Spirits of the Abzan
A rebel warrior from the Abzan desert captures a fierce young loyalist devoted to the dragonlord Dromoka. By training the young girl and introducing her to ancient ancestral traditions, the veteran attempts to rebuild the lost heritage of her people.
- Felothar leads a successful rebel raid against a loyalist desert garrison.
- A young loyalist named Vasi is captured and accepts an offer to train under Felothar.
- Felothar introduces Vasi to the burned remnant of an ancient Kin-Tree.
- The story explores the cultural rift between loyalists to Dromoka and spirit-worshiping Abzan rebels.
A Dusk Raid in the Sands
Rebel forces strike a mobile garrison out in the desert just as the sun sets over the dunes. Leading the charge is Felothar, wielding her trusted blade named Heartsblood. She cuts through loyalist ranks with brutal efficiency, leaving sand stained with blood as her squad overwhelms the outpost defenses. Amid the chaos, she spares an unarmed young artisan who stumbles into the crossfire, choosing to reserve her blade for true threats.
She pushes deeper into the compound toward an ornate tent guarded by two elite soldiers in polished armor. Felothar offers them a chance to walk away unharmed to avoid shedding the blood of her own people, but the guards spit at the offer and call her a traitor. They coordinate a synchronized assault, forcing Felothar to rely on her fast instincts, using a foot knife and precise parries to turn their momentum against them until both armored guards are slain.
An Unexpected Apprentice
Inside the command tent, Felothar encounters Vasi, a young girl of barely thirteen who grips a short sword with fierce determination. Impressed by the child's courage and proper dueling stance, Felothar engages in a defensive sparring duel, easily counter-balancing the girl's speed without inflicting a lethal blow. Despite the child's open hostility and unwavering loyalty to Dromoka, Felothar recognizes rare martial talent.
Rather than executing or imprisoning the girl, Felothar offers to mentor Vasi until she is fully trained for a proper duel. Recognizing the veteran's honor, Vasi agrees to the arrangement and vows not to attempt an escape until their true match takes place. Felothar instructs the young duelist to equip heavier armor and weapons from the battlefield, setting her on the path of a true Abzan warrior.
Lessons Beneath the Kin-Tree
Weeks of intense cavern training transform Vasi into a formidable fighter who learns to manage heavy weapons like the kilij. Felothar uses their sparring matches to teach spatial awareness, showing Vasi how overcommitting or ignoring the environment can lead to immediate defeat. Though the girl soaks up every physical lesson with natural talent, she remains defensive about her past and deeply suspicious of the rebel cause.
As the rebel war council plans dangerous maneuvers against the weakened forces of Dromoka, Felothar brings Vasi to meditate at a charred stump of a Kin-Tree. The dragonlord had ordered these sacred trees destroyed, but spirits still whisper through the remaining growth, just as they did when Anafenza first rediscovered them. Felothar explains that the ancestors act as a shield wall across time, offering wisdom to protect their descendants.
Vasi struggles to connect with the ancient spirits, torn between her loyalty to Dromoka and the compelling heritage of the Abzan. Felothar patiently insists that true strength comes from standing together with family and past generations, hoping the girl will eventually embrace her true lineage before the coming war consumes them all.