The Mystery of the Blazon
A decree bearing a lying seal has left the Chancellery, and its parchment has already done damage. Until the hand that pressed the seal is found, every written order stands in doubt. Suspicion has fallen on Countess Velica de Arin, Sir Bogdan de Fag, Lady Ruxandra, Safta the Herbwife and Damaschin the Healer — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the north wall, the old dungeon, the guild forge, the hunting lodge and the old chapel. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
She collects fans, debts of honour, and bedchamber secrets. She wields all three as weapons.
1.70 m
left-handed
green eyes
red 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
The queen's shadow at every hour. She hears everything, sees everything, and embroiders all she learns into patterns known only to her.
1.65 m
right-handed
blue eyes
blond hair
She gathers herbs at hours when honest folk sleep. The herbs, she says, speak then.
1.58 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying hair
He knows the cure for any illness and the dose at which the cure becomes something else. He swears he has never mistaken the dosage.
1.71 m
left-handed
green eyes
grey hair
Locations
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the guild forge
Anvils, tongs, and a fire that never goes out. Many small metal things vanish here.
the hunting lodge
The royal cabin in the heart of the forest. Far from the eyes of the court - which is exactly what suits some.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
Objects
the ermine cloak
White fur with black tails - only the royal family may wear it. It has a tear at the hem.
the ledger of accounts
Neat columns of figures, with one page torn out exactly at mid-month.
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
the herald's horn
It sounds the muster, the alarm, or the retreat. Whoever holds it can start a whole panic with a single breath.
the royal seal
Whoever holds it can seal any decree. Which is why it should not be wandering the kingdom.
Motives
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
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.
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 tracks in the dust do not lie: the old dungeon and the inheritance go together.
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if the suspect with grey hair was in the place where the fire never goes out, then the suspect with brown hair handled the herald's horn.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit handled the ermine cloak.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the ledger of accounts and revenge go together.
- The gate guard swears: the guild forge and the royal seal go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the hunting lodge and jealousy go together.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the ermine cloak and fear of exposure go together.
- Whatever the market gossips: Safta the Herbwife never touched the ermine cloak.
- The healer says it with a raised finger: if Safta the Herbwife was at the hunting lodge, then Lady Ruxandra was at the old chapel.
- One thing is certain: the ermine cloak and the old chapel do not share the same match for suspects.
- Damaschin the Healer raises their right hand and says: "I handled the royal seal".
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the hunting lodge and the bishop's chalice go together.
- Lady Ruxandra declares under oath: "I handled the ledger of accounts".
- Even the jester says it in earnest: the suspect with grey hair never touched the ermine cloak.
- The healer says it with a raised finger: if Safta the Herbwife was in the place where every footstep echoes like a confession, then the suspect with blond hair never set foot in the place the patrol skirts when the wind blows.