The Spy of the Envoy
A seal that never lies has been placed, this once, in the service of a lie. Whoever drew it up knew the Chancellery's ways by heart — and that is precisely what betrays them. Suspicion has fallen on Lady Ruxandra, Costache the Toll-Keeper and Sir Bogdan de Fag — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. The places named in the testimonies — the north wall, the old dungeon and the abbey library — each await their turn under scrutiny. Study the testimonies at your leisure, fit them into the grid, and pronounce your verdict without haste.
Suspects
The queen's shadow at every hour. She hears everything, sees everything, and embroiders all she learns into patterns known only to her.
1.65 m
right-handed
blue eyes
blond 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 pawned his armour to pay his tavern debts. Honour, he says, does not rust.
1.85 m
right-handed
blue eyes
brown hair
Locations
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
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 traces left at the scene show it plainly: the culprit was at the north wall.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the shortest suspect was at the old dungeon.
- Even the jester says it in earnest: Costache the Toll-Keeper never set foot in the abbey library.