Editing King Ottokar's Sceptre (section)

==Synopsis==

Having discovered a lost briefcase in a Belgian park, Tintin returns it to its owner, the [[sigillography|sigillographer]] Professor [[Professor Alembick|Hector Alembick]], who informs the reporter of his plans to travel to the [[Balkans|Balkan nation]] of Syldavia. Tintin discovers agents spying on the professor and follows those responsible to a nearby Syldavian restaurant.{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=1–7}} An unknown man agrees to meet with Tintin but is found unconscious and appears to have [[amnesia]]. Shortly after, the reporter receives a threatening note and is then the target of a bomb attack; Tintin survives the latter when police detectives [[Thomson and Thompson]] intercept the bomb. Suspecting that these events are linked to Syldavia, Tintin decides to accompany Professor Alembick on his forthcoming visit to the country.{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=7–15}} On the plane journey there, Tintin notices Alembick acting out of character, and suspects that an imposter has replaced him. Reading a brochure on Syldavian history, Tintin theorises that the imposter is part of a plot to steal the [[sceptre]] of the medieval King Ottokar IV from the current [[King Muskar XII]] before St. Vladimir's Day, thus forcing him to [[abdication|abdicate]].{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=15–22}}

Forcibly ejected from the plane by the pilot, Tintin survives and informs local police of his fears regarding the plot. However, the police captain is part of the conspiracy, and he organises an ambush in the woods where Tintin will be eliminated. Tintin evades death, and heads to the capital city of Klow in a car carrying the opera singer [[Bianca Castafiore]].{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=23–28}} Leaving the car to evade Castafiore's singing, Tintin is arrested and survives another assassination attempt before heading to Klow on foot. Arriving in the city, he meets the King's ''[[aide-de-camp]]'', [[Colonel Jorgen|Colonel Boris Jorgen]], seeking permission to meet the King. At the Klow Natural History Museum, Snowy has taken a bone away from one of the dinosaurs but Tintin orders Snowy to return it back to the museum. However, Jorgen is also a conspirator and organises a further unsuccessful assassination attempt aimed at Tintin.{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=29–38}} While Bianca Castafiore is singing at a gala opera, Tintin gatecrashes and he is escorted away by a group of security guards. En route to transferring Tintin to prison, the custody van has an accident trying to avoid a careless pedestrian and Tintin suffers a concussion. Meanwhile, the imposter pretending to be Alembick is allowed into Kropow Castle, where the sceptre is kept. Tintin finally succeeds in personally warning the King about the plot and they both rush to Kropow Castle, only to find that the sceptre is missing.{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=38–46}} 

With the aid of Thomson and Thompson, who have recently arrived in Syldavia, Tintin discovers how the conspirators smuggled out the sceptre from the Castle and pursues the thieves, first by car and then on foot across the mountains. He is able to prevent the sceptre being carried over the border into neighbouring Borduria, discovering a letter on one of the conspirators. It reveals that the plot has been orchestrated by [[Müsstler]], a political agitator who runs both the Syldavian Iron Guard and the Zyldav Zentral Revolutzionär Komitzät (ZZRK), a subversive organization which intends to have Borduria invade and annex Syldavia.{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=47–53}} Entering Borduria, Tintin commandeers a fighter plane and heads to Klow, but the Syldavian military shoot him down. Parachuting, he continues to Klow by foot, returning the sceptre to the King on St. Vladimir's Day and securing the monarchy. In return, the king makes Tintin a Knight of the Order of the Golden Pelican; the first foreigner to receive the honour. Tintin later learns that the imposter was Alembick's twin brother after police arrest Müsstler and rescue Professor Alembick.{{sfn|Hergé|1958|pp=54–60}}  Afterwards, Tintin and the Thompsons take a flying boat home.