The Feud of the Fair
In Realm of the Crown, only one thing is spoken of today: a daring theft, carried out almost before the court's eyes. The culprit worked cleanly, but not without witnesses — and the witnesses, at last, have begun to talk. Before you, one by one, will stand Costache the Toll-Keeper, Pantelimon the Gardener, Toma the Cellarer, Sword-Bearer Dragos and Tintar the Jester. Motives abound — the inheritance, greed, revenge, ambition and a debt of honour — yet only one moved the guilty hand. The threads were tangled on purpose: investigate, weigh every word, and pronounce your verdict only when the grid leaves no room for doubt.
Suspects
His scales weigh the goods; his eye, the merchant. Both can be "greased" at need.
1.80 m
right-handed
dark eyes
grey 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
He holds the keys to every cellar in the castle. He claims the wine vanishes on its own, by "angelic evaporation."
1.73 m
left-handed
brown eyes
red 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
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
Locations
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
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 silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
the locked chest
Three padlocks, two rows of straps. Fresh scratches around the hinges, not the locks.
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
Motives
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.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
ambition
Setea de a urca, chiar peste trupuri, spre o treaptă mai înaltă.
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
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: the locked chest and a debt of honour go together, whatever the court may say.
- The customs register is clear: Pantelimon the Gardener was not driven by ambition.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the tallest suspect handled the ruby dagger.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the merchant's house and the rusted sword go together.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit was driven by a debt of honour.
- The gate guard swears: the left-handed suspect was there at dawn.
- The gate guard swears: Costache the Toll-Keeper was driven by the inheritance.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the ruby dagger matches that hour: at noon.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the abbey library matches that hour: after matins.
- The chronicler notes drily: Costache the Toll-Keeper was in the place from which you see everything, whatever the court may say.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the silver-clad icon matches that hour: at vespers.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: Pantelimon the Gardener never touched the locked chest.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the silver candelabrum and revenge go together.
- At the Chancellery, Pantelimon the Gardener maintains: "I was in the place with more secret drawers than drawers".
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the old chapel and the silver candelabrum go together.