The Black Ships

Eric Sojonson is a Lesser Ambassador who travels by ship to the land of Honakei, a fantastic country that has long been off-limits to foreigners. Now, as one of the few people invited to explore this wonderful land, he first visits the royal winter playground at Lake Tajkamenta, then great palace at Korosan, and then begins a journey south through the great agricultural province of Utila. Beyond lies the province of Quagmire, so named because it is nothing but a great swamp, and south of that is another land of farming, Makani.
All seems perfect in this beautiful land of green and flowers-the people are polite and most respectful, and there seems to be no threat of any kind. But then the group hears word of a Swamp Devil, a woman who is either very young or very old, and who is a murderer who comes at night and rescues young girls who have been sold to brothels. And there is also hints that things are not perfect between the king and the queen. She has three sons and a daughter (are they really the children of the king?) and seems to lust for power, and he is old and sickly and may not have long to live. And there are whispers of another princess, one who disappeared from the castle three years previously, and who was a product of the king's first marriage. She was loved by the citizenry and was very popular. What happened to her? There had to have been foul play. Where the Fendaari responsible? These are a group who want to murder all the persons they cannot convert to their fantastical religion. Was someone else responsible? Was the queen and her children responsible? No one has any answers.
There is then a mutiny in the Great Swamp when the ambassadors must cross a wide creek with no bridge. No one will continue south, and only Eric volunteers. However, none of the party's marines or Samhise, the special warriors hired to protect the group, offer to travel south with him. Only one man says that he will accompany Eric, and this man is an improvised Samhise with old, torn, smelly pants with one leg shorter than another, an ancient hat that has been much abused, a coat that is too big for him, and a sword that appears to be something discarded by its previous owner.
Is this person someone with whom Eric can truly trust with his life?