I don't know exactly what happened, but I logged into the game perhaps 15 minutes ago and Maynist was replaced by a new character. I was deposited in a room with Haliste, who apparently knew about the problem. The issue was fixed in under five minutes and Maynist was restored (I had to quit and log in again). Haliste and Ganderin then allowed me to ask a couple questions via REPORT.

The problem was obviously (from a customer standpoint) very serious, but it was addressed and resolved very quickly. Great customer service!

Maynist