Welcome, Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge, to Saturday's puzzle, week 20 of the year 2025. (Simpler puzzle)
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
grid [H]
Captain Horne
height: 6' 2"
gray eyes
right handed
dagon cultist
grid [R]
Lenora Fitch
height: 5' 10"
brown eyes
right handed
azatoth cultist
grid [C]
Dr. Walter Grimsley
height: 5' 7"
blue eyes
left handed
yog-sothoth cultist
grid [S]
Moira Cooper
height: 5' 4"
hazel eyes
right handed
necronomicon cultist
grid [J]
Clara Devane
height: 5' 6"
brown eyes
left handed
nyarlathotep cultist
grid [C]
Used for gutting fish,... or people.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a series of deep slices.
grid [R]
Handy for mooring boats or garroting people.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a bundle of hemp fibers.
grid [D]
Easily hidden about the person for surprise shootings.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a group of bullet holes.
grid [H]
This one is covered in curious, deep-carved runes.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a faint whiff of ambergris.
grid [G]
Bound in some kind of scaled hide. The writing is heavy and blunt.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a nasty paper cut.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
grid [H]
Captain Horne
height: 6' 2"
gray eyes
right handed
dagon cultist
grid [R]
Lenora Fitch
height: 5' 10"
brown eyes
right handed
azatoth cultist
grid [C]
Dr. Walter Grimsley
height: 5' 7"
blue eyes
left handed
yog-sothoth cultist
grid [S]
Moira Cooper
height: 5' 4"
hazel eyes
right handed
necronomicon cultist
grid [J]
Clara Devane
height: 5' 6"
brown eyes
left handed
nyarlathotep cultist
grid [C]
Used for gutting fish,... or people.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a series of deep slices.
grid [R]
Handy for mooring boats or garroting people.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a bundle of hemp fibers.
grid [D]
Easily hidden about the person for surprise shootings.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a group of bullet holes.
grid [H]
This one is covered in curious, deep-carved runes.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a faint whiff of ambergris.
grid [G]
Bound in some kind of scaled hide. The writing is heavy and blunt.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a nasty paper cut.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
H | R | C | S | J | E | L | W | R | C | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | ||||||||||
R | ||||||||||
D | ||||||||||
H | ||||||||||
G | ||||||||||
E | ||||||||||
L | ||||||||||
W | ||||||||||
R | ||||||||||
C |
Clues
Accusation
Congratulations!
The Jazz Singer is frog-marched into a constabulary wagon and driven off to meet his fate.
All the suspect's details:
suspect | weapon | location |
---|---|---|
Harbor Master | Brine-Soaked Grimoire | Church of Dagon |
Rich Heiress | Fish Cleaver | Speakeasy |
Coroner | Coil of Rope | Fog-Shrouded Wharf |
Smuggler | Whaling Harpoon | Widow's Point Lighthouse |
Jazz Singer | Concealed Derringer | Warehouse Row |
The murderer was the Jazz Singer, using the Concealed Derringer, at the Warehouse Row .
All the suspect's details:
suspect | weapon | location |
---|---|---|
Harbor Master | Brine-Soaked Grimoire | Church of Dagon |
Rich Heiress | Fish Cleaver | Speakeasy |
Coroner | Coil of Rope | Fog-Shrouded Wharf |
Smuggler | Whaling Harpoon | Widow's Point Lighthouse |
Jazz Singer | Concealed Derringer | Warehouse Row |
[H] is Harbor Master.
[R] is Rich Heiress.
[C] is Coroner.
[S] is Smuggler.
[J] is Jazz Singer.
[C] is Fish Cleaver.
[R] is Coil of Rope.
[D] is Concealed Derringer.
[H] is Whaling Harpoon.
[G] is Brine-Soaked Grimoire.
[E] is Speakeasy.
[L] is Widow's Point Lighthouse.
[W] is Fog-Shrouded Wharf.
[R] is Warehouse Row.
[C] is Church of Dagon.
You have not made a selection for all the categories.
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.