DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Dawn of Revolution

The General

Six months before the coalition war began...

"Yusam, dear, are you almost ready?"

Yusam Mishid finished fastening his button-up shirt, threw on a light cream-colored robe over that, and picked up his leather travel pack. "Coming, Nefa." He turned and exited the bedroom, joining his wife in their modest home's living room, a homely place tastefully decorated with a few handcrafted vases, potted plants, and most of all, Yusam's ceremonial saber over the front doorway. Yusam took a moment to admire the intricately crafted weapon, a holdover from his days as a general in Mehir Balad's royal army.

Nefa made a small smile. "Still admiring that old thing, Yusam? Looking at it must be a good luck charm for you, with how often you admire it before leaving the house."

Yusam bent over slightly and kissed his wife's cheek. "I suppose there's still a soldier in me, even after five years' time. I'll carry my past with me for the rest of my days."

Nefa patted her husband's back and motioned to the door with a playful look in her eyes. "Is that so? You only remind me twice a week."

"Do I?" Yusam burst out laughing and swung the door open, stepping into Zaddir City's crowded, sunlit streets. He shut and locked the door behind him, reflecting that he really ought to travel more, like he and his wife were about to do today. Many retired army officers sank into a comfortable stupor, living off of generous pension funds from the royal treasury, but as a lifelong soldier on the inside, Yusam Meshid wouldn't let that happen to him. Not completely, at least! He did appreciate having a comfortable, wide bed to share with his wife every night, though.

Yusam and Nefa chatted happily as they wandered through Zaddir City's downtown and toward the walled city's gates, where they paid a dragonborn merchant good coin to rent two camels for the trip to their vacation destination. Then Yusam and Nefa were off, joining another band of vacationers in a small camel caravan across the dunes surrounding Mehir Balad's capital.

"This is so exciting! I can't wait," a fire genasi lady in her late teens said as the group crested another dune. "I've never been to Chira before! The festival town!"

"Never been there before?" a man asked kindly from his own camel.

"Nuh-uh. I had to save up for months for this," the fire genasi girl admitted. "My ma and pa can't pay for it working at the family bakery, so I had to take odd jobs on the side. I've been waiting forever for this!"

Nefa smiled widely as a breeze toyed with her robe's flower-pattern hood. "My dear, you're in for a wonderful time. What's your name?"

"I'm Dafi Yassaf," the fire genasi girl said brightly. "You should come by my family's bakery sometime! Our sesame buns are to die for."

Yusam chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Oh, and d'you think Chira will have any cute souvenirs for sale?" Dafi asked eagerly. "My little brothers were so sad they couldn't go, but I could at least buy a little something for them."

"Oh yes," Nefa assured her. "Bead necklaces, carved wood animal charms, lacquer masks, and all kinds of jewelry and trinkets to decorate your room!"

"I can't afford any jewelry," Dafi admitted, "but those other things sound really nice. I'm sure I'll find something. If I don't spend my last copper coin on snacks! Doesn't Chira have lots of food, too?"

"So I've heard," Yusam said. "A few of my neighbors have been there recently, talking about the food stalls and the chefs from all over Mehir Balad who serve things you'd never even find in the capital."

"Ooooooh! My tummy's grumbling already!" Dafi cheered, and everyone chuckled.

Yusam felt totally at ease, having a fine camel and finer company on this admittedly tedious trip to Chira. Camels were slower than the horse-drawn carriages commonly used in Mehir Balad's northern province, close to the Verhamaine border, but he could do worse. At least there were no bandits or gnolls around here.

The group pitched camp that night under the stars, and by mid-morning the next day...

"Woo-hoo! We're here!" Dafi cried when the small camel caravan finally came within shouting distance of the fabled Chira, the festival city in the middle of Mehir Balad's harshest desert, right next to a lush oasis.

"Now we're talkin'," a man in the caravan piped up. "I'm parched. Did you know they have enchanted ice boxes here for ice-cold fruit drinks? It'll make you feel like you came back to life."

Yusam and Nefa shared a look. "Lead the way," Yusam said brightly.

Chira really did live up to its reputation as a party town. The moment Yusam and his companions left their camels in the town stables, they were greeted with a wave of chattering crowds, lively music, eye-popping circus performances, the sweet smell of cooking fruits and vegetables, and the hooting and shouting of excited revelers. Yusam was simply happy to find a local stall selling those ice-cold fruit drinks, with he and Nefa downing a delectable drink of strawberry, kiwi, and orange juice with little umbrellas in them.

"What flavor!" Nefa remarked, examining her empty wooden mug. "Yusam, dear, it was worth it for this trip all on its own."

Yusam got out his coinpurse and cracked a smile. "In that case, another!" He bought two more ice-cold fruit drinks, this time with coconut, lime, and mango flavors, and wow, it hit even harder than the first drink! This town was incredible!

That wasn't all. Yusam and Nefa leisurely wandered Chira hand in hand, smiling nonstop at the joyful scene around them. On one street corner, a tiefling bard loudly sang a raunchy but hilarious song about a seamstress and her pet mimic and their pranks together, all while the bard's support band played the bongo drums, wooden spoons, a triangle, and a trumpet, which all sounded weirdly good together. Who knew a triangle solo could be so catchy?

Then, Yusam and Nefa gasped in incredulous delight as a man in a colorful costume strode down the street on stilts, only to meet another fellow in a similar costume and trade blows with fake rapiers in a mock battle, all with confetti showering into the air from each blow. Everyone nearby stopped and applauded, most of all a delighted Yusam. He'd never seen anything like that even in Zaddir City's entertainment district on a busy evening!

On and on it went, with Chira's lively streets offering one zany surprise after another, including a puppet show for the kids about a hapless orc paladin who wandered the continent, taking odd jobs to fund his appetite for cinnamon rolls. Yusam also happened across a stand-up comedy routine, where two ladies traded rapid-fire jokes and double entendres, with one of them misunderstanding them on purpose and getting whacked on the head with a thin stick, and the kids watching squealed with laughter.

At some point, Yusam and Nefa sought out the local food stalls for lunch, savoring the taste of perfectly cooked meat and veggie kebabs and small sweetcakes, but something was... off. Yusam glanced to the side, and he spotted a young man watching him before darting back into the crowd. Yusam saw the same fellow about an hour later in Chira's busy main street, but this time, the boy had two friends with him, including a half-orc girl and an air genasi boy. They didn't really stand out in the festive crowd, except they were watching Yusam and his wife like hawks.

"Dear? What's the matter?" Nefa asked.

Yusam shook his head. "Just... nothing. It's nothing."

"Oh. Well, all right. Look, let's check out this souvenir stall. Maybe we can buy something for Dafi while we're at it."

"Of course. What a charming idea." Yusam tried to relax and enjoy Chira with his wife, but curse it all, his soldierly intuition and training were taking over. He knew how to look out for punks or bandits who were eyeing him up as a target, and that boy and his friends were up to no good. They were after him. But why? Yusam hadn't been in this area in years. Not since...

Yusam thought back to his worst mission as a royal army general and tried to clear it from his mind. No. That was in the past, and this was now. It had nothing to do with -

"Ah, I like this one," Nefa said brightly. She beamed and held up a lovely necklace with false pearls and a polished silver coin with a stylized fire symbol on it. "Do you think Dafi would want it?"

"I'm sure she would," Yusam said kindly. He turned to the stall owner. "How much?"

He handed over the coins, and Nefa added the necklace to her purse, unaware of the six punks approaching from behind, pushing their way through the crowd. Yusam's heart sank, and the old soldier in him came back in a flash.

"LOOK OUT!" With a burst of adrenaline, Yusam took hold of his wife and pushed her carefully but firmly to the side, just as the six punks leaped into action. Nefa yelped in shock, but at least she was clear, and Yusam stood his ground.

"It's him, like you said, Abef!" one of the punks, the half-orc girl Yusam had seen earlier, told her leader. "General Meshid!"

"I've got a score to settle with you, old man," the gang leader growled. To Yusam's astonishment, the boy wielded a finely made longsword, one with a brass-colored blade and a diamond set in the pommel. "Don't you remember, about four years ago? You left us to die to the gnolls!"

The terrified crowd scattered as the six punks brandished their weapons, though only the young man named Abef had a military-grade weapon. The others had common knives in hand, and looked ready to use them. Yusam weighed his options, trying to remember his unarmed self-defense techniques to take these troublemakers down until Chira's guards could intervene. These were just youths, but they outnumbered Yusam, and they all had blades. Hmmmmm...

It was only then that Abef's accusatory words truly sank in, and his jaw went slack. "You... you kids were in Rifaad-Usum? The day it was ransacked?"

"So you do remember!" Abef snarled. He motioned with his longsword. "I saw you there with your troops. You were supposed to protect us. Then you ran off to fight a gnoll pack and left Rifaad-Usum vulnerable to even more gnolls! I saw my parents die, you traitor!"

Yusam felt like an ice-cold dagger had pierced his heart. He fell to his knees, horrific memories flooding back into his mind. He clutched his face. "You kids suffered like no child should have to suffer. Yes, it's my fault the gnolls tricked me. I... I'm so sorry."

"Sorry won't bring my ma or pa back! Or my big sister!" Abef cried. "We all lost someone when the gnolls looted our town! I can't believe you'd show your face around here again, general."

"But it's lucky for us," the half-orc girl said, her voice aching with pain. "It means we can make you pay. General."

Yusam slowly got to his feet. "I can't undo my mistake. I can't bring back your loved ones. But don't do this. Don't bring more misery to this land."

Abef hesitated for just a moment, glancing from Yusam to his five compatriots. Then he let out a grief-stricken yell and charged forth, swinging his longsword as he went.

FWOOM! Yusam threw up his hands to shield his eyes as a fierce blast of radiant, golden-white light issued from the longsword's brass-colored blade. Yusam felt the radiant magic slam into him like an angry beast, lifting him off his feet and throwing him onto his back on the dusty marketplace road. He groaned, stunned.

"Get him!" Abef roared, and he and his fellows charged. Yusam scrambled halfway up, rolling to avoid the half-orc girl's clumsy knife jab, then knocked the weapon out of her hands and shoved her aside. Yusam seized another boy's leg and flung him to the street, then sprang to his own feet and prepared for the worst.

Abef came next, bringing down his enchanted longsword to cleave Yusam in half. Before that sword could blast him away again, Yusam tensed and lashed out with a roundhouse kick, knocking the brass-bladed sword cleanly out of Abef's hands. "Stop this nonsense!" Yusam roared. "Before someone gets killed!"

To Yusam's dismay, Abef merely drew a curved dagger from his belt and kept up the attack. He charged, and he and Yusam grappled on the street, fighting over control of the dagger. Yusam's muscles burned with exertion, struggling to keep up with Abef's youthful strength and rage-fueled determination. Abef almost sank the dagger into Yusam's heart, the blade quivering as Yusam struggled to keep it away from his skin. Then Yusam shouted and released a burst of strength, wrestling Abef to the side and redirecting the blade.

The dagger sank right into Abef's throat.

Yusam went numb. No! In the confusion, Yusam had done more than turn the blade away, with his hands clamped tight over Abef's own, fighting over the dagger. Abef went limp at once, his head lolling to the side, blood seeping from his neck and mouth. He choked and tensed up.

"Abef! Hold on!" Yusam panicked, knowing to not withdraw the blade, but also unable to staunch the flow of blood. The crowd went deadly silent as the boy bled to death, including his five compatriots, who stared in horror.

Yusam felt tears burning in his eyes as he helplessly knelt by his bleeding attacker. "Why?" he cried, his hands clamped tightly on Abef's shoulders. "What have you done?"

He vaguely heard the town guards finally rushing over to secure the scene, their chainmail clinking as they jogged through the street, but what could they do?

"I... can't..." Abef croaked.

Yusam lowered his head, baring his teeth in horror. "I'm more sorry than you will ever know, Abef! I'm sorry to all of you! But..." He took a breath. "My army days are over! My killing days are over! Why did you make me kill one more time?"

Abef didn't respond.

Yusam's voice rose in guilty rage. "Why did you make me a soldier again?!" He shook Abef's shoulders, and the boy was totally limp. He was gone.

Finally, the Chira town guards took over, and they gripped Yusam's upper arms and guided him away. They questioned him and Nefa at the guardhouse, speaking to the guard captain for at least twenty minutes before everyone was satisfied that Yusam had acted in justifiable self-defense and Abef's death was an accident.

"And as for the boy's weapons..." The guard captain, a grizzled old goliath with a scar over his right eye, motioned. One of his men handed over Abef's longsword, and the captain held it in his hands. "I think I know what this is. Don't you, general Meshid?"

"I'm not a general anymore," Yusam croaked as his wife held him to comfort him. "And I don't know that sword. Should I?"

The captain smiled grimly. "I dunno where the boy got it, but this here is Vardindal, one of the four Noble Swords. A truly legendary weapon of elvish make, passed down from one owner to another across the centuries."

Yusam gave the weapon a look of detached disbelief. "A... legendary sword?"

"My bet is the kid stole it," the guard captain said casually. He kept looking over Vardindal like a jeweler appraising a fine gem. "No way could some street punk afford a Noble Sword! Vardindal is the sword of radiance. See the letters? Elvish." He traced his finger along the runes etched into weapon's brass-colored blade.

Yusam couldn't bring himself to care. "I can't read elvish. I just want to get out of here."

"Suit yourself. You're free to go. You and your wife," the guard captain said with a shrug. His half-plate armor clanked with the movement. "But I thought a retired general would take an interest in a genuine Noble Sword and all. I'd pay anything for it if I ever found it for sale."

"My killing days are over," Yusam ground out, mostly to convince himself. Abef's dying face still haunted him. "I don't want to wield a weapon ever again with these two hands. Enough people have died because of me."

Yusam took hold of his wife's hand and exited the guardhouse, blinking in Chira's sunlit streets. Unsurprisingly, the crime scene had already been cleaned up, and the festivities had resumed as though nothing had happened. How would Yusam enjoy his vacation now? Maybe he didn't even deserve to. How could he know what he or anyone deserved? It had been easy to order his troops to their deaths fighting entrenched bandits or in border skirmishes with the Trassus Kingdom or the Illaran Kingdom. But having power didn't mean Yusam knew what was right.

Yet life went on. And there were still people Yusam and his wife could support.

"Ooooh, thank you so much!" Dafi Yassaf cried in joy when Nefa handed her that lovely necklace from earlier. She threw her arms around Nefa in a tight hug. "I'll never forget this."

"It was nothing, dear," Nefa told her kindly. She patted the fire genasi girl's back. "Send my warmest regards to your family when we get back to the city."

"Yeah, I will," Dafi said with a bright smile. "Hey, Mr. Meshid. How come you look so down? What's wrong?"

Yusam hesitated. "You... didn't hear any of that a little earlier? On the street?"

Dafi cocked her head. "Huh? I didn't hear anything. I was on the other side of town watching a comedy skit in a clubhouse."

So Dafi didn't know what happened, what Yusam had accidentally done. In Dafi's eyes, he was still innocent. Relief flooded through his mind, and Yusam thanked the ten gods that at least one mind remained innocent today. He gently patted a hand on Dafi's head. "Sorry I missed the skit. It must have been hilarious."

Dafi snorted with laughter. "Haha, yeah, it was! Hey, why don't we all get another round of fruit drinks? I just can't resist!"

The three of them laughed. "Of course, honey! I'll pay," Nefa said, and she led the way.

Yusam and Nefa spent the night in one of Chira's taverns well after the sun went down (but the festivities never ended), and early the next morning, Yusam arose and left his wife asleep in their shared bed. He threw on a traveling cloak and put on his shoes, then exited the sleepy tavern and made his way to the guardhouse. The captain was already there, pondering a report on parchment. He looked up.

"Gen - Mr. Meshid," the guard captain greeted him. "Our business is concluded, isn't it? Feel free to enjoy Chira as you see fit."

Yusam clenched his fists by his sides. "Where is Vardindal?"

The guard captain gave him a sharp look. "Why do you wanna know?"

"That weapon can't fall into the wrong hands. It's a Noble Sword, after all."

The captain grunted. "I knew that before you did, pal."

"I would have it."

"You what?" The captain gawked at him. "You planning to buy it off of me?"

"I can pay whatever price you ask for. But more importantly..." Yusam took a step closer, lowering his voice. "I'm imploring you as a former general of Mehir Balad's royal army, someone who was trusted with guarding the lives of every citizen of this great kingdom. I must have Vardindal so I can rest assured that it will never shed blood ever again."

The guard captain pursed his lips. "Are you planning on locking a Noble Sword away? You think that's your call to make?"

"I understand more than anyone what it means to take a life. To take many lives. To outwardly glorify and encourage war while being haunted by senseless slaughter. No one is fitter than I to keep that weapon safe and respect its awesome and terrible power."

Yusam stared the goliath guard captain down, his heart racing, praying that he wasn't making yet another mistake here. The guard captain returned Yusam's glare, his dark eyes unreadable.

"By the ten gods..." the guard captain muttered, scratching his head. "You know what? Fine. Take that cursed weapon and get out of my town, Mr. Meshid. I've had enough of this." He stalked off and retrieved the Noble Sword from the armory, then grabbed a spare leather sheath of the right size and slid the Noble Sword into it. "Here."

Yusam bowed his head and accepted the weapon. "I can ask for no more. Thank you."

"You can thank me by going back to your cozy retirement in the capital, Mr. Meshid. Begone."

Yusam was quick to oblige him, and he quietly returned to his room in the tavern and gently shooks his wife awake. "Nefa? It's time for us to go."

"Mmmmmm... all right. Good morning." Nefa stirred, stretching comfortably in the queen-sized bed. "Did you sleep well, dear?"

Yusam rolled his neck. "Let's say I'll rest easy when we return to Zaddir City. And in the meantime, there's something I have to explain." He pointed at the sheathed Vardindal, which was now propped up against the wall.

Nefa gave the Noble Sword a cautious look. "Oh, my..."