I blame myself, really. Gnjus was a wildcard and one of the "triumvirate" leaders, so we allowed him to do whatever he liked, and he was growing bored with Strat. Before Strat ever started we were scouting out native castles and poor Gnjus fell in love with the eagle's nest (Alburq Castle). At the time the clan was still trying to be an actual mercenary faction, so starting wars was against our bylaws. Cmp and ptx were some of the most reasonable guys in the clan, and took the whole diplomacy angle pretty seriously (as I did). I didn't mind Gnjus going on a crusade, but diplomatically and even strategically it was pointless. Even had he taken the castle he could not have held it for more than a battle or two.