The Shadow of the Crown
A disappearance troubles the citadel, and rumor grows faster than truth. Open searches have brought nothing; the time has come for questions asked aslant. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Ban Radu the Silent, Pantelimon the Gardener, Costache the Toll-Keeper, Chamberlain Iorgu and Teofil the Chronicler. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the ciphered letter, the bishop's chalice, the broken lantern, the customs scales and the vial of belladonna. Few files have tested so many investigators; untangle the threads, catch the lie, and pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He has never uttered a needless word in his life. Sadly, nor a useful one for investigators.
1.81 m
right-handed
grey eyes
grey hair
He tends the queen's roses and no one's beds of belladonna. The second garden is the more sought-after.
1.73 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying hair
His scales weigh the goods; his eye, the merchant. Both can be "greased" at need.
1.80 m
right-handed
dark eyes
grey hair
He arranges the king's audiences and, for a small courtesy, the order in which petitions are read.
1.77 m
right-handed
grey eyes
brown 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
Locations
the tourney field
Empty stands outside festival days. An excellent place for meetings that never happened.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
Objects
the ciphered letter
Orderly rows of meaningless signs. The ink is costly, the paper costlier, the sender - unknown.
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the vial of belladonna
A small flask, a wax stopper, a label written with care. Three-quarters empty.
Motives
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
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.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
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 chronicler notes drily: the ciphered letter and fear of exposure go together, whatever the court may say.
- The traces left at the scene show it plainly: the culprit was at the tourney field.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the broken lantern and a debt of honour go together.
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if Chamberlain Iorgu was in the place with more secret drawers than drawers, then the suspect with green eyes handled the bishop's chalice.
- The gate guard swears: the suspect with brown hair was at the merchant's house.
- The chronicler notes drily: the suspect with brown hair was driven by revenge, whatever the court may say.
- Before the investigator, Ban Radu the Silent firmly repeats: "I was at the north wall".
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the customs scales and the inheritance go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Costache the Toll-Keeper was in the place the patrol skirts when the wind blows.
- The gate guard swears: the north wall and the inheritance go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the watchtower and a debt of honour go together.