The Fernery's Missing Sentinel
An independent investigator is summoned to the manicured Bramblewood Estate following the disappearance of a ceramic garden ornament. The probe must navigate a complex social sandbox of domestic routines, professional domains, and resident personal histories to reconstruct the timeline of the event.
Initial Crime Scene
The scent of damp earth and coal smoke hangs heavy in the still air. A muddy boot print, its tread deep and distinct, marks the polished parquet floor just inside the fernery door. Beyond the grimy windowpane, the kitchen garden lies under a grey sky, its cold frames glinting dully.
Crime Scene Environment
Lighting is diffused and muted, filtered through overcast skies and grimy window glass. The humidity is perceptible, clinging to fabrics and paper, with a consistent chill from stone floors and coal-fired heating systems. Acoustic density is low, characterized by the faint tick of a mantel clock and the distant hum of a coal range.
Investigation Constraints
Late Victorian/Edwardian era. Handwritten ledgers, wax-sealed letters, mechanical door locks with individual keys, hand-cranked telephones (party line), local postal service, basic photographic plates, oil lamps, coal-fired heating systems, manual garden tools.
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