Finnesse walked through the echoing halls of her palace in Arriane. Even now it still seemed strange to refer to the palace as hers, rule was something that her humble nature struggled with. She had united the Elven clans during their fight for survival against the Mallukens. She even managed to subjugate the Orcs of Southern Arriane and bring peace to the forest for the first time in millennia. Yet still there were factions who found issues to complain about. The bringing of the Orcs into the empire had been a particular difficulty, with the Iowreth Clan going as far as demanding that the Orcs should be forced into chains and servitude.
Her fleeting thoughts were interrupted by the pounding of footsteps down the corridor. She turned to see Valayna, her personal adviser rushing towards her.
"Your Majesty......" she seemed lost for words.
"What is it Valayna, surely, being in such a rush you know what you want to tell me", Finnesse smiled at her adviser as her mouth opened and closed without saying anything.
"It's the Tree, your majesty, somethings happened to it". A flash of anger swept across Finnesse's face, something she had once been famed for but had since tempered. Slowly she asked Valayna to explain herself.
"What has happened to it?" Not waiting for a response she had walked past the adviser and was heading towards the inner garden of the palace where the Tree resided. The Tree of life was the centre of their culture, worshipped almost as a deity. Each clan had one, and if it died then the clan would lose the power they drew from it. The Tree of Arriane was the centre of the newly formed empire, Finnesse could not afford anything to happen to it.
As they stepped out into the gardens Finnesse's heart grew cold. She could hear Valayna just behind her, "I don't know what to say your majesty, it just appeared."
There, lying next to the tree was a rock, a large black rock with smoke coming from it. What alarmed Finnesse more, was that the roots nearest the rock were turning black. Finnesse turned to Valayna, "Summon the Princes."
