Throwback Compilation - Raven the Baker

First, a little context... while in the Grimmlands, Raven fell victim to the Helpful Elf Curse. He felt compelled to take on a stereotypical "elven profession", in this case, he was transforming into a baker. While the party was able to escape the Grimmlands before any permanent damage was done, it was interesting to watch how his behavior changed over the duration of their time in that realm. Presented below are the parts where the Curse was actively doing its fell work.

DAY FOUR

Several of the party members seem concerned about Raven and his purchase of baking supplies. He tells everyone not to worry and that he is fine. “My mother used to bake all of the time when I still lived on Evermeet. She was quite accomplished as a cook and I think I remember most of what I used to see her doing.”

DAY FIVE

While the rest of the group is finalizing their decision, Raven begins gathering whatever flat stones he can find and starts stacking them off to the side of the road and filling in the spaces between the stones with mud.

While Mary is talking, Shadow joins Raven in stacking stones and filling in the gaps.  Cedron walks over, leans in close and whispers, “What are you two doing? It's mid-afternoon, and we're on the side of a road. The others are thinking you're setting up camp. I believe differently. Raven...look at me. Take a deep breath, and let's focus on Mary, and Shadow why are you helping him make what appears to be a very ugly oven?"

Raven stares at Cedron, “My oven is not ugly in the least,” he says defensively.  “But you're right, Mary first, cookies after.”

Shadow looks at Raven in shock, “Wait, you're making cookies?  I thought this was a roadside shrine. Maybe you are a bit off Raven.”

While the party is gone, Raven will finish making the oven and start his cookies.

Elaina¹ approaches Raven and asks if he needs any help. The smiling elf rises and embraces her warmly before pressing the bowl from his mess kit into her hands and saying “Yes, please, stir this for me.” The elf then turns and feeds more sticks into the small fire burning beneath his improvised oven, prodding the flames to greater life. 

Shadow watches his elven friend and tries to dredge up memories, any memories of Raven ever showing interest in baking and comes up empty.  “Something in this lands has definitely enthralled him,” the drow thinks to himself before asking Raven what sort of cookies he is planning on baking. Raven smiles and replies, “Nothing too complicated.  We'll start with sugar cookies tonight and perhaps tomorrow, I'll try something different.”

¹ Elaina was a Grimmlands native who briefly adventured with the party.

Arthur watches over the camp, concern for the drastic change in Raven's demeanor written plainly across his face.

Raven only half pays attention to the former queen's² conversation with his friends and pulls the stone from in front of the oven again to take a peek at his cookies. He reaches in and turns the frying pan slightly, trying to position it more directly above the heat before replacing the door.

² By this point, the party had met Jill, wife of the missing King Jack

Raven sits in front of his oven, removing the stone every so often and feeling around inside to make sure that it is hot enough and presses the cookie dough into dollops that he arranges in his frying pan (not having a suitable substitute for a baking sheet) before placing the whole thing in his makeshift oven. Several minutes go by and Raven pulls the stone away and looks inside. He frowns when he sees that the dough hasn't cooked yet and puts the stone back in its place. 

Raven continues puttering with his oven, leading Elaina to place one hand on his shoulder to counsel patience, “You have to give it time. If you keeping checking on them, the heat will escape and your cookies won't cook.”

The group reaches the camp and discover smoke pouring out of Raven's makeshift oven and the

elven swordsman standing in the middle of the campsite holding the pan from his mess kit with a wide smile spread across his face. His cookies, if that's what they can be called, are concave in the middle and dark, the edges burned and brittle. He scoops them from the pan and presents one to each of party member before taking the last one for himself.

Raven hums softly to himself and neither Kysek not Ra'ziir can ever remember seeing Raven this happy. Ra'ziir was present when Raven's daughter was born and even then, Raven seemed more grimly satisfied than pleased.

DAY EIGHT

Raven once against begins stacking rocks and, uncharacteristically, the other party members chip in, offering suggestions and tips that might improve the baking process.

Raven’s mice³ fan out, pulling twigs and sticks from the pile of firewood while the elven fighter stacks rocks and tries to plug the chinks as best he with smaller stones.  The little blue fey⁴ produce a number of small red berries from pouches and packs and give them to the warrior. Raven adds the berries to the mixture of dough he has been prepared and smushes everything into dollop-sized clumps that he presses onto the surface of his frying pan. It takes quite some time to dry out the kindling and wood but within an hour or so, Raven has a decent fire burning under his makeshift oven.

³ After a harrowing encounter the Farmer's Wife, the party temporarily gained control of the Three Blind Mice.
⁴ yes, the party met Smurfs

He places the pan inside and blocks the front opening with a fairly large rock and settles in to wait.

Drax takes a moment from his relaxation to quietly mention, "Not to speak ill of the product, but the better his cooking, the worse his condition. We are running out of time."

Raven whistles a jaunty tune, happy to have made something tasty for his companions. 

The party soon tracked down the Cow That Jumped Over the Moon and got her to take them to the moon where they spoke with the Brothers Grimm, returned to the surface, and defeated the Big Bad of that chapter of the campaign which allowed them to escape to Asgard.