Dagon Files

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Welcome, Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge, to Saturday's puzzle, week 20 of the year 2025. (Simpler puzzle)

The Case Of The Group Of Bullet Holes.

You have stumbled upon The Dagon Files, a cryptic corner of the web where reality frays and reason falters. Here, beneath shifting sigils and whispering images, ancient puzzles lie in wait—twisting enigmas born from the depths of forgotten tomes and cosmic dread. Each riddle you solve draws you deeper into a truth not meant for mortal minds.

But beware: not all doors should be opened. And some answers… change you.

Begin, if you dare…

Suspects/Weapons/Locations/Motives

Harbor Master

grid [H]

Captain Horne

height: 6' 2"

gray eyes

right handed

dagon cultist

Rich Heiress

grid [R]

Lenora Fitch

height: 5' 10"

brown eyes

right handed

azatoth cultist

Coroner

grid [C]

Dr. Walter Grimsley

height: 5' 7"

blue eyes

left handed

yog-sothoth cultist

Smuggler

grid [S]

Moira Cooper

height: 5' 4"

hazel eyes

right handed

necronomicon cultist

Jazz Singer

grid [J]

Clara Devane

height: 5' 6"

brown eyes

left handed

nyarlathotep cultist

Fish Cleaver

grid [C]

Used for gutting fish,... or people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a series of deep slices.

Coil of Rope

grid [R]

Handy for mooring boats or garroting people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a bundle of hemp fibers.

Concealed Derringer

grid [D]

Easily hidden about the person for surprise shootings.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a group of bullet holes.

Whaling Harpoon

grid [H]

This one is covered in curious, deep-carved runes.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a faint whiff of ambergris.

Brine-Soaked Grimoire

grid [G]

Bound in some kind of scaled hide. The writing is heavy and blunt.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a nasty paper cut.

Speakeasy

grid [E]

A place to eavesdrop, gather gossip, or confront a suspect during a performance.

It has been described as a house of the saxaphone.

Indoors

No warding found here.

Widow's Point Lighthouse

grid [L]

High cliffs, lonely light sweeping through thick fog, keeper haunted by dreams.

It has been described as a source of blinding light.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Fog-Shrouded Wharf

grid [W]

Endless groaning of ships at anchor, ropes creaking, distant foghorns echoing.

It has been described as a place of creaking timbers.

Outdoors

No warding found here.

Warehouse Row

grid [R]

Abandoned or semi-legal storage facilities, perfect for secret meetings or rituals.

It has been described as a big stack of crates.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Church of Dagon

grid [C]

Crumbling structure with salt-crusted stained glass. The holy font smells of herring.

It has been described as a shadowplay of stained glass.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Suspects/Weapons/Locations/Motives

Harbor Master

grid [H]

Captain Horne

height: 6' 2"

gray eyes

right handed

dagon cultist

Rich Heiress

grid [R]

Lenora Fitch

height: 5' 10"

brown eyes

right handed

azatoth cultist

Coroner

grid [C]

Dr. Walter Grimsley

height: 5' 7"

blue eyes

left handed

yog-sothoth cultist

Smuggler

grid [S]

Moira Cooper

height: 5' 4"

hazel eyes

right handed

necronomicon cultist

Jazz Singer

grid [J]

Clara Devane

height: 5' 6"

brown eyes

left handed

nyarlathotep cultist

Fish Cleaver

grid [C]

Used for gutting fish,... or people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a series of deep slices.

Coil of Rope

grid [R]

Handy for mooring boats or garroting people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a bundle of hemp fibers.

Concealed Derringer

grid [D]

Easily hidden about the person for surprise shootings.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a group of bullet holes.

Whaling Harpoon

grid [H]

This one is covered in curious, deep-carved runes.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a faint whiff of ambergris.

Brine-Soaked Grimoire

grid [G]

Bound in some kind of scaled hide. The writing is heavy and blunt.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a nasty paper cut.

Speakeasy

grid [E]

A place to eavesdrop, gather gossip, or confront a suspect during a performance.

It has been described as a house of the saxaphone.

Indoors

No warding found here.

Widow's Point Lighthouse

grid [L]

High cliffs, lonely light sweeping through thick fog, keeper haunted by dreams.

It has been described as a source of blinding light.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Fog-Shrouded Wharf

grid [W]

Endless groaning of ships at anchor, ropes creaking, distant foghorns echoing.

It has been described as a place of creaking timbers.

Outdoors

No warding found here.

Warehouse Row

grid [R]

Abandoned or semi-legal storage facilities, perfect for secret meetings or rituals.

It has been described as a big stack of crates.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Church of Dagon

grid [C]

Crumbling structure with salt-crusted stained glass. The holy font smells of herring.

It has been described as a shadowplay of stained glass.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Rules

A restriction you will need to rely on is that every weapon, location and motive in the puzzle will be attributed to exactly one suspect.

So you can make a deduction like this, if the dagger was at the campanile, and the professor was at the campanile, then the professor had the dagger. This must be true since only one suspect can be at each location, possess each weapon, have each motive.

Similarly, negative deductions can be made, if the dagger was at the campanile, and the professor did not have the dagger, then the professor was not at the campanile. This is because only one weapon can be at a given location, and the professor's weapon is not the dagger.

These rules will help to fill in blanks which remain after all the clues have been accounted for.

Clues

  1. A wicked-looking, steel harpoon was found, but not at the large, musty warehouse.
  2. A neatly coiled, stout, hemp rope was found at the fog-shrouded wharf.
  3. This (fingerprint) was found on the weapon producing a group of bullet holes.
  4. The Smuggler never visited the place of creaking timbers.
  5. You receive an anonymous telegram with the cryptic message 'EHT HCIR SSERIEH SAW NEES TA EHT YSAEKAEPS EHT YNIRB PEED.'. (decodeThe Rich Heiress was seen at the speakeasy, The Briny Deep. [reversed])
  6. The Smuggler had never possessed a well-used, notched, heavy knife.
  7. A nasty paper cut was found at the church of Dagon.
  8. The Harbor Master wielded the brine-soaked grimoire.
  9. A group of bullet holes was found near the body.

Accusation