Session 2 - The Village of Riesenhain

General Summary

After setting their affairs in order, the party left Greifstadt and were made their way to Riesenhain. The Journey to Riesenhain was a short one, and the party was not waylaid by anyone or anything on the way, aside from a treacherous swamp, but Klein knew the way through it well. As they neared Riesenhain they noticed two large trees on either side of the road bearing visages of Riese, with glowing red eyes. Not sure what to make of this, they decided to continue and were met with the sight of Ulrich's compatriots, strung up and dangling from trees. Deciding that determining what was happening in the village was the most pressing concern, they entered the village.
Riesenhain itself seemed well cared for. The villagers seemed content, although they did behave a bit oddly. Ernst took some time to talk to a commoner named Frieda, who informed him that Church sessions were no longer being held, and that the local priest Brother Anselm had been "dragged off". When Ernst inquired about who had done this, she simply pointed to Klein.
Unsure what to make of this, the party split up to look around the village. Uncle Ferdinand spent the time searching the Horst Estate. Looking through various books for information that might uncover what was going on. Ulrich, Klein, and Ernst went to visit Brother Matthias, the current caretaker of the Abbey of Saint Raban.
Brother Mattias had quite an interesting story to tell. About a year previously a group of Riese, who were previously employed by the late Lord Horst had taken it upon themselves to run the town. The Riese removed any individuals who might pose a problem with their management of the town and shut down the church. There was some heated discussion amongst the party about the Riese. Ernst believed them to criminals who had attacked and possibly killed his mentor, but Klein believed the Riese were simply doing what they felt was best for the Town.
The party once more split up. Klein and Ulrich went carousing around town, while Brother Ernst remained with brother Mattias. After a short amount of time, Klein became unconscious. Ulrich went to fetch Ernst and together they brought the disabled Klein back to his family’s home and the rest of the party. After some time investigating, it was determined that Klein was poisoned and Ferdinand laid his hands on his nephew and healed him of his affliction. During this time however, Karl, the uncle's retainer, went missing. His last known location was the tavern where Klein and Ulrich were drinking.
The party quickly went out to search for Karl but were unable to locate him. They did happen to get a lead on where they might run into the Riese, who were the most apparent culprit.
The following morning the party journeyed to the nearby caves in search of the Riese. The Riese approached in numbers and didn't take the party very seriously but were open to negotiations... or demands. They were interested in a book that Klein and Chlothar have knowledge of, and demanded we find it for them.

Report Date

27 Aug 2024

Primary Location

Riesenhain