The Torch of the Crown
A bitter morning has settled over Realm of the Crown: something precious has vanished without a trace. The loss is not only in gold: it is in the trust that shattered along with the lock. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Chamberlain Iorgu, Luca the Squire, Sir Bogdan de Fag and Costache the Toll-Keeper. The testimonies cling to certain hours: "at dawn", "after matins", "at noon" and "at dusk". Few files have tested so many investigators; untangle the threads, catch the lie, and pronounce your verdict.
From the Chancellery archive
The torch of the crown is not a torch. It is the name the court gives to the thing without which a coronation cannot be held — and it was precisely that which was missing when it was needed. The Chancellery opened the dossier within the hour.
The four suspects all stand on the steps of power, but at different heights. Chamberlain Iorgu orders who enters the palace. Costache the Toll-Keeper rules over what enters the realm. Sir Bogdan de Fag has a sword and a voice. Luca the Squire has neither sword of his own nor voice — he has only access, which in a theft is sometimes quite enough.
The places descend from the guild forge to the old dungeon, by way of the customs cellar and the Golden Boar inn. The objects are all precious: a stained parchment, an amber necklace, a silver-clad icon and the bishop's chalice.
Tier III. There are testimonies, so there is a lie. Test them one by one against the grid: the one that will not sit with the rest is the signature you are after.
Suspects
He arranges the king's audiences and, for a small courtesy, the order in which petitions are read.
1.77 m
right-handed
grey eyes
brown 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 pawned his armour to pay his tavern debts. Honour, he says, does not rust.
1.85 m
right-handed
blue eyes
brown 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
Locations
the guild forge
Anvils, tongs, and a fire that never goes out. Many small metal things vanish here.
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
the Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
Objects
the stained parchment
A half-burned document with a stain that might be wine. Or not.
the amber necklace
Beads of golden resin strung on a silk thread. The thread is broken and hastily reknotted.
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the bishop's chalice
Gold set with blue stones. Blessed three times, stolen twice.
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.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit was at the old dungeon.
- The chronicler notes drily: the stained parchment matches that hour: at dusk, whatever the court may say.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the guild forge and the silver-clad icon go together.
- The customs register is clear: the Golden Boar inn does not match that hour: at dawn.
- The scouts confirm it: at suspects, the paths of the bishop's chalice and the customs cellar diverge.
- Chamberlain Iorgu raises their right hand and says: "I was there at noon".
- Before the investigator, Luca the Squire firmly repeats: "I was at the guild forge".
- The gate guard swears: the silver-clad icon matches that hour: after matins.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: the suspect with green eyes came earlier than Costache the Toll-Keeper.
- At the Chancellery, Costache the Toll-Keeper maintains: "I was there at dawn".