Recaps

Roger returned to Allen Island after being expelled from a monastery and went to Rocklanza Village, where he and two ruffians attacked the headman’s household. As Roger prepared to assault the headman’s daughter, someone struck him in the temple with a heavy club.

• Rednose and the Rocklanza headman discussed Roger’s return and the rumors behind his expulsion from the monastery.
• Roger told Green Sweater that he denied fathering the nun’s child and learned that the headman was away collecting taxes.
• Roger arrived at Rocklanza with Green Sweater and Black Cloak, and the villagers backed away when they recognized his name.
• Roger and his accomplices forced their way into the headman’s courtyard, knocked down the two apprentices, and seized the headman’s daughter.
• As Roger prepared to assault the girl, an unseen attacker hit him in the temple with a heavy club.

After dying in a modern alley, Roger awoke in medieval Scotland as the injured second son of Sir Colin Campbell, who planned to send him to sea after a campaign against the English. Confined to bed and haunted by memories from both lives, Roger began to grasp his new situation as a young servant came to help him.

• A gunman shot Roger in the shoulder, but Roger struck back with his fire axe as the man aimed at his head.
• Roger awoke in a sickbed as Sir Colin condemned him and announced that he would send him to sea after returning from a campaign in Galloway.
• Roger's mother defended him, but Sir Colin ordered his confinement and threatened the steward if he left the bedroom.
• Roger surveyed his bleak room and reflected on the Campbell family's history, his illness, and the memories haunting his dreams.
• Roger tried to sit up but suffered intense pain, and a freckled boy entered and urged him to lie back down.

Roger woke and asked Igo to fetch his hunting knife while recovering from his injury. At Stackport, Allen Island’s forces prepared to sail against the English, as Roger’s family faced tensions over his recovery and a complaint against him.

• Roger told Igo to leave, then asked him to bring the hunting knife from the wall.
• At Stackport, soldiers, horses, and supplies boarded the Baron, White Sail, and the Noel Ship for the expedition.
• Roger’s father and the trusted sergeant Ma'en boarded with the island’s forces, leaving Louis to look after his mother.
• Roger’s mother told the Baroness that Roger was no longer in danger, while the Baroness’s son John mocked him and said the village chief planned to sue.
• The Baroness warned Mary to keep Roger from harming the islanders, and Mary left angrily with Louis.

Twenty days after waking in a strange world, Roger had made his room more comfortable and demanded a map while staying under the steward’s watch. The green-clad thug visited with roast chicken and reported that he and Allen Island’s rangers had avenged Roger by dealing with Gary.

• Roger ordered the freckled young man to add his costly ginger to fried pork, then rejected the dish because the salt was coarse and it tasted awful.
• Roger demanded a map of the world, and the freckled young man said the island had none and that church maps described lands east of Jerusalem as wilderness ruled by devils and heathens.
• Roger gave the fried pork to the freckled young man and ordered hot water for a bath, then waited for the green-clad thug to visit.
• The green-clad thug climbed to Roger’s window with half a roast chicken and said he and Allen Island’s rangers had avenged Roger by dealing with Gary, the village chief of Rocklanza Village.

Roger learned from Neil about the island’s salt trade and recent events, then heard from his mother that his father and elder brother would return soon with spoils. After eating the manor’s newly made soft bread, Roger asked to be released and called his mother by name for the first time, leaving her overwhelmed with joy.

• Neil visited Roger in confinement, recounted a failed raid on a village, and shared a stolen roasted hen with him.
• Roger questioned Neil about recent events and learned that the stolen refined salt came from the Colin family’s Salt Beach and was traded to Irish merchants.
• Roger’s mother visited and told him that his father and elder brother had captured an English-held castle and were expected home within days.
• Roger ate soft wheat bread made with yeast he had helped develop and enjoyed the meal prepared for him.
• Roger told his mother he should be released and called her “Mother,” prompting her to embrace the cook and cry with joy.

After twenty-four days confined in the attic, Roger persuaded Bitter Melon Face to let him leave by claiming he had changed and wanted to confess at Brodick Church. He prepared to go out dressed like an ordinary farm lad, and the chapter ended with him confronting Little Horseherd Igo, who followed him.

• Bitter Melon Face refused to release Roger before the full month of confinement had passed, so Roger counted six earlier days toward the order.
• Roger appealed to his mother and promised that God had saved him and that he would no longer commit evil, then used a visit to Brodick Church as a pretext to get Bitter Melon Face to stand up and let him out.
• Roger brushed his teeth with hazel twigs and salt, then dressed in a simple robe, riding breeches, and short boots.
• Roger checked the coins in his pouch and reflected on their value, including the ten shillings his mother had set aside as an offering to God.
• As Roger stepped out of the bedroom, Little Horseherd Igo hurried after him, and Roger demanded to know why he was following.

Roger rode to Lamlash with Igo and met Baldhead and two of his criminal associates, whom he treated as friends despite Igo’s objections. The group headed off to drink, leaving Roger’s original plan to visit the church unresolved.

• Roger asked Igo to get him a horse, but Igo brought a donkey because the estate’s horses and mule were unavailable.
• As Roger and Igo traveled through the countryside, farmers fled from Roger, while the fishermen of Lamlash greeted him without fear.
• Roger met Baldhead, Leman, and Earl Haraldson, and learned that their associate Blackhide Dog was imprisoned for stealing from the Baron’s house.
• Igo insulted Baldhead, but Roger told him that the thugs were his friends and ordered him to be quiet.
• Baldhead led Roger toward a drinking gathering, and Roger pulled free when Igo tried to remind him that he was supposed to visit the church.

Roger entered Brodick during Allen Island’s Wool Market and saw how the townspeople feared and despised him. After his companion Baldhead took roasted lamb from a stall by force, Roger paid the owner two silver pennies and continued toward the castle, leaving the town stunned.

• Roger led Little Horseherd and three thugs into Brodick’s muddy market town during the Wool Market.
• The food-stall owner One-Eye recognized Roger and screamed, sending townspeople and vendors fleeing.
• Baldhead took roasted lamb from One-Eye’s stall and shared it with the other thugs.
• Roger tasted the lamb, then walked to the counter as One-Eye feared he would steal the stall’s earnings.
• Roger left two silver pennies beside One-Eye’s coin jar and headed toward the castle, astonishing the townspeople.

Roger entered Brodick Castle with Little Horseherd and confronted his cousin John IV, then went to the deserted Brodick Church to look around. He called for the priest Matthew, alarming Igo.

• Roger entered Brodick Castle with Little Horseherd while Baldhead and the other hooligans waited outside.
• John IV confronted Roger for entering the castle, and Roger taunted him about his wife and attendant.
• After John IV insulted Roger and Little Horseherd, Roger challenged him, then continued on to Brodick Church with Little Horseherd.
• Roger explored the empty church and called out for Matthew, prompting Igo to warn him against addressing the priest by name inside the church.

Roger tricked Father Matthew into believing he had donated nearly all his money, then left Brodick Castle and headed to the Red Mill. The chapter leaves him outside the town’s brothel with his companions, on his first outing in this world.

• Roger told Father Matthew he had come to pray and donate, then sent Igo to check on Young Master Louis.
• Roger dropped only a few silver pennies into the donation box and threatened Father Matthew into claiming he had donated everything.
• Roger left the church before Igo returned and slipped out of Brodick Castle.
• Roger led the green-clad bald man, three thugs, and a donkey to the Red Mill, Brodick Town’s den of luxury and debauchery.

Roger visited the Red Mill with his men, where a dispute with traveling merchants was interrupted by Lady Kate, the brothel's manager. He settled an unpaid bill from his previous visit and treated his men to food and drink, leaving Lady Kate wondering whether he had changed.

• Roger entered the Red Mill with the bald man in green and Gray Rat, despite the foul stench and his concerns about the poor sanitation.
• The bald man in green and Gray Rat argued with five merchants over seats in the private area, and the dispute nearly turned into a fight.
• Lady Kate came downstairs, flirted with Roger, and reminded him that his earlier visit had left a wine bill unpaid.
• Roger remembered his drunken night with Lady Kate and the attendant called half-penny, then paid with silver pennies and offered the remainder for food and beer.
• Lady Kate gave the coins to the attendant for the accounts as Roger took the seat of honor, and she wondered whether he had changed after injuring his head.

Roger and his companions were confronted at the Red Mill by Ulf, a notorious pirate who attacked the men at their table. Madam Kate tried to calm Ulf, but he recognized Roger and accused him of humiliating the Gary Household’s daughter, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Halfpenny served Roger and his companions a lavish meal, while the men joked about her interest in Roger.
• Ulf descended from the upstairs rooms and demanded to know who had made a racket, frightening the people in the hall.
• Ulf recognized Ponytail and kicked him down, then struck Green Toad twice.
• Roger ordered Ulf to stop, and Ulf took Roger’s hunting knife and threatened him with it.
• Madam Kate identified Roger as a member of Sir Colin’s family and offered to pay for the drinks, but Ulf accused Roger of humiliating the Gary Household’s daughter and threatened him with the knife.

Roger killed the sea pirate Ulf at the Red Mill and drove off his two accomplices, then divided the dead pirate’s loot and warned those who remained that they needed to prepare to survive. As night fell, Brodick feared the pirates’ revenge, and the settlement’s undermanned defenses struggled to prepare.

• Roger stabbed Ulf to death when the pirate threatened him, then fought off Ulf’s two lackeys with a jug and a hand axe.
• Roger claimed that he had killed Ulf under Young Master John's orders, and Ponytail and Baldhead helped him drive the two lackeys away.
• White-faced John arrived with the one-armed old constable and three constables, but the pirates had already escaped.
• Roger searched Ulf’s corpse, divided the coins among himself, Baldhead, Ponytail, and Lady Kate, and urged the others to plan how to stay alive.
• As night fell, Brodick’s residents took refuge behind the castle gates, while the one-armed constable organized a small force to patrol and defend the walls.

Roger planned to turn the pirates’ internal divisions and the islanders into weapons against them, sending Ponytail undercover and Baldy to recruit men. The plan began before dawn, but Roger still had to find poison and persuade people to join the fight.

• Roger learned from Ponytail that Sea Monster resented Ulf and that the pirates’ third leader opposed him, then planned to exploit their rivalries.
• Roger ordered Ponytail to infiltrate the pirates, spread suspicion about Sea Monster, poison their food, and signal when the attack could begin.
• Roger sent Baldy to recruit islanders by promising wages, treasure, and a meal, and gave him money for the task.
• Baldy questioned how Roger would obtain poison and claim John was recruiting soldiers, but Roger told him to rest while he found a solution.
• Kate watched Roger and the two thugs settle in for the night, and Roger woke before dawn after arranging breakfast and a timely wake-up.

Roger prepared to carry out his plan against the pirates while Baldhead and Ponytail set out to help him. His family steward arrived at the Red Mill and pleaded with him to return to the manor, but Roger refused and the steward broke down in grief.

• Roger accepted Madam Kate's one-shilling daily rent for a cart horse and prepared for the plan with armor and weapons.
• Roger sent Baldhead out with a dagger and coached Ponytail on how to infiltrate the pirates and poison them.
• The church bell rang as Brodick remained silent and the frightened townspeople kept their doors shut.
• Bitter Melon Face arrived at the Red Mill and begged Roger to return to the manor, explaining that Madam Mary had ordered him to bring Roger home.
• Roger refused to leave Brodick, saying he would rid Allen Island of the sea raiders, and Bitter Melon Face fell to the ground weeping.

Roger obtained a vial of deadly yew sap from Kate and arranged for Ponytail to use it in a plan against the pirates. He left Bitter Melon Face and Halfpenny to prepare a free lunch for Brodick’s defenders and headed toward Brodick Castle.

• Kate gave Roger a small vial of Short-leaved Yew sap for halfpenny.
• Roger told Ponytail to hide the poison and follow their plan to spread false information, divide the pirates, poison their dinner, and set a fire.
• Ponytail hid his belongings in the stable, changed into discarded shoes, and slipped out of the market town unnoticed.
• Roger persuaded Bitter Melon Face to prepare lunch for one or two hundred islanders and gave him gold coins to pay for supplies.
• Roger asked Halfpenny to help Bitter Melon Face organize the meal, then left for Brodick Castle.

Baldhead organized a recruitment campaign across southern Allen Island, using silver and promises of free lunch to summon villagers to Brodick for Roger’s supposed battle with the people of Luo Ke Lanzha. After sending his messengers out, Baldhead set off for the southern villages but was thrown from his horse into a basket of cow dung.

• Baldhead gathered five thugs and youths by the roadside and claimed Roger had defeated Village Chief Gary and called for support in Brodick.
• Baldhead offered each recruit a silver penny and promised free lunch, with more silver for villagers willing to fight.
• Baldhead assigned the group to spread word across the villages and settlements of southern Allen Island.
• Baldhead rode toward Kildonan and Kilmory to recruit men he knew, but his horse threw him into a basket of cow dung.

Roger persuaded White-faced John and the Baroness to support an expedition against the pirates threatening Allen Island. The Baroness agreed to limited funding, access to the castle armory, and Roger's command of the recruited force, leaving him to gather men and choose their equipment.

• Roger confronted White-faced John at Brodick Castle and warned that the pirates' attacks would damage John's reputation as the island's acting lord.
• Roger revealed that he planned to recruit sturdy islanders and lead them north to wipe out the pirates.
• The Baroness entered the study and questioned what Roger wanted John to provide.
• Roger asked for five pounds in bounty money, weapons and armor from the castle armory, John's public encouragement, and command of the force.
• The Baroness refused some of Roger's terms but offered one pound in silver pennies, ordered the steward to supervise its distribution, and authorized Roger to take suitable arms and armor from the sheriff's store, provided everything was returned.

Roger negotiated a silver bounty and a horse from the Baroness before heading toward the Red Mill. At the pirates’ abandoned mill, Ponytail warned them that John planned an ambush, but Sea Monster refused to retreat and insisted on avenging the chief.

• Roger bargained the Baroness up to a bounty of one and a half pounds and secured permission to borrow a horse from the castle stables.
• Roger left with the bottle of wine and promised to meet the future Baron at the gates of the Red Mill at noon.
• Ponytail, beaten and captured by the pirates, claimed Earl had escaped to warn them that John’s men planned to ambush them.
• Olaf advised Sea Monster to withdraw and avenge the chief later, but Sea Monster threatened anyone who tried to flee.
• Olaf ordered the fishermen to change Ponytail into clean clothes and keep him under watch, while Ponytail secretly showed smugness.

Ponytail planted a story linking the Colin family to the chief’s death while eating stolen wheat porridge, hoping the old lackey would recognize a clue. The old lackey missed the implication, but the young lackey overheard Ponytail’s mention of Whiteface as he carried lunch to the two chiefs.

• The old lackey secretly gave hungry Ponytail half a bowl of wheat porridge.
• Ponytail claimed that a young master from the Colin family had killed the chief and described how the chief had been lured to the Red Mill.
• Ponytail mentioned hearing someone say they were thanking Whiteface for help, then watched for the old lackey’s reaction.
• The old lackey wondered how the killers had known the chief’s plans, but failed to grasp Ponytail’s hint.
• The young lackey overheard the conversation and carried bowls of porridge and bread to the two chiefs.

Roger's attempt to recruit islanders by offering free meals drew hundreds to the Red Mill, though many arrived under the mistaken impression that they would join a group fight. After seeing how few able-bodied men remained on Allen Island, Roger offered another meal and began gathering potential defenders for the castle and town.

• Roger waited at the Red Mill while only a handful of locals came for the free soup and bread.
• A farmer learned that the meal was free and asked whether people who joined a group fight would receive extra rewards, prompting the waiting farmers to summon others.
• Hundreds of islanders rushed to the Red Mill with bowls and farm tools, overwhelming the food stall.
• Bitter Melon Face told Roger that fewer than sixty able-bodied men remained on the island and that more ingredients would be needed.
• Roger told Bitter Melon Face to recruit strong men as warriors, promised another free meal at sunset, and asked him to borrow flour from White John.
• Roger sent Baldhead to gather his self-proclaimed warriors and left the Red Mill, hoping Ponytail's recruits would be more capable.

Olaf learned that Sea Monster might have betrayed the pirates’ first leader and secretly warned men who hated the second leader to watch his associates. In Brodick, Roger recruited islanders to defend the town and castle, leaving Master Gowan to select the able-bodied men before Roger chose the final group.

• Olaf realized that Sea Monster might have colluded with Baron John to kill the first leader, then ordered a lackey to warn men who disliked the second leader.
• Baldhead told islanders a boastful account of Roger killing Ulf, while many islanders left after learning they faced murderous pirates.
• White-faced John calmed the islanders, explained the recruitment’s purpose, and raised the pay for ordinary recruits; Roger promised food and hired bards to keep people there.
• Roger asked the veteran constable Gowan to help select warriors, and Gowan dismissed recruits who were too young, frail, or burdened with family responsibilities.
• Gowan narrowed the recruits to fewer than fifty, then accepted Roger’s silver pennies to buy the men ale and returned to the castle.

Roger recruited islanders for a nighttime attack on the pirates’ northern hideout, using gold rewards and news of a poisoning plot to persuade them. He left the church with eighteen volunteers, while the remaining islanders were ordered to stay put until nightfall.

• Roger allowed Gray Rat, who had fled during the previous day’s fight, to rejoin the group after Baldhead beat him.
• Roger brought the selected islanders into Brodick Church for a blessing, then revealed they would attack the pirates’ nest rather than merely defend the castle.
• Roger offered gold coins and a share of the pirates’ treasure, and Fat Widow and sixteen other islanders volunteered to fight.
• Baldhead revealed that Baron John had placed an insider among the pirates and that most of them would be poisoned that night.
• Roger assigned Gray Rat to scout the enemy for half a gold coin and ordered the other islanders confined in the church until nightfall.
• Roger led the eighteen volunteers out toward the castle barracks to prepare for the night’s attack.

Roger searched Brodick Castle for weapons and armor to equip his men, but found mostly rusted, damaged scraps. After arguing with John, he secured a hunting crossbow, two sets of weapons, and the release of several imprisoned thugs for his force.

• Roger found the watchtower armory nearly empty, with only a few damaged weapons and six short spears.
• The guardsman showed Roger two ruined padded armors and a badly damaged coat of plates, and Roger ordered the islanders to carry everything away.
• Roger entered the Baron's residence and stopped John from tugging at a pretty boy.
• Roger argued with John and obtained a hunting crossbow and two full sets of weapons from the residence storeroom.
• John refused to release the five guardsmen, so Roger arranged for young, able-bodied thugs, including Blackhide Dog, to leave the manor's basement and join his force.

Roger assembled a twenty-two-person force from islanders, thugs, and released prisoners to fight pirates in the north, gathering weapons and assigning equipment according to their experience and ability. The makeshift Bandit Suppression Army left Brodick Castle with a horse and a mule and headed north.

• Roger brought Blackhide Dog and two other released thugs from the dungeon to the barracks, where Baldhead greeted them and shared his hidden bread.
• Roger ordered Baldhead to gather useful weapons from the market town, pay the islanders rent for them, and bring a mule loaded with food and wine.
• Roger inspected the recruits' battle experience and distributed armor and weapons, assigning Baldhead to use the crossbow from the rear ranks.
• Roger gave the damaged cloth-covered iron armor to Blackhide Dog and watched Fat Widow choose a blacksmith's hammer.
• Roger led the twenty-two warriors, a horse, and a mule out through Brodick Castle's rear gate toward the north.