marcus and petrana have some ideas re: bertrand - would it be possible to use their hightown connections to go around bertrand entirely and encourage an ambitious neighbour to supply the town and earn their gratitude / spread gossip to the effect of bertrand being ineffective and trapped in his own castle leaving the area In Need Of Strong Leadership? petra was recently promoting some diplomatic links with flint in hightown, and could drop a lil gossip-chum into the shark water.