The Curator of Alchemy's abode
Cirast Overhill's house is right on the edge of the society Campus. It is more like a small mansion, though most of the first and second floors are taken up by the curator's alchemical lab. The house is surrounded by a small garden, and though a significant portion of it is used to grow a variety of plants with alchemical properties, a small section is given over to a more decorative garden. In the middle of this section a large table is set. A variety of glasses and bottles decorate the table, and the curator himself is sitting behind it, savoring a glass, as several members of the society stand in front of him, clearly awaiting judgement.

"Hmmm, hmmmm." He hums appreciatively. "You've clearly had this one in the barrel for quite a while., which adds a deep flavour to the body, yet it's not quite so heavy as to be dreary. However..." He takes another sip, and looks a bit disappointed. "You used common sugar-water to activate the yeast, did you not?"

"Y-yeah, but how could you..." The man who's brew is being judged stammers his response. He is a bearded human in his mid-forties wearing the insignia of the Society as well as a badge from the brewer's guild is standing.

"I'ts noticeable in the aftertaste." the curator responds. "Such a shame, too. It's otherwise an excellent vintage, and if you'd given a bit more love to the yeast that is the cornerstone of the process it might have been the best I'd tasted today. Still a solid effort though." Ater dismissing the man he notices Shandara approaching.

"Ah, and another contestant arrives, just in time!" he greets her jovially. "Or rather, about two days early, but if you all had arrived the first day of the festival as asked, I doubt even I would have survived the amount of alcohol being presented to me. Well then, what have you brought?"

The Esterwald estate
A carriage arrived about an hour after Bolten send his message, and quickly carries him and his invention to the Esterwald estate. After arriving he's guided by one of the servants to a small gazebo standing in the garden amidst the flowers and next to a small pond. Both the younger and the older Esterwalds are waiting there for Bolten. Eduard the younger looks much like he did when Bolten first met him.

Seated next to him in a heavy chair is an older man who is no doubt the old baron. The old man looks... not frail exactly, but diminished, like an old soldier who has been robbed of much of his physical strength by age, though from the alert look in his eyes it is clear the baron's mind is still as sharp as ever. The Baron's grey hair and beard are neatly trimmed and he's wearing a richly emblazoned coat. His legs are covered by a blanket.

"Father, this is mister Cogturner, the Dwarven artisan I spoke to you about." Eduard the younger introduces Bolten as he approaches.

"I bid you welcome, master Dwarf." The baron says to Bolten in only lightly accented Dwarvish. Switching back to the common tongue, he continues. "My son has told me quite a bit about your project, and I do admit to some curiosity about it myself."