Piemakers' Guild

The Piemakers’ Guild is a new addition to Stirhauf, created with the full support of the town mayor. It has brought a new dimension to an already proud part of Stirhauf heritage, and never have the people of Stirhauf ever had such a choice in pies.
It has also brought an influx of halflings, keen to sample the pies on sale throughout the town.
The Guild is looking at ways to improve on piemaking in the town, gathering recipes and ingredients from afar, paying with good money for the rarer of these.

Under the Guild’s charter, it is responsible for the making, selling and distribution of Stirhauf and other areas of jurisdiction. Cooperation with the Sandyhill family has extended this jurisdiction to the village of Altstrausfahr on the river Stir. The guild is as yet young and has had few challenges to its authority. Its good standing with the mayor, the halfling community and the temple of Sigmar have kept it free of trouble so far.

Guild Buildings [Back to Top]

The Guild has yet to build its own Guild House, its member currently scattered through the homes and places of business of the Master Piemakers.

Crumbly’s Bar

Funded from the wealth of one of Dieters’ dead friends, Crumbly’s Bar is the official meeting place of the guild. A large tavern with a few rooms for paying guests, it serves a wide variety of pies, but no other food. Many members of the guild can be found there in the evenings and a whole section is fitted for the use of halflings.

Paddit’s Pies

Paddit’s Pies is the oldest pie establishment in Stirhauf, a part of town life for over three halfling generations. Open all night and all day, it is always full of halfling activity and is the centre of their presence in the town. Most of the Burrows family live here in the back rooms, even those who aren’t officially part of the pie shop. All know how to bake a pie and are willing to give a hand where needed. Many a halfling from out of town has spent a pleasant few days at Paddit’s helping out and sleeping wherever there is space.

The pies on sale are of the best quality, baked by some of the finest piemakers for miles around. Those that don’t meet Paddit’s exacting standards are eaten by the Burrows or handed off to others, such as Lakin or the Sandyhills.

Members (Masters) of the Piemakers’ Guild [Back to Top]

Full masters of the Piemakers’ Guild set the rules and tariffs, vote on council matters, take apprentices and journeymen and exercise the full power of the guild.

Bercit Millpond, Guildmaster

Many are surprised that it is not the founder of the Guild who is the Guild Master, but his head chef. The four original guild members could not agree between them who would be the Guild Master, but when Bercit won a pie-making contest in Kemperbad, the deadlock broke and he became the Guild Master.

Bercit is a Halfling Male Merchant, Ex-Militaman, and is described fully here

Dieter of Marienburg

Founder of the Piemakers’ Guild and owner of Crumbly’s Bar, many regard Dieter as the most influential member of the Guild. He is proud of his achievements so far but is driven to improve the quality of pie-making in Stirhauf until it is renowned across the Empire and the entire Old World. When this happens, he also plans to be Guild Master of the guild he founded.

Dieter is a Human [Marienburg] Male Innkeeper, who has lead a colourful life so far and is fully described here

Droga Sandyhill

Begrudgingly granted her full Guild membership, Droga is the primary pie maker of the Sandyhill Clan. A large family of halflings that operate along the river Stir, they have much influence among local halflings and give the Piemakers’ Guild a far larger reach than they might otherwise have. She is rarely seen in Stirhauf, but many of her family, acting as apprentices and journeymen, are seen at the docks and among the halflings here.

Droga is a Halfling Female Tradesman, Ex-Peasant, and is fully described here

Paddit Burrows

One of the four founding members, Paddit owns the oldest pie establishment in Stirhauf, which has been handed down from father to son for three halfling generations. Business is burgeoning for Paddit at the moment, and many of his family serve as apprentices and journeymen in his establishment. He is popular around the town and probably the most respected halfling in Stirhauf.

Paddit is a Halfling Male Tradesman, and is fully described here

Roland of Parravon

The newest full member of the Piemakers’ Guild, Roland appeared with documents proving he was a member of a Bretonnian Bakers’ Guild. After making a generous and heartfelt donation to the Guild, his piemaking skills were ratified and he was accepted as a full member. Others find Roland’s pies to be…. interesting. Filled with snails, garlic, onions, frogs and other foreign combinations, his smooth-talking sells pies more than the smell and taste of them.

Roland is a Human (Bretonnia) Male Tradesman, Ex-Camp Follower, and is fully described here

Journeymen Members [Back to Top]

Journeymen are not yet full members, and may never be. However, they have proved themselves enough to practice their trade with the guild’s blessing, so long as they have paid their dues. They are not entitled to take apprentices, vote on Guild matters or set-up a permanent shop of their own.

Eva of the Moot

Once a cook and driver on the same fateful expedition to Cathay as Dieter, Eva now works as Bercit’s chief assistant at Crumbly’s. A bright and cheerful girl, she has been courted by many of the halfling population in town. For the moment she concentrates on improving her pie-making skills and becoming a fully-fledged guild member. Others have noticed Eva’s dislike for Stirhaufs’ most respected halfling, Paddit, but the reason as to why remain a mystery to them.

Eva is a Halfling Female Servant

Lakin Guzzlewit

One of the four founding members, Lakin is the most well-known pie seller in the town. After falling out with Dieter, Lakin found himself demoted by a vote of the other three founding members. Lakin has since made his peace with the Marienburger and is content with his Journeyman status.

Lakin is a Halfling Male Agitator, and is fully described here

Erminwick Burrows

A nephew of Paddit, this halfling has learnt all of the secrets that his uncle can teach. He is now in charge of younger brothers and sisters, cousins, nephews and nieces among the Burrows family, teaching Paddit’s apprentices what he can of the trade. For almost a year now, he has looked to leave the safety of his uncle and set up on his own. Three times he has almost left, only stopped at the last moment by his uncles bribes and pleas.

Erminwick is a Male Halfling Tradesman.

Fildwit and Robber Sandyhill

Fildwit and Robber operate a mobile pie shop in a battered but solid rowing boat. They can often be found In Stirhauf, Altstrausfahr, Staugerbad, Kraheufer or other villages along the Stir and Staug, selling their pies, baked fresh that morning. Occasionally they pick up various packages for others in their family, alongside the pies and ingredients they need. Sometimes these packages are secreted in the pies themselves.

Fildwit and Robber are both Halfling Male Smugglers.

Hartet Custard

Engaged to another of Paddit’s nephews, Hartet has been working in Paddit’s Pies for over a year. A gifted piemaker, she also treats various aches and pains of the halflings, pulling teeth and cutting hair. She is currently Paddit’s favoured protégé, learning the secrets of the Burrows piemaking traditions.

Hartet is a Female Halfling Tradesman, Ex-Barber-Surgeon

Nellin Burrows

A nephew of Paddit’s who has worked in the pie shop for over twenty years, Nellin is more skilled at running day-to-day affairs than baking pies. He is married and settled, content to see his children through the Piemakers’ Guild. It is Nellin who is most often found serving from day-to-day, talking over the gossip of the town with regulars and strangers alike. His eldest son, Lobodoc, has just started his apprenticeship with Paddit.

Nellin is a Halfling Male Burgher.

Roki Kadkrison

The only dwarf in the Piemakers’ Guild, Roki has cooked for the miners for many years and is part of the Ogarn clan. Seeing a chance to gain some more respect for himself, he managed to gain journeyman membership of the guild and bakes his pies for many of the dwarfs. A proud member of the militia, he has tried to persuade other guild members to join him there. He dreams of becoming a full guild-member and leading his own unit in the militia. Others wisely leave him to his dreams.

Roki is a Dwarf Male Militaman

Tilman of Kemperbad

Rescued by friends of Dieter from slavery in an illegal silver mine, Tilman sold his famous pie recipe to Crumbly’s Bar. By days he now works in the Stirhauf mine and by evenings he works at his pie-making skills with Dieter.

A devout Sigmarite, he has the favour of the priests of Sigmar and works hard to keep their regard. Occasionally he visits family in Staugerbad.

Tilman is a Human Male Miner, Ex-Camp Follower.

Apprentice Members

Both the Burrows and Sandyhill families have apprentices several of their younger members to the Piemakers’ Guild, while Bercit has two female halfling assistants in Clofalot Crumbly and Dogy Downside. Roland has recently taken on two apprentices, one a local lad and the other of Tilean stock.

Friends of the Guild [Back to Top]

For such a new establishment, the Piemakers’ Guild already has much influence in Stirhauf. Many in the town find the recent pie craze bizarre, but are proud that the town is becoming known for something more than a mine and a dispute with the Imperial Cartographers.

The Mayor

Wolfgang Wulfsohn is the most recently elected mayor of Stirhauf, and the most valuable ally of the Piemakers’ Guild. It was with his support that the creation of the Guild was made possible, alongside the heritage of Paddit’s Pies, patronage of Dieter and popularity of Lakin.

The favour was soon returned when the Piemakers’ Guild supported the creation of the Brewers’ Guild. A hugely unpopular move with the Merchants’ Guild, the mayor was most appreciative of his allies’ support during the arguments that went on, and will give them any aid within his power.

Sandyhill Clan

Almost any journey on the River Stir or the River Staug will bring travellers into contact with the Sandyhills. These river-bound halflings ply their craft all along these waters, as fishermen, ferrymen, traders and smugglers. They have put their full support behind the Piemakers’ Guild in Stirhauf, and hope to expand its influence as far as Kemperbad and Wurtbad.

Their patriarch was once a renowned baker in Talabheim, who fell afoul of cultists who tortured and blinded him. He now sees out the rest of his days in quiet surroundings, guiding his family from afar.

Temple of Sigmar

The most surprising supporter of the guild in Stirhauf has been the Temple of Sigmar. Promising funds for a new guildhouse and buying many pies for holy days, it has even encouraged the loyal members of its congregation to eat pies several times a week and supported several pie-baking initiatives.

.Members of the guild are unsure why the support is so strong, but it has brought about much of the current demand for pies and helped fill the Guild’s coffers. Dieter doesn’t question the support of the temple, sure that his faith in Sigmar is being justly rewarded.

Mercer Farfield

An enterprising halfling who works closely with the Delfholt Gang, he is the primary rat catcher of the town. He sells many of the rats he finds to Paddit, and at the same time fills him in on the gossip of the town and the goings-on at the docks.

Quiet and determined, many overlook this hard-working halfling, underestimating his value to the underworld and halfling community alike. He has a small but vicious dog called Johanna.

Mercer is a Halfling Male Rat Catcher.

Companions of the Pie

In the past, Dieter has employed several people to go beyond the town limits for him. Few know who these individuals are and they have been given the mocking title “Companions of the Pie”. Rumour has it they were responsible for rescuing the mine Tilman, for the destruction of a toll-keeper’s house near Altstausfahr and Bercit’s victory in the Kemperbad Pie Contest. Some say they are normal folk of the town, others say they are outlaws, but most are sure that Dieter can call upon them in times of need.

Foes of the Guild [Back to Top]

Not everyone supports the creation of the Piemakers’ Guild and the current popularity of pies. Some blame the rise in petty thefts on the influx of halflings into the town.

Reinhard Delfholt

The Guild Master of the Stevedores’ Guild and head of the Delfholt Gang, Reinhard hates the mayor of Stirhauf with a passion. When the Piemakers’ Guild supported the mayor in the debacle of the Brewers’ Guild, he extended his hatred to them as well.

Members of the piemakers’ Guild are careful to look over any goods which go through the docks, as frequently they find they have been mislaid, mishandled, broken or short of some items. There is talk among the guild council on how to repair relations between Reinhard and the Piemakers.

The exception to this treatment appears to be the Sandyhill members of the Guild, who have had dealings at the docks for many a year.

Nellbelly Greenhill

When there was first news of halfling bandits in the woods near Stirhauf, many laughed it off.

Until they were robbed, that is.

Nellbelly and his gang of halfling outlaws have extorted many a “pie tax” from travellers, evading several attempts to hunt them down. Nellbelly himself has a healthy fifty crown bounty on his head, half of which has been promised by the Piemakers’ Guild.

Bercit and his fellow guild members see the bandit’s actions as a slur on their guild, and have made his capture or execution their own responsibility in the last few months.

The outlaws have responded by ambushing several members of the Piemakers’ Guild on the road, leaving them nothing to their person beyond a rough cloth sack.

Nellbelly is a Halfling Male Outlaw Chief, Ex-Scout, Ex-Bounty Hunter

Adventure Hooks [Back to Top]

The guild is still in its infancy, developing its structure and power in Stirhauf. Bercit has plans to build a grand central Guild House, the Sandyhill Family want to extend its influence out of Stirhauf and Dieter is working to build the reputation of the Piemakers’ Guild across the Empire. And with Pie Week fast approaching, the guild is heading for its largest challenge to date.

All this leads to opportunities for others.

Pie Tax

Members of the Merchants’ Guild have proposed a pie tax, just in time for Pie Week. The members of the Piemakers’ Guild are unsure how the halflings would react to a restriction on the number of pies they can afford or make. But the tax has strong support in the council, and they may need to bring in outside help “sway” the way some members of the town council vote.

Gold in the Pastry

A servant in the Von Stirhauf household was most surprised when he bit into a pie and tasted metal instead of meat. The bracelet within was quickly identified by one of his fellows as one which had recently gone missing from a noble’s home in Wurtbad. The watch quickly apprehended the pie seller Lakin Guzzlewit, who was at a loss as to where the bracelet came from.

Now the Piemakers’ Guild are hurrying to cover-up the mess as fast as they can, the authorities are trying to find out who is responsible, and the Sandyhill Clan are checking how one of their specially marked pies got so far from its intended route.

Ingredients and Recipes

Dieter is always after rare recipes and ingredients. He needs people to find him troll bile, a sea-lion, a striped horse and several gallons of clear water from a mountain spring. Others have told him of famed pies from Norsca, the Border Princes and further afield. He is willing to pay good money, but few are willing to take up the guild founders’ challenges.

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