Dagon Files

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Welcome, Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge, to Saturday's puzzle, week 10 of the year 2026. (Simpler puzzle) and (Harder puzzle)

The Case Of The Place Of Creaking Timbers.

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

Lighthouse Keeper

grid [K]

Aloysius Greave

height: 5' 11"

gray eyes

right handed

deep-ones cultist

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

Smuggler

grid [S]

Moira Cooper

height: 5' 4"

hazel eyes

right handed

necronomicon cultist

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.

Anchor Fluke

grid [A]

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

Sometimes leaves a trace of a pitted surface.

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.

Fish Cleaver

grid [C]

Used for gutting fish,... or people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a series of deep slices.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Suspects/Weapons/Locations/Motives

Jazz Singer

grid [J]

Clara Devane

height: 5' 6"

brown eyes

left handed

nyarlathotep cultist

Lighthouse Keeper

grid [K]

Aloysius Greave

height: 5' 11"

gray eyes

right handed

deep-ones cultist

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

Smuggler

grid [S]

Moira Cooper

height: 5' 4"

hazel eyes

right handed

necronomicon cultist

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.

Anchor Fluke

grid [A]

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

Sometimes leaves a trace of a pitted surface.

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.

Fish Cleaver

grid [C]

Used for gutting fish,... or people.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a series of deep slices.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. This (fingerprint) was found at the house of the saxaphone.
  2. The Lighthouse Keeper was seen at the church of Dagon.
  3. The Harbor Master wielded the brine-soaked grimoire.
  4. The deep-ones cultist had never left a faint whiff of ambergris.
  5. You receive an anonymous telegram with the cryptic message 'ETH ZZJA GINERS DELWIED EHT LIODS SNOET IODL.'. (decodeThe Jazz Singer wielded the solid stone idol. [anagrammed])
  6. The dagon cultist never visited the smell of old rum.
  7. A pitted surface was found at the fog-shrouded wharf.
  8. The body was found in a place of creaking timbers.

Accusation