# A Tale of No Pants



## nopantsyet (Mar 11, 2002)

_Come in.  Sit down.  Take off your pants.  Make yourself comfortable.  Have yourself a drink and I will relate a tale of the Realms._

*Chapter 1: Ashabenford*

Our story begins when a citizens band was formed in Ashabenford to investigate the recent string of abductions that had taken place.  A town meeting was called on account of an abduction that had taken place that very night while the town was distracted by their celebration of midsummer.  And in response the councilors selected four men and gave them a charge to discover and report whatever they could with regard to these raids.  A citizens band was formed, an attache of the Riders of Mistledale, deputized and empowered; commissioned with the investigation.  Led by Myke, of Tyr's clergy, the band included Viramor and Finn--recent arrivals to Ashabenford, and Morenno, the strange elf who had settled in Ashabenford years before.  After the town meeting was dispersed, the High Councilor and the First Rider of Mistledale spoke through the evening, giving them directions and advice, instructing them in the care and gravity with which this must be undertaken.  

As the band left the meeting it was night, and the empty streets bespoke the fear that none dared utter.  And as the band made their way towards the edge of town, a man appeared as though shadow coalesced before their eyes and produced a being.  He spoke, saying he had traveled far, from the wastes of Anauroch, and he sat in the town meeting where their band was formed.  He too has interest in these events, but for different reasons.  It seems there are movements in the area seeking to discover the ancient secrety of the elven mythals.  His people have taken an interest in order to prevent shift in the balance of power as it now stands.  

The men were suspicious of this strange character, but he made no demands.  Only offered a free exchange of information.  And as a show of good faith, he proffered his knowledge of the history and creation of the elven mythals.  And were it not that they knew so little, the band might have known that he knew not much.  The strange man then bid them farewell and walked away.  And it was not clear whether he disappeared into the shadows or they into him.

So they continued, their only lead the scene of the most recent raid.  But this time it was different.  Unlike previous raids where only faint and short trails were found when tracks were found at all, this scene showed signs of a struggle.  And a memento.  A metal medallion cast with a strange symbol lay, chain broken, on the flattened grass.

They undertook their investigation immediately, while the scene was still fresh, making their way to the homestead not far from town, where that evening's loss occurred. Moving off the main road and under the light of the midsummers full moon, they scoped out the scene from afar when Morenno, owing to his excellent elven sight, noticed a movement on the hill by the woods.  Immediately Finn, being nimble and light of foot as he was a little person, slipped into a well-hidden spot closer to the house.  The other spread out and secreted themselves as well as they could.  Before long the movement made its way toward the homestead.  Three moving shadows slipped out of the woods and down the hill then stopped.  One continued and began to scour the ground for an item lost when a whistle came from the trees and an arrow lodged itself in his back.

The others moved up looking for the source of the missile when one turned to find four limbs on a charging body hammering into him.  Two streaks of light flew from the side of the house into the other and a man with a sword moved around the far side of the house to behind the two cloaked figures.

And then the flurry began.  Drawing swords the dark-skinned elves prepared to fight.  Swords flashed in the moonlight.  Flashes of metal and light.  Streaks of fire.  And the sound of crossbow bolts hitting bone.  And then silence.  Three cloaked figures dead.  Four men thinking their adventures had begun much more suddenly than they had anticipated.


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