Bögenhafen

Bögenhafen is a mercantile town; it owes its prosperity to the merchants. Thus, town politics are dominated by the great merchant families. It technically falls within the Barony of Saponatheim, but Bögenhafen is largely left to run itself as long as Baron Wilhelm receives his taxes on time. The Baron lives in Castle Grauenburg, some twenty-five miles north of Bögenhafen, and he rarely visits the town, though he keeps a house here. He lets his tax collectors look after his interests and occupies himself with the sports of nobility: hawking, hunting, and riding.  

Town Council

Instead of direct rule by a lord, the town council runs Bögenhafen. As is tradition, it has fifteen seats, broken down as follows:
Five seats for the Merchants' Guild. One of these seats is reserved for the Guild Master and another for a representative of the Magirius family, the most influential of the minor merchants. The remaining a held by other, lesser merchant families.
Three seats (one each) for the Haagen, Ruggbroder, and Steinhäger families. These seats are usually held by the head of the house, but sometimes are given to an appointed representative.
One seat for the local church of Sigmar.
Five seats for each head of the following guilds: Physicians', Tailors' and Weavers', Teamsters', Stevedores', and Mourners'.
One seat to represent the various craft guilds, chosen from amongst the heads of the following: Cartwrights', Carpenters', Jewellers', Metalworkers', and Masons'. In theory, the council votes on every important issue, and a simple majority is all that is required for a motion to pass. Oftentimes, however, votes are a mere formality because of the domination of the mercantile interests on the council. If the major merchant families vote along with the Merchants' Guild, they can muster eight votes and win any motion.   In addition, non-councilmembers are occasionally summoned to attend a council meeting. They seldom vote, but act as an advisor to the council to a particular order of business that is in their realm. The most common of these are:
Bögenhafen's Priestess of Verena, considered to be an impartial and wise judge. On rare occasions, the council grants her a vote on a particular matter.
The Captain of the Watch, an authority in matters of law and order.
The Watch Sergeants, who may function as represenatitives of the neighborhood under their jurisdiction.  

Voting Tendencies

The most important faction in Bögenhafen town politics are the merchants. The five votes of the Merchants' Guild and the three votes of the great merchant families comprise a majority of the votes on the council. Therefore, most issues voted on by the council go in favour of the merchants. Of course, there are always temporary alliances and opposition within the mercantile faction, but when united they are by far the most powerful force in town politics.   The heads of the Physicians' Guild and Tailors' and Weavers' Guild typically also vote with the Merchants' Guild.   The Cult of Sigmar and Mourners' Guild typically vote together, as the representative of the Cult is considered a representative of all the town's clergymen. Most often, these two seats vote in favour of the establishment.   The Teamsters' Guild usually votes with the craft guild on the council, but against the Stevedores' Guild.  

Taxes and Revenue

The many taxes levied in Bögenhafen are used to maintain such institutions as the town council and City Watch. The principal taxes are listed below:
Frontage Tax: Every building owner in Bögenhafen is required to annually pay one crown for every foot of street frontage the building has. The Frontage Tax is used to pay for the upkeep of Bögenhafen's paved streets- Nulner Weg, Bergstrasse, Hafenstrasse, Kaufmannstrasse, Mauer Weg, Platz Weg, Adel Ring, Göttenplatz, and Dreieckeplatz. This tax is not levied on temples or guild buildings.
Gate Tax: There is a tax of one crown per pack animal and two crowns per cart bearing merchandise and entering or leaving the town through the gates. The tax is used to maintain the city walls and to fund the watch. Members of the Bögenhafen Merchants' Guild are exempt from the Gate Tax.
Ship Tax: Every ship-owning inhabitant of Bögenhafen is required to pay an annual tax of one crown per foot of the boat's length, plus one shilling for every foot of the mast's height. This is a general purpose tax, not set aside for a particular purpose.
Trade Tax: One per cent is taken by the town government on all bulk goods sold within the town walls. This Trade Tax is used to maintain the Town Hall and cover the general expenses of the council. Members of the Merchants' Guild are exempt.
Warehouse Tax: Warehouse owners are taxed one crown per year for every foot of street frontage. The Warehouse tax funds the Temples of Bögenauer and Handrich, and also goes towards the upkeep of the Osterdamm and Westendamm. Members of the Merchants' Guild do not have to pay this tax.
Wharf Tax: Every wharf owner must pay a Wharf Tax. The tax is traditionally levied annually on the first day of spring, at a rate of one crown per yard of riverfront. Sometimes, halflings will be employed to collect the Wharf Tax, as their shorter stride can lead them to overestimate lengths. The tax is split between the Temple of Bögenauer, the Temple of Handrich, and the waterfront Watch precinct. Members of the Bögenhafen Merchants' Guild are exempt from the Wharf Tax.  

The Watch

The Watch is responsible for upholding law and order in Bögenhafen. They have two barracks, one on either side of the river. From here, they conduct routine patrols both day and night. A typical patrol consists of four watchman, occasionally led by a watch sergeant. A watchman is equipped with a leather jerkin, a dagger, a helmet, and a yellow tabard bearing the town's coat of arms. Typically, two members of a four-man patrol are armed with halberds, and the other two with clubs. Sergeants equipped with chainmail shirts and swords.  

Justice

Anyone arrested by the Watch is held a cell in one of the barracks, awaiting trial. Trials supposedly happen as soon as all the relevant witnesses are gathered, but this is not always the case, and the time spent awaiting trial can vary greatly.   Trials occur in the Town Courtroom. They are presided over by a magistrate, who is typically one of the town's councilmembers. The magistrate is usually advised by a lawyer and a member of the Cult of Verena. If the proceedings have reached this point, the defendant is likely to be found guilty, unless they are powerful or wealthy. Guilty verdicts may be appealed. However, this requires a petition to Baron Wilhelm von Saponatheim, who is very unlikely to care.   Punishments are usually a fine, ranging from 10 to 100 gold crowns. However, in the case of major crimes- horse-theft, aggravated burglary, assault of a watchman or other important citizen, and murder- punishments may be as severe as execution.

The guild situation in Bögenhafen is fairly typical for an Imperial town of its size. The guilds have a monopoly over their particular craft or trade. Any craftsman or tradesman in the town must be a member of their relevant guild. Traditionally, large projects, especially those commissioned by the council or another guild, must be brought to the guild itself rather than an individual tradesman or group of tradesmen. The guild itself then negotiates the fee and parcels out the labor amongst its members

Things in Bögenhafen changed fourteen years ago when Johannes Teugen took over the family business. Its fortunes had been steadily declining for the previous twenty years but Johannes managed to turn things around in dramatic fashion in only two. The usual rumours circulated—Johannes was using dark magic, he was in league with the Ruinous Powers, and so forth—but in this case there was truth to the gossip. The details of Johannes' corruption and death never became public, but what is known is that his schemes were discovered and the Teugen family suppressed harshly by witch hunters. Their power in Bögenhafen was broken forever, the state seized their businesses and sold them off, and the remaining family members were carted away by the witch hunters and never seen again.   These events changed the politics of the town. The Teugen seat on the council was abolished and another seat given the Merchants' Guild. Although this caused some griping amongst the smaller guilds, there was little they could do about it. For the past twelve years, the Haagen, Ruggbroder, and Steinhäger families, having divided up the Teugen businesses amongst themselves and secured their continued domination of the council, have run Bögenhafen without a challenge to their power.