Arkat Fooger

"Marienburg was as a co-operative in which everyonecould profit. But now there are those on the Directoratewho see it and its people as their personal property. Thatis the road to ruin."

- Arkat Fooger

Arkat Fooger was groomed from childhood to be his clan's head and a powerful financier. His father, Roenekaat, spared no expense for his education, and the investment has paid off. "Old Fooger", as he is respectfully called, has built his clan's fortunes until they can no longer be ignored, culminating in his elevation to the Directorate in 2428 IC. He is stern, reserved, and a very shrewd businessdwarf. While he gives nothing away to the competition, he never cheats his customers either. And, for over a century, his spoken word has been regarded as an iron bond. His devotion to clan and city are paramount, and the fortunes of the House of Fooger are irrevocably tied to those of Marienburg.

Lately, however, he has been under great stress, as the House's fortunes have suffered from recent losses. Several heavily insured cargoes have been lost at sea, and Arkat has had to dip deeply into Fooger reserves to meet the payments. He has begun to suspect that more than chance is at work, and that one or more of his fellow Directors may be plotting his downfall.

Strain has taken its toll on Director Fooger - nervous tensionand a need for sleep have led him to use Black Lotus to relax. Now he is addicted, and finds he cannot get through the day without a pipe or two... or three. At first, his trusted major-domo Jan brought him his drug, but then refused (and was fired) when Fooger's need grew stronger. Now he ventures to Marienburg's "dream parlours" in the guise of a common Dwarf, his shame leading him to deny his problem even to those closest to him. He often spends whole nights on a filthy bunk in a blissful stupor. So far, no one has recognized him, but his closest aides fear the day he is exposed and are at a loss over what to do.

Arkat is a close friend of Albertus Cobbius of the Suiddock orphanage, having met when Brother Bert brazenly asked him for money, right there on the street. He is a patron of the arts and has decorated his mansion and offices with paintings from the students of Hieronymous Deecksburg, though he is puzzled at the Master's refusal to do a portrait of him.

A less friendly connection is Jan, the former major-domo. Not only is he resentful of his treatment by Fooger, he also knows a great deal about the inner workings of the bank,and its current vulnerability. He plans to extort money from Fooger in return for his silence, but if he doesn't get it then he may take what he knows to one of theCounting-House's many rivals, possibly even one of the other Directors.

House Foogler
Still spry and alert at 177, Arkat Fooger is not only the oldest member of the Directorate, but also the longest-serving, having won his seat the year before the War for Independence. House Fooger serves as the spokesman for Marienburg's small Dwarf community and the few Dwarfs who still mine the hills west of the Bitter Moors, a role traditionally reserved in other cities for the Dwarfen Engineer's Guild. As the only non-Human on the Directorate, Arkat Fooger also looks out for the interests of the city's Halfling and Gnome communities. He has become the de facto protector and patron for all the alien communities in Marienburg, from the Cathans and Indies to the Bretonnians and even the Channel Rats, the waterborne relatives of the gypsies. Decades of careful work have given House Fooger extensive contacts and allies, ones whose power is often scoffed at by ethnic Wastelanders. Should push come to shove on the Directorate, Arkat Fooger might surprise them all with the resources he can bring to bear.

House Fooger does not have extensive overseas contacts, though it naturally has the best relations with the Dwarfholds of the Grey and World's Edge Mountains, buying the products of their mines and selling them luxury goods that can't be produced under a mountain. The House also controls the letting of public works contracts through a commission headed by Arkat's avaricious cousin, Goldbeard Fooger. This has led to a close working relationship with Lea Jan Cobbius, head of the Stevedores and Teamsters Guild and the most powerful labour boss in the city. This assures that the many Fooger warehouses throughout the dock districts always have plenty of help, and that the labourers don't take too many breaks. Over the last two decades, House Fooger has literally invented the insurance business. In return for moderate but frequent payments from their clients, the Fooger clan guarantees to reimburse ship owners and merchants in the event that their vessels and goods are lost, for whatever reason. The service has become very popular, with merchants happy to pay a little money to hold off possible financial ruin. However, a recent string of ship losses has stretched House Fooger'sresources thin, and Arkat desperately hopes for an alliance with de Roelef. Another few big claims could spell its financial ruin. Arkat Fooger has come to suspect that more than a run of bad luck is at the root of this, and is looking for trustworthy but expendable agents to put a stop to it.

The clan mansion of House Fooger is located in the Dwarf quarter and looks more like an archaic keep than a modern home, with heavy stone blocks and six-story hexagonal tower. Arkat recently named young Roenekaat Fooger as his heir, which has caused a minor rift within the family, since Waltonius Goldbeard is the most senior after Arkat and had expectations of becoming clan-head one day. When pressed about his choice, Arkat would only mutter something about "...rather leave a ghoul to guard a graveyard". The House symbol is a bicolour shield, red over blue, decorated with a white rose.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st ED -- Marienburg: Sold Down The River
 * pg. 32
 * pg. 87
 * pg. 88

[[Category:A]] [[Category:F]]