The Spy of the Inn
A disappearance troubles the citadel, and rumor grows faster than truth. Someone knows more than they say; the silences at court have suddenly grown very loud. On the Chancellery's list stand Iustin the Mariner, Codrin the Huntsman, Grigore the Cupbearer, Lady Ruxandra and Father Nicodim; one of these names covers a lie. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the guild seal, the abbess's bell, the silver-clad icon, the ledger of accounts and the stained parchment. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
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 knows the royal forest better than the castle corridors. Tracks, he says, never lie - men do.
1.87 m
right-handed
green eyes
black hair
He tastes the king's wine before anyone else. A trade with a short future, he says, but a rich past.
1.70 m
right-handed
brown eyes
chestnut hair
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
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
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 old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
the abbey library
Thousands of leather-bound tomes. Some of the chains on the shelves were cut recently.
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
Objects
the guild seal
The stamp that turns any goods into goods "of certified quality." Worth a mine of gold.
the abbess's bell
It calls the nuns to prayer. On the night in question, they all say, it rang once too many.
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
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.
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.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
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.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the suspect with greying hair handled the silver-clad icon.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the mill by the river and the abbess's bell go together.
- However it may seem, at suspects, fear of exposure and the north wall take different roads.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the left-handed suspect never set foot in the place the patrol skirts when the wind blows.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the mill by the river and revenge go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the abbey library and the guild seal go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the abbey library and the inheritance go together.
- At the Chancellery, Lady Ruxandra maintains: "I was driven by the inheritance".
- The customs register is clear: Iustin the Mariner was not driven by the inheritance.
- One thing is certain: blackmail and the customs cellar do not share the same match for suspects.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the customs cellar and the ledger of accounts go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the silver-clad icon and fear of exposure go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: Grigore the Cupbearer handled the ledger of accounts.
- The traces left at the scene show it plainly: the culprit handled the abbess's bell.