While Astarov and Lexmarcus were away at Kitor meeting with the Padishah's Eye, and Stavas was watching the caravan and negotiating with woodland spirits, Leonardo and Frulimon Rhugandy held down the fort back home. House Rhugandy has two main cassirs that guard each end of Daukmein, their fief. In the western highlands is abandoned cassir Sharpandash, its empty halls sealed with protective magic. In the east, across the river from Rafelios, is luxurious cassir Staultola. It is at Staultola that Imal Aidontas holds court for House Rhugandy and Great House Sharpan. It is also where Leo and Frulimon were taking on the day-to-day tasks of fief management while their elder brother was away on business. Things did not go well.

Leonardo's public face is that of a hedonist of the first order. His worship of Bentus, High God of Pleasure, is an embarrassment to House Rhugandy and good Carmanians everywhere. While it appeared that he was absorbed in the pursuit of booze and loose women, Leo was actually running House Rhugandy's disperse network of informants who Leo motivated with a mix of bribery, blackmail, and addiction. The current hostilities between House Rhugandy and House Vhemadzy absorbed most of Leo's attention, and left his younger brother to handle the more mundane tasks. This was a mistake.

Frulimon assumed Lex’s job as commander of the House Rhugandy garrison in Darios Bridge. Part of that mission involved guarding the massive bridge spanning the river to Rafelios. Vast amounts of traffic crossed the bridge every day because it connects eastern Spol to the Shah's Way, a road leading to Kitor, the capitol of the Western Reaches. Lexmarcus had instructed his brother to hold the bridge at any cost. Fruilimon “creatively interpreted” this order, and shut down all bridge traffic. Harsh words were exchanged. Blades were bared. Violence was done. The resulting riot threatened to engulf major swaths of Rafelios and Darios Bridge, but this did not move Frulimon. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

Eventually news of the riot reached cassir Staultola. Leonardo departed the not inconsiderable pleasures of his quarters to take a personal hand in the situation. Arriving at the bridge, Leo stepped into the fiasco and calmed the situation down with a persuasive combination of flattery, bribery, and thinly veiled threats. In the end, Leo wound up looking so good that he tried to use the event to pressure Imal Aidontas into naming Astarov to be Fazzik Designate – and himself as Imal Designate. Aidontas refused.

The old man clung to power with an almost inhuman determination. None of Leo's magical or mundane skills could move the tyrant from his conviction that his son, Kustavas, remained alive and would return from Dragon Pass to reclaim leadership of House Rhugandy. Or his belief that his children were effete dandies - worthless and weak. He vowed not to relinquish a bit of power until someone emerged who deserved it. Leo ground his teeth and bided his time...

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