The Spy of the Feast
Someone slipped poison where it did not belong, and now the whole court eyes its goblets warily. Whoever poured it knew the habits of the table; that narrows the circle more than we would like. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Nichifor the Spy, Countess Velica de Arin, Teofil the Chronicler and Onufrie the Executioner. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the merchant's house, the throne room, the scriptorium and the abbey library. Take up the quill, follow the thread of the clues, and set your seal upon the verdict.
Suspects
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
She collects fans, debts of honour, and bedchamber secrets. She wields all three as weapons.
1.70 m
left-handed
green eyes
red 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
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 merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
the throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
Objects
the ledger of accounts
Neat columns of figures, with one page torn out exactly at mid-month.
the stained parchment
A half-burned document with a stain that might be wine. Or not.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
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.
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Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- The chronicler notes drily: the bronze key matches that hour: at dawn, whatever the court may say.
- An unsigned note, slipped under the door: "the culprit was at the abbey library".
- By the order of the hours, first comes Countess Velica de Arin, then the bald suspect.
- The gate guard swears: the throne room and the rusted sword go together.
- The chronicler notes drily: the throne room matches that hour: after matins, whatever the court may say.
- The chronicler notes drily: Teofil the Chronicler was at the throne room, whatever the court may say.
- The chronicler notes drily: the merchant's house and the ledger of accounts go together, whatever the court may say.
- The chronicler notes drily: the scriptorium matches that hour: at dusk, whatever the court may say.
- In the gate ledger, the suspect with brown hair stands higher, the suspect with green eyes lower.