<img src="https://i.imgur.com/aUixoYB.jpg">
This is a Mormon feminine horror game inspired by Magpie Games's <a href="https://magpiegames.com/bluebeards-bride/">Bluebeard's Bride</a>. You play as a newlywed to a mysterious and rich Mormon man. After exploring several rooms, you decide if your (shady) husband is to be trusted based on what you find in the rooms in his mansion. You will gain loyalty points for evaluating your husband and his religion as innocent of guilt in the horrors, and disloyalty points for determining the opposite. When you reach three tokens in either category, the story will end.
This game focuses on the suffering of married women within Mormon culture. It does not discuss the suffering of single women or people of other genders. Aspects of Mormon culture are exaggerated to accentuate their horror. CW: graphic childbirth, infertility, breastfeeding, menstruation, and violence against women, children, and a strange animal.
[[Begin|Home2]]
[[About me and Mormon horror|about]](set: $powderroom to true)
This is a dark room, lit only by a candle. The wall is dark and seems to shimmer in the low light. A moth flutters near the candle. There is a vanity with a mirror here, and makeup and jewelry. There is a diary on the vanity as well.
(if:$makeup and $jewelry and $journal is true)[[[Look at the wall->mothwall]]]
(if:$makeup is not true)[[[Put on the makeup->makeup]]]
(if:$jewelry is not true)[[[Examine the jewelry->jewelry]]]
(if:$journal is not true)[[[Read the diary->diary]]]
(set: $makeup to true)
The makeup looks like it has been used many times before. You manage to scrape a little out and put it on your face. It makes your skin look paler and more even. To combat the paleness, you add a little blush.
[[return->The Powder Room]] (set: $jewelry to true)
The personal progress medallion shows the spires of the Salt Lake temple. You've never been there, but maybe this bride had. As you put the necklace on, it starts to glow with a green light.
[[return->The Powder Room]]You pick up the candle and hold it closer to the wall. It looks like pieces of the wall itself are moving. When you look closer, you realize that the wall is covered with moths. They must be eating the wallpaper. The medallion glows strongly near them, and they start to fly off the wall and onto your necklace. First it's just one or two, then a hundred of them start to fly onto you. They are covering your dress and your face. You can't breathe there are so many of them! They are unexpectedly warm and you're starting to sweat. You bring the candle back towards your face and moths start burning up. Your makeup gets into your eyes and stings, so you reflexively close your eyes and drop the candle. In the dark, you use your hands to scrape the moths off your face. One goes into your mouth and before you know it, you're chewing its leg off and spitting it out at the same time.
You take one trauma.(set:$Hitpoints to $Hitpoints-1)(if:$Hitpoints is 0)[ You have taken too much trauma and [[die]].](else:)
[
What happened here?
[[Skillick put too much pressure on his wife to look young.->powder room end unfaithful]]
[[Skillick's wife put too much pressure on herself to look young.->powder room end faithful]]](set:$journal to true)
//I know that not many men would want a bride in her late thirties. But Skillick wanted me. I must keep my youthful looks if I want him to stay faithful to me. I've seen how he looks at the Laurels. If I can't keep his attention, he'll find another woman. And I know he's found other women because I keep finding their things all over the house.//
[[Return->The Powder Room]] There are many rooms you may explore. Which one will you go to next?
(if:$mothersroom is not true)[[[The Mother's Room->The Mother's Room]]]
(if:$powderroom is not true)[[[The Powder Room->The Powder Room]]]
(if:$councilroom is not true)[[[The Council room->Council room]]]
(if:$bedroom is not true)[[[The Bedroom->The Bedroom]]]
(if:$bathroom is not true)[[[The Bathroom->The Bathroom]]]
(if:$cellar is not true)[[[The Cellar->The cellar]]] (set: $disloyalty to $disloyalty+1)
Skillick must have held his wife to an impossible beauty standard. Desperate to please him, she invested in more and more beauty products even while her looks were fading.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$disloyalty is 3) [It is time to [[leave this place->escape the palace]].](set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1)
This bride must have created an ideal of unattainable, youthful beauty in her head. She tortured herself trying to reach that standard, but that was in no way Skillick's fault.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$loyalty is 3)[It is time to visit [[the forbidden room->the forbidden room]].](enchant:?page,
(bg:white) +
(color:black)
)
(append:?sidebar)[(icon-counter: bind $Hitpoints, "Health")(icon-counter: bind $loyalty, "Faithfulness")(icon-counter:bind $disloyalty, "Unfaithfulness")]
(set: $Hitpoints to 4)
(set: $loyalty to 0)
(set: $disloyalty to 0)You head toward the forbidden room down the main stairs, which are covered in framed family photos. Skillick appears with a young wife and a baby with fall leaves in the background. She has short, curly brown hair and a pointy nose. Another photo shows him with a different woman and three children. Maybe the oldest is the baby from the previous photo?
As you keep looking at the photos, you realize that Skillick appears with a different wife in all of them, but the number of his children grows bigger and bigger. At some point, you can't tell if the babies are grandchildren or his own children.
At the bottom of the stairs, there's the entrance to the room you were forbidden to enter.
[[Enter the forbidden room->forbidden room 2]]
You leave the palace, trying to warn Skillick's fellow ward members that he is a serial killer. They said something about how they couldn't afford to lose anymore ward leadership and ignored you. You went back to your family's village, but your family disowned you in shame. You ended up living by yourself in a small cabin, which in your mind, was much better than the alternative.
THE END
[[About me and Mormon horror.|about]]
(replace:?sidebar)[(icon-undo: )(size:2)(icon-restart:"⟲", "Restart")]
(set:$bedroom to true)
This appears to be a guest room. A large window lets in sunlight. There is a small bed in the corner, and one side of the room has an iron fence stretching from ceiling to floor. Behind the iron fence is a layer of chicken wire. An animal the size of a capybara lies on a pillow inside. It is hairless and has smaller ears than a rabbit. It starts to sniff the air when you enter. An elderly servant greets you as you enter. "I'm so glad you were able to make it. I trust Skillick explained your duties here?"
Your eyebrows almost kiss in confusion. "No, he has not. What are these duties you speak of?"
The servant looks surprised that you don't know. "As the bride of Skillick, you are given the sacred duty of grooming this animal. If you do not attend to it at least once a week, it will grow into a monster and eat someone. Usually a servant."
The animal appears to be blind and starts to whimper. "If it is hairless, why does it need grooming?" you ask.
"It requires madam's attentions, then."
"And how will I know when my grooming is enough?"
"It will shrink to be the size of a mouse."
This is sounding more and more absurd.
[[Ask the servant why no one else can groom the animal|askgroom]]
[[Start to pet the poor animal|pet]](set: $disloyalty to $disloyalty+1)
If Skillick liked magical naked mole-rats so much, maybe he should have gotten a whole colony of them. Then they could have groomed each other. This was not a responsibility you promised to take on in your wedding vows.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$disloyalty is 3) [It is time to [[leave this place->escape the palace]].](set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1)
Maybe Skillick had a reason for keeping this strange creature. Maybe it was orphaned, or cursed by his enemy. Unfortunately, it made a poor pet.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$loyalty is 3)[It is time to visit [[the forbidden room->the forbidden room]].](set: $mothersroom to true)
There are two floral rockers here. A diaper pail smells like poop and air freshner. There's a full-length mirror to help mothers ensure that they're completely put-together after feeding their babies. As you look around the room, you notice a baby on the floor. It looks at you and makes a fist in a motion you recognize as the baby sign for "milk."
An Ezra Taft Bensen talk is playing on the PA speaker above the rockers.
//The Lord clearly defined the roles of mothers and fathers in providing for and rearing a righteous posterity. In the beginning, Adam--not Eve--was instructed to earn the bread by the sweat of his brow. Contrary to conventional wisdom, a mother's calling is in the home, not in the market place.//
[[Feed the baby|feed the baby alt]]You pick up the baby, who is starting to whine with hunger. You don't see a bottle anywhere. As you hold the baby near your breast, it starts rooting around for a nipple. Your breasts start to feel full and they are firmer than usual. Is this... what lactation feels like?
[[Breastfeed the baby|BF]]
[[Do NOT breastfeed the baby|No BF]]You have to put the baby back down to unzip your dress so you can pull down the top part. You take your bra off and pull up the top half of your temple garment. Supposedly breastfeeding isn't something you can just learn overnight, but this baby knows what it wants and starts sucking milk out of you like a pro. You switch sides when it seems like she's not getting as much. But the baby is still hungry. She latches and unlatches in frustration, finally biting you when she can't get more milk. Ouch. You look down and see that she is sucking your blood through two tiny fangs!
You take one trauma.(set:$Hitpoints to $Hitpoints-1)(if:$Hitpoints is 0)[You have taken too much trauma and [[die]].]
(else:)
[
[[Unlatch the baby!|unlatch]]
]A woman walks in. "Did you feed her? I had to use the bathroom and I didn't want to leave her on the floor there."
"I didn't feed her. I couldn't find a bottle or anything. She seems really hungry."
"It seems like she's always hungry. I could feed her all day and she wouldn't be full."
The woman takes the baby and pulls up her blouse to feed her. You listen to the talk while the baby suckles. The woman switches sides.
"You have such a cute baby" you say.
The baby looks to see who is talking. When it unlatches from the breast, you can see that it has started sucking blood from the woman. You can see two fang marks near the woman's areola. You are astonished. The woman faints. She and the baby disappear.
What happened here?
[[She gave too much of herself to the baby and it killed her.->mothers room end loyal]]
[[Her ignorance about breastfeeding and lack of social support led to her demise.->mothers room end disloyal]]You try to pull the baby away, but her mouth is tightly sucking on you. You are starting to feel a little light-headed. You realize that you need to break the suction and put your finger in the baby's mouth. It lets go of you.
A woman walks in. "Did you feed her? Thank you. I had to use the bathroom and I didn't want to leave her on the floor there."
"Yeah, she seemed really hungry. I think she was sucking my blood."
"You breastfed her? Wow, you didn't have to do that. It's not actually your blood she drinks, but sometimes it feels like it." The woman takes the baby and pulls up her blouse to feed her. "Being a mom just makes me feel so... tired. You know?" The woman switches sides.
"I don't know what it's like to be a mom. But at least you have such a cute baby!" you say.
The baby looks to see who is talking. When it unlatches from the breast, you can see that it has started sucking blood from the woman. You can see two fang marks near the woman's areola. The woman faints. You run over to feel her pulse. She is dead. She and the baby disappear.
What happened here?
[[She gave too much of herself to the baby.->mothers room end loyal]]
[[She didn't have enough knowledge and support to survive.->mothers room end disloyal]](set: $disloyalty to $disloyalty+1)
Why didn't Skillick or one of her Relief Society sisters notice that she was having problems with feeding her baby? Maybe her breasts weren't making enough milk, which made the baby seem to always be hungry. Or maybe the baby had problems knowing when it was full. Someone should have helped her. She needn't have died this way.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$disloyalty is 3) [It is time to [[leave this place->escape the palace]].](set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1)
This woman was exhausted from raising her baby. Didn't she know not to run faster than she has strength? She should have asked someone for help.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$loyalty is 3)[It is time to visit [[the forbidden room->the forbidden room]].]You feel like you're floating in space. You see a line of of women dressed in white. One of the women is singing:
//Some day my prince will come//
//in the millenium!//
//And he'll see and say to me,//
//Will you be my number three?//
A dark-haired woman next to her says "there are a LOT more than three women here. What gives? Were you all Skillick's wives?"
A twenty-something with blond highlights replies to her "I was! I didn't realize I'd be sharing so much in the afterlife. I heard he'd been married before, but I had no idea. Hey, it looks like there's another one of us coming!"
Maybe now, you'll finally get some answers.
THE END
[[About me and Mormon horror.|about]]
(replace:?sidebar)[(icon-restart:"⟲", "Restart")](set:$bathroom to true)
As you enter the bathroom, you are welcomed by the scent of lavender and orange. Two hand towels and two washcloths are artfully rolled into a swan shape to welcome guests. The bathroom is very clean, which reminds you of how your parents made you clean the bathroom before family came to visit. The toilet has a fabric covering that matches the carpet. It's actually comfortable to sit on.
You notice a feeling of aggressively not being hungry that slowly turns into full-blown nausea. At first you wonder if it's just some passing gas, but after a few minutes, it's still with you and any type of movement seems to make it worse. You wish that you had a piece of gum or something to distract you from the feeling of impending vomit that weighs on your throat. Maybe you should get ready to throw up, just in case.
[[Get ready->embrace the horror]]
[[Try to resist a little longer->shiver with fear]]
You kneel in front of the porcelain altar and open it up. You can smell the toilet strongly now, and the smell sends you over the edge. You throw up what little breakfast you ate into the toilet. You feel better for a few minutes, only to throw up again shortly afterwards. You flush the vomit away, but you still feel awful. You have enough strength to rinse out your mouth and drink a little water, at least. Your nausea isn't the only change you've noticed. Your [[abdomen seems to be changing as well->pregnant]].You are NOT going to throw up right now. If this is simply anxiety-related nausea, you can make it go away by calming yourself down, right? You breathe through your nose, and out through your mouth. The lavender-citrus potpourri seems overpowering now, and you start to throw up a little! You close your lips, but it bursts out a little bit while you frantically run to the sink. Most of it got in the sink, but some of it got on your wedding dress and the carpet on the floor. Ugh, it's so disgusting! As you're trying to get the vomit to go down the sink, you have to throw up again. You really want to rinse out your mouth, but the smell of your own vomit is starting to overpower you. You take one trauma. (set:$Hitpoints to $Hitpoints-1)(if:$Hitpoints is 0)[ You have taken too much trauma and [[die]].](else:)
[
Your nausea isn't the only weird thing you've noticed. Your [[abdomen seems to be changing a little as well->pregnant]].]You notice that your abdomen seems a little bigger. Well, a little weight-gain never hurt anyone, but was it that way before? You hear a knocking at the door, which has a flimsy lock that reminds of the ones you grew up, the ones that a well-placed credit card can unlock. You hear an old woman's voice on the other side of the door: "You're the newest bride, right? I'm Skillick's mother. I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't come to the wedding yesterday. Do let me in."
[[Let her in|Let her in]]
[[Don't let her in|Don't let her in]]You're not sure why you didn't meet your mother-in-law at your wedding if she was here all along. You might as well meet her now. As you look down to the door handle to open it, you notice that your dress is feeling very tight. Your abdomen is still growing larger, and it's starting to rip your dress a little.
You open the door and greet the woman there. She has short hair that is curled up at the top to give the illusion of volume. She wears a white cardigan over a white blouse with a white skirt. Her white clothes are smudged with dirt. She's barefoot, and you can see there is dirt under her toenails.
"Oh, pregnant already I see! I //love// babies. They are the most pure little angels sent directly from heaven. And they are so cute that I could gobble them up." She licks her lips just thinking about those delectable babies. "Here, I'll help you with your dress." She unzips your dress before it completely rips open and you have a little more room to breathe. You start to feel a bit of a cramping pain on the sides of your abdomen. You put your hand there and can feel that your muscles are tensed up hard, without any conscious effort on your part. It does take some conscious effort not to freak out after realizing you're about to give birth after only being pregnant for an hour.
[[Well, maybe she can help you.|let her in 2]]"I'm sorry" you say, "but I'm indisposed at the moment. Perhaps we could meet later."
"Oh, you needn't worry about offending my sensibilities," she says through the door. "I raised six children and I've seen it all."
"I'd just rather not meet you for the first time while I'm feeling so sick." You didn't mean to yell, but the sound of your dress ripping surprised you. You try to unzip it, but it seems that your ribs or shoulders must have grown too, because you can't reach it from here. You can feel something moving inside your abdomen. It feels a little like an odd bowel movement, and then becomes a more definite flail. Then your abdomen feels like its flexing on its own. You grit your teeth and exhale through it.
"It sounds like you might need some help. I'm coming in."
Before you can protest, she has unlocked the door. Did she have a key? "Hey," you say in a forced voice, "I said I wanted to be alone right now."
"No woman should go through childbirth alone. Especially not my daughter-in-law."
[[Relent|let her in 2]]
[[Insist|go it alone]](set:$zombiemil to true)
Your contractions are coming regularly and quickly now. Your mother-in-law massages your back while you brace against the countertop. "I could fill up the bath for you, would you like that?" she asks. She starts to fill the bathtub and the room starts to steam up.
"Uh-uh" you grunt negatively. Words are escaping you. You have to focus on the task at hand. You feel a gush of warm liquid on your thigh, and the next contraction is like a wave of tension and pain. Your mother-in-law helps you take off your soaking underwear. Afterwards, your mother-in-law has her hands outstretched under your butt. The steam from the bath is melting the makeup off her hands and face. Her skin is a pale gray and her wrinkles seem impossibly layered. Her eyes have turned milky-white and her wig has fallen off. A droplet of drool splashes into the amniotic fluid that you evacuated. You are in no position to wrestle with her.
You scream for help as you bear down with another contraction and a baby emerges from your vagina. She grabs the baby and before it can cry, she rubs it with a towel. She sticks its foot in her mouth and starts to nibble on it. At first it seems like she is playing, but you hear a strange popping sound followed by crunching. The newborn starts to mewl pitifully. "Stop!" you scream. Your mother-in-law continues with the next toe.
You cover your eyes and cry and take two trauma.(set:$Hitpoints to $Hitpoints-2)(if:$Hitpoints is 0)[ You have taken too much trauma and [[die]].]
(else:)
[
When you open them, everything is as it was before. Your dress is untorn, your body is back to how it was, and the floor is dry. You start to feel nauseous again and hear a young woman's mournful moan:
"Noooooooooooo..."
"Noooooooooooo..."
"Not again!"
[[What horror happened here?|bathroom Q]]
]You confidently present the door to your mother-in-law. "Please go now. I do not want your help. I am doing this on my own. Please leave."
"Well, if that's what you want..." she looks you up and down and leaves in a huff. A perfumy smell like lilies, but also kind of like rotting meat follows her. As soon as you close the door, you feel a forceful contraction and warm fluid runs down your leg. You feel like you're about to poop and you take off your underwear and sit on the toilet so you can bear down freely. You realize that this is how it feels to push out a baby. You make it to the bathtub, but before you can run any water, a powerful contraction has pushed out a newborn baby from your vagina. It is slippery with mucus-like fluid and at first you're afraid that it must be dead. You set it down because you are suddenly feeling very faint. You notice that you are bleeding from your vagina and you black out.
You take one trauma.(set:$Hitpoints to $Hitpoints-1)(if:$Hitpoints is 0)[ You have taken too much trauma and [[die]].](else:)[
When you come to, you are back in your wedding dress standing in front of the mirror. You start to feel nauseous again and hear a young woman's mournful moan:
"Noooooooooooo..."
"Noooooooooooo..."
"Not again!"
[[What horror happened here?|bathroom Q]]
][[The bride who suffered here suffered mostly alone or tormented by anxiety, but this wasn't Skillick's fault.|Bathroom end faithful]]
[[Skillick failed to act as a helpmeet when his bride suffered throughout her pregnancies.|Bathroom end unfaithful]](set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1)
Getting through a pregnancy is part of the women's sphere. Where were the sisters of the Relief Society to help her? (if:$zombiemil is true)[Why was the mother-in-law more cute-consuming zombie than midwife?] (else:)[Yes, the mother-in-law could have helped, but that was not what the bride wanted.] Certainly //someone// should have helped her. But what was Skillick supposed to do? He knows even less about being pregnant than his bride.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$loyalty is 3)[It is time to visit [[the forbidden room->the forbidden room]].](set: $disloyalty to $disloyalty+1)
The bride was obviously miserable during her pregnancy. Being miserable once alone is understandable. But a second time? Skillick should have known better than to impregnate her in her fragile, postpartum state. What tools did she have to combat her nausea? Not a zofran in sight. Definitely a case of spousal neglect.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$disloyalty is 3) [It is time to [[leave this place->escape the palace]].](set:$cellar to true)
You walk down a stone spiral staircase. The narrow corridor is lit only by a candle in your hands. After a few twists down, you start to wonder how far the staircase goes. If someone came up these stairs, there wouldn't be enough room to pass. There is enough room to turn around, though it would be tight. You are relieved when you come to the end of the stairs to the cellar. This probably used to be a wine cellar, but aside from ten bottles of Martinelli's (a ridiculous import in this small European country), the room is empty. There are empty shelves with indentations for wine bottles, and regular shelves, which you imagine are for preserves.
You noticed the lack of central heating earlier and you expected it to be cold down here, but it isn't especially hot or cold. At the far end of cellar, you notice a crack in the wall.
[[Examine the crack]].
"This animal may need more attention, but certainly you could help it yourself?"
The servant looks at the floor. "No. Only the grooming of the bride is pure. If I were to even touch this animal, I would make myself and the animal unclean. It has been some time since we have a had a bride to perform this task. Would you kindly do so now?"
[[Yield to this strange request|pet]]
[[Refuse|no pet]]You go into the enclosure and start to pet the animal. The servant excuses himself and leaves the room.
The animal leans into your caress and rolls over expectantly. You scratch its belly and it groans appreciatively. This is about all the animal petting you were inclined to do, but the animal is still as large as ever. You continue scratching and petting vigorously. There is some kind of oil or sweat that the animal exudes that gets onto your hand. Your arm is getting tired. How long is this supposed to go on, anyway? Finally, it shows that it has reached a pinnacle of delight with a chain of satisfied squeals. With a long sigh, it shrinks down to the size of a mouse. You're feeling tired too, and after leaving the cage, you [[fall asleep]] on the bed.
You have better things to do than sit around petting an enchanted house-mouse.
What do you think should be done instead?
[[Let the beast grow large]].
[[Free the beast]].
(if:$nokillpet is not true)[[[Kill the beast->Kill the beast]]]
You wake slowly, realizing that you've drooled a little on the pillowcase. When you awaken, the elderly servant is back. The animal has grown again.
He looks at you confidently "He'll be needing you to groom him again."
"Again? I thought you said it would only be once a week."
"I can't explain it. I suppose it can't be helped."
[[Groom the animal again.|pet2]]
[[Refuse.|no pet]]You settle down next to the beast to start petting it. The servant leaves. It lies in your lap this time. It smells like the woodshavings it has in the corner, and a little like dog sweat. You start scratching its belly and it simply closes its eyes. It seems that it has fallen asleep.
The servant reappears. "Ah yes. Sometimes when this happens it needs more... heavy grooming."
"Yes?"
"You need to use your tongue to pet the animal."
[[That is undignified for a lady.|no pet]]
[[If that is what is required of me.|pet3]]"So the beast will go on a rampage. Why not let it? It seems like we have a lot of extra servants around."
The beast bristles at your remark. Well, it would bristle, if it had any hair. The elderly servant looks offended. "It would not be proper to let it go on a rampage."
"It's not proper for me to have to spend half my day petting it."
The beast starts to snort and gnaws a hole in the chicken wire. You watch dumbly. It squeezes through the bars and comes straight for you! The servant tackles it, even though he is unarmed. The beast slips around and punctures an artery on his neck. Blood spurts out and the beast starts to feed on the servant, shrinking in the process. It is a gruesome sight. You take one trauma.(set:$Hitpoints to $Hitpoints-1)(if:$Hitpoints is 0)[ You have taken too much trauma and [[die]].](else:)
[
[[What happened here?|bedroom Q]]]"A wild animal like that should not be someone's pet. Release it into the forest. It can fight with the wolves for a chance to survive."
The skin on the back of the beast's neck wrinkles, which in a haired beast would make it look a little bigger. It didn't like the tone of voice you used. The elderly servant states, "I cannot release it. That would be against Skillick's orders."
"If you will not do as I order, I will free it myself." You open the door to the beast's cage and open the door to the room. The beast does not run away. It is blind and cannot see what you are offering.
[[Open the window]]"We should kill the beast if it's dangerous, not keep it as a pet."
"Skillick gave us specific instructions that we should not kill this animal. He loves it. I will have no part in its killing."
"Very well, I will kill it myself."
You look around, but you don't notice any obvious weapons. You take the pillowcase off the bed and start ripping it into strands.
"Bride, what are you doing? Stop destroying Skillick's property."
"I'm making a noose to put this monster out of its misery."
You braid three strands together, so it will be stronger. It reminds you of the time you learned how to make braided rugs in Young Women's. You walk to the beast's cage to open it, but the servant stops you. "You may not harm this animal."
You will have to kill the servant if you want to kill the beast.
[[Yes, kill the servant.]]
[[No, I changed my mind|no pet]]
(set:$nokillpet to true)An animal that requires your attentions and yours alone...
[[Skillick made the unwise decision to acquire a pet with unreasonable demands before consulting you|bedroom end unfaithful]]
[[The animal's strange requirements for domesticity made it a poor choice of pet. But that doesn't mean it needs to suffer.|bedroom end faithful]]A good time to test your weapon. You whip your pillowcase-rope around the servant's neck and pull it tight behind him. He is struggling, but he is not as strong as you are, especially when you knock him to the ground and sit on him. It's kind of difficult to keep the ends of the rope parallel to each other while he squirms, so you cross the ends of it over and under each other to make it tighter and easier to control. After he stops moving, you hold the rope fast for a little longer. You check his pulse. He is dead.
You open the cage to the door of the beast. It comes up to you and sniffs your hand. You tie the rope around his neck and start to pull the ends away from each other. The beast kicks strongly and scratches your thigh. You take one trauma. (set:$Hitpoints to $Hitpoints-1)(if:$Hitpoints is 0)[ You have taken too much trauma and [[die]].](else:)
[
It wriggles its neck and bucks its feet. You put all your weight into wrestling it to the ground. It is breathing heavily until you can get the right leverage on the rope, and then finally it is not breathing at all. Somehow it is still struggling. You wish you had a knife. Your hands are scraped with rope burn from gripping it so hard. Finally, the animal dies.
[[What happened here?|bedroom Q]]
]You open the window. This room is on the ground floor. Perfect. The servant tries to stop you. You push him to the ground. Then you pick up the beast, who is surprisingly heavy. It thrashes, obviously not used to being picked up. You take some very inelegant steps towards the window and throw the animal outside.
"Be free! Leave us!" you yell.
The animal gets up on its legs and sits in front of the window, which you close.
[[What happened here?->bedroom Q]]You bring your head close to the beast's skin. The servant leaves again. You lick the naked and slightly oily surface. It tastes a little like licking your own hand. The beast shows obvious pleasure. You continue to wipe your tongue on the beast's belly. Your tongue is getting dry. There happens to be a decanter of dirty coke nearby. You pour yourself a glass and drink it before returning to your work. It feels like hours have gone by, but it was probably more like ten minutes. You start to wonder if you are doing something wrong when the trill of squeals and the suddenly shrinking beast show you that you have accomplished what you set out to do.
[[What happened here?->bedroom Q]]The crack appears to be natural. There is some dead moss here. Under the crack, there is a stone cistern, with a spout leading out into a gutter that leads out of the room. As you watch the crack, you notice it glisten with a dark liquid.
[[Examine the liquid]].You touch the liquid and it sticks to your finger. As you pull away, it sticks to the wall as well, creating a mucusy thread between you and the wall. You can see that it is red, like blood, but somehow thicker. Wait, you know what this is. It is menstrual blood. It starts to flow more heavily into the cistern.
A bride rushes in. Did she come through the wall? The moment she sees the blood oozing, she starts to cry.
[[I know why she's crying.]]
[[I have no idea why she's crying.]]External uteri are very expensive, but think of the benefits: no monthly deluges in one's panties and the possibility of pregnancy without sudden bodily changes. It is notoriously difficult to conceive using one though.
"Does God think that I would be an unfit mother? Is that why this keeps happening?" the bride looks up at you pleadingly.
[[Serves her right for trying some new under-researched method.->scienceblame]]
[[She must be desperate if she is trying something so new.->newblame]]This is definitely weird, but you're not sure why the appearance of blood would make a woman cry. Did she perform an arcane ritual but fail somehow?
"The Lord remembered Rachel in the Old Testament and blessed her with a child. But why has He forgotten me?" The bride cries without noticing you.
[[Serves her right for dabbling in the occult.->occultblame]]
[[She must be desperate if she is trying something this weird.->desperateblame]](set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1)
The occult is no place to go for treating infertility. Were our rituals not enough for her? Was she going to the temple? Magnifying her calling? Going to choir? We have enough rituals and don't need this weird stuff with blood on top of all that.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$loyalty is 3)[It is time to visit [[the forbidden room->the forbidden room]].](set: $disloyalty to $disloyalty+1)
If you were suffering from infertility, you would probably try whatever occult ritual you could get your hands on. There are blessings for babies and for healing the sick, but is infertility a sickness? All the infertile women in the Bible that you can remember eventually had children. But surely there were women who were barren and never had children? Where is the funeral to grieve the child you never bore?
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$disloyalty is 3) [It is time to [[leave this place->escape the palace]].](set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1)
Far-flung scientific theories are no way to treat infertility. If she had just had more faith, like Abraham's wife, whatever her name was, she would have a baby in no time.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$loyalty is 3)[It is time to visit [[the forbidden room->the forbidden room]].](set: $disloyalty to $disloyalty+1)
If you were suffering from infertility, you would probably try whatever scientific technology you could get your hands on. Our own prophets have pioneered medical procedures--why wouldn't a woman put her trust in the medical institution?
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$disloyalty is 3) [It is time to [[leave this place->escape the palace]].]This is a storage room lined with bookshelves. There are boxes on the bookshelves that are the right size to store documents. It's dusty, except for one bookshelf, which shows finger-sized holes in the dust. You open the box that looks most recently used. You see manila folders organized by decade. You take one out and find that it's full of temple sealing certificates. The one for the decade before yours has 12 certificates in it. That's more than one wife per month.
Another file folder is full of death certificates. Each wife has a different cause of death: "falling," "heart attack," "suicide," and "failure to thrive." Isn't that how babies who can't eat die? You are contemplating this when you hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Skillick has returned! You turn to greet him but before you can get up, you feel a blunt force on the top of your head. You [[fall]] down.
(set:$councilroom to true)
You are wandering the halls and find what looks like Skillick's study. Peering in, you can see that he has a desk and a bunch of books in a bookcase behind it. There is a glass container filled with candy on his desk. You are about to enter when you hear your name from the room next door.
"She cannot have Sunstone. It still smells like rotting plants."
"But the only alternative is Dutch Oven. That room is too warm no matter the season."
You walk over and see that six balding men are sitting around an oval table.
[[Introduce yourself->selfintro]]
[[Listen a little longer->listen]]
"Hello," you say, "I'm the new bride. I couldn't help overhearing... are you discussing something about me?"
They all stand up and offer you their hands and tell you their names. You shake all their hands and forget all their names. All of the men are clean-shaven and two-thirds are balding. A man with a large nose and moderate wrinkles answers your question: "Yes, we were just discussing which room should be yours. Sometimes Skillick's brides prefer their own bedroom while he is away."
"Perhaps I should see them and decide for myself," you suggest.
"Oh, we wouldn't want to bother the new bride with that. We know this house better than you do. We wouldn't want you to end up in a room you didn't like." he assures you.
"But I know my own preferences better than you do, don't I?" You would like to see the options, at least.
"Most people prefer rooms with natural light, a constant liveable temperature, and an absence of uninvited visitors or smells. Do you have any special requests? None of our current rooms fulfill all those criteria, but we'll do our best."
[[A room with a view.->made request]]
[[A room with no windows->made request]]
[[A room near the kitchen.->made request]]
[[A room with its own bathroom.->made request]]
[[A room with plants.->made request]]
[[A room without plants.->made request]]
[[A room close to Skillick's room.->made request]]
[[A room far from Skillick's room.->made request]]
"Will it even matter? Who knows how long this one will last..."
"Either we wash the blood stains out of New Nauvoo or she can have Sunstone."
"It would be easier to clean up the dead plant matter than the blood."
"What if we gave her Eve-ondi-Ahman?"
"Don't call it by that stupid name. Call it the garden room."
"Even after we burned all those books, it still seems to bring out the worst in the brides."
"Now there's an idea. Just give her the garden room and that will buy us time to clean up Sunstone in time for the next bride."
"Hello there, you must be the new bride."
Well, it's time to [[introduce yourself.->selfintro]]"We will take that into consideration. Thank you for your input."
The man with the large nose escorts you back into the hall and closes the door.
A few minutes later, he opens the door. "We have decided to give you Sunstone. Someone can show it to you tomorrow."
What do you think of them?
[[They are servants trying to run a large household efficiently.->council loyal]]
[[They aren't taking my preferences into account for a decision that should be mine.->council disloyal]](set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1)
You are new here, and they obviously know what they are doing. You have no doubt that they will choose the best room for your needs. If they cannot accomodate your preferences, perhaps there was no other way.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$loyalty is 3)[It is time to visit [[the forbidden room->the forbidden room]].]
(set: $disloyalty to $disloyalty+1)
You told them about your preferences but they did not take them into account at all. Why would they even ask you about what you wanted? They were going to give you the Sunstone room all along.
(if:$loyalty < 3 and $disloyalty < 3) [You may now [[explore other rooms->Room hub]].]
(if:$disloyalty is 3) [It is time to [[leave this place->escape the palace]].]You have been too reckless in exploring the mansion. You are physically and emotionally exhausted. You fall to the floor in a heap. Perhaps your ghost will haunt new brides here.
THE END
[[About me and Mormon horror.|about]]
(replace:?sidebar)[(icon-restart:"⟲", "Restart")]Hi, my name is Rachel Helps. I'm an interactive fiction writer based in Provo, Utah. It's my first time writing a horror game. If you played //Skillick's Bride//, I want to know what you thought! You can find me on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/Rachel_Helps">`Rachel_Helps`</a>. This game was released in October 2021.
I'm part of <a href="https://metasepia.itch.io/">Metasepia Games</a> with my sister and sister-in-law. I wrote the community events in <a href="https://metasepia.itch.io/space-to-grow">//Space to Grow//</a>.
I really like Mormon horror. If you want to read more Mormon horror fiction, I recommend //Parting the Veil// by Phyllis Barber and //Lost Boys// by Orson Scott Card. I'm a member of the <a href="https://www.arch-hive.net/">ARCH-HIVE</a> artist collective, and some of the other artists there work with Mormon horror themes. I especially like the work by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/camillagluh/">Camilla</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thefoyerghost/">The Foyer Ghost</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehunchbackoftemplesquare/">The Hunchback of Temple Square</a>. Another friend of mine is developing <a href="https://twitter.com/NewZionGame">this parser-based Mormon horror game</a> and it looks soooo good.
Thanks for playing!You are wearing white wedding dress. The dress has cap sleeves and covers your temple garments. It has detachable long sleeves, which made it so you could wear it in the temple. But was that an actual temple that you were married in?
When Skillick visited your branch, your family could hardly believe it. An area authority, here in Bulgaria? He was visiting a friend of his from his mission. He didn't say who. He said that he was a descendent of Brigham Young himself, but that since Brigham Young had so many children that was hardly saying anything. He handed out American souvenirs to the children--little American flags and full-size Snickers bars. He caught your eye after Sunday School and gave you a knowing wink. Your father, the branch president, invited him over for dinner and asked him about his name. He said that the early faithful Saints called themselves "lick-skillets", alluding to their eagerness for the word of God. Your parents hung on every word. When he mentioned that he was looking for an eternal companion, they practically offered you up right then and there. They disappeared after dinner, leaving you to have mint tea together.
You were married here in Skillick's estate yesterday afternoon. It used to be an inter-stake center and had its own LDS chapel in it. It wasn't in Bulgaria, but it was only half a day's drive from where your parents lived. You knew that you couldn't buy any luxury that would surprise him, so you made him a pie with the berries from your backyard as a wedding gift. You spent the night together, but did not consummate your marriage. You felt a little relieved about that, being still unexperienced in the intimacies of love. Still, you hope that Skillick will be pleased with you. He had to leave at breakfast for work, but before he left, he gave you a ring of keys to the estate. "You may explore all the rooms here save one. Do not enter my room at the end of the gallery." Of course, you are very curious about what is in that room. But you have many other rooms to explore. Where will you begin?
[[The Meeting room->Council room]]
[[The Bathroom->The Bathroom]]
[[The Powder Room->The Powder Room]]