The Tourney Plot
A decree bearing a lying seal has left the Chancellery, and its parchment has already done damage. Whoever drew it up knew the Chancellery's ways by heart — and that is precisely what betrays them. Suspicion has fallen on Tintar the Jester, Mihu the Archer, Margica the Innkeeper, Zaharia the Spice Merchant and Codrin the Huntsman — and until the proof is plain, none of these names leaves the room. Among the things spoken of in whispers are the ceremonial crown, the rusted sword, the map of the realm, the ledger of accounts and the silver candelabrum. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
The only man in the kingdom who may tell the king the truth - provided he makes it sound like a joke.
1.56 m
right-handed
green eyes
red hair
He hits a coin tossed on the wind from a hundred paces. At questions, though, he always misses.
1.76 m
left-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
At the Golden Boar inn, wine and secrets are spilled in equal measure. She never forgets a debt - or a word let slip.
1.61 m
right-handed
dark eyes
chestnut hair
His ships bring pepper, saffron, and news no one asked for. All of it at the same price: steep.
1.74 m
right-handed
dark 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
Locations
the Golden Boar inn
Wine watered down and rumours diluted with nothing. The rooms upstairs ask no questions.
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
the throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
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 north wall
The stretch of wall the patrol skirts when the wind blows. Everyone knows that.
Objects
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the map of the realm
The kingdom's borders, drawn with a fresh correction where there should be none.
the ledger of accounts
Neat columns of figures, with one page torn out exactly at mid-month.
the silver candelabrum
Heavy as a small anvil. It can light a room or end a conversation.
Motives
ambition
Setea de a urca, chiar peste trupuri, spre o treaptă mai înaltă.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
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.
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.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the map of the realm and blackmail go together.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the wharf matches that hour: at dusk.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: Mihu the Archer was in the place where the rooms upstairs ask no questions.
- At the Chancellery, Mihu the Archer maintains: "I was there at dawn".
- The hounds caught no scent at all: Tintar the Jester never set foot in the place where the wheel turns day and night.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the suspect with chestnut hair was driven by jealousy.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the ledger of accounts matches that hour: at noon.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Zaharia the Spice Merchant handled the silver candelabrum.
- An unsigned note, slipped under the door: "the culprit was driven by blackmail".
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the north wall and greed go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the ledger of accounts and the inheritance go together.
- The chronicler notes drily: ambition matches that hour: at vespers, whatever the court may say.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the suspect with chestnut hair handled the ceremonial crown.
- Before the investigator, Codrin the Huntsman firmly repeats: "I was driven by greed".