The Hour of the Treasury
A disappearance troubles the citadel, and rumor grows faster than truth. Every passing hour erases another trace, and the traces were few to begin with. Before you, one by one, will stand Petru the Herald, Brother Anselm, Onufrie the Executioner and Gavril the Farrier. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the ceremonial crown, the silver candelabrum, the broken lantern and the purse of gold coins. Take up the quill, follow the thread of the clues, and set your seal upon the verdict.
Suspects
He proclaims the crown's will to every corner of the kingdom. Sometimes he proclaims it before the crown itself knows.
1.82 m
right-handed
blue eyes
blond hair
He has copied manuscripts for forty years. He knows what every one of them says - including the forbidden ones.
1.75 m
right-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
A quiet man with a loud trade. He keeps a notebook of the last words of every condemned soul.
1.92 m
right-handed
dark eyes
bald
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 Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
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 cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
Objects
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
the silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
the purse of gold coins
New coins, unworn, from a minting not yet in circulation. Interesting.
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.
- In the gate ledger, Brother Anselm stands higher, Petru the Herald lower.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: the suspect with blond hair came earlier than Gavril the Farrier.
- The gate guard swears: the Golden Boar inn and the silver candelabrum go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the bald suspect handled the broken lantern.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the cathedral crypt and the purse of gold coins go together.
- The customs register is clear: Gavril the Farrier never touched the purse of gold coins.
- The scouts confirm it: at suspects, the paths of the hour "at dusk" and the silver candelabrum diverge.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit handled the silver candelabrum.
- The gate guard swears: Brother Anselm was in the place where the wheel turns day and night.