The Veil of the Envoy
Something — or someone — has vanished in Realm of the Crown, and no one can say when the thread was cut. Every passing hour erases another trace, and the traces were few to begin with. Before you, one by one, will stand Costache the Toll-Keeper, Chamberlain Iorgu, Duchess Amara de Corvin and Tintar the Jester. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the silver-clad icon, the purse of gold coins, the ceremonial crown and the ruby dagger. Take up the quill, follow the thread of the clues, and set your seal upon the verdict.
From the Chancellery archive
An envoy travels with a veil over everything he carries: over his goods, over his words, over the purpose of the journey. When the envoy had moved on and something was found to be missing, the Chancellery was left with a dossier in which nobody lies outright and everybody has told half a truth.
The four suspects span the whole ladder of the court. Chamberlain Iorgu, who orders who comes in and who goes out. Costache the Toll-Keeper, who weighs everything that passes. Duchess Amara de Corvin, with her thrice-widowed past. And Tintar the Jester — the one man in the realm who may say anything without punishment, which, come to think of it, also makes him the one man with no need to lie.
The objects befit a great court: a silver-clad icon, a purse of gold coins, the ceremonial crown and a ruby dagger. The places run from the cathedral crypt to the throne room.
Tier II. Four by four by four by four — the grid is wider, but the rule remains a single one.
Suspects
His scales weigh the goods; his eye, the merchant. Both can be "greased" at need.
1.80 m
right-handed
dark eyes
grey 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
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
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
Locations
the cathedral crypt
The old kings sleep beneath crested slabs. Now and then, someone disturbs their rest.
the throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
the watchtower
The highest point of the fortress. From here you see everything - and from below, everyone sees who climbs up.
the guild forge
Anvils, tongs, and a fire that never goes out. Many small metal things vanish here.
Objects
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the purse of gold coins
New coins, unworn, from a minting not yet in circulation. Interesting.
the ceremonial crown
The "wearable" copy of the true crown. At least, that was the idea.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
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.
- Whatever the market gossips: Costache the Toll-Keeper never touched the ceremonial crown.
- By the order of the hours, first comes Tintar the Jester, then Costache the Toll-Keeper.
- The chronicler notes drily: the purse of gold coins matches that hour: after matins, whatever the court may say.
- The hounds caught no scent at all: the cathedral crypt and the silver-clad icon do not go together.
- The gate guard swears: the suspect with black hair was there at dusk.
- About the culprit, the Chancellery knows one thing for certain: the culprit handled the ruby dagger.
- The gate guard swears: Tintar the Jester was in the place from which you see everything.
- The chronicler notes drily: the throne room matches that hour: at dawn, whatever the court may say.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit was at the guild forge.