The Profits of Disaster

When last we looked in on House Drake the prospects appeared dim.  Lady Ella barely survived an assassination attempt, Torrhen was taken captive by the petulant Buckwells, the Drake army was defeated on the field and the Drake Household faced the onerous task of hosting a tourney commemorating the first official visit by Oberyn Martell.

the biggest challenges lay in completing the marriage pact with thedric and House Cafferen, freeing Torrhen from bondage and somehow gathering the resources to not only host the Martell tourney but, also to strengthen Drake's own forces.  Fortunately Garth's plundering of the Buckwell baggage train alleviated some of the financial pressure facing the Drake household.  Determined not to lose face, Lady Ella vowed to fulfill her obligations and restore the family honor.

Given her precarious state of health, the burden of managing the house during Ella's convalescence fell on Maester Gyles, the Drake house poisoner (though he denies his studies in that area with uncharacteristic vehemence).  As expected, the house fortunes flagged despite the opening on the new marketplace.  This was due in no small part to Gyles' insistence on continuing treatment of Ella leaving the running of the house to others during the mid-summer months.

Meanwhile, Torrhen began his captivity on a tour of the ravaged Buckwell lands.  Though the Buckwells triumphed at Pembroke, it did not come at little cost.  Indeed, Torrhen saw the untilled fields and the unharvested foods caused by excessive call on the region's peasant levies.  Sensing a weakness, Torrhen began a series of subtle jabs at the worthiness of a Buckwell suitor to a Selmy bride.  Though unskilled in the area of diplomacy, Torrhen's honorable behavior earned him the respect of his captors among the Boors and Selmy households.  At the same time Buckwell continued to rant and rave, exposing the flaws in his character that prevented him from earning his knighthood.

Garth, meanwhile, decided to employ some of the tactics that made his guerrilla soldiers infamous.  he encouraged banditry, working alongside some of the larger bands of brigands, hoping to further undermine Buckwell influence in the region.  he continued to shadow the party holding his half-brother hostage, inciting rebellion at every turn.  despite his best efforts, however, he found himself unable to make off with the ransom paid to Buckwell.  Though the source of the ransom remained unclear, suspicions point toward the involvement of Highgarden.

In spite of some philandering and a mysterious death of his newly betrothed, the youngest of the Selmy ladies, Torrhen managed to not only extricate himself from his captors but also land numerous marriage proposals in so doing.  Buckwell betrayed his base nature by becoming implicit in the death of Lady Selmy earning him a trial by combat against Torrhen.  Torrhen's skill at arms outclassed his foe and the last of the Buckwell heirs was duly slain in the name of justice.  he thereby earned his freedom on the eve of the Martell tourney.

Back at Castle Drake (colloquially referred to as castle Greyskull), Ella recovered and attended the marriage of her half-brother thedric.  At the same time she won a considerable victory against Lady Buckwell earning her the respect of the illustrious guests at the wedding celebration.  She was likewise popular among the visiting nobles of Dorne who attended the tournament held to celebrate Oberyn's assumption of his place on King Joffrey's small council.  Torrhen's victory in the lists likewise earned House Drake no small measure of influence from among the visiting noble families.

Having gone from the brink of disaster to the darlings of Sunspear, House Drake appears poised once more as a force to be reckoned with.  Lady Ella's dalliance with the Viper only enhanced her standing as a desirable match.  Garth managed to cement a friendship with the Martell spymaster Otho providing new avenues of revenue for his growing smuggling network.  With a stronger network of alliances brewing, House Drake continues to plot against their Buckwell rivals with their eyes set on taking Summerhall for their own.