Ulrich von Rotz
Ulrich is the mentor of Reinhard der Schreiber. He trained him at a monastery school after noticing the boy had talent, and then recommended him for further study at the University of Insubria in the South. Ulrich also had a shop in which he practiced medicine and various forms of natural philosophy. His speciality was the study of monstrous births, and he is known to possess a variety of samples. He also practices exhumation and anatomy, and managed to remain on the right side of the law - until recently. He lived in a small garret above the shop.
Reinhard did not see Ulrich for many years, and was not certain what became of him. When he returned, he discovered that Ulrich had been imprisoned for malpractice, at the instigation of Irmel the Money Lender. According to Irmel, he was responsible for the fact that her daughter had a difficult pregnancy, and delivered a monster. According to Ulrich, he warned her at the outset, and told her how to prevent the disaster, but she did not listen, and blamed Ulrich afterwards. As Reinhard understands, Irmel and other members of the town council also ignored his warnings about the fact that the increase in monstrous births in general were a portent of looming disaster. Irmel used her economic muscle to prevail on the council to have Ulrich imprisoned. He remains in the Rathaus gaol even now, though he does not think this is a terrible place for him to be, given a renewed outbreak of Plague. Ulrich is also working on convincing the council to let Reinhard take temporary possession of his shop, to allow him to learn more about the causes of the Plague, and the matter concerning Ruprecht the Sexton.
Ulrich is a tall, gaunt man with a long white beard. He is a ponderous speaker, but seems personable enough. Aside from his research, one of his main concerns is for the ruling dynasty, which he thinks is a key asset for a territory in a time rife with instability.
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