Session 2: Starting to dig...

Visiting the Prisoner

The prisoner, Augustus Steiner,  is currently being held in a cell at the Worshipful Guild of Legalists, having been transferred from the Collegium “for security reasons”. However, his cell has been upgraded a little – at his parents’ expense of course! A visit was arranged via the authorities, but apart from the gratitude of an earnest young man, little else was to be learnt.
Augustus Steiner is a Faculty Scholar, which means that he lives on the premises, and sees to a variety of mundane tasks for the Faculty staff. He agreed to act as bond simply for the Professor to arrange his affairs, and visit his patients. He has always thought of the Professor as a decent man, a good teacher and someone who gave his time to the cult of Shallya.
He knew nothing about the charges, but just thought it was Collegium politics. He seems rather confused.

Visiting the Parents
Isolde arranged a meeting with the the student’s parents. The Steiners are new nobility, essentially merchants who have bought themselves nobility. Since their son lives at the Collegium they were unaware of his foolish actions for some days. Madela Steiner is located at the family home in the Geldmund district. The Steiners are reputable import/export agents. She pointed the group in the direction of Udo Stradovski's brother, Anton.

Visiting the Collegium Theologica

Lienhard von Altenhaus

All those entering the college are politely stopped by Gabriel the Doorman and asked their business. The group was firstly directed to the Chancellor, Lienhard von Altenhaus. He is an elderly man, well dressed and wearing an Ulrican chain of office. He is polite, but can tell the party little. This is all very embarrassing and nonsensical to him.
Professor Stadovski was arrested under charges of sedition and
heresy. He is accused of suggesting that there is little to support
the existence of the gods, despite their power purportedly
revealing itself through the spells of their clerics. Having
studied the similarities in many spells, he suggested that one
might philosophise that clerics are simply deluded wizards
with even more deluded worshippers.
Professor Stradovski is a respected member of the college, a respected practising physician, a devout follower of Shallya and generally well liked. His particular specialism was the study of disease. He revealed that intra-departmental jealousy was responsible for the claims against the Professor. The Dean of Faculty post was currently vacant, and the two candidates for the post were Professors Stradovski and Humpis. The latter’s claims were simply an attempt to discredit the former, but had to be acted upon. The Collegium has its own Watch and jail, where the Professor was to be kept. The Collegium Court would have sat once the Cult of Ulric had appointed an appropriate representative, to join himself and the Dean of the DHSS. The Professor would, of course, have been found innocent. This charge might be a little excessive, but similar claims are not unusual between competing academics.
The Chancellor arranged a meeting with the Watch Captain, Registrar and Professor Humpis. He also arranged for entry to Professor Stradovski’s office.

The Theological Watch captain is quartered in the Collegium. He has a command of two watchmen, plus a few bouncers described below. Tringen Melber told them when the Professor was arrested late  on 2nd Nachexen, he was at first amused but had to be physically restrained as they were placing him in the cell.
A little later, he calmed down and asked to see Steiner, which Melber allowed. Although it was very late, the Professor insisted that this be done at once. The two were together for approximately 30 minutes, and then Melber called again (at which Udo was unimpressed). The Professor explained that he had urgent business to attend to, and that Steiner had agreed to act as bond. Melber suggested that they wait until daybreak, but Stradovski insisted. Since he had the right, Melber agreed.
Steiner was very subdued, but signed the appropriate forms, which Melber had to have drawn up by the Registrar.

The Registrar, Hektor Münzer, simply provided a form as requested. He is old and crotchety, and no he did not think that anything was odd. Having worked at the Collegium for 50 years, he has seen all sorts of requests at all sorts of hours.

Professor Ludwig Humpis is adamant that his claims were valid, and that Professor Stradovski was engaged in unwholesome beliefs. He refused to elaborate on his claims, stating that he is saving them for the trial. When the group accused him of politicking for the Deanship he demanded they left, and terminated the interview by calling for the Watch.

Professor Stradovski’s office is extremely cluttered, and it was hard to work out whether this was naturally.
Firstly, there are a large number of what are clearly the Professor’s lecture and research notes scattered about. Castian was able to read through some of the papers written in Classical, but the contents, concerning medical issues, eluded him.
Secondly, there are a number of texts in the office. A vellum scroll of high quality lamb hide contains An Essay on the Nature of Law whilst La Patrie is a pamphlet written in the Breton dialect. Pestbuch is a printed dictionary of disease, an edited version of certain theological texts on the divine nature
of disease containing a declaration on the first page that the book is licensed by the Imperial Justiciar. A sheaf of sheepskin parchments contain a number of essays on folklore and the role of the wise old woman in childbirth and other basic village medicine.
Thirdly, there is a small shrine to Shallya in a niche in one wall. Castian noted that the figure is slightly unusual in that it appears slightly too tall and thin, with an almost unkempt hairstyle and a vaguely androgynous form. There is nothing innately evil or ‘wrong’ with the representation; it simply appears strange.

Visiting the Brother
Professor Stradovski’s brother was found at home in Freiburg, and  Anton Stradovski will described his brother as a pre-eminent physician, a devout worshipper of Shallya, an excellent teacher and a good man. He cannot offer any reason for events, but will suggest that it must be some sort of misunderstanding. The two met approximately monthly for a meal and a chat, but there
was never any indication anything was wrong.

Visiting the Surgery
The Professor’s house served also as his surgery. It is a large townhouse in Ulricsmund, and includes a small garden at the back. Wigand detects many useful plants.
Both watchmen enter the building and follow the heroes. There is actually very little to see. The authorities have seized most of the assets, including furniture, in order to pay for the trial. No doubt certain of those public servants also helped themselves. The material left was stacked in one room, but it is mostly books and personal items. There is nothing of any value to be found, although it took a long while to realise this.
One point of note is that there is no shrine to Shallya, whom certain persons might have informed the party that the Professor devoutly worshipped.

Visiting the Maid

Fya Veter

Fya Veter, the Professor’s maid of some 8 years, was unceremoniously evicted from her residence at the surgery by the authorities and is extremely bitter. It was a good position, and helped her out of the slums. She is currently staying at a low class tavern in the Ostwald district, which is run by her brother. She has little sympathy for any of the better off classes, but readily admits that the Professor paid adequately and never bothered her. She acted as general housekeeper, and so attended to patients and guests as they entered. However, the Professor rarely entertained and she recalls nothing particular about any visitor or patient.
She at one stage pointed out that he was not religious, though he did pretend this.
As a cynic herself, she never found this unduly surprising. Also, given a short time to pack, in addition to her own meagre belongings, she managed to obtain a lockbox from the Professor’s study in which he kept precious items. Wigand bargained about the price for these contents, and was able to buy them for about 2GC. The box and its obvious valuables she sold to a fence, and they are unrecoverable. However, the papers might be useful, as amongst a sheaf of fairly dreary notes for a lecture series and some patient notes, is a reference work to a tome referred to as the Sieuchebuch and implying that the book is in some manner proscribed.