Scattered prominently around the city

Councilor Rook claims House Montezzi wishes war because it purposefully broke one of the tenets of the Peace Accord, specifically the handing over of City property within the week threshold.

A House Montezzi member was on his way to the Town Hall to deliver City property -Spellguard keys taken from the corpses of Spellguard assassins- when he was arrested for spurious reasons. Being searched, he was put up for Capital Theft and Endangerment of Sanctuary for having the keys on his person. The capital trial was closed, no sending was made, and the only people present were the Spellguard and its lackey, Rook, who was judging, as well as a singular Seeker who stated during the trial that he wanted the Montezzi member dead whatever happened.

The Montezzi member requested he be furnished with witnesses who could attest to his innocence in both supposed crimes, but was denied. Thankfully, one of the honorable Watchmen in the Courtroom was able to discern that this trial was a secretive, contrived attempt to execute a House Montezzi lord by subverting the Law, and informed Sherrif Azzam of the ploy. Azzam watched the trial for only the shortest time before he too realized what was happening, and warned the Councilor not to make a decision based not on the Law, but on the whims of the Spellguard who wish the House Montezzi member dead -- a fact already made clear by the sending of assassins earlier.

Ultimately, Councilor Rook would not brook the wrath of Azzam, and ruled against execution, which would have surely led to vicious warfare anyway. Even so, the Councilor, at the behest of his Spellguard superiors, did then publicly declare the intentions of the Council to wage war on the House Montezzi.

HOUSE MONTEZZI DOES NOT WANT WAR. THIS DECLARATION BY THE COUNCIL CLEARLY EXPOSES THEM AS THE ANTAGONISTS. HOUSE MONTEZZI WILL AVOID WAR WHERE IT CAN, BUT CANNOT TOLERATE SUCH OPEN AGGRESSION FROM THE LEADERS OF THE UPPER CITY. ANY WAR THAT DOES ERUPT FROM THE RASH, AGGRESSIVE WORDS OF THE COUNCIL WILL BE WON BY HOUSE MONTEZZI. WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED. HOUSE MONTEZZI THUS CALLS ON ANY AND ALL WISE AND PEACEFUL PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE IN THE UPPER CITY TO PERSUADE THE COUNCIL AND SPELLGUARD FROM WALKING DOWN THE DANGEROUS PATH THEY HAVE SET UPON WITH THIS DECLARATION OF WAR. OUR PATIENCE AND OUR BENEVOLENCE IS NOT UNENDING.