Glitter, Greed, and Grimfield (Part 1)
Step into the bustling chaos of Grimfield, where a chest of gold and a legendary magical crystal are about to turn a “simple errand” into a high-stakes race against mages, mercenaries, and exploding ale.
Summary
The village of Grimfield is buzzing with excitement as MidSum festivities begin and word spreads of a dazzling Spark Shard up for auction—said to be the largest ever found. Sent to purchase this rare magical treasure, you arrive to find a once-quiet town overflowing with merchants, mages, games, rumors, and a festival brimming with opportunity. Yet beneath the revelry, you can’t shake the feeling that something is…off.
Overview
Grimfield, my friend, is no ordinary hamlet. Tucked away near the whimsically named Blue Mountains, it’s the kind of place that’s not so much a destination as a polite suggestion on a map—a pit stop for the curious, the hungry, and the adventurer who forgot trail rations again. No dragons circling its skies, no trolls charging bridge tolls. In fact, Grimfield is about as fantastical as a turnip.
That is, until Sir Magnus arrived. A year ago, the flamboyant merchant marched into Grimfield, cloak fluttering, and proclaimed to anyone who would listen: “Spark Shards, my good people! Magical crystals to elevate your spells and—ah—fatten my… no, wait—your coin purses!” Some shards flickered like cantrips. Others thrummed with serious arcane potential. A few were so unpredictable they were immediately labeled “absolutely do not lick.” But one thing was certain: the larger the shard, the rarer and more coveted it became. And with that, the once-forgettable village transformed into a bustling destination for wandering mages, eager adventurers, opportunistic merchants, and the occasional charlatan peddling “100% genuine shards” the size of marbles.
Your arrival could not be better timed. Grimfield is currently celebrating MidSum, its most extravagant festival, and the town is overflowing with traveling merchants, performers, scholars, hustlers, hedge-wizards, and questionable entrepreneurs all hoping to buy—or swindle someone out of—a Spark Shard. Colorful tents crowd the village square, sparkshard lanterns glow with uneven enthusiasm, and the tavern swears its ale only catches fire “on rare occasions.” The real attraction, however, is the MidSum Auction, where Sir Magnus is set to unveil a Major Spark Shard, a crystal of immense power and staggering value.
And that’s where you come in. The esteemed Archmage Finnian Silverthorn has entrusted you with a magically sealed chest containing 20,000 gold pieces and a simple directive: win the shard. With your packs full and spirits high, you set off through Greenleaf Forest toward a sleepy village turned arcane marketplace—unaware that your “simple errand” is about to become spectacularly complicated, and not just by the people trying to outbid you.
Session 1: The Road to Grimfield
The party—Chickory (Cleric of the CUG), Roderick (formidable fighter), Sylvar (skilled archer and sideshow), Krivek (pathologically methodical goblin alchemist), Fen (silver-tongued bard), and Professor Rogen Lumentide (scholar of arcane origins)—set out from the towers of High Arcanum on a mission of enormous consequence.
Their task was given by Archmage Silverthorn himself.
A Major SparkShard—a crystal of terrifying magical potential—was being offered for sale at auction in the frontier town of Grimfield by the enigmatic Sir Lucien Magnus. Whether Magnus was reckless, desperate, or playing a deeper game was unknown—but the Archmage was certain of one thing: that shard could not fall into the wrong hands.
The party was entrusted with a heavy, rune-sealed chest filled with gold and trade bars, along with a scroll keyed to its lock—the only means of opening it. Their mission was simple in theory: reach Grimfield, attend the auction, and secure the SparkShard before anyone else could.
With coin, magic, and fate in hand, the party made their way through the shadowed paths of Greenleaf Forest, confident… though unaware of how many eyes were already watching their journey.
The Journey
The journey to Grimfield took weeks.
Greenleaf Forest stretched endlessly in every direction — towering trees, drifting fog, and winding trails that swallowed the road as often as they revealed it. In that slow march, the party came to know one another not just as allies, but as people. Each carried something strange and personal from their past: heirlooms, curios, fragments of old lives that still held power. When invoked in moments of need, those relics could bend fate itself — but only once.
Crossroads Camp: Hunters
At a lonely crossroads, they found warmth and voices again: a small band of hunters camped beneath the trees. Their leader, Flynn, welcomed them like old friends. Stew was shared. Stories were traded. Grimfield was described as lively, bright with the coming MidSum Festival, and buzzing with anticipation for the SparkShard Auction. Sylvar even took time to adjust a young hunter’s bow and teach her how to aim — a small kindness on a long road.
When the party asked which way to go, the hunters pointed down a weathered cobblestone road, half-swallowed by moss.
“Half a day,” they said. “You’ll reach Grimfield by sundown.”
The Standing Stones
By dusk, the road led them into a clearing ringed with ancient standing stones, older than any kingdom. At its center loomed a massive dolmen, its shadow stretching across disturbed earth. The ground beneath it had been dug up recently. Bones lay scattered like forgotten offerings. A shattered wagon rested nearby, its cargo long gone.
Something was very wrong here.
Chickory, ever loyal to duty and order, urged the party onward. Grimfield was close. Warm beds waited. They should leave this cursed place behind.