The Spy of the Seal
An overturned goblet, a face gone pale, whispers dying down — thus began, in Realm of the Crown, the case before you. Whoever poured it knew the habits of the table; that narrows the circle more than we would like. Suspicion has fallen on Onufrie the Executioner, Codrin the Huntsman, Grigore the Cupbearer, Luca the Squire and Castellan Ursu — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. Motives abound — a debt of honour, fear of exposure, jealousy, the inheritance and greed — yet only one moved the guilty hand. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
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
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
He polishes the knight's armour and dreams of a sword of his own. For a coat of arms he would do almost anything.
1.72 m
right-handed
green eyes
brown hair
He keeps the fortress dungeon and the tally of those who leave other than they entered.
1.90 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
Locations
the Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
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.
the great stable
It smells of hay and hurried departures. Horses give no testimony.
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
Objects
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
the signet ring
The crest has been filed away almost completely. Almost.
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
the hunting crossbow
Light, accurate, with a walnut stock. Exactly one bolt is missing from the quiver.
the map of the realm
The kingdom's borders, drawn with a fresh correction where there should be none.
Motives
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
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.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: Luca the Squire handled the signet ring.
- The gate guard swears: the abbey library and the bronze key go together.
- Even the jester says it in earnest: the inheritance does not match that hour: at noon.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the hunting crossbow and the inheritance go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the wharf and the broken lantern go together.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the abbey library does not match that hour: at dusk.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the tallest suspect was not present at noon.
- By the order of the hours, first comes Castellan Ursu, then the suspect with brown hair.
- Grigore the Cupbearer declares under oath: "I handled the hunting crossbow".
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the Golden Boar inn matches that hour: at dawn.
- By the order of the hours, first comes Castellan Ursu, then Grigore the Cupbearer.
- The chronicler notes drily: Grigore the Cupbearer was driven by fear of exposure, whatever the court may say.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the abbey library and greed go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Codrin the Huntsman was in the place that smells of undeclared goods.
- The Chancellery checked twice: the hunting crossbow does not match that hour: at dawn.
- A maid whispered it at confession: a debt of honour matches that hour: after matins.