📜 Case Dossier: The Mystery of Riding Thorpe Manor

A rainy evening in June 1898. You (Dr. John H. Watson) are resting by the coal fire in 221B Baker Street when our client, Mr. Hilton Cubitt of Riding Thorpe Manor in Norfolk, bursts into the room in a state of extreme distress.

A year ago, Cubitt married an American woman, Elsie Patrick. Before their wedding, Elsie made him swear never to inquire into her past in Chicago. All was peaceful until recently, when bizarre drawings of stick-figure 'dancing men' began appearing chalked around the estate—first on a tool-house door, then on the sundial, and on slips of paper left on the window sill.

Upon seeing these figures, Elsie collapsed in sheer terror, though she refuses to divulge the secret that haunts her. Cubitt fears for his wife's sanity and life.

Sherlock Holmes leans forward, eyes sharp like steel: "Our client is in grave danger, Watson. These grotesque little dancers are no child's doodle—they form a systematic secret cipher. We must decipher the code piecewise using mathematics, frequency analysis, and deduction before tragedy strikes Norfolk!"

💡 How to Conduct Your Investigation

At each stage of the mystery, you will write Lua code in the editor on the left to analyze intercepted slips, isolate letters, and decipher the dancing men:

Type your code in the Code Editor on the left.
Click the green ▶ Run Code button.
View your mathematical deduction in the Terminal Output on the right!

Before we examine the first slip, open your analytical case ledger. Type print("Elementary") into the blank editor below and click ▶ Run Code to ungrey the Begin Investigation button!

Type print("Elementary") in the editor below and click ▶ Run Code to open the case ledger and unlock Stage 1!

Sherlock Holmes and The Adventure of the Dancing Men

Stage 1 Status

✓ ACCESS GRANTED!