Basilica de Sangre is a Quest interactive fiction game and is © 2018 by Bitter Karella. It was an entry in IF Comp 2018 where it took 11th place.
In this game, you play as Ilemauzer of the Pit, a level 2 succubus from Tartarus. Your mom hasn't returned from the Basilica de Sangre and no demon dares try to rescue her — except you. Disguised as a nun, you arrive at the isolated Basilica by boat, but your disguise won't keep you safe for long. You should possess someone else's body as soon as possible.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on version 2 of the game.
A dockas yourself
> x me. i. (carrying nothing)
> x boat. x water. x wharf.
> e. e.
An entranceas yourself
> x sexton. speak to sexton. possess sexton.
An entranceas the Sexton
You, now the Sexton, have keys. Also, the font has changed. Every character in the game has their own font. It's a pretty cool way to show that you're now looking at the world through someone else's eyes.
> x keys. w. s.
A graveyardas the Sexton
> x tombstones. x crypt. in. (paved over)
> e.
Sexton's cottageas the Sexton
> x door. in. (locked)
> unlock door. (with keys)
> in.
Inside the Sexton's cottageas the Sexton
> x flask. x garbage. x cot.
> out. w. n. e.
An entranceas the Sexton
> open door. (unlocking it with the keys)
> e.
A vestibuleas the Sexton
Although you can explore a little further past here as the Sexton, he'll be stopped by the Virger from entering the cloister and he'll be stopped by Magdelena from entering the kitchen. It's simpler to just possess Grizelda right away.
> x Grizelda. x registry. x desk.
> speak to Grizelda.
> possess Grizelda. (Sexton stays here, for now. Grizelda has no inventory.)
A vestibuleas Sister Grizelda
> speak to sexton. (Grizelda has a rep as a gossip monger.)
> e. d.
A cellariumas Sister Grizelda
> x crates. x sacks. x jar. (good for hangover)
> x cracks. (Senses aren't keen enough to find the door.)
> u. n.
A cloisteras Sister Grizelda
> x virger. speak to virger. (He thinks you're off to talk to Sister Ursula in the library.)
> n. (The library door is closed.)
> open library door. (locked, but no keyhole)
> w.
An alcoveas Sister Grizelda
> x Heloise. (large and intimidating)
> speak to Heloise. (She's guarding Mother Superior's office.)
> e. e.
A chapter houseas Sister Grizelda
First clues that this place might not be very Christian at all.
> x cat. x podium. (Seems to cover a floor opening.)
> x altar. x stain. x windows. x pews.
> push podium. (access shaft revealed)
> look at shaft. d. (You're too big.)
> possess cat. (can't) pet cat. (it hisses)
> w. s. e.
A hallway (east end)as Sister Grizelda
By the way, the Sexton's keys can't unlock this gate.
> x gate. e.
A kitchenas Sister Grizelda
> x Magdelena. (No fingers. Drinks water often from chalice.)
> x Skillet. (Scrawny waif.)
> x chalice. x pots. x stoves. x kettles.
> speak to Magdelena. (She doesn't want to hear your gossip.)
> speak to Skillet. (She does want to hear your gossip.)
> possess Magdelena. (Can't. She's too focused.)
> s.
A misericordas Sister Grizelda
This empty room kinda serves as a get-away-from-it-all vacation spot for these nuns.
> n. w. w. w. w. w. s. e. in.
Inside the Sexton's cottageas Sister Grizelda
> take whiskey.
> out. w. n. e. e. e. e. e.
A kitchenas Sister Grizelda
> use whiskey on chalice. (Magdelena is more vulnerable.)
> possess Magdelena.
A kitchenas Sister Magdelena
> x chalice. (It's empty now.)
> talk to Skillet. (You accidentally give her a compliment.)
> talk to Grizelda. (Gossips that Heloise is seeing someone.)
> w. w. n. e.
A chapter houseas Sister Magdelena
> pet cat. (The cat likes Magdelena.)
> w. w.
An alcoveas Sister Magdelena
> speak to Heloise. ("Meet me in thee misericord.")
> e.
A cloisteras Sister Magdelena
> possess Virger. (carrying nothing.)
A cloisteras the Virger
> x me. (Stiff!)
> speak to Magdelena. (Demon is hidden in a secret room where you'd need finely developed senses to find it.)
> s. e. e.
A kitchenas the Virger
> possess Skillet.
A kitchenas Skillet
> speak to Virger. speak to Grizelda.
> w. w. n. e. d.
A basementas Skillet
> x lever. ("Library Access")
> x slot. (missing lever for "Central heating")
> pull lever. (Library door is now open)
> u. w. n.
A libraryas Skillet
> x Ursula. x books. speak to Ursula. (She'd love to speak to Grizelda.)
> w.
A scriptoriumas Skillet
> x Hesperus. speak to Hesperus. x habit. (It repels demons like yourself from possessing her.)
> x register. (For heat and turned off.)
> x parchment. x manuscript. x desks. x stools.
> e. s. s. e. e.
A kitchenas Skillet
> possess Grizelda.
A kitchenas Sister Grizelda
> w. w. n. n.
A libraryas Sister Grizelda
> speak to Ursula. (She can identify you by your smell. She wants to know who Heloise's secret beau is.)
> possess Ursula.
A libraryas Sister Ursula
> speak to Grizelda. (Heloise's beau must be someone else the cat lets pet him.)
> w.
A scriptoriumas Sister Ursula
> speak to Hesperus. (Ursula's senses of smell and hearing are very acute!)
> e. s. s. d.
A cellariumas Sister Ursula
You immediately sense a breeze from the east.
> e.
A secret roomas Sister Ursula
> x hard object. take bar.
> x mom. speak to mom.
Learn that a binding circle can be broken with a combination of toadflax, skull moss, and bat guano.
> w. u. n. w. w.
A lavatoriumas Sister Ursula
> x toadflax. (A sweet-smelling soap substitute.)
> take toadflax.
> e. e. s. e. e.
A kitchenas Sister Ursula
> give metal bar to Skillet. (She takes it.)
> possess Skillet.
A kitchenas Skillet
> w. w. n. e. d.
A basementas Skillet
> put bar in slot. (It's now a makeshift lever.)
> pull makeshift. (You turn on central heating.)
> u. w. n. w.
A scriptoriumas Skillet
As expected, Sister Hesperus has removed her repellent habit, making her vulnerable.
> possess Hesperus.
A scriptoriumas Sister Hesperus
> x me. (Flex!)
> e. s. s. w. w. w. s.
A graveyardas Sister Hesperus
> punch crypt. in.
A cryptas Sister Hesperus
> x skull. x slime. x runes. x coffin.
> out. e. in.
Inside the Sexton's cottageas Sister Hesperus
> x sexton. (He's drunk!)
> out. w. n. e. e. e. d.
A cellariumas Sister Hesperus
> take jar.
> u. w. w. w. s. e. in.
Inside the Sexton's cottageas Sister Hesperus
> give jar to sexton. talk to sexton. possess sexton.
Inside the Sexton's cottageas the Sexton
> out. w. n. e. e. e. n. w. n.
The Mother Superior's Officeas the Sexton
The Sexton is the only person that Mother Superior wants to see!
> x Mother. x desk. x scepter. x plaque. (Scepter is holy to Great Schulbb.)
> speak to mother. possess mother. (You send him away.)
The Mother Superior's Officeas the Mother Superior
> open drawer. take key.
> s. e. s. e.
A hallway (east half)as the Mother Superior
> unlock gate. (with key). u.
A belfryas the Mother Superior
> x bells. x droppings. d. e.
A kitchenas the Mother Superior
> speak to Ursula. ("A sacrifice tonight?")
> possess Ursula.
A kitchenas Sister Ursula
> w. u.
A belfryas Sister Ursula
> take droppings. (You now have bat guano)
> d. w. w. w. w. s. in.
A cryptas Sister Ursula
> take skull.
> out. n. e. e. e. d. e.
A secret roomas Sister Ursula
If you have all three unbinding items (toadflax, moss, guano), you'll automatically toss them all to Mom on entry. She breaks the circle, finds out you came by boat, and says to follow her there quickly!
> w. u.
A hallway (west end)as Sister Ursula
Magdelena grabs you for the ritual.
A cloisteras Sister Ursula
Mother Superior, Grizelda, Magdelena, Heloise, Hesperus are all here. They're trying to sacrifice your Mom to the Great Schlub!
> x abomination. possess Mother.
A cloisteras the Mother Superior
She's carrying that scepter you saw in her office earlier.
> throw scepter.
The scepter hits the swirling mass! BOOM! The nuns scatter. Run!
> s. w. w. (leaving Mother Superior inside the door)
An entranceas yourself
> w. w.
A dockas yourself
> use boat. (You escape!)
Thanks for playing Basilica de Sangre!
Game Over
Note that, in general, you're not allowed to drop anything you pick up. If you want another character to carry something you have, give it to them directly. Also note that fingerless Magdelena can't pick up much of anything, and skinny Skillet can't pick up anything heavy (like the jar of brine).
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