The Secret of the Banquet
A bitter morning has settled over Realm of the Crown: something precious has vanished without a trace. The culprit worked cleanly, but not without witnesses — and the witnesses, at last, have begun to talk. On the Chancellery's list stand Castellan Ursu, Chancellor Veniamin, Teofil the Chronicler and Damaschin the Healer; one of these names covers a lie. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the amber necklace, the purse of gold coins, the broken lantern and the map of the realm. Take up the quill, follow the thread of the clues, and set your seal upon the verdict.
Suspects
He keeps the fortress dungeon and the tally of those who leave other than they entered.
1.90 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
Every charter of the kingdom passes through his hands. A comma he once moved started a war.
1.64 m
left-handed
grey eyes
bald
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 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
Locations
the throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
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 amber necklace
Beads of golden resin strung on a silk thread. The thread is broken and hastily reknotted.
the purse of gold coins
New coins, unworn, from a minting not yet in circulation. Interesting.
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
the map of the realm
The kingdom's borders, drawn with a fresh correction where there should be none.
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.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the old chapel and the map of the realm go together.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: Damaschin the Healer was not present after matins.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the map of the realm matches that hour: at dawn.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the scriptorium and the amber necklace go together.
- By the order of the hours, first comes Damaschin the Healer, then the shortest suspect.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the tallest suspect was in the place where every footstep echoes like a confession.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Chancellor Veniamin was in the place where all is gold and purple.
- The chronicler notes drily: the broken lantern matches that hour: at dusk, whatever the court may say.
- An unsigned note, slipped under the door: "the culprit handled the purse of gold coins".
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: Damaschin the Healer was at the scriptorium.