The Enigma of the Treasury
In Realm of the Crown they say the walls have ears — and this time the saying has proven true. The Chancellery has caught only the end of the thread; the whole skein is still in someone's hands. On the Chancellery's list stand Damaschin the Healer, Costache the Toll-Keeper, Gavril the Farrier, Sava the Bell-Ringer and Sir Bogdan de Fag; one of these names covers a lie. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the north wall, the Golden Boar inn, the customs cellar, the abbey library and the tourney field. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
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
His scales weigh the goods; his eye, the merchant. Both can be "greased" at need.
1.80 m
right-handed
dark eyes
grey hair
Arms like tree trunks and a forge where all noise dies. Some things are better beaten while hot.
1.88 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
He has rung the cathedral bells on the hour for thirty years. He sees the whole city from above and forgives nothing he sees.
1.83 m
right-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
He pawned his armour to pay his tavern debts. Honour, he says, does not rust.
1.85 m
right-handed
blue eyes
brown hair
Locations
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
the Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
the tourney field
Empty stands outside festival days. An excellent place for meetings that never happened.
Objects
the abbess's bell
It calls the nuns to prayer. On the night in question, they all say, it rang once too many.
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the signet ring
The crest has been filed away almost completely. Almost.
Motives
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
ambition
Setea de a urca, chiar peste trupuri, spre o treaptă mai înaltă.
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.
at vespers
At the evening service, when the bells drown out any footstep.
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: Gavril the Farrier was driven by jealousy.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the tourney field and the abbess's bell go together.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the customs cellar matches that hour: after matins.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: the silver-clad icon does not match that hour: at dusk.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the suspect with brown hair never touched the customs scales.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Sava the Bell-Ringer was there at dawn.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the customs scales and revenge go together.
- An unsigned note, slipped under the door: "the culprit was there after matins".
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the bishop's chalice and fear of exposure go together.
- The chronicler notes drily: Damaschin the Healer handled the silver-clad icon, whatever the court may say.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the abbess's bell does not match that hour: at noon.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the north wall and ambition go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the customs cellar and the customs scales go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the Golden Boar inn matches that hour: at dawn.
- A note in the margin of the ledger: if Costache the Toll-Keeper was driven by revenge, then Gavril the Farrier was there at noon.