Master Apothecary Herr Ignatz Stenzlow teaches Students how to make Gunpowder at the Imperial Gunnery School, including how to recognise and collect the ingredients while in the field; a lesson that has been the salvation of more than one gun crew when supplies have run low.
The students do not particularly like him, and the feeling is mutual; he'd rather be doing what he considers more important work than teaching snot-nosed young Nobles how to blow things up. He makes a show of grudgingly supporting the Black Powder Week festival, but he secretly takes great pride in providing only the best quality gunpowder for the many thousands of Fireworks crafted by the Mechanic's Guild for the festival.[1a]
Stenzlow is stoop-shouldered and wears narrow spectacles perched on the end of his nose. He has greasy brown hair that occasionally slips out from under his close-fitting coif. His eyes look watery, and his vision isn't as sharp as it once was, causing him to employ a trusted Son of the Gun to assist him with his duties. His hearing is still sharp, however, and he is quite spry even if he doesn't look it. He is not particularly old—just worn out. Stenzlow is also a member of the Apothecary Guild.[1a]