The Hour of the Blazon
Something — or someone — has vanished in Realm of the Crown, and no one can say when the thread was cut. Someone knows more than they say; the silences at court have suddenly grown very loud. Before you, one by one, will stand Ban Radu the Silent, Luca the Squire, Sir Bogdan de Fag, Zaharia the Spice Merchant and Tintar the Jester. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the salt market, the abbey library, the merchant's house, the mill by the river and the scriptorium. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He has never uttered a needless word in his life. Sadly, nor a useful one for investigators.
1.81 m
right-handed
grey eyes
grey hair
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
He pawned his armour to pay his tavern debts. Honour, he says, does not rust.
1.85 m
right-handed
blue eyes
brown 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
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 salt market
Here anything is bargained for, from salt to silences. The price of silence keeps rising.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
the mill by the river
The wheel turns day and night. Its noise drowns out any conversation - which is why some are held here.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
Objects
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
the amber necklace
Beads of golden resin strung on a silk thread. The thread is broken and hastily reknotted.
the silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
the ledger of accounts
Neat columns of figures, with one page torn out exactly at mid-month.
the hunting crossbow
Light, accurate, with a walnut stock. Exactly one bolt is missing from the quiver.
Motives
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.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
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 bell-ringer remembers well: Luca the Squire came earlier than Zaharia the Spice Merchant.
- Sir Bogdan de Fag raises their right hand and says: "I was in the place where anything is bargained for".
- The gate guard swears: Zaharia the Spice Merchant was in the place with more secret drawers than drawers.
- The gate guard swears: the tallest suspect handled the amber necklace.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Tintar the Jester was driven by jealousy.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the suspect with grey hair handled the bishop's chalice.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the salt market and the ledger of accounts go together.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the merchant's house does not match that hour: at vespers.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the hunting crossbow and fear of exposure do not go together.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the abbey library and jealousy do not go together.
- Tintar the Jester declares under oath: "I handled the silver candelabrum".
- The night watch saw the suspect with red hair first, and only then Luca the Squire.
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if the suspect with red hair was there at dawn, then Ban Radu the Silent was driven by greed.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the scriptorium matches that hour: at dusk.
- An unsigned note, slipped under the door: "the culprit was driven by revenge".
- Even the jester says it in earnest: revenge does not match that hour: at vespers.