vary. =)


The Duality of Fire
	‘Firebringer’, or Fire for short, is both the nickname I use for myself (the 20-
something human college student) and the name of my main character, a shapeshifting 
unicorn. The difference between the two isn’t always clear, however. It all started when I 
was in elementary school…

Fire’s Origins
	I’ve always been an avid reader, and both fantasy stories and works starring 
equine characters (Black Beauty rocks!) were my favorites. Yet it wasn’t until fourth 
grade that the idea came to me of creating my own story with an equine star of my own. 
While I had read many books that included unicorns – frequently depicted as distant, 
mysterious, white creatures with a bizarre fetish for virgins – I realized that I hadn’t read 
a book with a unicorn as a main character. Having never really gotten into the idea of 
unicorns as symbols of purity, I decided to make my star a different breed of unicorn – a 
creature with a real personality and fully developed intellect in a four-legged body. 
Having always been a bit of a pyromaniac, I came up with Firebringer. Before long, I had 
a concept for unicorn magic, religion, language – you name it!

Fire Over Time
	While I’ve refined, added to, and discarded lots of ideas for Fire’s magical world, 
little about Fire herself has ever changed. One day, tho, a long and boring bus ride back 
when I was in middle school, I got lost in a daydream, imagining a small, rangy wolf 
loping alongside the school bus. It suddenly hit me that Fire’s story, if I were ever to 
write one, had to have sidekicks – friends, partners, and companions that Fire could talk 
to and adventure with. And this wolf might make a perfect companion. 

The Soulgroup
	Imagination piqued, I came up with the idea of a Soulgroup. Most unicorns have 
one – a group of friends, some living, sometimes not, who help a young unicorn grow 
and learn. Unliving members of a Soulgroup are generally spirits; ghosts wandering over 
from wherever ghosts normally live to help the ‘corn. They are often, though not always, 
some sort of blood relations of the ‘corn. Members of a soulgroup may be emotionally 
attached to the unicorn and/or other members of the group, but all are free to leave or 
return at any time, and they do. A unicorn may have any number of creatures of any 
species in their soulgroup, but one to three is the norm.

Fire’s Soulgroup
	Iloj Flamerunner (Eee-loj), a firedrake, is Fire’s closest friend and sidekick. He 
has an impish sense of humor, a loud mouth, an insatiable appetite for both sweets and 
mischief, and has no qualms about putting Fire in her place. Like all of his kind, he is 
small, with a long neck and tail attached to a squat body. He has long, even oversized 
wings, and short limbs. His hind legs are adapted for perching, with long claws, while his 
forelegs are dexterous and used for grasping. Strangely, I can’t remember when or how I 
came up with the idea of Iloj – I know that there was a time before he was invented, but it 
almost seems unthinkable – like Iloj has always been around. <shrug!>
      Lonesinger, the wolf I imagined running alongside the school bus. As his name 
implies, he lives without a pack. He’s not quite a wolf in the mundane sense of the term, 
since he has full human (or unicorn) intelligence, but his body does look like a small, 
lean, muscular wolf. ‘Singer is a bit of a melancholy soul, and while he is quite fond of 
Fire and the rest of the group, he took up their company mostly as a means to further his 
own quest. No one knows just what it is he seeks, however.
      Mighty Sir is the ghostly member of Fire’s group, and is a distant relation of 
Fire’s who has been dead for many centuries. All ‘corns can see the ghostly members of 
their soulgroup, however, and to Fire’s eyes, Mighty Sir is a strong, heavily-built and 
darkly-colored unicorn, with feathered hocks and black eyes. No one knows what his 
name really was in life; when he and Fire met, he would only offer his name as ‘Mighty 
Sir’. Dour, serious, and highly intelligent, Mighty Sir speaks only when something needs 
to be said, or when directly asked for his advice. When he does speak, his advice is 
always worth listening to.
      Ch’troud (Shh-trowd), a panther-desha (looks like a thickly built, pure black 
leopard with golden eyes, but like Lonesinger, has language and extra intelligence), is 
generally a quiet creature, but almost as impulsive as Iloj. His playful side and wry wit 
are brought out by the firedrake, and the two often engage in verbal battles, each 
endeavoring to top the other in insults. He is otherwise honest, forthright, and generous, 
but has a fierce love for fighting and the hunt. 
      Sonnet, an immature western-style dragon, will be quite large someday, but at the 
moment is only about the size of a rhino. His young wings are not yet capable of 
supporting his bulk in flight, and he is still quite naive and shy, but is immensely 
protective of Firebringer and her friends.
	Other Characters still waiting development include a firebird and a pair of lion-
like creatures. 

Unicorn Magic
	Unicorn magic is based on the elements. According to my unicorns, there are 
seven elements, divided into three categories: The Classic Elements of air, earth, water, 
and fire; the Absolute Elements of light and dark, and the Indistinct Element, Soul. While 
the rest are fairly straightforward, Soul encompasses a wide range of spiritual and mental 
magics. Unicorns are born with an inherent control over at least one of these elements to 
at least some small degree. Some unicorns can manipulate several, and a few have some 
control over all of them. For unknown reasons, many more unicorns are foaled who have 
powers of the Classic Elements. The Absolute Elements are the rarest, though truly 
powerful Soul powers are rarer still. It is most common for a unicorn to have far greater 
power over one particular element than any other, and a unicorn is said to be Of that 
certain element. Firebringer is, naturally enough, Of fire. A ‘corn’s primary element can 
often be deduced at a glance, since the color of their coat is often reflective of their 
elemental orientation. Fire’s coat, for example, is a rich red, accented by an orange mane 
and tail.

Firebringer’s Magic
	Firebringer has some control over all elements. In descending order of potency, 
her powers can manipulate Fire, Soul, Earth, Light, Water, Dark, and, lastly, Air. 
Firebringer’s control over her namesake element allows her to summon heat and flames 
with ease, while her Soul powers give her shapeshifting abilities, and some magical 
Empathy. 

Other Forms of Elemental Magic
	Unicorns aren’t the only creatures associated with elements, though they tend to 
display the greatest element-controlling magics. The great clans of drakes – small, 
intelligent, long-necked and long-tailed dragons – are the best example. There is a clan of 
drakes for each of the seven elements, with each clan divided up into two or more tribes. 
Every clan has distinct physical characteristics related to their element – most drakes 
have wings, for example, but the streamlined water-drakes do not – and each tribe 
exhibits a variation on that theme. Fire’s sidekick Iloj is a Firedrake, with primarily 
yellow and orange coloring, and large wings.	
 
Worlds
	All unicorns originally came from a single home planet. I need a better name, but 
for now, I refer to it as Tenalp. Tenalp is essentially a paradise, with lush valleys, dark 
forests, and sparkling clear streams. Unicorns group in small family units, or larger clans 
(herds). Young are raised in something of a communal manner, and are tutored with one 
or two of their peers by a particularly wise member of the herd. Upon reaching 
adolescence, young ‘corns generally strike out on their own for a while. Most eventually 
return to Tenalp, but some choose to spend their lives on other planets.

Travel and Holders
	Travel in space and time is easy for unicorns – nearly every ‘corn can open up a 
sort of alternate-dimension for travel. The openings are called Gates, are roughly oval in 
shape, and are color-coded: a golden gate indicates travel through space, a silver links the 
same place through time, and a gate with both gold and silver is both. Upon entering a 
Gate, a unicorn traverses a series of floating islands in this alternate dimension to reach 
their destination Gate.
	The planets which can be reached through the Gates are quite varied. Most have 
some intelligent life, and some have advanced civilizations. Each planet, especially those 
with major civilizations, has a Holder – a unicorn tasked with maintaining the balance of 
the planet’s life. War, pestilence, famine – all are problems which upset the balance of a 
planet, and the planet’s Holder works to solve them. Firebringer, gifted with some control 
of every element, has the potential to be a powerful Holder of a very advanced planet.

Unicorn Religion
	Unicorns have no collective way of worshipping – no churches, no official 
religions – but are nonetheless highly spiritual beings. Their major deity is the goddess 
Mallikki (mal-eek-ee), who they believe created unicorns, and organized both the Gates 
and the concept of Holders. Mallikki generally takes the form of a slender unicorn with 
an ivory horn, iridescent coat, and swirling yellow mane and tail. It is not uncommon for 
Mallikki to appear before her unicorns and offer them guidance when it is truly needed.


Alright, now for a little Q and A:

Q. Wow! Can I write a story set in your universe?
A. Sure! Send it to me when you’re done, and credit me when and wherever you post it. 
Please don’t write about Fire or her Soulgroup, tho – they’re such personal characters that 
it’s hard to let ‘em go. You can come up with your own characters and set them in this 
universe, tho! =)

Q. I’ve got a great idea for you!
A. Awesome! Email it to me! =)

Q. I’d like to draw something from your universe – one of your characters, or something 
inspired by your characters!
A. That’d be very cool – again, send it to me when you’re done, and credit me for the 
inspiration wherever you post it. =)

Q. I’ve got some questions not answered here, or I’d like to talk about this with you!
A. Wonderful, I’d love to talk to you, too! Again, just email me. My address is: 
Firebringer_safe@hotmail.com. =)