This summer, a special convocation of the fair was held to celebrate the merging of two stars. The fair-goers were excited to welcome Professor Flummery, a famous sorcerer and merchant of the rarest of the rare creatures.
Our detectives were not so excited. They met Professor Flummery, and his darling rabbit, Caisearbhan (Ky-sheer-vawn). He took off with their baby dragons, and a precious seahorse and magical dove. Cai wasn't so certain about that, so she whispered a secret to a certain Mr. M, who sent a letter to a certain detective whose secret identity is safe with us. So the team learned where the Professor was headed: Dunraven Fair.
After the sorcerer's apparent treachery, the team befriended his shadow lion by feeding him conjured zebra meat. The team dubbed him Cupcake (that's "Coop-caw-cuh" said the Shadow Lion.) Out of game, the detectives have declared this cannon, so the name shall remain for future encounters with Professor Flummery.
The dream from Madame Drak guided our team to the Dunraven Castle ruins. They performed some magic to go back in time to the mythical realms of the Raven King and his shadowy underworld palace. He gave them permission to enter the fair and even provided a magical amulet that would deter anyone who sensed the presence of their mortal souls.
This amulet proved very useful against the floating eyeballs that guard the woods surrounding the fair. Their job is to prevent mortals from trying to sneak into the fair. The Eyes did a very poor job on this particular night. They found a few mortals, for sure, but something made their minds stray ... what was that? A sound way over there? I must go investigate ...
The Raven King also gave our brave detectives disguises that would fool even the magical beings at the fair. When they arrived, they blended in beautifully -- I mean, horribly -- with the denizens of the fair. Visit the Dragon's Eye Facebook page for images of their visit.
Out of game, the team made tiny dolls representing their costumes. They are fabulous! We had a lovely fortune teller with golden hair, a pink and lavender fairy dragon, a chic goblin in an outfit that was to die for, a club-wielding goblin that you wouldn't want to upset, and a faceless demon with shadow magic swirling around him. See them close up on Facebook, here.
Each merchant shared a secret about how to reach Professor Flummery's famous secret booth. How can something be famous and secret at once? That's part of the magic of the Dunraven Fair -- and the Professor's special blend of magic.
Let's just say that our detectives managed to locate this famous secret place. They handled the sticky webs like pros, and made it past the giant spider guarding the way. Finally, they came face to face with their nemesis, Professor Flummery.
Let me just say that all's well that ends well, as so often happens with our cases. The dragonlings were returned to the detectives, along with the other magical creatures. The detectives had fun choosing a new creature for more trading, this time with the Professor.
Our team had some OOG challenges, but pulled together in the end. It's not easy squeezing an adventure into three days, but we managed. On Friday, four of the team members returned. They made up games for the fair and we played them in the gym.
A special thank you goes to Adam Shaughnessy, visiting Dragonmage. Learn more about him here. He did a wonderful job bringing Professor Flummery, the Shadow Lion and the Spider to life. A very special thanks to Mr. M as well, and to a certain young detective for sharing her story about Mr. M. Thank you to the detectives, for their high courage, their persistence, and their sewing skills, which were put to good use this week!
Let me assure all that "no zebras were harmed in this adventure."
