The Seal of the Inn
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. On the Chancellery's list stand Anica the Miller, Damaschin the Healer, Teofil the Chronicler and Father Nicodim; one of these names covers a lie. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the ciphered letter, the rusted sword, the bronze key and the ruby dagger. The threads were tangled on purpose: investigate, weigh every word, and pronounce your verdict only when the grid leaves no room for doubt.
Suspects
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
He knows the cure for any illness and the dose at which the cure becomes something else. He swears he has never mistaken the dosage.
1.71 m
left-handed
green eyes
grey hair
He writes the kingdom's history as he is ordered. The unwelcome drafts, however, he keeps every one.
1.69 m
left-handed
brown eyes
greying 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
Locations
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 watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the queen's garden
Roses trimmed to a line and paths you may walk only by invitation. At night, the hedge has ears.
Objects
the ciphered letter
Orderly rows of meaningless signs. The ink is costly, the paper costlier, the sender - unknown.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
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 ruby dagger matches that hour: at dusk.
- In the gate ledger, Teofil the Chronicler stands higher, Damaschin the Healer lower.
- Teofil the Chronicler declares under oath: "I was there after matins".
- Before the investigator, Father Nicodim firmly repeats: "I was there at dusk".
- Before the investigator, Anica the Miller firmly repeats: "I was there at dawn".
- A note in the margin of the ledger: if Father Nicodim was at the watchtower, then Damaschin the Healer handled the bronze key.
- The gate guard swears: the tallest suspect was there at dusk.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the north wall matches that hour: at dawn.
- The gate guard swears: the queen's garden and the rusted sword go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the wharf and the bronze key go together.