The Enigma of the Fair
In Realm of the Crown they say the walls have ears — and this time the saying has proven true. The spy knows the corridors better than the guards do — an ill sign: it is one of the household. Suspicion has fallen on Sword-Bearer Dragos, Tintar the Jester, Captain Vlaicu and Pantelimon the Gardener — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the map of the realm, the herald's horn, the small wine cask and the bishop's chalice. The threads were tangled on purpose: investigate, weigh every word, and pronounce your verdict only when the grid leaves no room for doubt.
Suspects
He bears the king's ceremonial sword. At the tourney he has never lost; at dice, always.
1.86 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
The only man in the kingdom who may tell the king the truth - provided he makes it sound like a joke.
1.56 m
right-handed
green eyes
red hair
He has guarded the fortress gates for twenty years. Who enters and who leaves - he decides what the ledger records.
1.84 m
right-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
He tends the queen's roses and no one's beds of belladonna. The second garden is the more sought-after.
1.73 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying hair
Locations
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
Objects
the map of the realm
The kingdom's borders, drawn with a fresh correction where there should be none.
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 small wine cask
Arin wine, the good year. The bung was pulled and put back by an unskilled hand.
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
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.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the tallest suspect handled the map of the realm.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: Pantelimon the Gardener never set foot in the old chapel.
- The night watch saw Pantelimon the Gardener first, and only then Sword-Bearer Dragos.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the abbey library and the herald's horn go together.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the bishop's chalice does not match that hour: at noon.
- The gate guard swears: Captain Vlaicu handled the bishop's chalice.
- The chronicler notes drily: the suspect with chestnut hair was in the place from which you see everything, whatever the court may say.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the watchtower matches that hour: after matins.
- At the Chancellery, Captain Vlaicu maintains: "I handled the herald's horn".
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the suspect with brown hair was in the place where the old kings sleep.