Story
Let me tell ye a tale: Somewhere northeast o' the Bahamas there be a tiny scrap o' rocks stickin' up out o' the sea known as Beal Island. It be a barren, rocky place, and no man ever called it home. But many years ago, a band o' bloodthirsty pirates, with the king's navy swarmin' all over to catch them, hid their ill-gotten loot on the island. They were captured and thrown in jail for evadin' justice, but since they didn't have the treasure, none could prove they'd done the deed, and they escaped the gallows. They all swore that they'd meet gain on the island to dig up their treasure after they all got out o' jail.
More recently now, a mighty hurricane swept o'er Beal Island, leaving in its wake the wreckage of ill- fated ships dashed upon the rocks. The survivors banded together an' recovered those provisions what washed up on shore. They found caves in th' isle, and set up to wait fer a passin' ship to rescue 'em. However, it soon became apparent that some among 'em were there fer more nefarious purposes: four of the pirates had returned to gather their treasure! However, thanks to the brave actions o' the survivors, the pirates were found out before they recovered the treasure, an' all present held a great feast before hangin' the louts. But the pirates weren't so easily defeated. They poisoned the rum at the feast, and everyone fell into a stupor o' haunted dreams. When they awoke, none could remember who they were, nor what ship they'd been on, nor even who the pirates were!
Puzzle
This puzzle was originally designed as a mystery party, where the guests played the role of shipwrecked amnesiac sailors on a desert island, trying to figure out who they were. Each player was given some clues representing the few things that their character still remembered, but other clues were encoded in their dress and manner of speech. Each guest wore either an officer's hat, marking them as an officer, a bandana on their head, marking them as a sailor, or neither, marking them as a passenger. The passengers were all dressed either richly (paying passengers) or poorly (stowaways). Each player was also instructed to wear or not wear an eye-patch, hook-hand, or peg-leg. Finally, different players spoke using distinctive languages or accents.
Additional clues were available in the form of copies of crew and passenger manifests which had "washed up on the beach". The crew manifests clearly state the name and rank of every crew member on five different ships, and the names of the ships. However, since none of the castaways remember their names, this is only somewhat helpful, especially since many of the original crews were lost in the storm. The passenger manifests show the groups of passengers who were aboard ships, but not which ship they were aboard.
Goal
Determine the following:
For each ship: What country was it from, what was its last port of call, where was it bound to, and what type of ship was it.
For each player: What was their character's name and rank, what ship were they on, and were they a pirate.
Bonus:What is the language spoken by the characters whose language is marked as "strange"?
Assumptions
You may assume the following:
- All of the pirates' clues are false.
- Everyone else's clues are true.
- The four pirates were hidden aboard the various ships, among the crew, passengers, and/or stowaways.
Edit: Correction of earlier statement, which said "hidden among the crews", seeming to rule out the possibility of pirates among the passengers or stowaways.
Second edit: There are actually four pirates. The puzzle originally said three. - The people who died in the storm were not present at the party, and nothing is known about them except what is given in the clues and the manifests.
- The various castaways have had several days to share their stories before they all got amnesia, and they are left with odd snippets of memory; the fact that a character has a clue about a particular ship, for instance, does not mean that they are from that ship, unless it is specifically stated in the clue.
- Names in italics are the names of players; names in bold are the names of characters in the game. The player's names have all been randomly changed from the names of the original party-goers.
- There are no ships represented which do not have an associated crew manifest.
- There are no crew members present who are not listed on a crew manifest.
- There are no paying passengers who are not listed on a passenger manifest.
Each character's name reflects their nationality and sex. (e.g., Felipe C. Ivarruz-Vicaza is not a Scottish woman.) Note that English-speaking nationalities (e.g., English, American) may not have completely distinctive names. Character names were chosen semi-randomly from name databases of their respective nationalities.
Edit: Although some names are intentionally ambiguous, I have added to the crew and manifests annotations of the sex, if it is meant to be clear.
Edit again: This information has been moved to Hint 1.
The sex of the players matches the sex of their characters. For the purpose of this puzzle, all players and characters are assumed to have one unambiguous sex, which is the conventional one for their name.
Edit: - The scenario takes place in about 1800.
Clues
Crew Manifests
La Vierge du Bon Port
Officers:
Captain : Henrick R. Janssen
1st Mate: Seigfried D. Munser
2nd Mate: Margaret N. Salisbury
Boatswain: Hartmut R. EckingerSailors:
Cook: Dorothy W. Ramsey
Seaman: Carmel O'Brien
Seaman: Piperion Esquibel-Montero
Seaman: William P. Cotton
Cabin Girl: Peggy R. Cobb
The Sea Fox
Officers:
Captain: Pulqueria Ceballos
1st Mate: Roger B. Sheppard
2nd Mate: Christopher H. Weber
Boatswain: Gennadi B. SidorovSailors:
Cook: Ronald McPherson
Seaman: Samuel E. Jennings
Seaman: Hu Wei-Xue
Seaman: James J. Graham
Cabin Girl: Charlotte C. Walpole
The Jonathan Cheswick
Officers:
Captain: Henry R. Owen
1st Mate: Vasya S. Kalinnikov
2nd Mate: Tjeerd R. De Smet
Boatswain: Yan Fu-juSailors:
Cook: Fabian A. Schubach
Seaman: Virginia A. Allen
Seaman: Martha F. Woodard
Seaman: Timothy W. Hester
Cabin Boy: Nigel N. Salisbury
Gouden Leeuw
Officers:
Captain: Elaine P. Wynn
1st Mate: Quentin P. Watson
2nd Mate: Arno Angélil
Boatswain: Margarita A. JurivelSailors:
Cook: Felipe C. Ivarruz-Vicaza
Seaman: Gareth R. Cavendish
Seaman: Wilma W. Chapman
Seaman: Lemar D. Malcombe
Cabin Boy: Samuel K. Pickett
Nuestra Señora de Cavadonga
Officers:
Captain: Gertrude D. Hutchinson
1st Mate: Marietta N. Clarke
2nd Mate: Liao Jin-Zhong
Boatswain: Cecilia S. Ros-GamiroSailors:
Cook: Ruud D. Van Dijk
Seaman: Alexander H. Frost
Seaman: Findlay C. Scott
Seaman: Quentin R. Callaghan
Cabin Boy: Tremaine L. Higgins
Passenger Manifests
Passenger Manifest #1
Jeanette J. Ambard
Chiaffredo Milanesi
Nazzareno D. Conti
Jean-Louis Fleuette
Passenger Manifest #2
Austinafe Ajaranne
Jean-François Moreau
Louise-Violette Meserve
Uckbe Oronle
Passenger Manifest #3
Eileen Mac Ateer
Ylesme Arrce
Maura I. Kiley
Eannare Imke
Players
Player: Andrew Sex: M Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Poor Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Andrew stowed away on a ship bound for Bridgetown."
Clue 2: "Andrew lost a locket."
Player: Ann Sex: F Language/Accent: Jamaican
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Ann's superior officer was American."
Player: Anthony Sex: M Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Anthony and Margaret got jobs on a ship in order to get home to America from France."
Clue 2: "The French ship was headed to Casa Blanca."
Player: Brian Sex: M Language/Accent: English
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "None of the ships flew the same flags."
Player: Carrie Sex: F Language/Accent: Spanish
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "One ship was a merchant ship sailing out of Rome."
Clue 2: "One of the merchant ships had a second mate who spoke two languages."
Clue 3: "The two English sailors aboard the Spanish ship always hassled the Scotsman."
Player: Charles Sex: M Language/Accent: Strange
Clothing: Rich Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Rosemary and Charles were on the same ship "
Clue 2: "Charles was overseeing a business venture."
Player: Christina Sex: F Language/Accent: Spanish
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Christina was the only Spaniard aboard her ship."
Clue 2: "The whaling ships had the same level of casualties among their crews, which was more than the other ships."
Clue 3: "Alexander Frost had an eyepatch."
Player: Debra Sex: F Language/Accent: English
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "One of the ships flew an American flag and sailed out of Boston."
Clue 2: "The only male officer on the ship headed to Bridgetown was killed in the storm."
Clue 3: "Debra found a man by the name of Albert hiding in the hold of her ship."
Player: Dennis Sex: M Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "The Cabin boy/girl was the only sailor to survive from the ship that sailed out of Kingston."Edit: Cabin boy or girl
Player: Edward Sex: M Language/Accent: Australian
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Only one officer survived from 'The Jonathan Cheswick'"
Player: Elizabeth Sex: F Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Elizabeth and Ryan were on the same ship."
Clue 2: "Elizabeth was a cabin girl."
Clue 3: "One of the stowaways was named Natalie Warner."
Player: Emily Sex: F Language/Accent: Chinese
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : yes Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Although 'Nuestra Señora de Cavadonga' was a Spanish ship, the captain was American."Edit: Emily is female.
Player: Frank Sex: M Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Poor Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "At least one officer from each ship perished in the storm."
Clue 2: "Three of the passengers on the ship sailing out of Veracruz were killed in the storm."
Player: Gary Sex: M Language/Accent: French
Clothing: Rich Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Sherry and Gary were on the same ship."
Clue 2: "Gary was funding a mission of discovery and wanted to go along."
Player: George Sex: M Language/Accent: Shakespearean English
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : yes Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "The cook aboard George's ship perished in the storm."
Clue 2: "George was headed to Charleston."
Clue 3: "Only one Sailor from the "Gouden Leeuw" survived."
Player: Irene Sex: F Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Poor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Irene met Terry when she stowed away on his ship. He found her, but agreed not to report her."
Clue 2: "Only one cook survived the storm."
Clue 3: "Two of the stowaways had professions for surnames: one that makes arrows, one that works with iron."
Player: Jack Sex: M Language/Accent: Scottish
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Two of the captains went down with their ships."
Clue 2: "Two of the ships were whalers, and did not allow passengers."
Clue 3: "There are two freshly made graves on the island, which read 'R.I.P. Virginia Allen' and 'R.I.P. Eileen Mac Ateer'."
Player: Jason Sex: M Language/Accent: Dutch
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Jason was aboard a merchant ship."
Clue 2: "All the English ship's sailors survived the tempest."Edit: Corrected "All the English sailors" to "All the English ship's sailors."
Player: Jennifer Sex: F Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Poor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Jennifer was a stowaway on a whaling ship."
Clue 2: "The ship which was sailing between two non-English-speaking ports has sailors from four different English-speaking countries."
Clue 3: "When the storm hit, the captain of the ship carrying the two Italian gentlemen assigned the cook to stick with Signor Milanesi, and another sailor to stay with Signor Conti; this decided the fates of the two gentleman."
Player: Joseph Sex: M Language/Accent: English
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Joseph was a cabin boy."
Clue 2: "The ship sailing out of Vera Cruz was not an exploration vessel."
Clue 3: "The last name of one of the stowaways was the same as the first name of the ship Joseph was on."
Player: Josephine Sex: F Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Josephine hired a Jamaican Cabin Boy with a peg leg for her ship."
Clue 2: "The captain of "Gouden Leeuw" had a hook hand."
Clue 3: "Josephine found a locket washed up on the beach with the initials "PF" engraved on it."
Player: Keith Sex: M Language/Accent: Russian
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "One of the ships was an exploration ship that was headed to Buenos Aires to resupply on the way to Antarctica."
Clue 2: "Only one ship was sailing to a port that flew the same flag as the ship."Edit: Changed "its home port" to "a port that flew the same flag as the ship", for clarity.
Player: Kevin Sex: M Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Each of the ships had set sail from a different port."Edit: Kevin has an eye patch Clue 2: "One of the stowaways had the same last name as the first name of the captain of the westward-sailing whaler. (Don't ask how I remember this even while I have amnesia.)"
Player: Kimberly Sex: F Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : yes Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "One ship was sailing from Bordeaux to Charleston."
Clue 2: "All of the second mates have eyepatches."
Clue 3: "One of the stowaways earned himself the nick-name 'Crazy Parker' because of his devil-may-care attitude about life."Edit: Reworded Clue 3.
Player: Larry Sex: M Language/Accent: German
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "The Captain of the Dutch ship did not wear an eyepatch."
Clue 2: "The Boatswain of "The Jonathan Cheswick" had full use of both hands."
Clue 3: "Larry's ship set sail from Bordeaux."
Player: Lori Sex: F Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "There was originally a stowaway on each ship, but one perished."
Player: Margaret Sex: F Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Anthony and Margaret got jobs on a ship in order to get home to America from France."
Clue 2: "Whaling ships are not allowed to dock at Bridgetown."Edit: Corrected "Bridgeport" to "Bridgetown".
Player: Megan Sex: F Language/Accent: English
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Willie and Megan met each other after being shipwrecked on the island."
Player: Patrick Sex: M Language/Accent: Jamaican
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : yes
Clue 1: "Patrick was on a whaling ship."
Clue 2: "Two officers from the English ship survived the storm."
Clue 3: "No one who was aboard a merchant ship had a peg leg."
Player: Paul Sex: M Language/Accent: Italian
Clothing: Rich Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Each of the ships was headed to a different destination."
Clue 2: "One of the ships suffered no casualties among the sailors."
Clue 3: "Mme. Meserve was known for her beautiful eyes."
Player: Raymond Sex: M Language/Accent: Spanish
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "One ship was a Dutch merchant ship heading to its home port in Amsterdam."
Clue 2: "One of the boatswains was headed to Casa Blanca, where he was to be married and give up his life on the sea; tragically, he was killed in the storm."
Clue 3: "One of the stowaways carved their initials into the hull of the ship they were on: JS."
Player: Richard Sex: M Language/Accent: French and German
Clothing: Officer Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "The Spanish ship was sailing to Bridgetown."
Clue 2: "None of the sailors aboard "The Jonathan Cheswick" were maimed."
Clue 3: "The stowaway on Richard's ship was a handsome man with no visible disfigurement, but he was made to walk the plank."Edit: For clarification, "maimed" in this context refers to eyepatch, hook-hand, and peg-leg, not to whether or not the sailors survived the storm.
Player: Rosemary Sex: F Language/Accent: Strange
Clothing: Rich Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Rosemary and Charles were on the same ship"
Clue 2: "Each ship was named in the language of the country it was from."
Clue 3: "One of the stowaways was known as 'One-eyed Pete.'"
Player: Ryan Sex: M Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Elizabeth and Ryan are on the same boat."
Clue 2: "Only one ship was sailing out of its home country."
Player: Sherry Sex: F Language/Accent: French
Clothing: Rich Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : yes Peg Leg? : yes
Clue 1: "Sherry discovered a stowaway named Marie searching through her baggage."
Clue 2: "Sherry and Gary were on the same ship."
Player: Terry Sex: M Language/Accent: American
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : no Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "The person who shares a first name with Terry is either Australian or English."
Clue 2: "Irene met Terry when she stowed away on his ship. He found her, but agreed not to report her."
Player: Victoria Sex: F Language/Accent: Irish
Clothing: Rich Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : yes Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Victoria was on a boat with two Spaniards."
Clue 2: "The English ship had no passengers."
Clue 3: "Someone found a dog-eared and heavily-annotated copy of "Hamlet" washed up on the beach, with the initials 'G.R.C.' printed on the inside cover."
Player: Willie Sex: M Language/Accent: English
Clothing: Sailor Eye patch? : yes Hook Hand? : no Peg Leg? : no
Clue 1: "Willie and Megan met each other after being shipwrecked on the island."Edit: Willie has an eye patch, not a hook hand.
Hint 1
Some information in the puzzle may take some research, especially if one isn't familiar with names in different languages and historical geography. Here is some information which is intended to be known, but which is not directly stated:
The flags flown by the ten ports mentioned in 1800 were:
Amsterdam, Holland - Dutch
Bordeaux, France - French
Boston, Massachusetts - American
Bridgetown, Barbados - British
Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (today Argentina) - Spanish
Casablanca, Morocco - Moroccan
Charleston, North Carolina - American
Kingston, Jamaica - British
Rome, the Roman Republic Feb 1798 - Jun 1800, or the Papal States June 1800 - 1808. The difference is not significant here, since neither is otherwise represented in the puzzle. Although the Roman Republic was a French puppet state, it did have its own flag, and does not count as French in this puzzle.
* Veracruz, Viceroyalty of New Spain (now Mexico) - Spanish
The language and genders of the character names listed in the manifests are:
La Vierge du Bon Port
Officers
Captain: Henrick R. Janssen, Dutch, M
1stMate: Seigfried D. Munser, German, M
2ndMate: Margaret N. Salisbury, Anglophone, F
Boatswain: Hartmut R. Eckinger, German, M
Sailors
Cook: Dorothy W. Ramsey, Anglophone, F
Seaman: Carmel O'Brien, Irish, F
Seaman: Piperion Esquibel-Montero, Spanish, M
Seaman: William P. Cotton, Anglophone, M
Cabin Girl: Peggy R. Cobb, Anglophone, F
The Sea Fox
Officers:
Captain: Pulqueria Ceballos, Spanish, F
1st Mate: Roger B. Sheppard, Anglophone, M
2nd Mate: Christopher H. Weber, Anglophone, M
Boatswain: Gennadi B. Sidorov, Russian, M
Sailors:
Cook: Ronald McPherson, Anglophone, M
Seaman: Samuel E. Jennings, Anglophone, M
Seaman: Hu Wei-Xue, Chinese, ??
Seaman: James J. Graham, Anglophone, M
Cabin Girl: Charlotte C. Walpole, Anglophone, F
The Jonathan Cheswick
Officers:
Captain: Henry R. Owen, Anglophone, M
1st Mate: Vasya S. Kalinnikov, Russian, M
2nd Mate: Tjeerd R. De Smet, Dutch, M
Boatswain: Yan Fu-ju, Chinese, ??
Sailors:
Cook: Fabian A. Schubach, German, M
Seaman: Virginia A. Allen, Anglophone, F
Seaman: Martha F. Woodard, Anglophone, F
Seaman: Timothy W. Hester, Anglophone, M
Cabin Boy: Nigel N. Salisbury, Anglophone, M
Gouden Leeuw
Officers:
Captain: Elaine P. Wynn, Anglophone, F
1st Mate: Quentin P. Watson, Anglophone, M
2nd Mate: Arno Angélil, German first name, French last name, M
Boatswain: Margarita A. Jurivel, Spanish, F
Sailors:
Cook: Felipe C. Ivarruz-Vicaza, Spanish, M
Seaman: Gareth R. Cavendish, Anglophone, M
Seaman: Wilma W. Chapman, Anglophone, F
Seaman: Lemar D. Malcombe, Anglophone, M
Cabin Boy: Samuel K. Pickett, Anglophone, M
Nuestra Señora de Cavadonga
Officers:
Captain: Gertrude D. Hutchinson, Anglophone, F
1st Mate: Marietta N. Clarke, Anglophone, F
2nd Mate: Liao Jin-Zhong, Chinese, ??
Boatswain: Cecilia S. Ros-Gamiro, Spanish, F
Sailors:
Cook: Ruud D. Van Dijk, Dutch, M
Seaman: Alexander H. Frost, Anglophone, M
Seaman: Findlay C. Scott, Anglophone, M
Seaman: Quentin R. Callaghan, Anglophone, M
Cabin Boy: Tremaine L. Higgins, Anglophone, M
Passenger Manifest #1
Jeanette J. Ambard, French, F
Chiaffredo Milanesi, Italian, M
Nazzareno D. Conti, Italian, M
Jean-Louis Fleuette, French, M
Passenger Manifest #2
Austinafe Ajaranne, ??, ??
Jean-François Moreau, French, M
Louise-Violette Meserve, French, F
Uckbe Oronle, ?? ??
Passenger Manifest #3 Eileen Mac Ateer, Irish, F
Ylesme Arrce, ??, ??
Maura I. Kiley, Irish, F
Eannare Imke, ??, ??
Here, "Anglophone" means English, Scottish, American, Australian, or Jamaican. 1800 was before the Great Famine in Ireland, so a) the Irish diaspora to the colonies was less pronounced, making the presence of a clearly Irish name there less likely; in any case, and American or Australian (etc.) with an Irish name would also have had an Irish accent while speaking English; and b) a larger portion of Irish people spoke the Irish language, and so would not be "Anglophone" anyway. This distinction only gives really new information for one name.
Hint 2
Although Scots were more likely to be mixed up into other parts of the British Empire (or America) by 1800 than the Irish, they do still have distinctive names; this is a one-way inference. A person with a Scottish name is not necessarily Scottish, but a Scot will have a Scottish name. (For the purposes of the puzzle.) The Scottish names are Ronald McPherson and Findlay C. Scott