The Scheming of the Abbey
The scribes swear they never wrote it, the seal looks true, and yet the decree is false from its first line. Until the hand that pressed the seal is found, every written order stands in doubt. Suspicion has fallen on Toma the Cellarer, Grigore the Cupbearer, Nichifor the Spy, Gavril the Farrier and Captain Vlaicu — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the broken lantern, the ceremonial crown, the map of the realm, the ciphered letter and the ledger of accounts. The threads were tangled on purpose: investigate, weigh every word, and pronounce your verdict only when the grid leaves no room for doubt.
Suspects
He holds the keys to every cellar in the castle. He claims the wine vanishes on its own, by "angelic evaporation."
1.73 m
left-handed
brown eyes
red 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
Officially, he does not exist. Unofficially, he was seen in three places at once - which is, of course, impossible.
1.74 m
left-handed
dark eyes
brown hair
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
He has guarded the fortress gates for twenty years. Who enters and who leaves - he decides what the ledger records.
1.84 m
right-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
Locations
the tourney field
Empty stands outside festival days. An excellent place for meetings that never happened.
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
the great stable
It smells of hay and hurried departures. Horses give no testimony.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
Objects
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
the map of the realm
The kingdom's borders, drawn with a fresh correction where there should be none.
the ciphered letter
Orderly rows of meaningless signs. The ink is costly, the paper costlier, the sender - unknown.
the ledger of accounts
Neat columns of figures, with one page torn out exactly at mid-month.
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.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
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.
at vespers
At the evening service, when the bells drown out any footstep.
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.
| SUSPECTS | LOCATIONS | OBJECTS | MOTIVES | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| MOMENTS | |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| MOTIVES | |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| OBJECTS | |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| LOCATIONS | |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- Grigore the Cupbearer raises their right hand and says: "I was driven by greed".
- Nichifor the Spy declares under oath: "I handled the ciphered letter".
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the abbey library and the broken lantern go together.
- The healer says it with a raised finger: if Nichifor the Spy was there at noon, then Captain Vlaicu was there after matins.
- Before the investigator, Toma the Cellarer firmly repeats: "I was there at vespers".
- Whatever the market gossips: the ciphered letter and blackmail do not go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the great stable and jealousy go together.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the suspect with red hair was driven by revenge.
- The gate guard swears: the customs cellar matches that hour: at dawn.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the ledger of accounts matches that hour: after matins.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Nichifor the Spy was at the scriptorium.
- The gate guard swears: the ciphered letter matches that hour: at noon.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the customs cellar and greed go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the ceremonial crown matches that hour: at vespers.
- At the Chancellery, Gavril the Farrier maintains: "I was in the place with thousands of leather-bound tomes".
- By the order of the hours, first comes Captain Vlaicu, then Nichifor the Spy.