The Riddle of the Envoy
A ciphered letter, found where it had no business being, put the Chancellery on alert: someone is prying for another crown. What has leaked so far is hard to weigh; what might yet leak, impossible. Suspicion has fallen on Elisei the Stargazer, Sava the Bell-Ringer, Costache the Toll-Keeper, Countess Velica de Arin and Petru the Herald — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. Motives abound — jealousy, revenge, ambition, the inheritance and a debt of honour — yet only one moved the guilty hand. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He reads the future in the stars and the past in men's debts. The second method fails less often.
1.67 m
right-handed
blue eyes
greying hair
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
His scales weigh the goods; his eye, the merchant. Both can be "greased" at need.
1.80 m
right-handed
dark eyes
grey 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 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
Locations
the guild forge
Anvils, tongs, and a fire that never goes out. Many small metal things vanish here.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
Objects
the guild seal
The stamp that turns any goods into goods "of certified quality." Worth a mine of gold.
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the map of the realm
The kingdom's borders, drawn with a fresh correction where there should be none.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the ermine cloak
White fur with black tails - only the royal family may wear it. It has a tear at the hem.
Motives
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
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.
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
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.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the left-handed suspect was driven by the inheritance.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the suspect with grey hair was driven by revenge.
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if the suspect with dark eyes was driven by revenge, then the suspect with dark eyes handled the customs scales.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the cathedral crypt and the guild seal go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the guild forge and revenge go together.
- The chronicler notes drily: Countess Velica de Arin handled the ermine cloak, whatever the court may say.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit was driven by ambition.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Elisei the Stargazer was at the cathedral crypt.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the old chapel and a debt of honour go together.
- The chronicler notes drily: the old chapel and the map of the realm go together, whatever the court may say.
- Petru the Herald declares under oath: "I was in the place where the old kings sleep".
- The customs register is clear: the merchant's house and the rusted sword do not go together.