While Michael toured his estate, sharing joy with his subjects, a sense of unease loomed over the royal capital of Lania.
The sky was shrouded in ashen clouds, and an unseasonable gale howled through the streets, carrying with it a foreboding tension.
Deep beneath the royal castle, the underground prison housed the chieftains and members of the five great tribes. The air was thick with an oppressive silence.
The damp walls exuded cold moisture, and the dim glow of ordinary torches, untouched by magic, barely illuminated the dark, musty confines. The metallic stench of rust mingled with the rank odor of straw, saturating the space.
In the deepest recess of this infamous prison sat Yandor, the chieftain of the Stone Bear Tribe, and his son, Karato.
The Stone Bear Tribe had been identified as the instigators behind the attack on Michael's estate. Known for their belligerence and personal grievances against Michael, the tribe had become an easy scapegoat.
