Parties were just excuses to plant seeds of unrest.
"House Arivain has been tiring their Lord, of late," King Ivian I explained, "and most everything they've been doing has been against his wishes. Someone's pulling the strings, I say. Their militia force has grown steadily in recent years, and I don't think they're doing it defensively."
He told this to Lord Exholus, on his right, but made sure to let his voice carry down to Duke Paqus, whose lands neighbored Arivain's. With luck, Paqus would attack Arivain's lands to defend his own... and Lord Arivain would be able to ascend in influence as the victim of this attack.
His eyes shot upwards as Riva entered the courtroom. Her attire... very fetching, yes. It wasn't often that he saw her in a dress. He wondered to himself if she'd been properly punishing their most recent offender.