diymy Chapter 97 Visiting Isle of Isle
Chapter 97 Visiting Isle of Isle
Chapter 97 Visiting Isle of Isle
Leaving Taberne Bay, we traveled south along the southern Argyle Peninsula, stopping for half a day at the Campbell town pier, the main residence of the Campbell family.
Although the place was called Campbell Town, Roger did not receive any special treatment. The head of the family was traveling and not in the territory, so one of Roger's cousins reluctantly received him.
They only warmed up a little after learning that Roger had brought a lot of salt.
Campbell's main fiefdom was a good place, located in the flattest and most fertile area of the southern Argyll peninsula. Animal husbandry and agriculture were relatively developed, and the population was relatively concentrated. It was many times richer than Glenn's Taber.
Roger had no fondness for the main branch of the family, but business is business. He still smiled and made a deal with his cousin to exchange salt for wool. Then he politely declined his cousin's invitation to a dinner party, which was hard to believe was genuine, and left by boat.
Roger continued sailing, turning east and north at Sanda Island in the south, heading towards Islay.
Islay is located at the southernmost tip of the western inner islands. Here, lakes and seas intertwine, harbors are deep and secluded, beaches are beautiful, heather blooms everywhere, and fishing villages built of gray stones are scattered among fertile farmlands.
This island is larger and flatter than Arun, so livestock and agriculture are more developed.
However, since Arran was once a hub of maritime trade, its population is not much different from that of Islay.
The island is currently ruled by Angus McDonald, who calls himself the ruler of the Western Islands, but he is generally recognized as a knight.
Because the nominal rulers of the Western Islands are the Soller family, Roger's nominal maternal grandparents' family.
In the Western Islands, especially the Outer West Islands, never judge a person's strength by their title or rank.
Like this "Lord of the Western Islands," he didn't even have a baronial title, but he and his family owned more than a dozen actual territories centered on Islay, ruling over tens of thousands of people and commanding three hundred warriors.
Because the Macdonald family frequently participated in Ireland's endless wars as mercenaries, they even wielded considerable influence in northern Ireland.
"
...The MacDonald family was a truly prominent family among the Viking remnants, with intricate and complex relationships throughout the Western Isles, extending to Ireland in the south and even Norway further north. Olaf, a gentry-turned-pirate, was a man of wide experience.
To survive in this sea area, one must be familiar with the situation of each family, lest one inadvertently cause a great disaster.
Roger also had some understanding of the various powerful families in his memories, but the original owner was a muddle-headed playboy charlatan who was not clear about the relationships between the families.
Olaf pointed to the various ships passing by the island's shore. "You once asked me why Olaf didn't become the biggest pirate in the North. I said that Olaf himself was a selfish and shallow bastard, but the main reason was that the biggest pirate group in the North was controlled by the MacDonald family."
"They were pirates too?"
"My lord, don't forget that they are descendants of Vikings; piracy is their traditional profession."
Roger nodded, not finding it surprising at all. In this era, which family with even a little influence didn't have two faces, operating in both the legal and illegal worlds?
Islay is full of reefs. Under Olaf's guidance, Captain Toran of the Seawolf carefully steered and sailed toward the port on the southeast corner of the island. As they approached the port, a fishing boat came up to inspect them.
They spotted the Seawolf's flag in the distance and assumed it was pirates coming to the island for trade. To prevent pirate trouble, they decided to conduct a thorough search.
Roger introduced himself and learned that he was a friend of Lord Angus. The armed fishermen who had been questioning him became much more polite and took the initiative to bring the Seawolf to the dock to wait.
Then they quickly sent someone to Dunnevig Castle to report to the lord.
Like all port castles, Dunnevig Castle is located on a slightly higher ground outside the port town, near the island, separated from the port docks by dozens of stone houses and thatched huts.
The castle structures are all the same, but this is a rare castle in the North with attached military camps.
The military camp was located on an open area to the right of the castle, with stone walls, barracks, training grounds, and other facilities faintly visible.
Returning to the castle itself, a moat was dug around the castle, at least six feet deep, with a gate below. Passing under the iron spike of the gate and through the killing hole, one would reach the two courtyards and watchtowers of the castle. Hunting dogs barked in the animal pens, and songs drifted from the lead-glass windows of the heptagonal wooden chapel.
In front of the blacksmith's shop, a blacksmith, with the help of his apprentice, was shoeing horses. There were also a dozen or so horses on the open ground nearby, clearly improved Norwegian fjord horses, which were slightly taller than ordinary Northland horses.
At the top of the main tower of the castle, a tall, middle-aged man with thick black hair and beard, wearing a thick gray velvet coat and a gray wool-trimmed cloak, tapped the wall with his right hand and gazed thoughtfully at the Kirk ship on the dock not far away.
A moment later, a man who looked like a steward came over. "Sir, the horses are ready."
The middle-aged man grunted in response, his eyes fixed on the port dock, and instructed, "This guest must be treated properly; we cannot let him feel that we are neglecting him."
The butler asked, puzzled, "Sir, since you value this distinguished guest so much, why not postpone your visit to the McLudd family by half a day?"
The middle-aged man chuckled lightly: "I am a man of integrity, and I know the purpose of this guest's visit. I will have to leave him hanging for a couple of days."
The butler nodded knowingly, clearly not the first time he had encountered such a situation.
After waiting for about half an hour at the port, an elderly man who looked like a steward arrived at the dock with several horse handlers to greet Roger and his party.
The butler said that Lord Angus had visited the McLudd family’s territory early that morning and asked Roger to wait for him for two days. Then he was arranged to rest in the castle’s VIP room, and his entourage was also properly settled.
In fact, Angus didn't need to do this. His tactic might be effective against ordinary nobles with "strong self-esteem," but it was completely useless against someone like Roger who had risen from the ranks of thugs.
After enjoying a sumptuous lunch prepared by the butler that day, Roger couldn't wait to visit several breweries on Islay.
Although he was not very knowledgeable, he had heard of the reputation of Scotch peaty whisky and had smuggled a lot of French champagne whisky that claimed to be Scotch whisky in his previous life.
He had naturally heard of Islay, the holy land of whisky, because of his business dealings.
Roger spent the entire afternoon riding around the island to visit several breweries, but returned disappointed.
Islay is rich in barley and has five or six sizable barley breweries, but the brews are actually just slightly stronger beer.
There was no distilled spirit like strong malt liquor in this era, and people at that time didn't even know what a still was.
Actually, Roger didn't need to be too disappointed; not having whiskey at this time wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him.