The Feud of the Crown
An overturned goblet, a face gone pale, whispers dying down — thus began, in Realm of the Crown, the case before you. The dose was measured with care — enough not to look like chance, too little to go unpunished. Before you, one by one, will stand Luca the Squire, Ilinca the Baker, Zaharia the Spice Merchant and Gavril the Farrier. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the royal seal, the ledger of accounts, the locked chest and the hunting crossbow. Few files have tested so many investigators; untangle the threads, catch the lie, and pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He polishes the knight's armour and dreams of a sword of his own. For a coat of arms he would do almost anything.
1.72 m
right-handed
green eyes
brown hair
She weighs flour to the gram and people at a glance. No one stays in her debt twice.
1.62 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
His ships bring pepper, saffron, and news no one asked for. All of it at the same price: steep.
1.74 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black 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
Locations
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
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.
Objects
the royal seal
Whoever holds it can seal any decree. Which is why it should not be wandering the kingdom.
the ledger of accounts
Neat columns of figures, with one page torn out exactly at mid-month.
the locked chest
Three padlocks, two rows of straps. Fresh scratches around the hinges, not the locks.
the hunting crossbow
Light, accurate, with a walnut stock. Exactly one bolt is missing from the quiver.
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.
- At the Chancellery, Gavril the Farrier maintains: "I was in the place where the old kings sleep".
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Gavril the Farrier was there at dawn.
- A note in the margin of the ledger: if the suspect with brown hair was in the place where goods arrive in the fog, then the shortest suspect handled the hunting crossbow.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit handled the royal seal.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the abbey library and the hunting crossbow go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the wharf matches that hour: after matins.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Luca the Squire handled the ledger of accounts.
- The traces left at the scene show it plainly: the culprit was there at dusk.