The Spice Merchants Of Sel-kai: Part Nine
General Summary
The journey to the island is uneventful and The Brine drops anchor a quarter mile off the southern coast barely 24 hours after departing from Sel-kai. The party are rowed ashore and having decided to adopt the guise of wine merchants, they head towards the lonely village of Speyer accompanied by their placid beast-of-burden, "Spotted Jim". The route to the village leads across bleak moorland and a steady climb up the low hills that rise up from the shingle beach they were deposited on; Captain Elayne has agreed to wait offshore for one week, she will then return to Sel-kai.
After an hour or so, the companions come across a local "fertility rite" of sorts being carried out by half a dozen white robed men and women. Two wicker effigies are being burned though the dampness makes lighting the structures awkward. Much to the relief of all in the party, the ceremony is totally benign and the "druids" are nothing more than costumed villagers led by the owner of Speyer's only inn, "The Lonely Shepherd". "Theodosus" and his barman, "Faelin" are pleased to purchase firkins of strong earthy red wine from Ugnan and happily re-direct the party to the village.
Speyer is a homely and quite welcoming village and after agreeing to pay an appropriate import "tax" directly to the island's appointed "sheriff", the party begin to gather information as best they can about the island and the Orgillion Estate. The sheriff, "Dirn" also sells the party a license to set up a stall in the market and attempt to sell more of the firkins that Spotted Jim has faithfully carried. Rumours of all sorts abound in the village and the party have little difficulty in gathering together all manner of tales (tall and short). The forbidding presence of the local priest, "Father Demosthenes", casts something of a shadow over the happy settlement. Brother to "Dirn", the father is well known for his sharp tongue, temper and forthright views. It is whispered that his wife was murdered after her affair with a local woodcutter was discovered, but that was many years ago.
A few miles further east is the smaller and far less friendly hamlet of Bajorkham. Standing as it does on the edge of the marsh and open moor it is closer to the old estate and has been much more affected by the declining Orgillion fortunes than Speyer. Within minutes of arriving, the party are told in no uncertain terms to "go away" by a number of sullen residents. Though boasting two taverns, "The Red Dog" and "The Blooded Vine", there is at first very little interest in the brandy and wine that the party carry. The itinerant peddler, "Gosern" finally agrees to trade a powerfully built longbow for the brandy but as he points out, the locals are more interested in alcohol content than taste. The local tipple of choice seems to be a crude potato alcohol that is named "Skag". Visiting both taverns, the party variously discover little more about the estate to the east. The marshes are greatly feared and the last of the Orgillions, Tobias, went missing presumably swallowed up by one of the treacherous bogs or sink holes. The party are encouraged to stay away from the manor and at all costs to avoid the open marsh and moorland as it is also haunted by malevolent spirits.
The barman of The Red Dog takes a shine to Cherry but unfortunately little information is extracted from him despite his surprising friendliness as he seems to be mute and communicates via a chalk-board. The owner of The Blooded Vine, "Hammy" is at first truculent and uncooperative but when he learns that the party have sold some of their wine to his brother, "Faelin", in Speyer he becomes far more animated. Paying a foolish amount for a firkin of wine, "Hammy" is delighted to have "proved" that anything the folks of Speyer can do, Bajorkham can do better. Sylke, despite her exotic and charming attempts, is similarly unable to glean much from the locals. She joins in a dice game of "Trap The Queen" with two elderly farmers but aside from local ghost stories, she learns little.
Returning to Speyer, the party consider various approaches to the manor. There estate was abandoned 60 years ago on the death of Hwyell Orgillion and his family; Hwyell lost his wife to illness and his daughter was killed in a riding accident. The poor man never fully recovered and committed suicide; he hung himself in his study. Tobias Orgillion, the surviving son vanished into the marshes some months later. Thus ended the Orgillion family and the estate slumbered for over a generation. No income for the locals but no taxes either. Then, a year ago new owners appeared but despite repairs to the estate there was both no work for the locals and little contact between the estate's new occupants and the villages. About a month ago two riders sped through Speyer at night towards the small docks but since then, there has been no news at all and no contact.
Cherry asks the water elemental, Lyssa, to use the Creeping Stream river and explore as much of the manor's environs as possible. Delighted to swim free and unfettered in the clear waters, Lyssa rushes away. She warns the party that the manor is occupied but oddly "nothing is living there". She also ominously relays the fact that something evil is present, something that she has not felt since the day the Hadeshill Asylum burned.
The next day, the party purchase a flat-bottomed skiff and head up the Creeping Stream to the estate. Leaving Spotted Jim stabled in Speyer, the party aim to approach the manor from the north and intend to climb the cliff edge of the hill that the house stands on and avoid a more obvious and open approach by road …
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