Dagon Files

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Welcome, Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge, to Friday's puzzle, week 17 of the year 2026. (Simpler puzzle) and (Harder puzzle)

The Case Of The Smell Of Ozone.

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

Parapsychologist

grid [P]

Celeste Mallory

height: 5' 6"

brown eyes

left handed

dagon cultist

Director

grid [D]

Dr. Theodore Blackwood

height: 5' 8"

brown eyes

right handed

azatoth cultist

Chaplain

grid [F]

Malachai Grady

height: 5' 10"

blue eyes

left handed

nyarlathotep cultist

Librarian

grid [G]

Miriam Vale

height: 5' 5"

gray eyes

left handed

necronomicon cultist

Patient

grid [W]

Agnes Whitby

height: 5' 4"

brown eyes

right handed

cthulhu cultist

Bone Stylus

grid [B]

Multi-use, first as a puncture weapon, then for carving runes on the victim's body

Sometimes leaves a trace of a set of incised runes.

Dream Serum

grid [D]

Administered in a large dose it causes the heart to freeze in fear.

Sometimes leaves a trace of an expression of frozen horror.

Lobotomy Pick

grid [L]

Classic asylum tool; missing from the locked surgical suite.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a calm feeling.

Electroshock Machine

grid [E]

The voltage seems to be set to an imaginary number.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a pair of circular burns.

Graven Scalpel

grid [G]

Ordinary medical scalpel, but engraved with glyphs which shimmer as if moonlit.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a row of transverse incisions.

Electroshock Theater

grid [E]

Leather-strapped chairs with cables snaking to control panels mounted on yellowed, ceramic walls.

It has been described as a smell of ozone.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Unnatural Cavern

grid [C]

An ancient, natural cavern beneath the asylum said to have influenced the choice of the site. The stones still thirst.

It has been described as an echo of ancient ritual.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Roof Garden

grid [R]

Once a manicured garden, now dead ivy covers oddly-shapen, mist-shrouded stone sculptures.

It has been described as a sound of moving stone statues.

Outdoors

No warding found here.

Hydrotherapy Chamber

grid [H]

A plain white, tiled room with a row of metal baths; each equipped with manacles.

It has been described as a sound of gurgling screams.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Observation Tower

grid [O]

A panopticon for surreptitiously viewing the patient's cells. A distant howling wind can always be heard here.

It has been described as a room of secrets.

Indoors

No warding found here.

Suspects/Weapons/Locations/Motives

Parapsychologist

grid [P]

Celeste Mallory

height: 5' 6"

brown eyes

left handed

dagon cultist

Director

grid [D]

Dr. Theodore Blackwood

height: 5' 8"

brown eyes

right handed

azatoth cultist

Chaplain

grid [F]

Malachai Grady

height: 5' 10"

blue eyes

left handed

nyarlathotep cultist

Librarian

grid [G]

Miriam Vale

height: 5' 5"

gray eyes

left handed

necronomicon cultist

Patient

grid [W]

Agnes Whitby

height: 5' 4"

brown eyes

right handed

cthulhu cultist

Bone Stylus

grid [B]

Multi-use, first as a puncture weapon, then for carving runes on the victim's body

Sometimes leaves a trace of a set of incised runes.

Dream Serum

grid [D]

Administered in a large dose it causes the heart to freeze in fear.

Sometimes leaves a trace of an expression of frozen horror.

Lobotomy Pick

grid [L]

Classic asylum tool; missing from the locked surgical suite.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a calm feeling.

Electroshock Machine

grid [E]

The voltage seems to be set to an imaginary number.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a pair of circular burns.

Graven Scalpel

grid [G]

Ordinary medical scalpel, but engraved with glyphs which shimmer as if moonlit.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a row of transverse incisions.

Electroshock Theater

grid [E]

Leather-strapped chairs with cables snaking to control panels mounted on yellowed, ceramic walls.

It has been described as a smell of ozone.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Unnatural Cavern

grid [C]

An ancient, natural cavern beneath the asylum said to have influenced the choice of the site. The stones still thirst.

It has been described as an echo of ancient ritual.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Roof Garden

grid [R]

Once a manicured garden, now dead ivy covers oddly-shapen, mist-shrouded stone sculptures.

It has been described as a sound of moving stone statues.

Outdoors

No warding found here.

Hydrotherapy Chamber

grid [H]

A plain white, tiled room with a row of metal baths; each equipped with manacles.

It has been described as a sound of gurgling screams.

Indoors

Area has been blessed or warded by some cult.

Observation Tower

grid [O]

A panopticon for surreptitiously viewing the patient's cells. A distant howling wind can always be heard here.

It has been described as a room of secrets.

Indoors

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. The Parapsychologist never visited the observation room with one-way glass.
  2. The Patient had never possessed a scalpel, graven with symbols.
  3. You receive an anonymous telegram with the cryptic message 'A LEPLACS NEVARG HTIW SLOBMYS SAW DNUOF TA EHT ORTCELE KCOHS YTILICAF.'. (decodeA scalpel, graven with symbols was found at the electro-shock facility. [reversed])
  4. The cthulhu cultist never visited the room of secrets.
  5. This (fingerprint) was found on the powerful looking, electro-shock machine.
  6. A vial of dream-inducing serum was found at the open roof terrace.
  7. The tallest suspect was seen at the echo of ancient ritual.
  8. A calm feeling was experienced at the observation room with one-way glass.
  9. The body was found in a smell of ozone.

Accusation