The Scheming of the Citadel
The whispers began in Realm of the Crown like thin smoke; now the smoke smells of conspiracy. The scheme has many threads but a single knot — and that knot bears a name. Suspicion has fallen on Father Nicodim, Anica the Miller, Nichifor the Spy and Safta the Herbwife — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the hunting lodge, the throne room, the customs cellar and the abbey library. 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 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
Her mill grinds grain by day and rumours by night. The flour comes out white; the rumours, always black.
1.63 m
right-handed
brown eyes
blond 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
She gathers herbs at hours when honest folk sleep. The herbs, she says, speak then.
1.58 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying hair
Locations
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 throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
Objects
the small wine cask
Arin wine, the good year. The bung was pulled and put back by an unskilled hand.
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
the map of the realm
The kingdom's borders, drawn with a fresh correction where there should be none.
the silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
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.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the silver candelabrum matches that hour: after matins.
- The night watch saw Nichifor the Spy first, and only then Anica the Miller.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Safta the Herbwife handled the bronze key.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the customs cellar and the bronze key do not go together.
- Before the investigator, Father Nicodim firmly repeats: "I handled the small wine cask".
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit was there at dawn.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the suspect with dark eyes was at the abbey library.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the hunting lodge and the map of the realm go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Father Nicodim was there at dusk.