Stargazy Pie

Stargazy Pie is the first book in Greenwing & Dart. It was published in 2016.

Published Blurb
Magic is out of fashion. Good manners never are.

Jemis Greenwing returned from university with a broken heart, a bad cold, and no prospects beyond a problematic inheritance and a job at the local bookstore.

Ragnor Bella is a placid little market town on the road to nowhere, where Jemis' family affairs have always been the main source of gossip. Having missed his stepfather's funeral, he is determined to keep his head down.

Unfortunately for his reputation, though fortunately for several other people, he falls quickly under the temptation of resuming the friendship of Mr. Dart of Dartington, Squire-in-training and beloved local daredevil. Mr. Dart is delighted to have Jemis' company for what will be, he assures him, a very small adventure.

Jemis expected the cut direct. The secret societies, criminal gangs, and illegal cult to the old gods--to say nothing of the mermaid--come as a complete surprise.

Ending Summary
Stargazy Pie's ending is notably confusing. Below is a summary of the plans and events revealed by the end of the book.

Spoiler Warning for Stargazy Pie!

There is a local cult of the Dark Kings operating in Ragnor Bella, which has three priests: a white priest, a black priest, and a silver priest. As of the end of SGP, Jemis does not have firm identifications for all the priests. The main goal of the cult, as our heroes currently understand it, is to restore the worship of the Dark Kings. Though there is clearly some overlap between the leaders of this cult and the Knockermen, it is unclear what the exact nature of the relationship between the two organizations is; it may simply be that they have mutually compatible goals.
 * Dominus Alvestone, who is a local scholar, is speculated by Mr. Dart and Mrs. Etaris to be the silver priest.
 * Madame Harcourt, the wizard companion of Domina Ringley, is speculated by Jemis to have been the white priest.

Judge Talgarth has as a hobby breeding sweet peas. He is currently away for the summer, and his wife’s sister, Domina Ringley, and her companion are staying with her in his absence. They are growing wireweed (a legume, a member of the pea family) for the Knockermen on the estate using his hobby as a cover. It is unclear if Dame Talgarth is involved.

Violet, as an agent of the Indrillines, a separate criminal organization, is in town to do several things, one of them being to steal the wireweed crop (which she successfully does). The second being to find a magic stone that is a “source of clean magic”, which Mrs. Etaris gives her in the form of the “stone mirror” the priests were using in their cult ceremonies.

Roald Ragnor baked the Stargazy Pie as a message to Violet, but Jemis does not know the details of what it is meant to communicate, or what the connection is between Violet and Roald. He speculates that Roald is being blackmailed in some way by the Indrilline as a result of gambling debts, which seems to be confirmed by a conversation he overhears between Roald and Violet.

At the conclusion of SGP, Dame Talgarth throws a dinner party/orgy; Mr. Dart and Roald are among the invited guests, as are Dominus Alvestone, Domina Ringley, and Madame Harcourt, who, as a wizard, is to be providing illusions as entertainment for the final course. Mrs. Etaris and Violet also sneak in.

The Knockermen plan to use this party as cover to collect the wireweed which has been harvested and stored on the estate, the three priests of the Dark Kings plan to use this party as cover to sacrifice the attendants to the Dark Kings, and Violet, on behalf on the Indrillines, plans to use the party as cover to steal the wireweed crop from the Knockermen. The Knockermen and the priests are in at least partial collusion.

Prior to the party, Jemis was at the Green Dragon, and met the Tarvenmoor duelist. He inadvertently said something that was the countersign of the Crimson Lake society, causing the duelist to give him his ring. Later that evening, he is recruited by the black priest to attend the party as a servant, and drug the desert course.

While dinner is being served, Madame Harcourt gropes Jemis, and sends him to the kitchen to let in an additional “guest” she is expecting, who turns out to be the black priest. When Jemis lets him in, he fucks with his head magically and Jemis ends up missing some time. Then one of the drugged servants gives him drugs while he’s still reeling.

Madame Harcourt begins her diversion to allow the Knockermen to come in and pick up the wireweed; this includes making it snow indoors and enchanting everyone to be high as balls. Meanwhile, Violet has drugged the wine with a potent aphrodisiac, as a diversion to allow the Indrilline to steal the wireweed from under the Knockermen. Roald knocks himself out, Jemis drags Mr. Dart off, and they bump into Mrs. Etaris and Violet.

The cultists, under Domina Ringley’s direction, also turn up and attempt to sacrifice the partygoers to the Dark Kings, but are interrupted by our heroes who successfully subdue the ringleaders.

Meanwhile, the Indrillines steal the wireweed. Someone knocked out and tied up the remaining cultists/Knockermen agents, and it may have been the Indrilline agents, but this is not clear.

Whatever, exactly, led Roald to do that tidy explanation at the end was done in consultation with Violet, and Jemis isn't aware of the details.