Ironheart

Ironheart is a 250,000-word interactive novel set in an alternate medieval history. It is entirely text-based, with no graphics or sound effects. You pilot and customize a giant iron war mech powered by energy from mysterious “skystone” meteorites, as the Papacy, the Caliphate and the Mongols fight for control in 1182 AD.

A journey through time

The story begins in the far future, when you join a space mission to intercept a comet capable of opening wormholes through space and time. Your ship and its crew are pulled through a wormhole and sent into the past. You awaken from cryogenic suspension in 1182, at the height of the Third Crusade, and must decide what to do in a war between Saladin’s Caliphate, the Catholic Papacy and Genghis Khan’s Mongolian Golden Horde.

You can search for the rest of your crew or focus on helping one of the factions. You might try to unite a divided land, or use your advanced knowledge to gain wealth and power. The story can take you to historical figures such as Saladin, encounters with attacks from the Assassins and the Knights Templar, and a grand tournament of mechs.

Choose your path

You can play as a male, female or non-binary character, and as gay, straight, bi or asexual. Take sides in the Third Crusade as a knight or emir, rise through your faction’s ranks, or strike out alone. You can seek revenge, work to build a better world or enjoy life in the 12th century.

Mechs and skills

Choose how to equip, customize and decorate your war machine. Develop skills in areas including warfare, diplomacy, medicine and engineering, and manage your own fiefdom by deciding how to govern, what to build and whom to recruit.

People and factions

Build connections with a supporting cast that includes fools, bandits, priests and princesses. Your choices shape how you engage with the factions and the war around you.