Christminster is a Z-machine interactive fiction game written with Inform 5 and is © 1995-1996 by Gareth Rees.
In this alchemical mystery set on a Sunday in the university town of Christminster, you play as Christabel, attempting to visit your brother, Doctor Malcolm Spencer, who teaches chemistry at Biblioll College. His telegram said he made an amazing discovery, but he's nowhere to be found and there's evidence of foul play. What could have happened to him?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 4 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
Chapel Street
> verbose. (optional)
> x me. i. x bag. open it.
> x telegram. x map.
> knock on gate. (The porter denies you: "we're closed on Sundays.")
> x gate. x arms.
> x street. take stone. x it.
> s.
Biblioll Street
Note that while you have any sort of projectile, the police constable will always be coincidentally here on Biblioll Street when you are, unless you can manage to keep him distracted elsewhere.
> x window. x parrot.
> x constable. x helmet.
> ask constable about college. (founded by John de Biblioll)
> e.
Lady Margaret Green
> x man. x key. take key. (can't while he's on top of it)
> wake man. (nope)
If the constable is here:
> ask constable about man. ("Halfhide")
> n.
Bridge Street
> x busker. x rod. x cape.
He invites you to examine or look under all the cups.
> x red. x green. x blue. x table.
He now asks for an object from the audience. The constable should be here by now.
> give bag to busker. (He extracts a toffee and hands it to you.)
> give toffee to constable.
> constable, give toffee to busker. (+1; he does so)
Only when the constable gives the toffee will he stay to watch the rest of the performance while you're up to no good elsewhere.
> w. s.
Biblioll Street
> throw stone at window. (+1; the window breaks)
> x window. (The parrot flies off and a feather lands near you.)
> take feather.
> w. n.
Bridge Street
> x feather.
The busker asks which cup (the toffee) is under. Because it's the constable's item, let him pick the cups.
> z. z. z. (The constable finds and eats the toffee.)
> z. z. z. ("Roll up! Roll up!")
> z. z. z. ("examine the cups")
> x red. x green. x blue.
At this point in the performance, go steal the key and bring it back here:
> e.
Lady Margaret Green
> tickle man with feather. take key. (+1)
Quickly, before he wakes up!
> n.
Bridge Street
The busker is still waiting for an object from the audience.
> give key to busker. (The busker distracts the constable so he doesn't see what you gave him.)
> z.
The don angrily accuses you of stealing his key, and you prove that you don't have it. The constable takes the don away to discuss this false accusation.
Finish the routine with the busker:
> look under red. look under green.
> look under blue. (+1; you take the key back)
> w.
Chapel Street
> unlock gate with key. e. (+1)
First Court
> close gate. time. (approx. 11:30 AM)
> s.
Library Archway
> read notice. (Baskeyfield is the librarian, the library is closed on Sundays, and he hides a spare key for those who need it.)
> take pin. (Leave the notice; you don't need it.)
> n. nw.
Porters' lodge
The porter of a college manages the front gate, basically. This includes handling mail, keys, security, and general inquiries.
> x porter. x keys.
> ask porter about Malcolm. (He's hard of hearing.)
> show telegram to porter. (He hasn't seen Malcolm in days.)
> x pigeonholes. (refer to them by surnames)
> x Spencer's hole. (You acquire a note.)
> x note. (Mr Baskeyfield thanks Malcolm for returning Zinovic.)
> x Baskeyfield's hole. (You acquire a copper key.)
> x list. (of students and room numbers)
> look up Spencer on list. (A5)
> look up Baskeyfield on list. (C1)
Since you can look up room numbers as well, eg: LOOK UP A1 ON LIST, LOOK UP A2 ON LIST, etc., feel free to quickly do that to read the entire list. You know there are three staircases (A, B, and C) from your map.
> se. n. u.
"A" Staircase, First Floor
According to the placard here, entertaining females in undergrad rooms is prohibited on pain of rustication. In this context, rustication is a more severe form of suspension, but less permanent than an explusion. But don't worry. You won't get anyone in trouble that way. Also, the bursar is the college's senior financial administrator.
> u.
"A" Staircase, Second Floor
> x A5. knock on it. (no answer)
> open A5. (locked)
> d. d. s. e.
Archway between the Courts
> x announcement. (dinner at seven requires an invitation from the Master)
> open door. (It won't open.)
> w. se. d.
"B" Staircase, Basement
> x cabinet. open it. (Green wires are plugged into green sockets; likewise red and blue. Also, there's a power pack and a voltmeter.)
> x pack. ("5.0V" and has crocodile clips)
> x voltmeter. (has clips, dial and scale run from 0.0V to 10.0V)
> take pack. take voltmeter.
Leave the cabinet open. You never need to close it.
> u. u.
"B" Staircase, First Floor
> x B4. ("Doctor Jarboe")
> x box. open it. x wires. (without insulation)
> u.
"B" Staircase, Second Floor
Edward Forbes from B5 asks if you know where Polly, his parrot, is.
> x Ed. ask Ed about Malcolm.
Edward heads downstairs and now starts wandering semi-randomly about looking for Polly. Eventually, you can help him with that, but not now.
> x window.
> d. d. nw. s.
Library Archway
> unlock door with copper key. s. (+1)
Library
> x books. x index.
> x note. look up Zinovic in index. (+1)
> x ciphers. look up cyclic in ciphers.
> look up keyword in ciphers.
> look up random in ciphers.
> n. n. nw.
Porters' lodge
> x porter. ask porter about keys. (He's too deaf to understand you.)
> point to keys —or— show copper key to porter. (+1; you get an iron key)
> se. n. u. u.
"A" Staircase, Second Floor
> unlock A5 with iron. e. (+1)
Malcolm's Study
> close door. x furniture. (You find nothing useful.)
> s.
Malcolm's Bedroom
> x bed. open window.
> look through window. x ivy. (+2)
You found Malcom's lab book, but you also hear Jarboe and Bungay enter the other room for another search! You now have a limited number of turns to hide the lab book so Jarboe doesn't take it away.
CAUTION: You cannot put the lab book back in the ivy. If you try, it falls down into the court, and Jarboe gets to it before you can.
> climb ivy. (no, it would be suicidal)
> x lab book.
> put it in bag. close bag.
Let's get the first unpleasantness with Jarboe and Bungay over with.
> n.
Instead, the two men enter the bedroom and block your exit. Don't bother to ask them about anything. Just let them be verbally abusive for a few turns, then they'll leave.
> x Jarboe. x Bungay.
> z. (Bungay mentions he'll ring Jarboe at 5 PM. You'll remember him saying that when it's closer to that hour.)
> z. (They leave. Follow them for a bit.)
> n. w. d. d. s.
First Court
They stop here for a couple turns.
> z. z.
Jarboe heads southeast, and if you follow him, he heads to his room in B4 where you cannot follow.
Bungay heads east. Follow him just a bit more.
> e.
Archway between the Courts
> z. (Bungay opens the east door and goes through it.)
If you cared to follow Bungay further, he heads to his room in C3 where you cannot follow.
> w. (+1 for hiding the lab book from those two)
First Court
Let's have another look at that lab book.
> open bag. take lab book. x it.
The lab book is encrypted using a keyword cipher, where CHRISTABEL is the keyword:
Ciphertext: CHRISTABELDFGJKMNOPQUVWXYZ Plaintext: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Fuffy 364 Lully 364 Qbs teopq qwk cos rfsco: The first two are clear: Codwoeabq 143 (bkjsy kt Saymq?) Arkwright 143 (honey of Egypt?) Lkbj 11:43 (hcqb kt Deja?) John 11:43 (bath of King?) Msobcmp Pegkj Jkhfs'p fejsp kj Bsfekachcfup, Perhaps Simon Noble's lines on Heliogabalus, Tko E bcvs wsmq gkos qscop qbcj s'so For I have wept more tears than e'er Qbs cjresjq pcas iei wssm cq gcj'p The ancient sage did weep at man's aoscq tkffy... great folly... cos c rfus qk qbs qbeoi? are a clue to the third?
Perhaps the books in the library can explain some of this better.
> s. s.
Library
> look up Lully in index. (+1; acquired "The Clavicula")
> x Lully. look up 364 in Lully.
You learn about making the "Elixir of Life":
> look up Arkwright in index. (The Master of the College checked it out.)
> look up Noble in index. (Someone borrowed that one.)
> look up Bible in index. (You need to look up its author?)
> look up God in index. (+1; acquired "The Holy Bible")
> look up John 11:43 in Bible. (Hm. It's the verse about Jesus commanding Lazarus to "come forth". Nothing about a "bath of the king".)
Visit the Master next.
> n. n.
First Court
> ne. (The door is locked.)
> x door. pull pull. (A housekeeper answers and invites you in.)
> ne.
Master's Lodgings
> x housekeeper. x goblet.
> x mantel. x phone. x box.
> u. (+1)
The Master's Study
You hear the chime of the half-hour; it must be 12:30 PM.
> show telegram to master.
Let the conversation lapse a bit so he can mention MacLane.
> x master. x newspaper. x books.
He suggests reading MacLane from the library.
> ask him about Malcolm. (at seminar in Edinburgh)
> ask him about Jarboe. (knows math)
> ask him about librarian. (has ecclectic taste in books)
> ask him about Bungay. (knows history)
> ask him about Edward. (doesn't know him)
> ask him for Arkwright. (+2; he gives you a book)
> ask him about Wilderspin. (likes Egyptology)
> ask him about dinner. (+1; he gives you a ticket)
> x ticket. (He's sure you can come as you are.)
> x Arkwright.
> look up 143 in it. (It mentions the Osiris ritual, where he was offered honey. This must be about the "honey of Egypt".)
> d. (You're ushered out into the court.)
First Court
> s. s.
Library
> look up MacLane in index. (+1; acquired "Men of Biblioll")
> x Men.
> look up Biblioll in Men.
> look up MacLane in Men. (He omitted himself.)
> look up Lully in Men. (no entry)
> look up Arkwright in Men.
> look up Noble in Men. (mentions feud with Andrew Marvell)
> look up Marvell in Men. (no entry)
Visit Wilderspin in B2 next. Incidentally, if you take the time to chat with Edward, you learn that two of his professors are Wilderspin and Bungay.
> n. n. se.
"B" Staircase, Ground Floor
> x B2. knock on B2. (He answers.)
> show Arkwright to Wilderspin.
He takes the book from you. You introduce yourself, and he invites you into his study.
> w. (+1)
Professor Wilderspin's Study
> x Wilderspin.
> ask him about Osiris. (You learn that the tamarisk is the "wood of Hermes".)
> ask him about Akhetaten. (or Egypt or Amarna)
> ask him about Arkwright. (competed against Pierre Vastang)
> ask him about Vastang. (a menace)
> ask him about Edward.
> x him. x gown. x window. x desk.
> x fireplace. x griffins. x eye. (which?)
> ask him about griffins. (from Henry Garton)
> ask him about Garton. (a college architect)
> look up Garton in Men.
> push left eye. (Wilderspin hears the click and is surprised.)
> him, push right eye.
> push left eye. (+1. A west passage opens, and he clambers through it.)
> w. (You trip and drop everything, then the fireplace closes and you're both in...)
Darkness (first dark room)
You hear the clock strike one o'clock.
> ask him about here. touch north wall.
Touching all the walls and floor won't help you, but it may occur to you that the exit is higher up than you can reach on your own.
> stand on him.
> him, south.
> touch south wall. (+1)
Darkness (second dark room)
> s. (The passage turns left, and you start to see your surroundings.)
Secret Room
Wilderspin enters from the west.
> x skeleton. (It reminds Wilderspin of the tomb of Neferneferuaten.)
> ask him about skeleton. (He's about 300 years old and was likely an alchemist.)
> x bench.
> x flasks. (You find a bottle and a retort.)
> x bottle. take it. read stamp. ("vau" and "han")
> x retort. take it.
> look under bench. pull lever. (A passage down opens.)
Wilderspin will stay here for a while.
> d. (+1)
Library
It's now 1:30 PM.
> look up Garton in index. (You return to...)
Secret Room
Okay. Now that you know how to get back here whenever you like, return to Wilderspin's room and pick up all the stuff you dropped.
> d. n. n. se. w.
Professor Wilderspin's Study
By picking up the bag first, you can ensure that "take all" will work correctly.
> take bag. take all.
The stamp on the bottle spelled "Vauhan".
> look up Vauhan in Men. (see Vaughan)
> look up Vaughan in Men. (wrote books as "Philalethes")
> e. nw. s. s.
Library
> look up Philalethes in index. (+1; acquired "Introitus Apertus")
> x Apertus.
The book is dated 1662, and near the end, it explains that "Virgin's Milk" is made by dissolving a particular powder in wine and letting it cure in a dark cellar for at least five years. Also, the "Milk" is used in making the Elixir of Life.
It is not at all obvious to me how a player is supposed to understand that "Virgin's Milk" and the "Spittle of Lune" is the same thing, but they are.
Explore the eastern half of the College next.
> n. n. e. e.
Second Court
The clock strikes two o'clock. If you ever see Edward with the cat, he pets it and calls it Turmeric. Alas, Turmeric will not permit you to pet it.
> x gate. (locked, has lion's head bas-relief)
> x moggy. (a cat)
> nw.
Antechapel
> x flagstones. e.
Chapel
> x Latin Bible.
> look up John 11:43 in it.
In the Latin Bible, John 11:43 reads:
"Et haec cum dixisset, posuit vinum myrrheum labiis Lazari, et voce magna clamavit, Lazare, ite foras."
which Google Translate translates as:
"And when he had said this, he gave a drink of wine mixed with myrrh to Lazarus, and with a loud voice he cried, Lazarus, come out."
But the same verse in the Holy Bible from the library only said:
"And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth."
For some reason, the Latin Bible mentions a drink of wine with myrrh while the Holy Bible does not. Myrrh is a bitter-smelling resin, so perhaps that's what Lully's bitter "Bath of the King" is?
> x lectern. x window.
> w. se. sw.
Great Hall
> x long table. look under it.
> x high table. look under it. take corkscrew.
> u.
Senior Common Room
Nothing here yet. Come back here after dinner.
> d. s.
Outside the Kitchens
> s. (the cooks make it clear you are not welcome in there)
> x hatch. open hatch. (locked)
> z. (Repeat waiting until a cook opens the hatch and goes down through it.)
> d.
Cellars
The chime for 2:30 PM is heard.
> enter alcove. x cook. x bottles.
> z. (Repeat waiting until the cook leaves.)
Eventually, the cook selects a bottle, leaves, and turns off the light.
> turn on light.
> x first bin. ("William Canynges")
> x second. ("Thomas Heydon")
> x third. ("Elias Tymme")
> x fourth. ("Edward Farber")
> x fifth. ("Bernard Starkey")
> x sixth. ("Robert Mayow")
> x seventh. ("Francis Tausend")
> take Men.
> look up Canynges in Men. (cellarer from 1472)
> look up Heydon in Men. (burser-cellarer from 1502)
> look up Tymme in Men. (burser from 1640)
> look up Farber in Men. (burser from 1682)
> look up Hawksmoor in Men. (1654-1702, architect)
> look up Starkey in Men.
> look up Mayow in Men.
> look up Tausend in Men.
Hm. Remembering that Vaughan wrote in "Introitus Apertus" (published in 1662) about giving his "Virgin's Milk" to his cellarer to store away, his cellarer must've been Tymme, so you need to search the third bin for that bottle.
> search third. (+1; using the brown bottle as a reference.)
The clock strikes three o'clock.
> x green bottle. x pale liquid.
Getting out of the locked cellars requires you to make some noise then wait for rescue.
> out. knock on hatch. z. z. z.
A woman lets you out. (+1)
Outside the Kitchens
> n. ne. e.
"C" Staircase, Ground Floor
Baskeyfield is in C1 and will answer your knock the first few times you try, but he's not the slightest bit interested in talking to you on a Sunday, and he eventually screams that the library key is in his pigeonhole and to leave him alone.
So since you already have the copper key, there's no point in bothering him.
> u.
"C" Staircase, First Floor
> x C3. ("Professor Bungay")
> x window. x river. x box. open it. x wires.
> take pack and voltmeter.
> put pack on wires.
Now head back to the "B" basement:
> d. w. w. w. se. d.
"B" Staircase, Basement
> put voltmeter on green wires. (0.0 volts)
> put voltmeter on red wires. (0.0 volts)
> put voltmeter on blue wires. (5.0 volts)
You now know that the blue wires are for Bungay's phone. Go get the power pack back and do the same test for Jarboe.
> take voltmeter.
> u. nw. e. e. e. u.
"C" Staircase, First Floor
> take pack.
> d. w. w. w. se. u.
"B" Staircase, First Floor
> put pack on wires. d. d.
"B" Staircase, Basement
> put voltmeter on red wires. (5.0 volts)
You now know that the red wires are for Jarboe's phone. By process of elimination, the green wires must be for the Master's phone.
> take voltmeter. u. u.
"B" Staircase, First Floor
> take pack.
> d. nw. s. s.
Library
If you try to look up all the cellarers' surnames in the index, you don't find any book for them, but Hawksmoor, mentioned in the Farber entry, was an architect like Garton.
> look up Hawksmoor in index. (+1. You find a secret passage east, which you immediately enter.)
Small Courtyard
> x manhole. (locked)
> u.
The Roof of "B" Staircase
> n.
Roof of the Master's Lodgings
> x gargoyle. ("JF")
> x flag. x wistaria. x tower.
> d.
First Court
Go find Edward. There's an excellent chance he's in Second Court at this stage in the game, but honestly, he could be anywhere, even on the streets outside the college.
> e. e.
Second Court
I'm assuming he's here.
> Ed, follow me. (Now he won't wander off.)
> ask Ed about Malcolm.
> ask Ed about history.
> ask Ed about Bungay.
> ask Ed about Wilderspin.
You learn that he's supposed to go see Bungay this afternoon but he's terrified. Help make that meeting happen. Lead Ed to Bungay's door:
> e. u.
"C" Staircase, First Floor
> knock on C3. ("Coming!")
Abandon Ed to his fate. You mustn't let Bungay see you and Ed together when he answers his door.
> d.
"C" Staircase, Ground Floor
You hear Bungay admitting Edward inside his apartment.
> u.
"C" Staircase, First Floor
Bungay didn't lock his door when he let Ed in. This gives you a chance to snoop and burgle!
> open C3. n. (+1)
Professor Bungay's Hallway
> x arms. n.
Professor Bungay's Study
CAUTION: Avoid interacting with the box until you're ready to go. Taking the box is a trigger that concludes Ed's meeting with Bungay and traps you in here.
> x desk. open drawer. (locked)
> x rug. look under it. (nothing)
> move desk. (You create a narrow gap between the desk and the back wall of the alcove.)
> enter gap.
> x drawer. look in it. take chapbook. (+2)
> out. open window.
> take box. open it.
> x gum. (bitter aroma)
At this point, you hear voices to the south and you're trapped!
> close box.
> n. (+1. You drop down into...)
College Gardens
Soon after arriving here, the clock strikes 4 PM.
> smell. x bushes.
> x chapbook. (mentions Edmund Lilly)
> take Men. look up Lilly in Men.
So the Latin Bible originally came from a religious Order that escaped from France.
> e. (no, blocked by roses)
> x roses. smell roses.
> ne.
Arboretum
> x Polly. climb elm. (can't)
> s.
By the River, on the West Bank
Don't bother trying to take the pole unless you have two free hands. Also, if you do have the pole and enter the punt, you learn you're not skilled enough to use the punt by yourself. It's just too awkward, so this walkthrough will skip that failed attempt.
However, if you spent enough time with Ed, he does eventually mention wanting to go punting, so he knows how to use this thing.
> x punt. look in punt. x pole.
> n. sw. nw.
Outside the Garden Shed
> x shed. enter it. (no, locked)
> x door. (has narrow crack)
> take ticket.
> insert ticket in crack. (+1; the door is open)
> n.
Garden Shed
> take steel key.
> take veil. (no: not with the cat on it)
> s. se.
College Gardens
> unlock gate with steel key. open gate. sw.
Second Court
Edward is here, waiting for you after his nightmare meeting with Bungay. He is now following you again.
> ne. ne. (+1)
Arboretum
Edward sees Polly and stops here.
> s.
By the River, on the West Bank
> take retort.
> fill retort with water.
> n. sw. nw. n.
Garden Shed
> pour water over cat. take veil. x it.
> s. se. ne.
Arboretum
> shake elm. (Polly flies southeast. Edward goes south.)
> s.
By the River, on the West Bank
During the next few turns, Edward enters the punt, takes the pole, then punts east. Be in the punt before it leaves without you.
> enter punt.
> z. z. (+1; Ed punts you both east.)
By the River, on the East Bank
Polly is now in a laburnum tree. And the chime of 4:30 PM is heard.
> out. wear veil. se.
Bee-loud Glade
NOTE: Without the veil, you cannot stay here near the bees and automatically retreat back to the bank.
> x bees. x beehives. (which hive?)
> x first. (to northeast by a tall tree)
> x tall tree. ("Diospyros virginiana")
> x second. (to southeast by pink-flowering tree)
> x pink. ("Cydonia oblonga")
> x third. (to west by white-flowering shrub)
> x white shrub. ("Tamarix africana")
You want honey from the tamarisk, the Wood of Hermes, so it's the third beehive's honey you want.
> open third. (are you sure?)
-> yes. (a honeycomb is revealed)
> take honey. (It goes into the retort.)
Hm. That could be a problem. When making the recipe, you need the Virgin's Milk in the retort first.
> pour honey into brown bottle.
> take green bottle and corkscrew.
> open green bottle.
> pour pale liquid into retort.
That leaves the green bottle free for the tears. Sorry, did I forget to mention that tears are Lully's salty "Water of the Sages"? The lab book implied it.
When I first played this, I gave the feather to Edward to make him cry and collected his tears, but that has to be done before he's reunited with Polly and you must have an empty bottle to take the tears, and if you're not careful, you can easily have all the containers filled up and unable to swap them around so the "Milk" is in the retort. Using the pin to prick yourself and obtaining the tears whenever you want helps avoid that inventory management snafu.
> prick me with pin. take tears.
> s.
Earthen Path
> take peanuts. x peanut.
> n. nw.
By the River, on the East Bank
> shake tree. (Polly flies northwest back to the elm.)
> enter punt.
> z. z. z. (wait until punted to other side)
By the River, on the West Bank
> out. n.
Arborteum
When Ed is back here:
> give peanut to Ed. (+1. Ed coaxes Polly down.)
The clock strikes five o'clock. You remember Bungay saying he'd phone Jarboe after five o'clock.
> x Polly.
Ed remembers he must write an essay, and he heads back to his room.
To save time later:
> tear veil. (It's now a hat.)
> wear hat.
Now head back to the "B" basement:
> sw. sw. w. w. se. d.
"B" Staircase, Basement
> unplug all wires.
> plug red wires in green socket.
> plug blue wires in green socket.
> u. nw.
First Court
Don't pull the bell pull this time! The housekeeper forgot to lock the door. If you pull the pull again, she will lock it!
> ne. (The door is unlocked.)
Master's Lodgings
> x phone. ("Number 212. Dial 1 for an outside line.")
> take handset. (You hear a dialling tone.)
> dial 212. (hear ringing)
> z. (Jarboe answers)
> z. (Bungay answers)
> z. z. z. z. (+1; "We'll meet in NAME's crypt at half past ten." They hang up.)
The half-hour chimes. It's 5:30 PM.
Remember the name that was mentioned; it's randomized.
> sw. close door. s. s.
Library
The randomized name is one of the following: Arnott, Field, Hoskins, Plumb, Pocock, Quinn, Shepherd, Skery, Walthamstowe, or Winkler.
> take Men.
> look up NAME in Men.
> look up NAME in index. (+1; acquired "De Gloriae Coelestis")
> x Gloriae. (+1; acquired the rusty key.)
Have you played "Curses"? Here's some hidden Easter eggs:
> look up Meldrew in Men. (about Tobias Meldrew)
> look up Meldrew in index. (You acquire "The History of the Meldrews (vol. I)".)
> read Meldrews. (mentions Peter Meldrew, Abner Meldrew, and Thomas Vaughan)
Head up to Ed's room now:
> n. n. se. u. u. e. (+1)
Edward Forbes's Room
> ask Ed about ring. (He turns it on.)
The clock strikes 6 PM as you start to make the elixir.
> take retort.
> put retort on ring. (The pale liquid bubbles.)
> put honey in retort.
> open box. put gum in retort.
> put tears in retort. (+1. The Elixir!)
The clock will soon chime for 6:30 PM.
> take retort. x elixir. (a pellucid liquid)
Quickly, head to the chapel.
> w. d. d. nw. e. e. nw.
Antechapel
Evensong is happening to the east. You must be wearing the hat.
> e. (+1)
Chapel
You only need to be here for a turn between 6 PM and 7 PM to earn the optional Evensong point, but you got here a bit early, so it's okay to relax slightly.
> x chaplain. x choir.
> x congregation. smell elixir.
> z. (Wait until it's seven o'clock and the service ends. Head for the Great Hall.)
> w. se. sw.
Great Hall
You leave your stuff in the cloakroom (wherever that is) and find your seat at the high table. Wilderspin is to your left; the Master is to your right, who welcomes you. Also here are Jarboe, Bungay, and Halfhide.
> x plate.
For the first course, you get a large lobster and a strange widget. Meanwhile, Halfhide relates how his day went.
> x widget. x lobster.
> put lobster in widget.
> screw widget. eat lobster. (+1)
> x Halfhide.
> z. (Continue to wait until the second course is delivered.)
> look. (There's now a fork, a knife, a glass with some wine, a china plate, and a snail.)
> x snail. (not dead yet and has a shell)
While you deal with the snail, Wilderspin tells everyone about the secret passage.
> pour wine on snail. (It laps it up!)
> turn snail. (using knife and fork)
> kill snail with fork. (+1)
> eat snail. (no, you won't)
> drink wine. (very nice)
The Master wonders if there are other secret passages to be found.
> z.
The Master opines that the 17th Century Master, Lancaster's cousin, might have involvedd himself in secret passages.
> z. z. z.
The second course is cleared. Everyone gets a glass and a decanter is placed in front of you. The topic of Malcolm's absence and the state of his rooms is discussed.
> x decanter. (It contains port.)
> pour port into glass.
> give decanter to Wilderspin. (+1)
> drink glass. (too sweet for you)
> z. z.
The Master stands, and the dinner ends. He invites you upstairs for drinks. Everyone leaves and you get your stuff back.
> i. (The clock strikes 10 o'clock.)
Juggle your inventory now, not later. You want to be holding the bag (open), the rusty key, and the retort full of exilir directly. Put everything else into the bag, out of the way. One of these books is probably in your bag already.
> put Men in bag.
> put Gloriae in bag.
> put Meldrews in bag.
> put hat in bag.
> u.
Senior Common Room
> take candle.
> d. ne. w. w.
First Court
For an extra point, climb the wisteria at night. During the day, the porter stops you.
> u. (+1)
Roof of the Master's Lodgings
> s. d.
Small Courtyard
> unlock manhole with rusty key. open it.
> d. e.
Tunnel (west of door)
Without the lit candle, you can't see in this location.
> open door. (The handle disintegrates.)
> take corkscrew. put it in door. (done)
> pull it. (locked)
> unlock door with rusty key.
> put rusty key in bag.
> i.
Last chance to check that you're carrying only the handbag, candle, and retort (with elixir) directly. The endgame begins when you go east from here.
> save
> pull corkscrew. (+1)
> e.
Crypt
The clock chimes for 10:30 PM.
Do nothing but look and watch in horror until Malcolm and Bungay are dead, Jarboe has fled, and a fire starts. Even moving your inventory around can be too noisy and expose your presence.
> x Malcolm. x tapestries.
> x Bungay. x Jarboe.
Bungay proclaims they are Knights of the Holy Temple.
> z. z. (Jarboe kicks the chair away when Malcolm calls them clowns.)
> z. (After a scuffle, Bungay is dead by the dagger, the tapestries are on fire, and Jarboe runs east.)
Now you must act quickly and precisely. There is precious little room for error. Take advantage of automatic actions!
> search Bungay. (You obtain a silver key.)
> cut noose with dagger. (+1)
> pull Malcolm east.
Bottom of the Secret Staircase
> give elixir to Malcolm. (+1)
> put silver key in bag. close bag.
The flames are spreading.
> pull Malcolm north.
Top of the Secret Staircase
Jarboe tells you the door is locked. He doesn't see the key because you hid it in your bag, but he does see the dagger and demands it from you. Don't you dare give it to him!
> attack Jarboe with dagger. (He runs south to try to find the key.)
> open bag. unlock door with silver key.
> open door. pull Malcolm north.
*** You have won ***
> full
> amusing
The response to AMUSING, after you've won the game, is a menu with several options:
Can you answer these questions?
If you can, then you have probably played "Christminster" rather more than you ought.
The map in your handbag is rendered as this ASCII art:
Bridge Street
._________________________________________________________. L
| | /~~/ | a
C | A Staircase Chapel Chapel | /~~/ N | d
h | ._________. Tower ._________| |~~| | | y
a |Porters| | | . Gardens |~~| W-+-E |
p | Lodge | | | . |~~| | | M
e | | |Master's| . |~~| S | a
l |_______| First |Lodgings| Second .________. \~~\ | r
| Court |________| Court | | \~~\ | g
S | Great . | C | Biblioll | a
t | Gate Archway . | Stair- | Drain | r
r |_______. ._______________________| Case | \~~\ | e
e | |Arch| | |~~| | t
e | |_way| Great Senior | /~~/ |
t | B Staircase Hall Common | /~~/ | G
| Library & Kitchens Room | |~~| | r
|_____________________________________________|___|~~|____| e
e
Biblioll Street n
The lab book has the following written in it:
Fuffy 364
Qbs teopq qwk cos rfsco:
Codwoeabq 143 (bkjsy kt Saymq?)
Lkbj 11:43 (hcqb kt Deja?)
Msobcmp Pegkj Jkhfs'p fejsp kj Bsfekachcfup,
Tko E bcvs wsmq gkos qscop qbcj s'so
Qbs cjresjq pcas iei wssm cq gcj'p
aoscq tkffy...
cos c rfus qk qbs qbeoi?
See the page in the walkthrough for its translation.
Upon this Oath that I shall heere you give,
For ne Gold ne Silver as long as you live,
Neither for love you beare towards your Kinne,
Nor yet to no great Man preferment to wynne:
That you disclose the secret that I shall you teach,
Neither by writing nor by no swift speech;
But only to him which you be sure
Hath ever searched after the secrets of Nature.
To him you may reveal the secrets of this Art,
Under the covering of Philosophie before this world
you depart.
-- "Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum" (1652)
The first key is that which opens the dark prisons, in which the sulphur is shut up. -- "Six Principal Keys of the Secret Philosophy"
They crossed the moat and Christabel Took the key that fitted well; A little door she opened straight, All in the middle of the gate -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Christabel"
The second key dissolves the compound, or the stone, and begins the separation of the elements in a philosophical manner. -- "Six Principal Keys of the Secret Philosophy"
The position [of Master] still had glamour, repute, a good deal of personal power. It carried a certain amount of patronage. But its duties had faded away. Anyone who filled it had to create for himself the work to do. -- C P Snow, "The Masters"
Few human institutions had a history so continuous, so personal, so day-to-day. -- C P Snow, "The Masters"
The third key comprehends of itself alone a longer train of operations, than all the rest together. -- "Six Principal Keys of the Secret Philosophy"
dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux et vidit Deus lucem quod essem bona et divisit lucem ac tenebras. -- liber Genesis 1:3-4
Sweet Christabel her feet doth bare, And jealous of the listening air They steal their way from stair to stair -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Christabel"
A sight to dream of, not to tell! O shield her! shield sweet Christabel! -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Christabel"
All alchemical books abound with obscure enigmas or sophisticated operations. -- "The Shut Palace Opened"
The fourth key of the art, is the entrance of the second work; it is that which reduces our water into earth. -- "Six Principal Keys of the Secret Philosophy"
The job of the writer is to describe the rose; that of the poet to sing its virtues; that of the artist to convey its beauty; that of the lawyer to convince us that it's not a rose at all. -- Barnabas Kubiak
Now they are giving me a fashionable white straw hat And a black veil that molds to my face, they are making me one of them. They are leading me to the shorn grove, the circle of hives. -- Sylvia Plath, "The Bee Meeting"
The fifth key of our work is the fermentation of the stone with the perfect body, to make thereof the medicine of the third order. -- "Six Principal Keys of the Secret Philosophy"
If this furious serpent, after it has been dissolved by the universal menstruum, does not turn into our virgin milk, invisibly devouring away every thing that comes near it, it is plainly to be seen that you err in the notion of the universal menstruum. -- Urbigens, "100 Aphorisms"
Take of aqua vitae, and put into this vegetable humidity a third part of a honey-comb, ferment or digest it in a gentle heat, and repeat the distillation nine times, renewing the comb every second distillation. -- Raymond Lully, "The Hermetic Mercuries"
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. -- Song of Songs 5:1
Now this our second and living water is called azoth: it is also called the soul of the dissolved bodies, which souls we have even now tied together for the use of the wise philosopher. -- "The Secret Book of Artephius"
And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. -- Mark 15:38
The sixth key teaches the multiplication of the
stone, by the reiteration of the same operation,
which consists but in opening and shutting,
imbibing and drying; whereby the virtues of the
stone are infinitely multiplied.
-- "Six Principal Keys of the Secret Philosophy"
Animals:
Mentioned current fellows:
Mentioned old fellows (sorted by surname):
Mentioned others:
To read the in-game credits, type HELP, then select and open the "Game credits" menu item:
Credits
CHRISTMINSTER
release 4 (November 1996)
by Gareth ReesCredits
This story could never have been written without the assistance of Graham Nelson, who wrote "Inform", the adventure game compiler, whose game "Curses" rekindled my enthusiasm for interactive fiction, who sent me 163 bugs and suggestions during play-testing, and who patiently answered each of my many queries.
Special thanks to: Tavia Chalcraft, Robert Dickau and Michael Kinyon.
Many, many bugs found by: Jouni Alkio, Torbj|rn Anderson, Douglas Atkinson, Richard Barnett, Andrew Benham, Simon Brind, Richard Brooksby, Erskin Cherry, Andrew Clover, Robert A DeLisle, Jason Dyer, Kenneth Fair, Joe Frank, Michael Gehm, Chris Goedde, Sam Gorton, Stephen Granade, Laurel Halbany, Kai Hesse, Brent Hayhoe, Bernard Hsiung, William Hurwood, Randy Hutson, Walter Isaac, Darius Katz, Bob Manson, Mathias Maul, Jeffry Miller, Eileen Mullin, Jeff Nassiff, Carrie O'Grady, Mike Phillips, Andrew Plotkin, Maurizio Paoluzi, Morten Pedersen, Giuliano Procida, Neil Querengesser, Rob Rachel, Robert Rendell, Matthias Ruhl, Nicola Salmoria, Steve Salter, Marshall Sanderford, Mike Scott, P D S Shrimpton, Dylan Thurston, Richard Tucker, Mikko Vuorinen, Mark Wainwright, Jacob Solomon Weinstein, Kies Wiebering, Brendon Wyber and Jeff Zahn.
At the time of writing (November 1996), the author may be contacted by electronic mail at the address "
email redacted".Release notes
Release 1 (1st August 1995) was a very buggy first release.
Release 2 (4th August 1995) corrects about thirty bugs, including some serious ones in Edward's movement code.
Release 3 (8th November 1995) corrects another eighty bugs and adds some hints for some early and difficult puzzles.
Release 4 (17th November 1996) tidies up a further thirty problems, some introduced during earlier attempt to "improve" the source code.
The amusing text tells us that there are eight ways to end the game. Only one of them is a winning ending.
You can carry five items at a time. Excess items are automatically transfered into your handbag, assuming you have your bag with you.
These items are only available during the dinner in the Great Hall, and only during the course they are used in. You cannot, for example, try to use the widget from the first course during the second course.
Note: The telegram, ticket, and note are all thin and strong enough to be used as shims for unlocking the shed door; just put the telegram (or whatever) into the crack.
This is the response to SCORE:
You have so far scored N out of a possible 50, in T turns.
Points are awarded as follows:
No points are awarded for finding "Flower Fairies".
This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with
Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!