The Trap of Vespers
A bold theft has shaken the calm of the court, and calm will not return until the truth comes out. The culprit worked cleanly, but not without witnesses — and the witnesses, at last, have begun to talk. Before you, one by one, will stand Sir Bogdan de Fag, Brother Anselm, Balasa the Seamstress, Anica the Miller and Duchess Amara de Corvin. The testimonies cling to certain hours: "at dawn", "after matins", "at noon", "at dusk" and "at vespers". The threads were tangled on purpose: investigate, weigh every word, and pronounce your verdict only when the grid leaves no room for doubt.
Suspects
He pawned his armour to pay his tavern debts. Honour, he says, does not rust.
1.85 m
right-handed
blue eyes
brown hair
He has copied manuscripts for forty years. He knows what every one of them says - including the forbidden ones.
1.75 m
right-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
She sews the garments of all the nobility and knows everyone's measurements - including those that do not show.
1.59 m
left-handed
blue eyes
red hair
Her mill grinds grain by day and rumours by night. The flour comes out white; the rumours, always black.
1.63 m
right-handed
brown eyes
blond hair
Widowed three times, heir on each occasion. Her smile has buried more nobles than the plague.
1.68 m
right-handed
dark eyes
black hair
Locations
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
the queen's garden
Roses trimmed to a line and paths you may walk only by invitation. At night, the hedge has ears.
the wharf
Moored boats, wet ropes, and goods that prefer to arrive in the fog.
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 throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
Objects
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
the abbess's bell
It calls the nuns to prayer. On the night in question, they all say, it rang once too many.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the broken lantern
The glass cracked, the wick burned to the end. Someone needed a lot of light, fast.
the signet ring
The crest has been filed away almost completely. Almost.
Motives
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
ambition
Setea de a urca, chiar peste trupuri, spre o treaptă mai înaltă.
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: the mill by the river matches that hour: at noon.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the rusted sword matches that hour: after matins.
- The gate guard swears: the throne room and a debt of honour go together.
- Before the investigator, Duchess Amara de Corvin firmly repeats: "I was in the place where the wheel turns day and night".
- One thing is certain: the inheritance and the wharf do not share the same match for suspects.
- At the Chancellery, Anica the Miller maintains: "I was driven by blackmail".
- The customs register is clear: the broken lantern and ambition do not go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the throne room matches that hour: at dusk.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: the suspect with blond hair came earlier than the left-handed suspect.
- Whatever the market gossips: Sir Bogdan de Fag never set foot in the place where the hedge has ears.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit was in the place where the hedge has ears.
- The bell-ringer remembers well: Duchess Amara de Corvin came earlier than Brother Anselm.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Duchess Amara de Corvin handled the broken lantern.
- At the Chancellery, Sir Bogdan de Fag maintains: "I was there at noon".
- The chancellor deduced it coldly: if Duchess Amara de Corvin handled the broken lantern, then Sir Bogdan de Fag handled the bronze key.
- Before the investigator, Brother Anselm firmly repeats: "I was driven by the inheritance".
- The chronicler notes drily: the left-handed suspect handled the signet ring, whatever the court may say.