The Spy of the Fair
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. On the Chancellery's list stand Brother Anselm, Nichifor the Spy, Manole the Jeweller, Iustin the Mariner and Teofil the Chronicler; one of these names covers a lie. The testimonies cling to certain hours: "at dawn", "after matins", "at noon", "at dusk" and "at vespers". Few files have tested so many investigators; untangle the threads, catch the lie, and pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He has copied manuscripts for forty years. He knows what every one of them says - including the forbidden ones.
1.75 m
right-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
Officially, he does not exist. Unofficially, he was seen in three places at once - which is, of course, impossible.
1.74 m
left-handed
dark eyes
brown hair
He tells gold from gilt at a glance. With people, he admits, it takes him two.
1.69 m
right-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
He brings goods from ports with unpronounceable names. Half the cargo never appears in the customs records.
1.78 m
left-handed
blue eyes
black 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 salt market
Here anything is bargained for, from salt to silences. The price of silence keeps rising.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
Objects
the silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
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 hunting crossbow
Light, accurate, with a walnut stock. Exactly one bolt is missing from the quiver.
Motives
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.
ambition
Setea de a urca, chiar peste trupuri, spre o treaptă mai înaltă.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
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.
at vespers
At the evening service, when the bells drown out any footstep.
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.
- However it may seem, at suspects, the hunting crossbow and the hour "at vespers" take different roads.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the scriptorium matches that hour: at dawn.
- A maid whispered it at confession: fear of exposure matches that hour: at noon.
- The customs register is clear: Nichifor the Spy was not driven by greed.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the watchtower matches that hour: at vespers.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the inheritance matches that hour: at dawn.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the salt market and ambition go together.
- Nichifor the Spy declares under oath: "I handled the hunting crossbow".
- The customs register is clear: Teofil the Chronicler was not driven by greed.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the tourney field does not match that hour: at dusk.
- A note in the margin of the ledger: if Nichifor the Spy was driven by fear of exposure, then Manole the Jeweller was driven by a debt of honour.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: ambition matches that hour: after matins.
- The chronicler notes drily: Brother Anselm handled the silver candelabrum, whatever the court may say.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the herald's horn and a debt of honour do not go together.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit was at the customs cellar.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the broken lantern matches that hour: after matins.
- The customs register is clear: the customs cellar and a debt of honour do not go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the scriptorium and the silver candelabrum go together.