The Shadow of Winter
The whispers began in Realm of the Crown like thin smoke; now the smoke smells of conspiracy. The crown demands not only the name but the proof: suspicion without grounds is itself a tool of the scheme. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Father Nicodim, Anica the Miller, Teofil the Chronicler and Mother Evghenia. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the bishop's chalice, the herald's horn, the amber necklace and the ceremonial crown. Take up the quill, follow the thread of the clues, and set your seal upon the verdict.
From the Chancellery archive
All four places in this dossier are cold: the north wall, the watchtower, the cathedral crypt and the old chapel. That is no accident — in winter people gather where nobody looks for them, and a conspiracy wants exactly that.
Three of the four suspects come from the world of the church and the book: Father Nicodim, Mother Evghenia and Teofil the Chronicler. The fourth name, Anica the Miller, seems not to belong — until you remember that the mill is where the whole district's grain passes through, and with it all the news.
The objects are of a value that declares the stakes by itself: the bishop's chalice, the ceremonial crown, an amber necklace and the herald's horn.
Tier II. A good dossier for practising transitivity: with four categories, one certain match closes four cells at a stroke, not one. And once a category is closed entirely, the rest of the grid contracts by itself — which is where the feeling comes from, in a well-built dossier, that the last rows solve themselves in moments.
Suspects
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
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 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
She runs the abbey with an iron hand and a golden pen. The register of donations has pages she shows no one.
1.60 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
Locations
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 cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
Objects
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
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 amber necklace
Beads of golden resin strung on a silk thread. The thread is broken and hastily reknotted.
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
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.
- The chronicler notes drily: the herald's horn matches that hour: at noon, whatever the court may say.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the suspect with blond hair handled the ceremonial crown.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the bishop's chalice matches that hour: after matins.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the old chapel does not match that hour: at noon.
- The traces left at the scene show it plainly: the culprit handled the amber necklace.
- The gate guard swears: the cathedral crypt matches that hour: at dawn.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the suspect with blue eyes never touched the bishop's chalice.
- The gate guard swears: the left-handed suspect was in the place from which you see everything.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the suspect with dark eyes was there at dawn.