
Welcome, Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge, to Wednesday's puzzle, week 6 of the year 2026. (Simpler puzzle) and (Harder 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 [I]
Thaddeus Vane
height: 6' 0"
gray eyes
right handed
yog-sothoth cultist
grid [S]
Omar al-Hariri
height: 5' 9"
brown eyes
right handed
nyarlathotep cultist
grid [O]
Reginald Pike
height: 5' 11"
gray eyes
right handed
dagon cultist
grid [M]
Brother Hadad
height: 5' 8"
brown eyes
left handed
deep-ones cultist
grid [Y]
Wilhelm Drexler
height: 6' 4"
blue eyes
left handed
cthulhu cultist
grid [S]
One is annoying, but one hundred are deadly.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a hissing and clacking.
grid [T]
As you focus on the glyphs, your organs seem to stretch and twist painfully.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a loss in translation.
grid [M]
Dates from the bronze age but skulls haven't changed much.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a nasty bump.
grid [W]
The British officer's man-stopper of choice.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a fine english workmanship.
grid [U]
Everyone is fatally allergic to this dust.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a sneezing dust.
grid [P]
A deep trench cut into ancient earth, lined with half-uncovered walls and bones. Something waits expectantly a little deeper down.
It has been described as a blashpemous burrowing.
Outdoors
Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.
grid [R]
A crumbling altar beside the Tigris. Offerings still appear overnight, though no locals admit to placing them.
It has been described as a place of offerings.
Outdoors
Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.
grid [T]
Base camp for the dig team. Canvas walls flap in the desert winds.
It has been described as an intense experience.
Indoors
No warding found here.
grid [O]
A stone building guarded by soldiers.
It has been described as a wound on the land.
Indoors
No warding found here.
grid [W]
A raised stone circle etched with constellations. Causes dizziness in sensitive minds.
It has been described as a window to the sky.
Outdoors
Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.
Suspects/Weapons/Locations/Motives





grid [I]
Thaddeus Vane
height: 6' 0"
gray eyes
right handed
yog-sothoth cultist
grid [S]
Omar al-Hariri
height: 5' 9"
brown eyes
right handed
nyarlathotep cultist
grid [O]
Reginald Pike
height: 5' 11"
gray eyes
right handed
dagon cultist
grid [M]
Brother Hadad
height: 5' 8"
brown eyes
left handed
deep-ones cultist
grid [Y]
Wilhelm Drexler
height: 6' 4"
blue eyes
left handed
cthulhu cultist
grid [S]
One is annoying, but one hundred are deadly.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a hissing and clacking.
grid [T]
As you focus on the glyphs, your organs seem to stretch and twist painfully.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a loss in translation.
grid [M]
Dates from the bronze age but skulls haven't changed much.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a nasty bump.
grid [W]
The British officer's man-stopper of choice.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a fine english workmanship.
grid [U]
Everyone is fatally allergic to this dust.
Sometimes leaves a trace of a sneezing dust.
grid [P]
A deep trench cut into ancient earth, lined with half-uncovered walls and bones. Something waits expectantly a little deeper down.
It has been described as a blashpemous burrowing.
Outdoors
Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.
grid [R]
A crumbling altar beside the Tigris. Offerings still appear overnight, though no locals admit to placing them.
It has been described as a place of offerings.
Outdoors
Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.
grid [T]
Base camp for the dig team. Canvas walls flap in the desert winds.
It has been described as an intense experience.
Indoors
No warding found here.
grid [O]
A stone building guarded by soldiers.
It has been described as a wound on the land.
Indoors
No warding found here.
grid [W]
A raised stone circle etched with constellations. Causes dizziness in sensitive minds.
It has been described as a window to the sky.
Outdoors
Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.
| I | S | O | M | Y | P | R | T | O | W | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | ||||||||||
| T | ||||||||||
| M | ||||||||||
| W | ||||||||||
| U | ||||||||||
| P | ||||||||||
| R | ||||||||||
| T | ||||||||||
| O | ||||||||||
| W |
Clues
Accusation






Congratulations!
The Assyriologist is frog-marched into a constabulary wagon and driven off to meet his fate.
All the suspect's details:
| suspect | weapon | location |
|---|---|---|
| Inspector | Bronze Mace | Excavation Pit |
| Sheikh | Ash-Filled Urn | Star-Watcher's Platform |
| Intelligence Officer | Webley Revolver | Riverbank Shrine |
| Mystic | Cuneiform Tablet | Colonial Outpost |
| Assyriologist | Scorpion Jar | Main Tent |
The murderer was the Assyriologist, using the Scorpion Jar, at the Main Tent .
All the suspect's details:
| suspect | weapon | location |
|---|---|---|
| Inspector | Bronze Mace | Excavation Pit |
| Sheikh | Ash-Filled Urn | Star-Watcher's Platform |
| Intelligence Officer | Webley Revolver | Riverbank Shrine |
| Mystic | Cuneiform Tablet | Colonial Outpost |
| Assyriologist | Scorpion Jar | Main Tent |
[I] is Inspector.
[S] is Sheikh.
[O] is Intelligence Officer.
[M] is Mystic.
[Y] is Assyriologist.
[S] is Scorpion Jar.
[T] is Cuneiform Tablet.
[M] is Bronze Mace.
[W] is Webley Revolver.
[U] is Ash-Filled Urn.
[P] is Excavation Pit.
[R] is Riverbank Shrine.
[T] is Main Tent.
[O] is Colonial Outpost.
[W] is Star-Watcher's Platform.
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.