The Torch of the Lady
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: Toma the Cellarer, Chamberlain Iorgu, Father Nicodim, Ban Radu the Silent and Mother Evghenia. 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 holds the keys to every cellar in the castle. He claims the wine vanishes on its own, by "angelic evaporation."
1.73 m
left-handed
brown eyes
red hair
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 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
He has never uttered a needless word in his life. Sadly, nor a useful one for investigators.
1.81 m
right-handed
grey eyes
grey hair
She runs the abbey with an iron hand and a golden pen. The register of donations has pages she shows no one.
1.60 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
Locations
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
the north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
Objects
the hunting crossbow
Light, accurate, with a walnut stock. Exactly one bolt is missing from the quiver.
the abbess's bell
It calls the nuns to prayer. On the night in question, they all say, it rang once too many.
the purse of gold coins
New coins, unworn, from a minting not yet in circulation. Interesting.
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.
Motives
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
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.
- A maid whispered it at confession: fear of exposure matches that hour: after matins.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the tallest suspect was in the place where the old kings sleep.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the watchtower and revenge go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the tallest suspect handled the abbess's bell.
- The chronicler notes drily: a debt of honour matches that hour: at dawn, whatever the court may say.
- The healer says it with a raised finger: if Chamberlain Iorgu was driven by jealousy, then Chamberlain Iorgu was in the place the patrol skirts when the wind blows.
- The night watch saw the suspect with grey hair first, and only then Toma the Cellarer.
- By the order of the hours, first comes Toma the Cellarer, then Chamberlain Iorgu.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the bronze key and a debt of honour go together.
- By the order of the hours, first comes Toma the Cellarer, then the suspect with black hair.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the suspect with brown hair was driven by jealousy.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit handled the purse of gold coins.
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if Mother Evghenia was there at dusk, then Chamberlain Iorgu handled the signet ring.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the old dungeon and a debt of honour do not go together.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit was there at dusk.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: the hunting crossbow and revenge do not go together.
- Two witnesses, upon their crest: the purse of gold coins and jealousy do not go together.