(Being a series of quick game notes trying to account for the events of many sessions of playing through The Enemy Within using the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1e rules.)

Session 8

Shadows over Bogenhafen

• Martin [Scout]
• Wilfried [Bawd]
• Larry [Bodyguard]
• Gottlieb [Bounty Hunter]

Something Rotten in Bogenhafen!

Foul things are afoot – demons and secret shrines in the sewers, and someone is covering up the death of the goblin down there, claiming it was instead killed in Warehouse No.4 – a warehouse belonging to the Steinhager Family.

This session was mostly spent alternately talking pleasantly and / or shaking people down for information about the goings-on in the town. Instead of detailing the full sequence of events, here is a bullet-point timeline of who was approached, followed by a list of what was learned.

• Meeting with Doctor Malthusius to discuss the dead goblin and find what little information he has about Bogenhafen.
• Second Breakfast at the Crossed Pikes.
• Shaking down the warehouseman of Warehouse No. 4.
• A quick intimidation of the town clerk.
• A visit with Magistrate Heinz Richter.
• A second visit with Doctor Malthusius.
• Late lunch at the Crossed Pikes.

Doctor Malthusius’ Zoocopeia – Strange creatures from all corners of the world! The marvellous, the bizarre, the disgusting – brought to you at enormous expense!

Doctor Malthusius has little information about the city itself – he is a travelling showman and only comes to Bogenhafen once a year for the annual Schaffenfest. Given the information about the demonic shrine under the city, and the coverup involving the dead goblin, he seems a mix of afraid and eager – eager to help the group, but afraid to make potent enemies in what is becoming the trading centre of the Reikland.

Doctor Malthusius’ assistant, Grunni, is exceptionally disgruntled and seems feverish, perhaps the goblin bite on his arm has become infected.

On the second visit to the Doctor, he was able to identify that Gottri was let out of the stocks at sunset as is the norm, and was last seen leaving the festgrounds into the city in the company of a man wearing livery with a red cross or flower.

The Crossed Pikes, a veritable hive of scum and villainy.

Franz Baumann seems to be both the bartender and the face of Bogenhafen’s thieves’ guild. In addition to the following information, he fills the group in on Bogenhafen’s power structures over second breakfast.

• The sewer entrance to the temple is under the Steinhager offices. It was installed between 12 and 18 months ago.
• Thieves in neighbouring sewers have heard strange noises coming from that direction. Including chanting in an unfamiliar language, and the occasional scream.
• No one in the guild has seen anyone or anything coming out of that door.
• Gottri was known to the guild – he was an alcoholic itinerant who had been in town for a couple of months.
• Several beggars have died in a similar way to Gottri in the last year – heart cut out, left in the sewers.

• Finally, on their second visit to the Pikes, Baumann suggests they get in touch with Friedrich Magirius – head of a small merchant family who is one of the voting members of the Merchant Guild. He is discreet, may have information, and will keep anything he learns from the party to himself if they come to him from the Thieves’ Guild.

Bogenhafen is run by a council of 15 persons, essentially in a stranglehold of the merchant guild’s voting block.

The four main merchant families are:

The Haagen Family – with contracts in Marienburg, they are the main dealers in luxury goods. They do trade by river and are allied with the Stevedores’ Guild. Headed by Jochen Haagen.

The Ruggbroder Family – deal mostly in grain and farm produce and had near monopoly of trade with Helmgart and Bretonnia until the resurgent Teugen family started breaking into those markets. They have close ties with the Teamsters’ Guild. The smallest of the great merchant families, they have close connections with many of the lesser traders in town. Headed by Heironymous Ruggbroder who maintains a firm hold on the reins well into his seventies.

The Steinhager Family – the “blue chip stock” of the city, they have a near monopoly on dwarven and mining contracts along the Grey Mountains. Headed by Franz Steinhager, assisted by his brother Heinrich.

The Teugen Family – one of the oldest families in Bogenhafen. They were in decline until two years ago when Karl Teugen died and his younger brother Johannes Teugen had to return from the University of Nuln. They have expanded rapidly since, taking advantage of Johannes’ Nuln connections, and breaking into trade in Bretonnia and Marienburg.

Steinhager Warehouse No. 4

The warehouseman who lives in Steinhager Warehouse No.4 is a seedy looking man wreathed in the stink of cheap booze and sporting three or more nervous tics. He described sneaking up on the goblin within the warehouse, and beating it to death from behind with his club. A story that doesn’t match up with the official story that the goblin was crushed under a crate that the warehouseman pushed on him.

He is reticent to talk, drunk, and even a bit belligerent.

The group has discussed breaking in late tonight to check the story out.

The Town Clerk

It seems the town records are kept under lock and are only available to the voting members of the merchant guilds.

Other records in town are the court records, but the courthouse is closed during Schaffenfest.

Finally, the temple of Verena maintains their own extensive library.

Magistrate Heinz Richter at the Festival Court

After getting past his clerk Andrea, Richter was somewhat cagey when confronted about the goblin. It was implied that the party had the goblin in safekeeping and that Richter had been lied to by the merchant’s guild.

He indicated on further pressure that he had received the news about the dead goblin (and the means of its death) in a signed missive from Franz Steinhager.

Once the group left the Festival Court, Richter immediately left to go to the offices of the Teugen family where he remained for about fifteen minutes before returning to the court.

Future Investigations

The following leads still stand:

• The Mourner’s Guild – probably have proper information on people who suffered a similar fate to Gottri.
• Investigating Warehouse No.4 for proof of the goblin or the coverup.
• Returning to the sewers & secret shrine.
• Talking to any of the four major merchant families.
• “Deeper” investigations into any of the four major merchant families.
• Coming clean with Magistrate Heinz Richter.
• The libraries & records at the Temple of Verena.
• Meeting with Friedrich Magirius at the Merchant Guild.

Other Potential People & Places

These have come up in conversations during the games, but no leads point to them:

• Temple of Bogenauer, the city’s patron god.
• Temple of Shallya
• Stevedores’ Guild
• Metalworkers’ Guild
• Physicians’ Guild