The Abbey Plot
A spy has crept in among the people of the court, and the realm's secrets have begun flowing toward foreign ears. The spy knows the corridors better than the guards do — an ill sign: it is one of the household. Suspicion has fallen on Teofil the Chronicler, Chancellor Veniamin, Safta the Herbwife and Nichifor the Spy — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. The testimonies cling to certain hours: "at dawn", "after matins", "at noon" and "at dusk". Open the grid, weigh every clue, and pronounce your verdict: the Chancellery awaits only your signature.
Suspects
He writes the kingdom's history as he is ordered. The unwelcome drafts, however, he keeps every one.
1.69 m
left-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
Every charter of the kingdom passes through his hands. A comma he once moved started a war.
1.64 m
left-handed
grey eyes
bald
She gathers herbs at hours when honest folk sleep. The herbs, she says, speak then.
1.58 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying hair
Officially, he does not exist. Unofficially, he was seen in three places at once - which is, of course, impossible.
1.74 m
left-handed
dark eyes
brown hair
Locations
the castle cellar
Barrels as big as carts and corners the lantern never reaches.
the tourney field
Empty stands outside festival days. An excellent place for meetings that never happened.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
Objects
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
the silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
the guild seal
The stamp that turns any goods into goods "of certified quality." Worth a mine of gold.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
Moments
at dawn
When the citadel is barely waking and the guards still doze.
after matins
The hour after the morning service, when the abbey empties.
at noon
Midday, with bustle in the markets and silence in the alcoves.
at dusk
When the shadows lengthen and the lanterns are not yet lit.
Open the Grid (below) to solve the case, with the testimonies at hand.
Touch a cell: blank → ✗ (excluded) → ✓ (certain) → blank. Each pair of categories meets exactly once.
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Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the silver candelabrum matches that hour: at dusk.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the suspect with dark eyes handled the rusted sword.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: the shortest suspect came earlier than Chancellor Veniamin.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the ceremonial crown does not match that hour: after matins.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: the suspect with brown eyes never touched the ceremonial crown.
- Even the jester says it in earnest: Nichifor the Spy never set foot in the place where the lantern never reaches.
- The chronicler notes drily: the rusted sword matches that hour: at dawn, whatever the court may say.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit handled the ceremonial crown.
- The gate guard swears: the tourney field and the silver candelabrum go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the suspect with brown eyes was in the place where a quill creaks louder than a conscience.