The Alarm in Eveline's Room

The refuge warned them before the manor did. Faephine's alarm triggered in Eveline's quarters, pulling the room's attention away from succession and back toward immediate danger. Through her telescope, Faephine could see the linked room: guards in Pringle colors searching through Eveline's private space, claiming they carried a message from Storm Boulder. It looked like help. That was the danger. The party had just been discussing Point Pringle as a city full of contested authority, false openings, and pressure from forces that wanted the future settled before anyone could think. Now the place that connected Faephine's refuge to the manor had people inside it. If the guards were real, delaying could cost the group vital information. If they were not, Eveline's room had become an enemy doorway. They chose to answer. The party left the astral refuge for the portal-room closet, stepping out of Faephine's sight and back into the compromised manor. Ren Yacour was among the figures connected to the message, or at least among the names now tangled in the setup. Storm Boulder was the authority being invoked. Faephine could watch the linked room before they left, but once they crossed out, even her view became limited. That mattered. The group believed they were stepping toward friendly guards and a battlefield update. They were actually stepping into the shape of an infiltration.