[WSUCougar]

The dark, pre-dawn sky had mere hints of purple in it when the servants of Lord Pelspin rose and began their daily routine. Before the sun had broken above the horizon, most everything had been prepared and packed for the quest, and the five adventurers had been roused from their slumber. Benton, the familiar paladin, was up first on his own, but the others were gently awakened and bade prepare to leave at the lord’s request.

Vasheliave was waiting upon them in the entryway, if possible looking even scruffier than he had the night before. As the others shuffled in, he spoke in low tones to the paladin.

“I’ve spent much of the night seeking some sign of how the copied scroll might have been taken. As you know, this manor house is well-positioned, and entry must come via the main doors at the front and back, or through the servants’ entrance on the eastern side. A trusted servant sleeps – lightly, I might add – close by the servants’ door, and both the front and back entrances are routinely locked and barred at night. Two guards rotate patrols of the grounds, and reported nothing untoward. I would be very much surprised if illicit entry was gained at night.”

“Lord Pelspin is not one to treat such a scroll lightly; indeed, he is one to treat it with excessive caution and care, and thus for him to misplace it or otherwise lose the copy is also highly unlikely. As you know, he had the copy made from the original scroll held by the monk. The man who copied it is a scholar here in town…a long-time acquaintance of Lord Pelspin. I know of him only by his reputation - which is good, I might add - but he has been described to me as ‘unusual’ in his mannerisms…”

The captain hesitated, still pondering the question in his mind. “There are two possibilities that I can see at this point, although admittedly it is a leap to do even this. One, the scholar performed some manner of fast handiwork before he left. Lord Pelspin professes that once he saw the quality of the copy he did not keep a close eye on things as the scroll was allegedly put in its protective tube, and the tube was found empty. Still, that doesn't set quite right. The second possibility, and the one that I fear is closest to the truth at this point, is that magic was involved.”