The Riddle of the Treasury
The bells had barely finished ringing when word reached the Chancellery: a theft, within the very walls. The culprit worked cleanly, but not without witnesses — and the witnesses, at last, have begun to talk. Suspicion has fallen on Abbot Corvus, Sword-Bearer Dragos, Father Nicodim, Codrin the Huntsman and Countess Velica de Arin — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the abbey library, the tourney field, the hunting lodge, the old chapel and the salt market. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He raises ravens in the abbey tower. His birds arrive faster than any messenger - and cannot be held to account.
1.78 m
right-handed
dark eyes
bald
He bears the king's ceremonial sword. At the tourney he has never lost; at dice, always.
1.86 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
He hears the confessions of the whole court. Forgetting, he says, is a gift from the Lord - one he sells dearly.
1.72 m
right-handed
blue eyes
greying hair
He knows the royal forest better than the castle corridors. Tracks, he says, never lie - men do.
1.87 m
right-handed
green eyes
black 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
Locations
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
the tourney field
Empty stands outside festival days. An excellent place for meetings that never happened.
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.
the salt market
Here anything is bargained for, from salt to silences. The price of silence keeps rising.
Objects
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the ledger of accounts
Neat columns of figures, with one page torn out exactly at mid-month.
the silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
the locked chest
Three padlocks, two rows of straps. Fresh scratches around the hinges, not the locks.
Motives
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
ambition
Setea de a urca, chiar peste trupuri, spre o treaptă mai înaltă.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
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.
- Abbot Corvus raises their right hand and says: "I handled the locked chest".
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the suspect with blue eyes was driven by jealousy.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the salt market and the ledger of accounts go together.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the silver candelabrum and ambition go together.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: Sword-Bearer Dragos was driven by fear of exposure.
- The gate guard swears: Codrin the Huntsman was at the hunting lodge.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the old chapel and the ruby dagger go together.
- The chronicler notes drily: the ledger of accounts and jealousy go together, whatever the court may say.
- The chronicler notes drily: the suspect with brown eyes handled the locked chest, whatever the court may say.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the tourney field and blackmail go together.
- At the Chancellery, Countess Velica de Arin maintains: "I was at the tourney field".