The city of Yakshatar, deep within the Underdark is bathed in eternal silence and Darkness.  For being so close to the tomb of Lonely Yaksha the God of Darkness, his children the Drow refuse to speak in a voice any higher then a whisper.
    Though something dares to pierce the eternal silence of this sacred city, the cry of a newborn echoes throughout the galleries of the Underdark; emanating from the temple of Yaksha.

    Ona rocks her newborn son in her arms in an attempt to shush him, trying not to form a bond with the child she knows she must give up.
    Without warning the child ceases his wailing and looks deeply into his mothers ruby eyes and contemplates her face.
    A choked sob escapes her constricted throat and her eyes well with tears.
    Even though she must; she knows she cannot give up her son to be sacrificed to her God.

    The sound of boot shod feet clicking dreadfully on the polished marble floor startle her to alertness as they come closer.  She feels the rough hand of her husband Syn on her slender shoulder and turns to greet him.  Ona flinches at the sight of his face, scarred from the blood offering all priests of Yaksha must give to their God.  "Must we husband?"
She implores.
    "Indeed my lady wife, in a dream Yaksha revealed this truth unto me, he ask that our son be sent to his breast at this tender age."  He replies coldly.
    Anger and frustration welled up in Ona.  "What kind of God asks for the life of an innocent child?!"  She demanded.
    "It is not our place to question the will of holy Yaksha!"  He whispered harshly.  "We are but his humble and obedient servants!"  With that he reached for his son.
    "NO!"  Ona snatched her child away from the reach of his father and ran from the temple, the baby once again wailing in her arms.

    Syn calmly looked after her for a few fleeting moments thinking of the consequences his actions had cost him, thinking of his love for Ona and his loyalty to Yaksha.
    He waved two temple guardsmen after his fleeing wife.
 
 

    The tunnels of the Dark Elves were dank and dark, but this served as no impediment to Ona, her eyes were so used to the dark that she saw everything in great detail.
    Even after the ordeal of childbirth she wasn't at her ropes end yet, she was in very good condition and ran tirelessly through the caverns and galleries.  She wasn't sure but she believed there to be and exit into the world above close by, she knew she was being pursued and didn't have the time to stop and think so she ran on the the direction that looked the most familiar.
    Her child was crying, but thankfully the echoes in the tunnels were so distorted that even the sharp ears of the Drow would not be able to pick up which route she had taken immediately.
    At the end of a tunnel she perceived a sharp, almost blinding light.  She ran faster, her breath coming in short painful gasps.  Far behind her footsteps could be heard, she had little time.  Leaping through the opening she made it into the daylight.

    The sun shone off her long silvery hair and caused her to squint her sensitive eyes.
She walked some distance away from the cave like hole until she reached what seemed to be a well traveled path in the forest, if luck was with her then someone would notice her son and take him in; though there was much doubt in her heart. The Drow are by far the most reviled race on Realm, but his chances were better up here then in the Underdark.

    Sadly she wrapped her son in her torn cloak and kissed him on his brow, then left him near the roadside.  She hurried back to the entrance of the Underdark, knowing full well that she would not live to see another day.
 
 

    Clepto Pursesnatcher was skipping his merry way home from a hard days work in the Elven city of Mal'nish which lay six or seven miles away from Spriteshome, his village.
    Clepto was an average Woodsprite, about three feet tall with a rather skinny build hidden by overflowing and colorful baggy clothing which held hundreds of little pockets and purses.  He had long and wild hazel hair that stood on end and fell down his back and the cheeks of his childlike face were covered with the tribal tattoo's of his family.
He had large, innocent looking green eyes and the smile to match.
    He also was afflicted with the wanderlust and burning curiosity of all Woodsprites.
    The walk was long but easy and he would soon be home, he could hardly contain himself.  Save for a short breakfast and whatever he could pilfer from the markets in Mal'nish he had eaten little today and was practically starving.  He repeatedly held long and rather strange conversations with his growling stomach concerning the different foods he'd prefer to taste and all sorts of delectable sweets he would consume when he reached his house.  His mouth salivated at the thought of his wife's Wild Berry muffins which he had spied her preparing this morning, by now they should be completed.
    A roar that would have woken the dead emanated from his abdomen.
    "Yes, yes.  Patience,"  He consoled his empty stomach with a familiar pat, "we'll be there soon, and I promise to stuff you to the brim."  Satisfied with the promise of hot food and a warm house his stomach quieted.

    A weak cry interrupted his reverie, scanning his immediate area he found nothing particularly interesting.  But his curiosity told him to go and investigate.
    Going off the road aways he was surprised to find a baby Dark Elf swaddled in a torn cloak.
    Good sense would dictate that he leave it unmolested but nobody ever accused a Woodsprite of having good sense.  He took the little wailing child in his arms and carried him home.

    "Pursesnatcher Manor" as Clepto's late father had enjoyed calling it, was a rather nice well built comfortable one story house near the center of Spriteshome.
Stepping in the unlocked door, Clepto hung his cloak on a rack near the door and kicked his boots off in the corner.  "Lilly I'm home!"  Clepto called in his contralto voice.
    A young Sprite girl with long white hair and nut brown skin emerged from the kitchen, her face was also tattooed but with a different designed then Clepto's and her eyes were a light sky blue.  She kissed his cheek tenderly and then noticed with some surprise the sleeping Drow child in her husbands arms.  "Who's pocket did you find that in?"  She queried with a raised eyebrow.
    "I discovered him on the side of the road from Mal'nish on the way home."  He replied with a smile.  "Can we keep him?"
    Lily knew the answer the moment she had seen the child, of course they would keep him, but she decided to let Clepto have it to discourage any future impromptu adoptions.
    Artfully she screwed up her face into the most menacing expression she could summon.  "Well if you want him to stay then you are going to take care of him, first things first go back out and get some diapers and milk!"
    Clepto's face fell.  "But, but-"
    "No buts!"  She yelled pointing to the doorway.  "O-U-T, out!"
    Clepto sighed heavily on his way out the door, there would be no muffins this night.

    As Clepto left, Lily cradled the infant in her arms.  "Well I suppose we'll call you Drow, for lack of a better name."
 
 

    The air was thin and cool, richly scented with odor of tree's that shed no leaves but stood dark, green and resinous from one end of their lives to another.  The sunlight on the snow fields below them was dazzling, and the sound of children's merry laughter made the afternoon on this winter day breathtakingly beautiful.
    The village of Spriteshome was in the grips of wintry bliss as children slid down hills and built snow forts and snow soldiers; pelting each other, and any unlucky passer by with balls of new fallen snow.  Two boys sat crouched behind a bank of snow lying in wait ; a dark skinned youth with long shoulder length silvery hair and blood red eyes, and a younger light skinned child with tattooed cheeks and wild red hair and green eyes, either of them were no older then five or six.

    "All right Drow, when they come 'round the corner I'll distract 'em while you give i' to 'em good!"  The enthusiastic Woodsprite accentuated his statement by pounding his fist into his other hand.
    The young Dark Elf nodded assent.
    The stifled giggling of young Sprites could be heard approaching, sneaking round the bend Larcen; the young Sprite boy, charged them from behind scaring them into fleeing towards Drow.
    With a frightful battle cry Drow leapt forward and launched his missiles with deadly precision pelting each child with a snow ball.  Then they all sat in the snow laughing and giggling as their game of war ended.
    "Larcen!  Drow!  Time for lunch!"  Lily called.
    "Coming mother!"  They both replied in unison.

    Drow ran up to his mother who stood on the steps of their house near the center of town.  Drow was now beginning to grow, he was already as tall as his father and even taller then his mother so he was forced to look down when he spoke to her.  "Mama, when is Papa coming home?  Will he be late for dinner again?"  He queried, a pout like frown adorning his dark face.
    Lily patted his cheek fondly.  "Yes dear, he most likely will be late.  But he said that if you were good he would take you to the market tomorrow."
    His face brightened considerably.  "Really?!  All right!!"
    "Mama, mama, can I go too?"  Cried Larcen hopping up and down on the balls of his feet.
    "We'll see," Replied Lily with a smile, "now sit down and eat."
 

    In the darkness that came before dawn Drow felt a gentle hand nudge his shoulder, awakening groggily he beheld his father's green eyes and hazel hair which stood on end.
     "Wakeupwe'regoingtotownandyou'recomingwithmeandI'msoexcitedmyownsonis
comingwithmetotowntherearesomanythingsforyoutoseeyou'llenjoyit-"
Clepto stopped for a moment to take a breath, he wasn't as young as he used to be and couldn't keep that up for long without a steady air supply.  "-Socomeonelazybonesgetupandwhileyou'reatitgetyourbrotherupalsowehavetogetthere beforetheshopsopensowecanseeallthenicesparkeling-"
    "PAPA!!  I'm awake you can stop now!"  Drow was staring at his father in wide eyed astonishment, he had seen excited Woodsprites speak before but none could match his father.  He spoke so fast that some of the words were spoken on top of the others.
    Smiling to himself Clepto left the room to collect the few things he would need for their trip.
    Drow tried to hide it but he was as excited as his father, leaping out of bed and taking the sheets with him he began dressing in a hurry, turning he threw his left boot at Larcen's sleeping form.  "Wake up or you'll be left behind!"
    Larcen shot up and was wide awake at the same moment, he too began dressing, then they both ran outside into the dawn.

    The sun was just peeking over the snowy horizon as Clepto explained to Larcen and Drow about his work, and the in's and out's of Elvish society.
    "Now listen, we are going to the Elven city of Mal'nish, it's on the edge of the Elven kingdom so it's a decidedly small city, but larger then our village nonetheless.
    The community isn't very close nit and they have a decent market so strangers are more or less welcome, the only good place to do business is in the market where people are less wary of their belongings.  You can find all sorts of things there."  As he walked he twirled his walking staff in the air.
    Drow walked beside his father, the burning curiosity of all Woodsprites in his eyes.  "Papa, what are Elves like?"
    "Oh they're all very tall and thin with long pointy ears that stick out to the sides rather then stand straight up like ours; they like the forest and dislike Humans and for the most part are pretty boring.  Though you can have a little fun with them here and there."
    Larcen and Drow walked beside Clepto in silence for a moment, then Larcen opened his mouth to speak.  "Papa, what do you do in the city?"
    "Oh I find things here and there that people drop."  He replied in an offhand manor.
    Confused, the boys walked the rest of the journey in relative silence.

        Unlike Spriteshome Mal'nish was a thriving town with paved roads and streets laid with cobble stone in intricate designs of sunbursts and stars.  The Elvish folk crowded the plaza as they strolled from shop to shop about their daily business.
    The entrepreneurs in Mal'nish were of a more sober mood then their Human counterparts, since they realized that if a potential customer was to buy something they would not need to scream and shout why the goods should be purchased.
The customers merely came to them.

    Larcen and Drow were stunned, they had never been outside the boundaries of their own village and had rarely seen anyone other then Woodsprites.  Travelers that came to Spriteshome were few and far between and always left as quick as possible for some reason.  They felt the impulse to lose themselves in the crowd and discover the mysteries this city had to offer, but they also felt fear of being separated from their father so they stayed close to him.
    "Now boys, we will begin your lesson.  Watch me carefully."  Clepto cautioned as he strolled forward into the crowd.  He casually walked from place to place always within sight of the brothers.  They couldn't figure out what he was doing, it just seemed that he passed both people and shops, occasionally stopping to say hello or inspect something.
    Whenever he did the Elves in his immediate vicinity snatched their purses out of reach.  After what seemed to be about fifteen minuets Clepto returned grinning impishly.  He then pulled objects of various value from his pockets that weren't there before, and piled them on the street before them.  Golden coins, small rings and bracelets, a necklace and a silver knife.
    Drow and Larcen stared at the pile in awe.  "Wow, where did you find all this great stuff?"  They cried.
    "Oh here and there."  Clepto replied with aplomb.  "Would you like me to teach you how?"
    They both began hopping up and down excitedly.  "YES!  OhpleaseteachushowyoudidthatPapapleasepleaseplease!!!"
    He gestured to Drow.  "Come here, now then when looking for interesting objects such as shiny stones and bird feathers and the like, the best places to find them are often other peoples pockets.  Some people have so many things in their pockets that it is our sworn duty to relieve them of all that extra weight and therefore make their day much easier."  He explained fervently.
    Drow and Larcen listened with the full extent of their attention span, they also became engrossed with just about anything that passed by since the average Woodsprite has the attention span of a slow Nat.  Clepto didn't seem to notice.
    "The best technique to get the treasure is to make sure that the person you are helping doesn't notice, the easiest way is to pluck the object from their pocket is by grabbing the inseam with your thumb and forefinger and quickly; but carefully bunch it up collecting it in your fist.  This will bring whatever is at the bottom of his pocket to the top where you can easily grab it.  Watch."  With that his right hand darted into Drow's pocket and he demonstrated very slowly for them to see.  He then demonstrated the technique at its proper speed which was about three seconds.  Proudly crossing his arms Clepto gestured towards the crowd with his chin.  "Ready for a try?"

    Larcen eagerly ran forward, his nimble hands darting this way and that marveling at the trinkets he found, sweets and keys, the occasional coin and a small health potion he retrieved from a large warrior who was preoccupied with a buxom young Elf girl.
    He displayed all these proudly before his father and brother.
    "Suké!"  Exclaimed Drow, in the little bit of Human his father had taught him.  "Now it's my turn!"
    Dashing forward he searched the crowd for a prospective target, he didn't want to pick just any old pocket, he wanted to impress his brother and make his father proud of him.
And he deduced that important looking people had important objects in their pockets.
    His search did not take very long, standing in front of a food kiosk was a very tall Elf with long platinum blond hair that reached his thighs, rings and other jewels adorned his ears and fingers and he wore a thin ceremonial rapier at his side.  His clothes were of the finest materials, softer then silk yet stronger then iron.  Obviously his green and gold tunic and mother of pearl shirt were magickaly enhanced.
    Woah, he must have something interesting in his pockets, he wont mind if I take one or two things, he can obviously get more.  Drow thought as he stared in rapt wonder at this awe inspiring man.  Imitating the style his father had adopted he walked casually up to the food kiosk beside the man and in one smooth motion he dipped his tiny black fingers into the mans pocket and began the swift process of pulling it inside out.
    With lighting quick reflexes the Elf grabbed Drow's wrist making the young boys heart skip a beat.  Drow tried pulling away but he just couldn't escape, the man had a grip of iron.
    "Thief!  What are you doing in my-"  The Elf's eyes widened as he took in Drow's features.  The ebony skin, the silvery hair and ruby eyes, slightly pointed teeth.  There was no mistaking it.  "A Dark Elf!  Filthy urchin,"  He roared pulling his sword from it's jeweled sheath, "I shall make you pay for daring to set foot in the Elven kingdom!"
    The people in the plaza gathered round to see the Drow that had intruded upon their lives.  Some of the more delicate of the spectators, namely the pampered Elf lords and  merchants, fainted at the sight of what they perceived as the ultimate evil.  The women however became bloodthirsty and soon the mob grew ugly, calling for the death of the frightened Drow child.
    The Sword wielding Elf raised his rapier.
    Drow squinted his eyes shut in fright.
    "Wait!"  A piping contralto voice cried out.
    The Elf stayed his hand and looked about to see what was the disturbance.
    "Down here."  Clepto supplied from below.
    Looking down, the platinum haired Elf got the shock of his life to find not one, but two smiling Woodsprite's within arms length of his purse.  That was too close for comfort.
    "Away with you!  I've no time for silly sprite games, stand back and let me finish this scum!"  He said gathering courage.
    "I'm afraid you've mistaken my son for a Dark Elf."  Replied Clepto with a smile.
    "What?  You're son!?"  He demanded incredulously.
    "Yesyouseewhenhewasyoungheranintoanestofangryfireknatsandtheystunghimblack, andhismotherblessherbumbleingsouldroppedabatchofmagickalsoapwhichIgotfroma
retiredlaundrywizardnearthemountainsofKuraionhisheadwashingthecolorfromhishair."  He grinned sheepishly.
    It took a full five minuets for that to set in, and even then the platinum haired Elf, and for that matter the rest of the crowd was stunned into numb stupidity.
    Larcen grabbed his brothers hand and they ran while they had the chance.
 
 

    It was nightfall when they returned home from Mal'nish and Drow had not uttered a word since the occurrence in the market place.  After dinner was served and consumed Drow stared at his empty plate.
    "Papa. . ."
    Clepto looked up, his perpetually cheerful face a mask of worry.  "Yes Drow."
    "You really aren't my father are you?  The Elf called me a Dark Elf, a Drow.  I thought that was just my name, is it what I am?"  His face was open and vulnerable, and his voice trembled with fear.
    Clepto sighed heavily.  "No Drow, you aren't my child by blood, I found you on the road from Mal'nish six years ago.  I suppose you're biological parent's had abandoned you.
Yes you are a Dark Elf, also called a Drow; but that doesn't mean that I'm not your father, it doesn't mean Lily and I don't love you as much as we love Larcen."
    Drow began to cry, slowly at first, but then the tears flew from his ruby eyes in a torrent and he buried his head into his father chest.
    Clepto gently stroked his silvery hair and hugged him tight.
 
 

        "Papa, it's calling to me.  The open road and all it's secrets is calling to me and I can't resist it any longer."  Drow said as he packed what little possessions he had into a small sack.  Ten years older Drow had grown considerably and was now six feet in height.  He was easily the tallest person in the village, and his voice had become a deep baritone, his hair reached below the small of his back and his perpetually smiling face charmed all the sprite girls.
    Clepto Pursesnatcher, he looked the same save for a wrinkle here and there, the occasional streak of gray in his hair and some crows feet about his eyes.  He smiled and patted his surrogate son on the back.  "It happens to us all Drow, all Woodsprite's hear the call of the open road at your age, soon Larcen will leave on his journey as well."
    Drow kneeled down and looked his father in the eye.  "Papa, what's the world like?"
    "Ah it's a beautiful place, with too many mysteries to discover on your own, but perhaps you will my son."  He moved to a small chest near the door and retrieved something from within.  "Here take these, you might find a use for them."  He said handing two beautifully crafted twin silver daggers to Drow.
    Speechless he took them and studied them carefully going over each minute detail.  They were eight inches long each and had curved tips.  "Thank you."  He said not knowing what else to say.
    Clepto smiled and patted his son once more.
    Lily kissed Drow on the forehead and handed him a satchel of bread and cheese with some muffins.  "Have fun, don't be a stranger."
    Lastly his brother Larcen came forward to say his good-byes.  Though much shorter then Drow Larcen was taller then the usual Woodsprite he reached up to four and a half feet, almost taller then a Dwarf.  They clasped hands and nodded.  "So you're finally leaving huh?  We had fun together, maybe I'll see you again sometime on the road."
    Drow smiled.  "Yes maybe we will, the road is vast and ever changing, and Realm has so much to offer."  With that he picked up his sack and turned to leave, bending over so he could exit through a door meant only for Woodsprites.  He waved one last time, then set his gaze forward.  The world awaited him and who knows what fate had in store for him, he smiled at the prospect of adventure.
 
 

          D.S. Travlos