The Chancellery Intrigue
An absence has fallen upon the court heavier than any presence: the disappearance can no longer be denied. Open searches have brought nothing; the time has come for questions asked aslant. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Abbot Corvus, Sir Bogdan de Fag, Damaschin the Healer, Mother Evghenia and Filip the Steward. Motives abound — a debt of honour, jealousy, revenge, fear of exposure and greed — yet only one moved the guilty hand. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He raises ravens in the abbey tower. His birds arrive faster than any messenger - and cannot be held to account.
1.78 m
right-handed
dark eyes
bald
He pawned his armour to pay his tavern debts. Honour, he says, does not rust.
1.85 m
right-handed
blue eyes
brown hair
He knows the cure for any illness and the dose at which the cure becomes something else. He swears he has never mistaken the dosage.
1.71 m
left-handed
green eyes
grey hair
She runs the abbey with an iron hand and a golden pen. The register of donations has pages she shows no one.
1.60 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
He counts the crown's silver every evening. On some evenings the count comes out different - and he says nothing.
1.79 m
right-handed
grey eyes
chestnut hair
Locations
the hunting lodge
The royal cabin in the heart of the forest. Far from the eyes of the court - which is exactly what suits some.
the Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
the castle cellar
Barrels as big as carts and corners the lantern never reaches.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the guild forge
Anvils, tongs, and a fire that never goes out. Many small metal things vanish here.
Objects
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
the amber necklace
Beads of golden resin strung on a silk thread. The thread is broken and hastily reknotted.
the herald's horn
It sounds the muster, the alarm, or the retreat. Whoever holds it can start a whole panic with a single breath.
the royal seal
Whoever holds it can seal any decree. Which is why it should not be wandering the kingdom.
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
Motives
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
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.
| SUSPECTS | LOCATIONS | OBJECTS | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| MOTIVES | |
|||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| OBJECTS | |
|||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| LOCATIONS | |
|||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- The chronicler notes drily: the Golden Boar inn and greed go together, whatever the court may say.
- However it may seem, at suspects, the guild forge and the amber necklace take different roads.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit was in the place where every footstep echoes like a confession.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the herald's horn and jealousy go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the royal seal and a debt of honour go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the bald suspect handled the bishop's chalice.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Sir Bogdan de Fag was driven by revenge.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: Sir Bogdan de Fag was at the guild forge.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the hunting lodge and fear of exposure go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Abbot Corvus was driven by fear of exposure.
- The gate guard swears: Filip the Steward was driven by a debt of honour.
- Damaschin the Healer declares under oath: "I was driven by revenge".