All of Pandaemonium comes to me when they have difficult cases to solve.

It's really just a matter of deductive logic--a matter of observing the interplay of cause and effect. Most cases are trivial to an intellect like mine--my clients have all the pieces, but can't put them together properly.

My mind is like a steel dagger, and people keep giving me stuffed scarecrows to fight.

Player: "How awful for you."

A towering intellect can be a burden, it's true.

I've decided to seek out unusual cases myself rather than wait for others to bore me. The more baffling, the better.

How about you, Player? Know of any cases that nobody's managed to crack?

Player: "A wagon raid at the Altgard Observatory..."

Okay, let me summarize your case. Tell me if I miss anything.

Supply wagons were raided near the Observatory. The prime suspects are the Lepharist Revolutionaries, who are camped nearby, and a monstrous avian called the Pecku.

Preliminary investigations couldn't determine which one of the two raided the wagons. A fair summary?

Player: "That sounds right."

How...banal. I thought you had a true test of my deductive powers, but I've already figured it out.

You won't exercise your powers of deduction if I just tell you the culprit, Player. Instead, try puzzling it out yourself, and I'll guide you with some clues along the way.

Sound good? Then the game's afoot!

Player: Accept.

Excellent! This should be a delightful diversion for us both!

Think over the case, and try to figure out who the culprit is.

When you arrive at a conclusion, share it with me.

Player: "Very well."

Did you figure out who the culprit is, Player? Who do you think raided the wagons?

Player: "It was the Pecku."

So you think the Pecku raided the wagon?

Hmm. An interesting conclusion. Perhaps you could explain your logic?

Player: "The cargo was abandoned."

Ah! But didn't you say that there was nothing special left in the boxes abandoned in the dock? If I remember correctly, all of the crates were empty, except for one which had some sort of creature in it.

So we can theorize that there may have been crates containing goods at one point...but they were taken away from the crime scene.

Doesn't that point a finger right at the Lepharists? How likely is it that a dumb Pecku would carry off multiple crates full of useful supplies?

Player: "It must have been the Lepharists."

Well reasoned! We'll address the cargo later.

So who or what set fire to the wagon, and why? I doubt the Pecku carried flint and tinder...nor did it build a campfire.

Do you still think that the Pecku raided the wagon?

Player: "The evidence points to the Lepharists."

Now, consider this: if Lepharists set the fire, they would have tried to burn the wagon to ashes. They are known for their thorough ways, yes? Furthermore, Player, you went there a day later--after the raid took place.

So the fire didn't start right after the raid. But if a Pecku was roaming around in the area, it could have smashed alchemical supplies in the wagon, which ignited on contact with the air.

You dodged those traps of reason like an expert! I'm impressed...

Player: "So it was the Pecku."

You think Lepharist Revolutionaries raided the wagon? Very well. Let's examine the case for the Lepharists.

What's the primary basis for your suspicion?

Player: "Someone set fire to the wagon on purpose."

If I remember correctly, Player, you said that the wagon was still burning when you arrived. That's an awfully long time for one wagon to stay burning, don't you think?

And why would they do such a half-hearted job of it? If the Lepharists wanted the wagon destroyed, they would have burned it to ashes.

I have a counter-theory. What if the Pecku smashed into the wagon, some containers broke open, their contents mingled, and spontaneously ignited?

Player: "So the Pecku was the real culprit."

Lepharists with a delayed-action alchemical flame? That's a bit far-reaching, but we'll talk about it later.

Now, let's move on to the question of the cargo. You said that there were many crates near the wagon and the Dock below. If the Lepharists had raided the wagon, then why did they leave the crates?

Do you still think that the Lepharist Revolutionaries raided the wagon?

Player: "I'm beginning to suspect the Pecku."

You reason like a master, Player! If the Pecku had raided the wagon, it would not have thrown a box with a monster in it to the Dock, would it?

Which leaves us with the problem of why the wagon was burning. Let's go with your theory that the culprit set up something that would ignite some time after the raid. Now, why do that?

You've thought it through already, haven't you? If the culprit burned the wagon right away, the fire would attract attention. So they cleverly decided to eliminate the evidence afterward, while safely away from the scene!

Player: "The Lepharists were the culprits, as I suspected."

That's right! Like all criminals, they tried to cover their tracks, but the Lepharists made one fatal mistake.

I didn't give you many clues at all, but you successfully discovered the criminal's identity.

Player, have you considered a career in deduction?
That's right! The guilty party was the Pecku. Well, not guilty as such--it's just a dumb brute.

You see? All it takes is a little applied logic, and the Pecku is the obvious answer.

Hmm. I didn't give you many clues at all, but you successfully discovered the criminal's identity. Player, have you considered a career in deduction?