Dagon Files

Tutorial
My Eyes!
Grid
More

Welcome, Seeker of Forbidden Knowledge, to Thursday's simpler puzzle, week 29 of the year 2025.

The Case Of The Echo Of Ancient Ritual.

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

Patient

grid [W]

Agnes Whitby

height: 5' 4"

brown eyes

right handed

cthulhu cultist

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.

Restraint Strap

grid [R]

Frayed leather strap from a patient bed. The right length for strangulation.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a set of constriction bruises.

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.

Underground Archive

grid [U]

Forbidden section beneath the main building. Fire-damaged, moldy. Holds secret patient records, and banned books, from Miskatonic U.

It has been described as a maze of filing cabinets.

Indoors

No warding found here.

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.

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.

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

Patient

grid [W]

Agnes Whitby

height: 5' 4"

brown eyes

right handed

cthulhu cultist

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.

Restraint Strap

grid [R]

Frayed leather strap from a patient bed. The right length for strangulation.

Sometimes leaves a trace of a set of constriction bruises.

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.

Underground Archive

grid [U]

Forbidden section beneath the main building. Fire-damaged, moldy. Holds secret patient records, and banned books, from Miskatonic U.

It has been described as a maze of filing cabinets.

Indoors

No warding found here.

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.

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.

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. You receive an anonymous telegram with the cryptic message 'HET DECITRRO IDDWEEL ETH LACEPLS VAGNRE IWTH SBMYSLO.'. (decodeThe Director wielded the scalpel, graven with symbols. [anagrammed])
  2. A set of constriction bruises was found at the unnatural cavern beneath the asylum.
  3. The second tallest suspect had never possessed a vial of dream-inducing serum.
  4. A scalpel, graven with symbols was found at the maze of filing cabinets.
  5. The body was found in an echo of ancient ritual.

Accusation