Dagon Files

Tutorial

My Eyes!

Grid

Welcome, Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge, to Tuesday's puzzle, week 36 of the year 2025. (Simpler puzzle) and (Harder puzzle)

The Case Of The Deep-Ones Cultist.

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

Jazz Singer

grid [J]

Clara Devane

height: 5' 6"

brown eyes

left handed

nyarlathotep cultist

Coroner

grid [C]

Dr. Walter Grimsley

height: 5' 7"

blue eyes

left handed

yog-sothoth cultist

Rich Heiress

grid [R]

Lenora Fitch

height: 5' 10"

brown eyes

right handed

azatoth cultist

Lighthouse Keeper

grid [K]

Aloysius Greave

height: 5' 11"

gray eyes

right handed

deep-ones cultist

Detective

grid [D]

Luther Crane

height: 6' 1"

blue eyes

right handed

cthulhu cultist

Anchor Fluke

grid [A]

No longer useful for securing ships, but a serviceable blunt weapon.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a pitted surface.

Concealed Derringer

grid [D]

Easily hidden about the person for surprise shootings.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a group of bullet holes.

Coil of Rope

grid [R]

Handy for mooring boats or garroting people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a bundle of hemp fibers.

Stone Idol

grid [I]

Its surface writhes slightly when touched. Good for bonking on the barnacle.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a sense of idleness.

Whaling Harpoon

grid [H]

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

Sometimes leaves a trace of a faint whiff of ambergris.

The Mudflats

grid [M]

At low tide, exposes strange stones, dead fish, and unnerving bone fragments.

It has been described as a place redolent of fish and seaweed.

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.

Smuggler's Tunnels

grid [T]

Echoes carry too well. Something else may be down here with you.

It has been described as a smell of old rum.

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.

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.

Suspects/Weapons/Locations/Motives

Jazz Singer

grid [J]

Clara Devane

height: 5' 6"

brown eyes

left handed

nyarlathotep cultist

Coroner

grid [C]

Dr. Walter Grimsley

height: 5' 7"

blue eyes

left handed

yog-sothoth cultist

Rich Heiress

grid [R]

Lenora Fitch

height: 5' 10"

brown eyes

right handed

azatoth cultist

Lighthouse Keeper

grid [K]

Aloysius Greave

height: 5' 11"

gray eyes

right handed

deep-ones cultist

Detective

grid [D]

Luther Crane

height: 6' 1"

blue eyes

right handed

cthulhu cultist

Anchor Fluke

grid [A]

No longer useful for securing ships, but a serviceable blunt weapon.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a pitted surface.

Concealed Derringer

grid [D]

Easily hidden about the person for surprise shootings.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a group of bullet holes.

Coil of Rope

grid [R]

Handy for mooring boats or garroting people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a bundle of hemp fibers.

Stone Idol

grid [I]

Its surface writhes slightly when touched. Good for bonking on the barnacle.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a sense of idleness.

Whaling Harpoon

grid [H]

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

Sometimes leaves a trace of a faint whiff of ambergris.

The Mudflats

grid [M]

At low tide, exposes strange stones, dead fish, and unnerving bone fragments.

It has been described as a place redolent of fish and seaweed.

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.

Smuggler's Tunnels

grid [T]

Echoes carry too well. Something else may be down here with you.

It has been described as a smell of old rum.

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.

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.

Clues

A broken fluke of a heavy anchor was found, but not at the shadowplay of stained glass.
A wicked-looking, steel harpoon was found, but not at the shadowplay of stained glass.
The nyarlathotep cultist had never possessed a wicked-looking, steel harpoon.
This (fingerprint) was found on the weapon producing a bundle of hemp fibers.
The second tallest suspect was seen at the large, musty warehouse.
The yog-sothoth cultist had never possessed a wicked-looking, steel harpoon.
The Jazz Singer had never possessed a small, discrete, derringer pistol.
A solid stone idol was found at the northern mudflats.
A pitted surface was found, but not at the fog-shrouded wharf.
You receive an anonymous telegram with the cryptic message 'EHT IDHTR SLLTAET UCSTSPE LEEWIDD THE IOSLD TSOEN LODI.'. (decode)
The second tallest suspect was the murderer.

Accusation

suspect
weapon
location

suspect	weapon	location
Jazz Singer	Anchor Fluke	Smuggler's Tunnels
Coroner	Concealed Derringer	Church of Dagon
Rich Heiress	Stone Idol	The Mudflats
Lighthouse Keeper	Coil of Rope	Warehouse Row
Detective	Whaling Harpoon	Fog-Shrouded Wharf

suspect	weapon	location
Jazz Singer	Anchor Fluke	Smuggler's Tunnels
Coroner	Concealed Derringer	Church of Dagon
Rich Heiress	Stone Idol	The Mudflats
Lighthouse Keeper	Coil of Rope	Warehouse Row
Detective	Whaling Harpoon	Fog-Shrouded Wharf

How to Play

Try to find the murderer, what weapon they used and where the murder took place (suspect, weapon, location).

Turn over the cards to find the names of the suspects, weapons and locations. Click on the cards to find more detailed information. This information may be used in the clues.

Each person can only be in one location and have one weapon. This constraint makes the problem tractable.

Draw a grid like the one in the popup window to help you to solve the crime (or you can use the grid on the page by clicking on cells). Place an X in cells where the combination of items is false and O if it is true.

Each cell in the grid represents the combination of the two items specified at the top of the column and the left of the row. For example, the center grid represents which suspect has which weapon.

The clues allow you to rule out possibilities and the grid allows you to track the state accurately. Finally the grid will be filled with X's where connections are false and O's where they are true.

There will only be a single O in a given row or column (otherwise you have made a mistake), and this explcitly links a person to a weapon, or a weapon to a location, or a person to a location.

For example, if a clue states (or indirectly implies) that Major Gladstone was not in The Park, then place an X in the cell intersecting those two symbols.

If a clue states that Major Gladstone had The Revolver, then place an O in the cell intersecting those two symbols. This will automatically place X's in all the remaining cells in the related row and column.

Why? If Major Gladstone has The Revolver, then no one else can have it (that accounts for the X's in The Revolver row). Similarly, Major Gladstone cannot have any other weapon (that accounts for the X's in the Major Gladstone column).

Similarly, if Major Gladstone was not in The Park, but the Revolver is in The Park, then Major Gladstone cannot have the Revolver, and you can place an X in that box.

After you have filled the grid with all the information from the clues, you can start making deductions using the grid itself. For example, if there is only one empty space (non-X) in a row or column of a given block, then that space must be true and you can place an O there. It must be true since all other cells are false and it is the only remaining possibility. Usually this will cause other rows or columns to get more X's. Check to see if there are other rows/columns now with only one empty cell and proceed to fill those with O.

There are also other deductions which can be made e.g. if The Revolver is in the Park and Major Gladstone is in The Park, then Major Gladstone must have The Revolver and you can put an O in that cell.

Finally you will have enough information (a full grid) to solve the crime. You will know who, where and with what weapon.

Then proceed to Make an Accusation and see if you got the correct answer.

Dagon Files

The Case Of The Deep-Ones Cultist.

Jazz Singer

Coroner

Rich Heiress

Lighthouse Keeper

Detective

Anchor Fluke

Concealed Derringer

Coil of Rope

Stone Idol

Whaling Harpoon

The Mudflats

Warehouse Row

Smuggler's Tunnels

Church of Dagon

Fog-Shrouded Wharf

Jazz Singer

Coroner

Rich Heiress

Lighthouse Keeper

Detective

Anchor Fluke

Concealed Derringer

Coil of Rope

Stone Idol

Whaling Harpoon

The Mudflats

Warehouse Row

Smuggler's Tunnels

Church of Dagon

Fog-Shrouded Wharf

This fingerprint was found on the weapon producing a bundle of hemp fibers:

and these are the fingerprints of each suspect:

Jazz Singer

Coroner

Rich Heiress

Lighthouse Keeper

Detective

You have Deduced Correctly!

Sadly you are mistaken... (at least in some details)

The Key for Grid Headers

suspect

weapon

location

How to Play