The Trap of the Night
An absence has fallen upon the court heavier than any presence: the disappearance can no longer be denied. Open searches have brought nothing; the time has come for questions asked aslant. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Safta the Herbwife, Damaschin the Healer, Mihu the Archer, Countess Velica de Arin and Sir Bogdan de Fag. The places named in the testimonies — the great stable, the merchant's house, the scriptorium, the salt market and the hunting lodge — each await their turn under scrutiny. The threads were tangled on purpose: investigate, weigh every word, and pronounce your verdict only when the grid leaves no room for doubt.
Suspects
She gathers herbs at hours when honest folk sleep. The herbs, she says, speak then.
1.58 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying hair
He knows the cure for any illness and the dose at which the cure becomes something else. He swears he has never mistaken the dosage.
1.71 m
left-handed
green eyes
grey 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
She collects fans, debts of honour, and bedchamber secrets. She wields all three as weapons.
1.70 m
left-handed
green eyes
red 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
Locations
the great stable
It smells of hay and hurried departures. Horses give no testimony.
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
the salt market
Here anything is bargained for, from salt to silences. The price of silence keeps rising.
the hunting lodge
The royal cabin in the heart of the forest. Far from the eyes of the court - which is exactly what suits some.
Objects
the amber necklace
Beads of golden resin strung on a silk thread. The thread is broken and hastily reknotted.
the purse of gold coins
New coins, unworn, from a minting not yet in circulation. Interesting.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the guild seal
The stamp that turns any goods into goods "of certified quality." Worth a mine of gold.
the signet ring
The crest has been filed away almost completely. Almost.
Motives
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
ambition
Setea de a urca, chiar peste trupuri, spre o treaptă mai înaltă.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
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: Mihu the Archer handled the purse of gold coins.
- The gate guard swears: the suspect with brown eyes was driven by jealousy.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the suspect with grey hair was in the place where anything is bargained for.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the merchant's house and greed go together.
- Before the investigator, Safta the Herbwife firmly repeats: "I handled the signet ring".
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the suspect with greying hair was at the scriptorium.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the great stable and the amber necklace go together.
- Even the jester says it in earnest: Damaschin the Healer never touched the guild seal.
- The Chancellery checked twice: Sir Bogdan de Fag was not driven by greed.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the scriptorium and fear of exposure go together.
- A note in the margin of the ledger: if the suspect with red hair was at the merchant's house, then Sir Bogdan de Fag was driven by ambition.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit was driven by blackmail.