The Feast Intrigue
The council's secrets have reached where they never should have — and not on their own: someone carried them. What has leaked so far is hard to weigh; what might yet leak, impossible. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Codrin the Huntsman, Princess Smaranda, Sava the Bell-Ringer, Duchess Amara de Corvin and Sword-Bearer Dragos. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the abbess's bell, the silver-clad icon, the royal seal, the ruby dagger and the ermine cloak. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He knows the royal forest better than the castle corridors. Tracks, he says, never lie - men do.
1.87 m
right-handed
green eyes
black hair
She has refused seven suitors and kept the gifts of all. She calls it practicality, not greed.
1.66 m
right-handed
green eyes
chestnut 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
Widowed three times, heir on each occasion. Her smile has buried more nobles than the plague.
1.68 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
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
Locations
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
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 silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the royal seal
Whoever holds it can seal any decree. Which is why it should not be wandering the kingdom.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
the ermine cloak
White fur with black tails - only the royal family may wear it. It has a tear at the hem.
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.
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
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.
- The chronicler notes drily: jealousy matches that hour: at dawn, whatever the court may say.
- The traces left at the scene show it plainly: the culprit handled the royal seal.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the old chapel and the ermine cloak go together.
- By the order of the hours, first comes Princess Smaranda, then Sava the Bell-Ringer.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the ruby dagger matches that hour: after matins.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the scriptorium and the silver-clad icon go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Duchess Amara de Corvin was driven by the inheritance.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: Princess Smaranda came earlier than Duchess Amara de Corvin.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Codrin the Huntsman was driven by blackmail.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the old dungeon and the inheritance go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the ermine cloak and a debt of honour go together.
- Codrin the Huntsman raises their right hand and says: "I handled the ruby dagger".
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the merchant's house and the abbess's bell go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: Sword-Bearer Dragos handled the silver-clad icon.
- The chronicler notes drily: the abbess's bell matches that hour: at dusk, whatever the court may say.