Felix Shwarzdorn is a hard man with a reputation for getting things done. He is summoned to Black Rock by the Graf, given a message for delivery to the Graf's son at Hugeldal together with 40/-, and told that he will receive further instructions together with the balance of payment once the message is delivered.
Felix makes his way south towards Hugeldal. But the weather closes in and despite the fact that it's only the autumn equinox a heavy snow begins to fall and the wind picks up, so that by the time he reaches the village of Messingen he decides to take shelter in the local tavern and continue his journey once the storm has subsided.
Meanwhile, the village is trying its best to celebrate Mittherbst the feast of autumn equinox and honour the passing of power from the gods Taal and Rhya to Ulric the god of winter. A large bonfire has been lit and despite the blizzard, the children and maidens dance around the flames as best they can in their flimsy cotton robes and sacrifice food to the flames in honour of the gods.
Everyone is glad when the gods have been adequately honoured and they can finally take shelter. Most of the men head straight for the tavern where Romerich Jaeger the apprentice to the local armourer gets steadily drunk and begins chatting to the stranger from Übersreik.
Thoroughly bored with life in the village Romerich is grateful for any distraction and the stranger has a few interesting stories to tell. Eventually, Romerich invites the stranger to spend the night at his home. His wife Wolfhilda often takes in lodgers and its cheaper, quieter and more comfortable than staying at the tavern.
Next morning the blizzard has subsided although the air is still chill and the land is covered in a veil of snow. Over breakfast, Rom and Felix discover that they both need to travel to Hugeldal that morning. Felix has his note to deliver and Rom has to take the armouries cart to the Hugeldal smelting yard in order to collect another shipment of metal as he does every week on Bezahltag.
They decide to travel together and having collected and harnessed the horse receive their final instructions from Rom's father Earnst the local armourer on what metal he needs to be collected.
They are about to leave Messingen for Hugeldal a journey of no more than two hours even allowing for the snow, and Rom knows that Wolfhilda expects him back before dark.