The Mystery of the Tourney
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. On the Chancellery's list stand Sava the Bell-Ringer, Grigore the Cupbearer, Countess Velica de Arin and Brother Anselm; one of these names covers a lie. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the throne room, the wharf, the north wall and the Golden Boar inn. Study the testimonies at your leisure, fit them into the grid, and pronounce your verdict without haste.
From the Chancellery archive
At a tourney everyone looks in the same direction, which means that for several good hours the realm's back is left unwatched. The dossier “The Mystery of the Tourney” was opened in precisely that interval.
Four suspects, four ways of being absent unnoticed. Sava the Bell-Ringer had bells to ring, so he had to be up high. Grigore the Cupbearer had wine to taste, so he had to be at table. Brother Anselm had copying to do, so he had to be at his desk. Countess Velica de Arin had nothing in particular to do, which in an investigation is an uncomfortable position.
The places run from the throne room to the wharf — that is, from the realm's centre to its edge, where one departs. The objects: a small wine cask, a rusted sword, a vial of belladonna and the customs scales.
Tier II. The hours of the day are ordered, and therefore comparable. Use the ordering; it is information for free.
Suspects
He has rung the cathedral bells on the hour for thirty years. He sees the whole city from above and forgives nothing he sees.
1.83 m
right-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
He tastes the king's wine before anyone else. A trade with a short future, he says, but a rich past.
1.70 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
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 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
Locations
the throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
the Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
Objects
the small wine cask
Arin wine, the good year. The bung was pulled and put back by an unskilled hand.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the vial of belladonna
A small flask, a wax stopper, a label written with care. Three-quarters empty.
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
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.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: Brother Anselm handled the customs scales.
- The night watch saw Brother Anselm first, and only then Sava the Bell-Ringer.
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if the tallest suspect was there at dusk, then the suspect with green eyes was at the Golden Boar inn.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the throne room and the customs scales go together.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: the suspect with red hair came earlier than Grigore the Cupbearer.
- Whatever the market gossips: the Golden Boar inn does not match that hour: after matins.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the wharf and the rusted sword go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the vial of belladonna matches that hour: after matins.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: the suspect with chestnut hair came earlier than Sava the Bell-Ringer.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit was there at noon.