"But Keyla did notice that something was wrong with Ghishal when the reports started flooding in." Lith said. "Why didn't she ask Brinja for help then?"
"For the reasons Keyla explained to you when you visited the Lark Estate and that Kamila just mentioned. Rivalries." Jirni said. "All the local lords compete not only with their neighbors, but also with the other nobles of comparable influence in their fief.
"Keyla and the other struggling nobles didn't want to admit how badly they were doing, so they played into the hands of the bandits by minimizing their issues and using their personal funds to compensate the victims of the raids and hire more guards.
"Brinja didn't notice what was happening because those she trusted to act as her eyes and ears in the various counties played dumb to save their faces."
"This gives us a better picture of the problem, but offers us no solution." Lith replied. "What do you think we are dealing with?"
