Arcade’s Journal -- Brownie Poker

...when Alix and I arrived at Ortigal’s, we found a surprise in store. Briorth and Imelda, Michael’s father and mother, were there. Imelda was nearly hysterical. (I quickly filled in Alix regarding Michael and his friend Frolic the faerie dragon.) The parents had found their house sealed against them, and Michael missing. We offered to help, of course. We gathered the party and Briorth and headed off through the forest. Sadly, we could not locate Velendo or Glimmer on such short notice.

On the way to the cabin we encountered Rofan, bizarre cleric and sometime-Defender, and he insisted on accompanying us. He has become even more strange since we last met, and I fear his sanity has departed nearly entirely....

...arrived at the cabin. Worse than we thought. The whole structure was sealed with wooden planks and pegs. In the mud outside the hut was written "Keep Out!" in elven script. We made several attempts to enter, but this resulted in Confusion repeatedly being cast upon the group. From the sound, it appears that many small beings inhabit the cabin. There are also strange chirping noises....

...the staff made an attempt to get me inside, but we wound up in a strange grey dimension and were eventually ejected back into reality, still outside the cabin. The staff would not explain the strange occurrence. In an attempt to bring the inhabitants of the house outside, I cast Irritation into the cabin’s interior. No effect, sadly....

...Alix, when bored and angry, is a serious threat to people and property. Unable to get inside, he began trying to burn down the cabin by tossing oil flasks down the chimney! Naturally this enraged Briorth, the cabin’s owner, who promptly attacked Alix with his axe. I honestly believe that Alix would have killed him had I not intervened by casting Sleep upon the woodcutter. While Rofan stayed behind to heal Briorth, we went in search of Frolic....

...Frolic is as demented as ever. Nolin and Alix accidentally stepped on the trapdoor which the dragon had rigged. This led to them sliding down a greased chute into a pool of icy water. Thankfully, I was alert and avoided the trap. Frolic was overjoyed to see us. He informed us that the local brownies had commandeered the cabin for their annual game of poker. Apparently it involves wagering with crickets. In exchange for promises of fruit pies, Frolic agreed to get Nolin and Alix some crickets for betting stakes, and to get them both inside....

...brownies promised to leave in one day, and let the two join the game. Michael was already inside, asleep on the floor. Alix and Nolin proved hopeless at brownie poker, rapidly lost their crickets, and were enchanted into sleep along with Michael....

...Rofan has become as dangerous as Alix, and cannot be trusted. I found the unconscious Briorth with antlers mounted upon his head, on all fours in the snow, stripped and coated in mud, and with a Log of Everburning placed under him to harden the mess. Rofan explained that he has chosen to heal only animals these days, and thought this might permit the hapless Briorth to qualify! I told off Rofan, and rescued Briorth. Brought the poor fellow home and cleaned him up, saving him from death due to exposure....

...returned next day to find the cabin spotless. Frolic was there with Michael, hale and hearty. Frolic tried playing breath-holding games with me again. (That is: he would try to use his breath weapon upon me, while I tried to hold my breath). I won.

I also refused to open the cabinets for him, but after I departed he did it himself. He then used the pots and pans to arrange water-pranks that Rofan walked right into....

...Frolic has informed Nolin that odd scents are in the air, and that the animals and plants in the northwestern forests have begun to act very strangely. Later, Oania the dryad confirmed these rumors....

...Michael happily reunited with his parents. I had a discussion with the staff regarding the benefits of cooperation! Returned to the Manticore with Alix and Nolin, where we met one Connor Hallowhorn. He turns out to be a half-elven ascetic monk of the order of Morphat, God of Knowledge. He had been hired by "Deepleaf" to copy the map to the Manticore, and was extremely displeased and saddened due to the slanders heaped upon him as a result of Nolin’s popular song. Nolin apologized profusely and agreed to make amends....