[Break the Ice] Arctosz Paleroche taking the fall for General Valais
Initially, I boggled at the idea that the leaders of Kjerag stuck Arctosz (the Ursus head of the Paleroche clan) with the blame for poisoning the Great Elder. I needed to think about that to see the sense in it.
First of all, someone has to take the blame for poisoning the elder, and Silverash had already told the crowds that Arctosz did it. They watched it happen with their own eyes.
People won't forget what they "saw" so easily, but they can more easily change their minds about motive. Especially if Silverash (who's gotten everything he wanted anyway) can later claim that he had jumped to false conclusions in the heat of the moment.
Arctosz would never want to be seen or remembered as a traitor who tried to usurp the government, but he can more easily tolerate being seen as a criminal avenger.
The Great Elder murdered one of Arctosz' generals by giving the clan head poison in the guise of medicine, letting the clan head unwittingly murder his own man. The revelation devastated Arctosz to the point that General Valais (the white Caprinae) took time out of her mutiny to tell him pointblank that she doesn't blame him at all for her father's death, to keep Arctosz from doing anything drastic in penance.
As the dust settled, I can definitely see Arctosz accepting the false charges against him to protect Valais. It's a way to atone to her and her father by taking the fall and protecting the man's daughter. Arctosz could even, in his own heart, retroactively take some responsibility and satisfaction for the poisoning, as he would have wanted to punish the Great Elder in a fitting fashion for the crime.
The Ursus general (Gulo) won't be happy about the lies, but he should be able to accept the convenience* as easily as he accepted that Valais wasn't his enemy even when she was his opponent. Even with Arcotosz forced to step down, his generals should be able to present a united front as they lead the clan in his absence.
*And let's be clear. Others might call such lies a 'necessity', but it's really just a matter of expedience and convenience. It's EASIER to lie than to do things honestly.
But lies are exactly how Silverash and Ratatos ended up in a burning house in a civil war when none of that actually needed to happen.
