The Shadow of the Dawn
In the shadow of the council halls, something has been woven against the crown, and its threads lead far. Those caught in it swear they knew nothing; one of them swears falsely. On the Chancellery's list stand Toma the Cellarer, Grigore the Cupbearer, Zaharia the Spice Merchant and Codrin the Huntsman; one of these names covers a lie. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the amber necklace, the silver-clad icon, the herald's horn and the rusted sword. Take up the quill, follow the thread of the clues, and set your seal upon the verdict.
Suspects
He holds the keys to every cellar in the castle. He claims the wine vanishes on its own, by "angelic evaporation."
1.73 m
left-handed
brown eyes
red hair
He tastes the king's wine before anyone else. A trade with a short future, he says, but a rich past.
1.70 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
His ships bring pepper, saffron, and news no one asked for. All of it at the same price: steep.
1.74 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
He knows the royal forest better than the castle corridors. Tracks, he says, never lie - men do.
1.87 m
right-handed
green eyes
black hair
Locations
the Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
the queen's garden
Roses trimmed to a line and paths you may walk only by invitation. At night, the hedge has ears.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the castle cellar
Barrels as big as carts and corners the lantern never reaches.
Objects
the amber necklace
Beads of golden resin strung on a silk thread. The thread is broken and hastily reknotted.
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the herald's horn
It sounds the muster, the alarm, or the retreat. Whoever holds it can start a whole panic with a single breath.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
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.
| SUSPECTS | LOCATIONS | OBJECTS | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| MOMENTS | |
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| OBJECTS | |
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| LOCATIONS | |
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: the old dungeon and the herald's horn do not go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Zaharia the Spice Merchant was there at noon.
- The chronicler notes drily: the queen's garden and the silver-clad icon go together, whatever the court may say.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Codrin the Huntsman handled the silver-clad icon.
- The gate guard swears: the Golden Boar inn and the amber necklace go together.
- An unsigned note, slipped under the door: "the culprit was there at dawn".
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the amber necklace matches that hour: after matins.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the herald's horn matches that hour: at noon.
- In the gate ledger, Grigore the Cupbearer stands higher, Codrin the Huntsman lower.
- The gate guard swears: Toma the Cellarer was at the Golden Boar inn.