Shadows Over Bogenhafen - The Enemy Within

After the introductory adventure Mistaken Identity, The Enemy Within campaign gets into its proper stride with the full-length adventure Shadows Over Bogenhafen.  The characters arrive in Bogenhafen with the aim of (falsely) claiming an inheritance, but end up hanging around a fair and then being drawn, by means of witnessting various strange events, into investigating an ambitious and despicable plot.  In character, it resembles the third full part of The Enemy Within (The Power Behind the Throne) but at a level more fitting in scope for less experienced characters.

The adventure heavily focuses on investigation and the associated roleplaying of encounters.  There are some combats which are very likely to occur but they aren't particularly frequent, although a particularly punchy set of PCs might get into a few scrapes.   It s obviously a sub-optimal strategy however, since there is a reasonably functioning and efficient Town Watch which will take a dim view of gratuitous violence.  The PCs will get to talk to a large number of different people from all walks of society to try and find out what is going on:  merchants, thieves, watchmen, entertainers, clerics, barmen, beggars etc.  This variety was one of the things which really appealed to me about the setting, in that a low-fantasy atmosphere is worked into quite dramatic and high impact stories.  The general thrust of the plot is not too difficult to work out, and the adventure is set up to give plenty of help, although some of the details are very tricky or nearly impossible to get.  The stakes are very high for the PCs, the locale and the setting! Sensible and methodical play should work just fine however.  Depending upon the strength of the PCs, the final main combat might be quite tricky.  As in most of the WFRP adventurers knowing when to fight and when not to fight is key.

There are a couple of minor elements which generally assume that the pre-generated characters from The Enemy Within will be used, but there is nothing at all which cannot be easily modified to use almost any characters still in their first careers.

Incidentally, Games Workshop actually released a specific miniatures set for this adventure.

EXAMPLE PLAYTHROUGH - MANY, MANY SPOILERS

This example continues with the characters I was using for the review of Mistaken Identity.


The PCs try and find the lawyers but some enquiries with locals indicate that this looks like a wild-goose chase.  A trip to the company which printed the document (which does exist) confirms it: the client was the bounty hunter who was killed in Weissbruck.

The PCs go to the local fair, the Schaffenfest.  Aesgalial accepts a challenge from a wrestler for a prize bout.  Aesgalial wins, accidentally dislocating the wrestler's shoulder!  The Watch are called, but are pacified when Aesgalial allows his winnings to be used to pay a herbalist to treat the wound

‘Crusher’ Braugen, Wrestling Champion

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	53	28	5	4	9	34	1	31	28	31	22	27	32

Age: 38
Weapons: Nil Armour: Nil Other Equipment: Nil

Skills: Street Fighting, Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Stun, Wrestling

The group then wanders around the rest of the fair, seeing the three-legged goblin, getting warned about impending doom by a fortune-teller, having Ragna get bruised by some escaped cattle, both Ragna and Aesgalial getting some abuse from some groups of drunken locals and mercenaries, and so on.   A pickpocket tries to rob Leni, but fails.

The PCs then hear that the goblin has escaped into the sewers and they agree to bring it out. Searching and mapping the sewers, and avoiding some mild environmental dangers, the PCs find a door to a Thieves' hideout, which they sensibly mark and avoid, the body of a drunken Dwarven beggar called Gottri they had bumped into earlier, and finally a door with the pelvis bone for a three-legged goblin...entering inside they find a room with a pentagram on the floor.  A demon appears who tries to scare them away, explaining he caught and ate the goblin.  The PCs aren't standing for that and fight the demon; Aesgalial takes some quite serious damage to the head before he and Diehl finishes off the creature.  Searching the room, they find a banded skull of a chaos warror and a sacrificial knife, a handkerchief with the letters FS embroided on them and some ceremonial items.  Taking these, two of the party leave to go and see the Watch and persuade them to send a patrol down.  Leni manages this and a couple of Watchmen do see the pentagram.  The Watchmen tell the party to come and see them tomorrow.

Guardian Demon

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	50	42	4	5	17	60	2	89	89	89	89	89	14

Causes fear in creatures under 10’ tall.  Not subject to instability whilst in pentagram.

The party retire to their inn and treat Aesgalial before resting until the morning. When they go and see the Watch, Watch Captain Richter is still a bit sceptical, saying that he is sure there is a good explanation although he doesn't look to sure of himself when he says this.  He tells the PCs not to investigate this further and he will take it from here, especially as 'FS' is probably Franz Steinhager, one of the town's leading merchants.  On the way out, the group chat to Richter's secretary, who mentions that Gottri the beggar was last seen going into Bogenhafen from the fair with a servant belonging to the Teugen merchant family.  The PCs then go to claim their reward money but are told that the goblin was killed elsewhere and so they are not entitled to anything. The PCs complain, are told to come back on the following day.  They then head off to find Dr. Malthusius to explain.  He listens, gives them brandy and cigars, agrees to ask around the fair folk about the beggar.  They then go to the Crossed Pikes inn for a drink and to make contact with the local Thieves' guild, which supplies them with some information (at cost! 16GC and 10SS all together...)

I did wonder if this would have been a good place to introduce some racism (it is Aesgalial the Elf in the part who speaks Thieves' Tongue); by making it obviously much more difficult and/or expensive to get information from a human thieves' group, as part of the environmental cost of picking a race with higher entry stats.

The party then retired to their inn.  The next day was spent investigating a number of sites.  Ragna went to the Temple of Verena to find out information on some of the hints and rumours that have been made so far, which indicates the possible involvement of the Chaos God, Tzeentech, as well as the death of former head of the Teugen merchant family, Karl.  The others go to the magistrate Richter who is now unwell, apparently shortly after being visited by the Watch Captain.  The PCs go to the Watch but are not allowed to see the Captain: the Watch Sergeant assures the PC that the Captain was in his office and could not have been the person to see Richter.  The PCs are invited by one of the merchants, Magirius, to dinner that evening to explain "some misunderstandings".  The Town Physician mentions that Richter appears to have the same illness that killed Karl Teugen some years ago.  The PCs go to dinner with Magirius who explains that the Ordo Spetenarius is basically a merchants' club - a mixture of self-interest and promotion with lots of good works for the poor.
The PCs then raid the offices of the Steinhager family.  Putting a guard dog to sleep by means of some meat laced with Nightshade, they find a magical-looking book and the door which leads down to the secret temple where they killed the demon (which has now been totally scrubbed clean of any further evidence).

On the next day, the Schaffenfest ends.  The PCs visit the Mourners' Guild and the Temple of Shallya to find out more details about the death of Karl Teugen and the similarities to other deaths.  They also arrange a visit to the Ruggbroder merchant family. They visit the warehouse belonging to the Steinhager family where the goblin body was allegedly found and quickly realize that the watchman Anton is lying, or has been told to lie.  The PCs lastly visit Ruggbroder, learn more of the atmospherics about the merchant families.

On the following day, they are visited by Magirius who has discovered that the Ordo intends to use human sacrifice in a powerful cultic ritual.  Chatting at their inn, they are told that Anton the watchman has died - suspected drowned whilst drunk.  Then a messenger comes from Magirius, asking them to come to his home immediately.  The messenger departs very quickly, unusually not waiting for a tip.  The PCs then grab their gear and move out...At Magirius' home, the PCs find that he has been killed - but he has written a warehouse number in his own blood on the wall.  Then the messenger appears and tells them in a strange voice that they shouldn't have meddled!  He then shouts for the Watch and disappears...the PCs quickly escape through the garden, pursued by the Watch and bands of citizens.  Having already mapped the sewers, the PCs quickly make their escape inside...


The PCs go to warehouse 13, which has the symbol of the Teugen family on it.  They enter and hide.  Soon afterwards, Franz Steinhager turns up and starts drawing a pentagram inside a copper circle.  At this point, the PCs attack...to no-one's great surprise, one of the cultist turns into a small daemon!

Gideon

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	6	55	42	5	4	13	87	2	89	89	89	89	89	89

Weapons: Nil Armour: Nil Other Equipment: - 
Skills: Arcane Language – Magick, Cast Spells – Petty, Evaluate, Haggle, Magical Sense, Numismatics, Read/Write, Secret Language – Classical, Super Numerate

Spells: Petty: Gift of Tongues, Magic Flame, Magic Lock, Marsh Lights, Open, Reinforce Door, Sleep, Sounds; Battle 1: Fire Ball, Flight, Steal Mind; Battle 2: Aura of Protection, Mystic Mist; Demonic(1) Bind Demon, Dispel Lesser Demon, Summon Steed; Demonic (2) Summon Energy, Summon Lesser Demons, Summon Magical Aid

Magic Points: 20

Johannes Teugen

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	45	47	4	4	9	58	1	39	62	59	55	60	51

Age: 50

Weapons: Knife Armour: Nil Other Equipment: 50GC

Skills: Acute Hearing, Arcane Language (Demonic), Arcane Language – Magick, Astronomy, Brewing, Cartography, Cast Spells (all necessary), Chemistry, Cryptography, Demon Lore, Etiquette, Evaluate, Haggle, Herb Lore, History, Identify Magical Artifacts, Identify Plant, Identify Undead, Linguistics, Magical Awareness, Magical Sense, Manufacture Potions, Manufacture Scrolls, Meditation, Metallurgy, Numismatics, Read/Write, Ride, Rune Lore, Secret Language – Classical, Secret Language – Merchants’ Guild, Secret Signs’ – Wizard, Speak Additional Language – Magana, Super Numerate

Spells: Petty: Curse, Gift of Tongues, Marsh Lights, Magic Lock, Reinforce Door, Remove Curse, Sleep; Battle(1): Aura of Resistance, Immunity from Poisons, Steal Mind; Demonic(1): Bind Demon, Dispel Lesser Demon, Summon Steed; Demonic(2): Summon Energy, Summon Lesser Demons, Summon Magical Aid

Magic Points: 18

Other Cultists

	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Dex	Ld	Int	Cl	WP	Fel
Profile	4	23	25	3	3	5	30	1	30	34	36	32	30	29

Weapons: Knife, Fencing Sword Armour: Nil Other Equipment: 2d10 GC, 2d10 SS

Skills: Evaluate, Haggle, Specialist Weapon – Fencing Sword

The entire volley misses!  The demon (Gideon) casts Steal Mind at Aesgalial, rendering him temporarily mindless.  Leni attacks the demon, hits him on the head.  Johannes casts Steal Mind at Leni, rendering her mindless too!  Diehl charges the demon, destroying him with a blow to the torso.  Ragna hits Johannes, who shrugs off the blow.  Leni recovers, hitting Johannes in the arm.  Teugen casts Steal Mind at Diehl, who resists the spell.  Diehl then chops off Johannes arm, killing him.  The remainder of the cultists flee into the night...

Gathering up as much evidence as they can, the PCs go back into the sewer system, making theur way to Josef's boat, which they move upriver away from the town by a few miles.  They then arrange secretly via Josef and Franz Baumann from the Thieves' Guild to meet Ruggbroder on the boat.  They they handover all the evidence that they have gathered.  Ruggbroder pays them and the PCs and Josef head towards Weisbaden...