The Teugen Family was one of the oldest families in Bögenhafen, and considered themselves to be the nobility of the town. They have never actually held any titles, but they were on friendly terms with many of the noble houses of the Reikland. They owned wharves on both banks of the warehouses along the Ostendamm and the Westendamm and a suite of offices in a small square behind the Merchants' Guild.[1a]
They family suffered a decline in its fortunes over the twenty or so years until the arrival of Johannes Teugen from the University of Nuln. Johannes was the younger brother of Karl Teugen, the family head, and after returning to his home town two years ago for Karl's funeral, he decided to stay on in the Bögenhafen as the head of the family. Under Johannes, the family's fortunes drastically reversed.[1a]
The Teugen Family conducted trade by road and river to all parts of the Empire. Johannes' contacts in Nuln gave him access to timber and other produce from Stirland and Averland, and he also opened up trade in brandy and metals through Helmgart and the Axe Bite Pass to Bretonnia. Moreover, he had also been steadily eroding the Haagen Family's trade with Marienburg.[1a]
The Fall of the Teugens[]
Things in Bögenhafen changed in 2510 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 (had a contract with demon Gideon) 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 in 2512 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.[2a]
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.[2a]