Scene 1: Evening at the Museum

Kaladan says, without turning his head and knees to the ground stunned, "The prize item of the collection, the midnight pearl, is gone. The glass... it is shattered. Someone... someone must have come during the fight.... and took it." Crow notices that this one display is the only display that was damaged and there appears to be no broken windows like downstairs.

The king nods at Xcha and waves him to relax. "Thank you for drawing their attention to me. After they failed to harm me before, they seemed to focus on you all. Perhaps that was them acknowledging the danger you imposed on them over simply attacking me." Xcha is not sure if the king didn't notice, or if he is being nice and not bringing it up.

Bells looks out the window and does see ropes dangling from the roof where there are broken windows. How they managed this is unknown.

Kaladan looks at the party, still in shock, "I don't know anything of the black pearl beyond what is commonly known. It is a very rare gemstone, despite being called a pearl. It is rumored that it grows only near where the veil between the shadowfell and material plan is thinnest, but many people believe that is made up to explain how its black color is so dark it looks impossibly so. Valna, your elven diviner friend, told me to give it to her instead of displaying it, but I denied her request. I thought only she and I knew it was here, so when it became public knowledge tomorrow I would have much more security than I did tonight. Some diviner must have found out I had it."

Kaladan mentioned Valna. She is a high elf wizard who helped you all in your travels. When you would not know what to do, she would charge a free to use divination magic to help you go in the right direction. All of you are on at least friendly terms with her.

"Thank you everyone for your hard work. I will make for the castle with most haste. I will admit the theft has me worried. If this foe had only need for wealth, they would have stolen much more. As they stole one thing and one thing only, that either means it is so valuable it is worth being the only thing they steal, or they have a purpose for it. Being as they appear to be a group of necromancers, or necromancers adjacent, are are willing to attack people with the undead they make, i fear ignoring this will have dire consequences. If you all would, please find the black pearl." The king then waits for whoever offers to escort him to the castle and makes for the castle at a good pace. Not far away is a carriage he came in. It appears it was spared any harm, and will use it to head back if no one insists on an alternative.

When you go to the roof, you find the ropes dangling at the windows attached to segments of the roof to allow for the swing that they performed earlier. As for how they got on the roof, those of you who are magically inclined feel the reverberations of magic in the air, as if it was used here recently, but the reverberations are too faint to tell what they were from this feeling alone. There does not appear to be any sign of manual climbing onto the roof.

"Thank you, Crow. The castle isn't too terribly far away, but if you wish to use your own means to get me back while your allies investigate around I will not refuse the offer. When I get back to the castle, I should be safe for the time being. I have hired a few elite guards since the attack from cultists and their backgrounds have been vetted extensively. You all should be able to focus on this new problem at hand."