Oh no, oh no, this wasn't good! (Patreon)
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I thought I had cleverly fended off an assassination attempt, when in actuality I had fallen for the simplest ruse in the book! Of COURSE the Duchess wouldn't have sent Burnside alone! There must be someone else, messing with my operations in the lowfolk world while I was busy being distracted here in Faerie! My hairdresser cult might be in danger!
I quickly gathered up all of Burnside's blades (lest she re-acquire them while I wasn't looking) and carried them with me into the scrying tower.
I dumped the weapons in a corner and entered my scry-space. Everything seemed in order around the vicinity of the stone circle. The trees had nothing unusual to report. Thinking of my hair cult, I guided my attention toward the village of Tulgeyside ... only to be stopped by an unseen barrier at the edge of the forest!
I tried scrying in all directions, and my panic increased as again and again I found that my range was limited to the bounds of the tulgey wood that contained the Albric Tor Gate.
I rushed back outside and shook Burnside roughly by the shoulders.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??" I bellowed. "WHY CAN'T I SCRY OUTSIDE THE FOREST?"
"Like I said, honey," she giggled. "You're gonna have to ravish me real hard to make me talk. And do it more Unseelie-like this time."