The Sign of the Banquet
In Realm of the Crown, only one thing is spoken of today: a daring theft, carried out almost before the court's eyes. The Chancellery has set every other file aside: until what was taken returns, no one sleeps easy. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Abbot Corvus, Zaharia the Spice Merchant, Mother Evghenia, Tintar the Jester and Onufrie the Executioner. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the bronze key, the vial of belladonna, the ciphered letter, the rusted sword and the broken lantern. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He raises ravens in the abbey tower. His birds arrive faster than any messenger - and cannot be held to account.
1.78 m
right-handed
dark eyes
bald
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
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
The only man in the kingdom who may tell the king the truth - provided he makes it sound like a joke.
1.56 m
right-handed
green eyes
red hair
A quiet man with a loud trade. He keeps a notebook of the last words of every condemned soul.
1.92 m
right-handed
dark eyes
bald
Locations
the mill by the river
The wheel turns day and night. Its noise drowns out any conversation - which is why some are held here.
the guild forge
Anvils, tongs, and a fire that never goes out. Many small metal things vanish here.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
Objects
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
the vial of belladonna
A small flask, a wax stopper, a label written with care. Three-quarters empty.
the ciphered letter
Orderly rows of meaningless signs. The ink is costly, the paper costlier, the sender - unknown.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
Motives
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
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: Tintar the Jester was in the place where the fire never goes out, whatever the court may say.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: Tintar the Jester handled the ciphered letter.
- The chronicler notes drily: the rusted sword and greed go together, whatever the court may say.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: the abbey library and jealousy do not go together.
- The gate guard swears: the mill by the river and the broken lantern go together.
- The healer says it with a raised finger: if Tintar the Jester was at the guild forge, then Mother Evghenia was driven by a debt of honour.
- The healer says it with a raised finger: if Zaharia the Spice Merchant was at the wharf, then Onufrie the Executioner was in the place where the cells only seem abandoned.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Onufrie the Executioner handled the vial of belladonna.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the vial of belladonna and revenge go together.
- Even the jester says it in earnest: Zaharia the Spice Merchant was not driven by jealousy.
- The chronicler notes drily: the ciphered letter and fear of exposure go together, whatever the court may say.
- The gate guard swears: the wharf and greed go together.
- Tintar the Jester raises their right hand and says: "I was at the old dungeon".