The Seal of the Treasury
In Realm of the Crown they say the walls have ears — and this time the saying has proven true. What has leaked so far is hard to weigh; what might yet leak, impossible. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Safta the Herbwife, Damaschin the Healer, Brother Anselm, Lady Ruxandra and Captain Vlaicu. Motives abound — fear of exposure, jealousy, a debt of honour, blackmail and the inheritance — yet only one moved the guilty hand. Few files have tested so many investigators; untangle the threads, catch the lie, and pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
She gathers herbs at hours when honest folk sleep. The herbs, she says, speak then.
1.58 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying 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 has copied manuscripts for forty years. He knows what every one of them says - including the forbidden ones.
1.75 m
right-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
The queen's shadow at every hour. She hears everything, sees everything, and embroiders all she learns into patterns known only to her.
1.65 m
right-handed
blue eyes
blond 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 great stable
It smells of hay and hurried departures. Horses give no testimony.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
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 queen's garden
Roses trimmed to a line and paths you may walk only by invitation. At night, the hedge has ears.
Objects
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
the guild seal
The stamp that turns any goods into goods "of certified quality." Worth a mine of gold.
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
Motives
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
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.
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.
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Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the guild seal and a debt of honour do not go together.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit handled the ceremonial crown.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the cathedral crypt and the bishop's chalice go together.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the queen's garden and fear of exposure do not go together.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit was driven by fear of exposure.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Lady Ruxandra was driven by a debt of honour.
- The gate guard swears: Brother Anselm was driven by blackmail.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: fear of exposure matches that hour: at dusk.
- The gate guard swears: Damaschin the Healer was driven by jealousy.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the tallest suspect was there at noon.
- The scouts confirm it: at suspects, the paths of the cathedral crypt and the hour "after matins" diverge.
- Before the investigator, Lady Ruxandra firmly repeats: "I was at the old chapel".
- The chronicler notes drily: the customs scales matches that hour: at dawn, whatever the court may say.
- The chronicler notes drily: the customs scales and jealousy go together, whatever the court may say.
- The gate guard swears: Captain Vlaicu was at the great stable.