Pactbinder: Dark Fantasy University WIP (168k Words, MAJOR UPDATE FEB-26 [+97k Words])

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There is a world hidden within your world.
A world of magic that exists only for the blessed ones.
You do not rank amongst them. You never will.

Serve, and their ways will be revealed to you.

Keep the secret of the Pact.
Obey our will in all things.

Serve, and a new life will be allotted to you.

Then you shall walk beside the chosen in their halls of learning.
Not as their equal, but as their better.

Pactbinder is a dark fantasy interactive fiction university novel set in an alt-history England.

At Hightower University, aspiring mages chase glory beneath gilded arches. Unlike your peers, however, your magic was stolen, gained through an eldritch pact. Now you must balance your secret obligations with student life as you build relationships, learn magic and uncover the secrets of a hidden world.

Synopsis

Synopsis

Aspiring mages flock to the halls of Hightower to pursue the best arcane education in England, perhaps the world. For those blessed with the Gift of magic, there is no nobler dream than to study beneath the university’s elegant arches and develop skills and connections that will serve one for a lifetime.

However, the Gift is a rare privilege that is almost solely the birthright of the nobly born. This is the way things have been for as long as anybody at Hightower can remember. This year will be different, for rumours abound of a new student born Gifted but raised ignorant of the existence of magic; an oddity anywhere in this world, but particularly scandalous at elitist Hightower.

You are not that student. You’re just the person who stole their life.

As the Pactbinder, a once-ordinary person whose path to Hightower was paved by a bargain struck with an enigmatic entity of unspeakable power, you must fight and scheme to carve out a new life for yourself during your first year at Hightower whilst working to master your stolen magic, serve your patron and discover the university’s secrets without compromising your own.

Ultimately, it will fall on you to answer one question: What price would you pay for the life of your dreams?

Features

Features
  • Master your stolen power as you learn to call spirits, shape the elements, nurture life and / or meddle with minds.
  • Navigate through an increasingly complex social life whilst burdened by a secret you quite literally cannot share.
  • Embrace or rage against the university’s colonial legacy…or work to turn it to your own ends.
  • Make a name for yourself in one of the university’s Societies, where you can demonstrate your prowess in activities including duelling, exploration and sky-sailing, or dedicate your free time to more secretive goals.
  • Begin your delve into the endless dungeons beneath the university in search of fortune, power and the answers to the mysteries that haunt you.
  • Fight, charm, scheme, steal and even kill as you strive to balance your obligations to your Patron with the demands of student life. Pray that the two never come into conflict.

WiP Status

The public demo is 168k words long and includes the game’s prologue and first two chapters.

More WiP Info

Prologue: ~16k words, completed
Chapter 1: ~54k words, completed
Chapter 2: ~97k words, completed

I estimate that the total book will be ~600-700k words, with each playthrough being perhaps about a third of that length, though this is of course subject to change.

Characters

Warning: Contains spoilers for the prologue and chapter 1. With the exception of the Pactbinder (the MC) and the Entity (their eldritch patron), the core cast are the game’s primary ROs. RO genders are fixed, though all can be romanced by male, female and non-binary characters.

Core Cast
  • The Pactbinder (MC)
    • Gender: M/F/NB
    • Appearance: Player determined.
    • Description: A mysterious individual who stole the gift of magic from an unwary victim who was set to be the first mage born outside of magical society to attend Hightower in decades. Now impersonating that victim to take their place as a student, the Pactbinder must master their stolen magic whilst serving their Patron. How they feel about all this and what they plan to do about it is up to you, as is everything that they do next.
  • The Entity
    • Gender: N/A
    • Appearance: An empty space in misty skies, its outline barely suggestive of a humanoid form. Though its appearance is ever-shifting, it is always crowned by a halo of six red stars.
    • Mastery: Wields unknowable power over reality far in excess of the works of mortal mages, if indeed it can be compared to them at all.
    • Description: An enigmatic being who struck a bargain with the Pactbinder in their dreams, granting them power and access to the hidden world of magic in exchange for a lifetime of service. Its nature, true goals and desires are as yet wholly unknowable to the Pactbinder.
  • Alice Mortimer / Adelais De Mortemer: The Witch
    • Gender: F
    • Appearance: Tall, slender and very pale, with aristocratic features, silver-grey eyes and long white hair.
    • Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. An inscrutable first-year student with a troubled background and a fearsome reputation, Alice’s customary apathy isn’t quite enough to mask her fiercely intelligent mind, nor the quiet intensity that lurks beneath her listless demeanour. Seemingly the only first year to have already awakened her Gift before joining the university, something considered dangerous and foolhardy by most mages.
  • Eleanor Whitworth: The Scholar
    • Gender: F
    • Appearance: Very short, with braided dirty-blonde hair, a heart-shaped face and warm brown eyes behind round spectacles.
    • Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. An academic young woman from a well-respected family of mages, Eleanor seems fixated on restarting the long-banned Hightower Expedition Society, a group dedicated to exploring the ruins beneath the university town. A hard worker and fierce friend who can nevertheless come across a little bossy at times.
  • Finlay Stuart: The Prince
    • Gender: M
    • Appearance: Very tall and thin, almost gangly. Freckled, with short reddish-brown hair and green eyes.
    • Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. The second son of the Queen of Scotland, a country which seems to be an entirely independent power in magical society. Finlay himself seems like an affable young man, if a little homesick and uncomfortable with the attention his presence inevitably attracts. However, the circumstances surrounding his arrival to Hightower remain shrouded in mystery given the apparent longstanding enmity between England and Scotland.
  • Layla Farouk: The Traveler
    • Gender: F
    • Appearance: Average height, lean and fit. Olive skin, hazel eyes and long brown hair that’s often in a ponytail. Constantly on the move.
    • Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. The only international student in Hightower’s first-year class, Layla is indelibly marked as an outsider from her very first day. The enthusiastic young woman seems determined to meet this challenge with fierce pride and make her mark on Hightower all the same, whether the university likes it or not.
  • Marcus Elmgrove: The Rebel
    • Gender: M
    • Appearance: Tall, dark-skinned and broad-shouldered. Striking features marked by a scar on his lip. Dark hair and eyes.
    • Description: One of the Pactbinder’s collegemates. Brooding and cynical, Marcus is the mixed-race son of an influential noble father and a foreign-born mother. As such, he walks the uneasy line between barely-tolerated outsider and accepted member of high society. Though a fierce friend, Marcus struggles to manage the conflict between his resentment of magical society and his desire to fly under the radar.
Other Students
  • Julian Harcourt: The Ace
    • Gender: M
    • Appearance: Blonde, dark grey eyes and of average height with a lean build. Classically handsome.
    • Description: A friendly second-year student associated with the same university college as the Pactbinder, Julian seems to be the most well-known man on campus and is an old family friend of Marcus. Considered a magical prodigy and formerly the Duelling Society’s shining star, though he appears to have quit the Society in unknown circumstances since the conclusion of his first year at Hightower.
  • Silas Holst: The Rival
    • Gender: M
    • Appearance: Tall, dark-haired, intense blue eyes. A powerful build and a perpetual scowl.
    • Description: A first-year member of Devereux College, a traditional rival of the Pactbinder’s own College. Arrogant and intense, Silas Holst is one of the most popular (or at least feared) students in his year, due in no small part to his vindictive nature and a particularly powerful and well-connected family. For whatever reason, he appears to harbour a particular resentment for the Pactbinder before they even have the chance to meet.
  • Lizbet Mathers: The Gossip
    • Gender: F
    • Appearance: Short and unassuming, with light brown hair and dark eyes.
    • Description: A first-year member of Devereux College, a traditional rival of the Pactbinder’s own College. Condescending and gossipy, Lizbet’s overbearing front does little to obfuscate her anxious and fearful nature. Though her family circumstances leave her barely tolerated by her collegemates, she strives to fit in to the best of her ability.
Faculty
  • Mistress Evangeline Hawthorne: The Arbiter
    • Gender: F
    • Appearance: A tall, severe woman in her middle years who perpetually dons a forbidden expression. Greying dark hair and very dark green eyes.
    • Description: The Head of the College at Hightower that the Pactbinder attends, Mistress Hawthorne appears to have high expectations of them despite - or perhaps because of - their status as an outsider. Influential both within and beyond Hightower’s walls, Hawthorne could prove an invaluable ally if won over or an implacable enemy if sufficiently vexed.

Other Notes

Other Notes

Genre Thoughts
This is a bit of a genre-blender, I fear, but ‘dark fantasy university fiction’ is probably the best description. Pactbinder makes use of ‘dark academia’ aesthetics and is set against a backdrop of political intrigue and cosmic horror, which may receive more focus as the story progresses.

Inspirations
My inspirations are too numerous to do them all real justice, but Harry Potter, Donna Tart’s The Secret History and R.F. Kuang’s Babel often find themselves on my mind as I write.

Outside of literature, I hope that anybody who has enjoyed DMing for or roleplaying a Warlock in a darker Dungeons & Dragons campaign will find something to enjoy in Pactbinder.

Thank Yous
Finally, a grateful thank you to both Zaxwlyde and dozendietcokesaday who kindly provided feedback on this post before I made it.

My hope is that this list will grow with time!

A Note on Feedback

All feedback is gratefully accepted, however I am particularly interested in the following:

Requested Feedback
  • Initial impressions of each of the cast members and the main character, and whether you found the characters engaging or interesting (not necessarily likable!).
  • I am keen to fix any typos / bugs / errors that you may spot as you play the game. Please do describe them / ideally share screenshots if possible so that I can focus on the right areas when trying to assist.
  • Any situations within the game where you felt that you did not have the right options to portray your character, or alternatively situations where the game’s narration felt at odds with your character as you conceive them.
  • Any situations where you felt the scenario presented to you or the game’s flow made no sense.
  • How did you feel about the pacing? Did you feel a good amount happened in the amount of time that passed in universe and the time you spent playing the game? Or not enough?
  • Otherwise - anything helps, really! The game is still in its relatively early stages and I’d love to hear what people like and don’t like about it, how they feel it can be made better and what they’d love to see more of in the future.* Initial impressions of each of the cast members and the main character, and whether you found the characters engaging or interesting (not necessarily likable!).

Play the WiP!

Play Demo

AI Disclosure:
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No — This project does not contain the output of Generative AI
Yes — This project contains the output of Generative AI

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Seems like a cool concept and I’m always down to read about stolen powers and pacts to something not understood, good luck on your writing!

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Thank you very much, I appreciate it! Looking forwards to getting more writing done and starting to hear what people have to say.

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Hmm.. I like it, so far.
The protagonist is definitely unique and I am curious about how the different motives will effect things going forward- I think I need a bit more time with the cast to form any particularly strong opinions on them but Alice is my favorite at the moment because I’m hopeless when it comes to enigmatic women with troubled pasts.

I haven’t replayed yet to check out variations on things but I did get to deck a guy in the nose and hit my senior with “It is what it is” after going to the principal over it so that was fun. I’ll keep an eye out for updates, good luck with this.

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What a marvellous demo! I honestly can’t wait for the next update!

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A clever twist on the ever-popular magical college theme. The stolen identity/ patron idea makes it stand out from the others. Well-written, with clear choices, pacing, and a good variety of responses and motives to shape our character with. The other characters are clearly drawn without excessive detail being forced upon me at first glance. All the ‘game’ aspects seem to be clearly thought out and well telegraphed - I already have a good idea what the main choices are going to be in terms of personal ambitions, faction paths, antagonists, and powers. The character stats make sense for the genre. Really strong start overall.

A few observations:

I think you mean ‘pursuer’ rather than ‘pursuant’ in the opening scene (used twice). Also, during the fall from the ship I don’t think ‘cavort’ is the word you were looking for.

I seemed to partially fail tests twice (tying myself to the mast and dodging Silas’ first punch) despite a high relevant skill score. Maybe these were scripted fails (you have to fall out of the boat, I get that), or the stat test is just too high, but I’d caution against making success seem impossible early on - it’s a frustrating first impression. Nothing makes people hate a COG game more than failing everything they try.

You’ve set the game in an ultra-traditional English college but the hot drinks don’t include a proper milky tea or Earl Grey? Only barbarians drink green tea or black coffee. Shame on you.

It seemed weird that no one gave a shit about the ship falling out of the sky, like you were rushing on to the next bit, but in fairness there is an opportunity to address that with Julian later. Maybe everyone (including our MC) is still a bit too casual about the near death of new students, especially Julian and the headmistress, who, presumably, don’t want us dead.

Finally, small typo where I think you wanted italics: “anything too[/] dramatic on your first day, so the important thing was just minding your manners, really."

I look forward to reading more, this is good stuff.

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Adelais is just too cute! I love how she seems so cold and aloof, yet she secretly giggles when MC gets ignored after greeting others warmly. A white-haired girl with such a noble aura is simply perfection!

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They are not, I did not fall off the boat in any way.
To dodge Silas you need 20 finesse minimum, to block the punch you need 15 might.
To not fall off the boat you need a stat at 20 to pass a relevant check (or apparently Alice relationship being high enough can help here)

You can get a 5 in two different prologue choices, and if you make it early before investigating the fountain you can take a nap to get +2 to everything apparently. If you fumble making it early by choosing a stat that’s too low (ie finesse when picking pickpocket people) you get a 5 point boost to that stat.
I peeked at the code to check most of this, and I don’t think the checks feel too demanding as it is, though I do think maybe an option to label what a choice is boosting/testing would be nice.

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Just wanted to quickly thank everybody who has been kind enough to post on this topic; it was really lovely waking up to your comments this morning.

I’m really glad that you’re enjoying the protagonist so far. One of my big goals with Pactbinder is to try to ensure that the player character is an important driving force for the story throughout and has a lot of agency to support that goal. A stoic menace who goes straight to punching Silas definitely feels like they fit that bill!

Thank you! My plan is to wait for a few days to gather feedback before jumping into writing the next chapter with earnest, and I’m excited to jump back into things on that side.

A ton of incredibly useful feedback here; thank you so much. Will respond in a separate post after this.

Glad you’re enjoying Adelais, and that you found the route to unlock that name for her and get the option to walk with her! I always intended it as a slightly trickier to unlock route, so I’m relieved to see that somebody caught it early so it probably isn’t too obscure.

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This is all hugely helpful and really motivating, thank you. Really good to know that the core hook lands well for you; I was a little afraid that the start would come across as too hostile an introduction to the protagonist, particularly the bait-and-switch around the protagonist being the hunter, not the victim..

Argh, that first one is embarrassing! Cavort was intentional but on balance I think a poor choice of words nonetheless, thank you for pointing it out. Will amend both.

I’m going to wait for a bit more feedback on the stat checks before making any changes - this feedback is hugely appreciated though. None of the checks are scripted fails (I think those should be used extremely sparingly), but my gut feeling is that the Silas fight is fine, but the boat checks might be slightly too harsh, particularly if you want to try to save one of the others after succeeding the first one to secure yourself.

Would you believe that I am in fact an English person who attended a rather traditional university and still made this error? I blame the corporate life beating me into becoming a coffee addict. I will amend this unforgivable and critical error posthaste.

Great point. I actually had more language around this straight after the Julian rescue, but was getting a bit worried about pacing. Omitting it was a mistake overall though, and having Hawthorne reference it is a great idea, thanks!

Appreciate the typo spot also.

Edit: I’ve pushed a very small update fixing the typos and cleaning up wording (plus adding a milky tea option for good measure!) - whilst normally I’d wait to gather a bit more feedback before pushing a change (my plan is to address the boat crash reactions in that later update in a day or two, e.g.), I wanted to get those fixes to the very start of the game out ASAP.

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Ah, I had 15 finesse when I tried the mast and dodging the punch, which I thought was a very high score for such an early check. Is 20 the maximum stat score you can get at that point (or 22 with the nap)? Good job on the code diving, it’s nice to get the full picture.

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I thought the bait and switch was an excellent choice, really added something extra to the opening scene. Making the reader literally identify with the victim before turning them into the bad guy is clever and adds weight to the crime. I thought you’d been the victim of autocorrect with ‘cavort’ because it seemed to trivialise a near death experience, but if you were aiming for a more tongue in cheek tone there then I can see it now. Hopefully I wasn’t crossing a line and telling you how to write your own story.

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No, you absolutely weren’t crossing a line - this is all really useful feedback. And you’re spot on; my initial vision for the Pactbinder’s narration was that they had a certain degree of wry humour as a baseline, but whilst there are still elements of that dryness in the narration I’ve overall toned that down a bit as I think it probably cut across the player’s ability to play a more earnest and / or anguished PC. The ‘Cavorted’ phrase is an artifact from that older version of them, and not one that I should have kept given the context.

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From a quick glance..
You start at 10 for everything.
You then get a 10 for your first choice (cornering method) then a 5 for how you react to the attack so that’s 25 and the 2 from resting to 27… I think intellect and might edge a bit higher for specific interactions (exercise/studying if early) but I didn’t check every instance so I may be a little off.

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This is broadly correct. Mechanical spoilers below for those who don’t mind them:

Basically the high level thesis is that the starting picks define your best stat and your secondary focus, then later on in the prologue depending on whether you’re early or late you either get +5 to one of your weak stats (under the assumption that a player who picked a ‘weak’ option there likely picked something they wanted to be good at, consciously or unconsciously) or the option to get a variety of smaller stat boosts if you’re productive during the Early Church section.

There are a couple of tiny stat boosts sprinkled around Chapter 1 and the same will be true in Chapter 2, but the really meaningful stat increase opportunities will be available once term begins properly in Chapter 3, from which point on the player can choose how to spend their time (including on personal development).

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Glad to see this up! I’ll give the WiP a proper playthrough soon so I can provide feedback!

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I enjoyed the story so far. my only question is: will the headmistress play an integral role? will she be suspicious of the mc? I think it would be cool to have to skirt around her and play some high stakes mind games with her.

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Thank you for the feedback! Always really heartening to hear that somebody enjoyed the story.

Hawthorne (who’s the head of Antioch College, but not the head of all Hightower) will be an important supporting character going forwards. It’s probably safe to say that not everything the protagonist might want (or need) to do is something that the school faculty would approve of, so managing Hawthorne and the rest of the staff will certainly be important at times. Whether that involves outsmarting, avoiding or charming them (or something else entirely) depends on the context and your goals, of course.

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Pretty good start for a WIP and so far I am really excited for how this’ll go, especially the Duelling Society.

For some feedback, I think adding an option to go explore with Alice might be good, maybe some early consequences for being unorderly with the headmistress?

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Thank you very much! I’m excited to get to some proper Duelling too, both in Societies and elsewhere…

On the Alice point, assuming you mean an option to explore with her when the others all split up, a mild spoiler: There actually is a whole separate branch for exploring with Alice already in the demo, provided that you’ve built a strong enough rapport with her by that point…

There will definitely be some short-term consequences in Chapter 2 to getting off to a bad start with Hawthorne, that’s for sure.

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