Exalted Text

Orphan is a grimdark CYOA/interactive novel set in a dying Neo-Rome ruled by sorcery and the Blade. Step into a brutal world of violence, sex, magic, and intrigue where power is taken, never given. Are you ready to reclaim what was stolen from you?Play the latest free version of Orphan on itch.io: <a href="https://exaltedtext.itch.io/orphan" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://exaltedtext.itch.io/orphan</a>What’s the core hook? What do you do?A: You begin at the bottom of the world and fight your way upward through violence, intrigue, and temptation. Every major decision can cost you allies, alter your reputation, lock routes, or decide whether you become something greater… or something worse.How is the game structured?A: Orphan has two main routes: Enslaved (Gladiator) and Student/Academy (Ascender), with personality and stat-driven playstyles (ex: Bastard vs Knight) shaping how scenes read, how characters treat you, and what doors open later.How much content is there, and how often does it update?A: The project is currently ~350k words and growing fast. I aim for updates every 2 weeks, usually 30-60k+ words plus new images for key scenes.Why join Patreon — what do patrons get?A: Patrons get the Uncut Edition (bonus/locked scenes and paths not available in the free build), previews/teasers, lore drops (Cradle Codex), community influence via polls, and at higher tiers (Kültist+), a growing Velvet Visions archive of exclusive image packs.<img alt="" src="https://i.imgur.com/EIwmLVU.png" title=""><h3 style="">🩸 The Latest Update</h3>Chapter 3.33 dropped on January 16th, 2026. Your support helped make it possible. Every Patreon pledge helps me buy more time to write, illustrate, and expand this world. I pour everything into this project, and your support lights the fire beneath it. Whether you’re a long-time reader or just stumbled into the dark—thank you.Even a kind review or rating helps more than you know.Each behind-the-scenes devlog peels back the curtain on my writing process, creative chaos, and what’s next for Orphan. Take a glance at the dreaming structure; veins of choice, a skeleton of story. You wanted violence? I respond by turning my madness into scripture, fueled by tithes from those who dare to believe in an evolving story. This incarnation of the story is only the beginning.Just watch how massive WE become.<img alt="" src="https://i.imgur.com/FIh2FKf.png" title=""><h3 style="">✍🏻 About This Project</h3><h3 style="">— Written in hunger and heat —</h3>This is my love letter to interactive fiction, forged in blood and obsession. The world of Orphan is a hybrid of everything I love: the sword &amp; sorcery grit of Conan, the bleak intrigue of Dark Sun, the ruined grandeur of Warhammer, and the mythic depth of Elder Scrolls. I’m building something strange, intimate, and brutal. If you like your fiction dark, dangerous, and steeped in lore, you’ll feel at home here. I'm sure somewhere, somehow, you'll be enticed.<h3 style="">🩸 Join the Ranks — Support Tiers</h3>Whether you're a Slave, a Gladiator, a Kultist, an Ascender or a Sorcerer, there's a place for you in this bleeding world. Each tier comes with its own privileges; image packs, dev updates, exclusive polls, even custom-written scenes if you dare to wield real power.Win my undying gratitude.🖤 Support my madness on Patreon<img alt="" src="https://i.imgur.com/NJgtFaz.png" title="">The SettingMarring the frigid surface of a doomed planet lies an impossibly massive crater, so wide that one could never hope to see the other side with their naked eye, or the crumbling edge high above. Looming in the dark abyss of space above, a purple gas giant seems close enough to touch, casting a luminous violet haze over much of the world.Smothering one side of the bowl lies a sprawling city-state, Cradle, where rampant and relentless slavery fuels the day-to-day misery of the multiracial mass within. The cracked, cobbled streets descend far down into the earth, where the poorest and lowliest lie, steam seeping through a ruined labyrinth of pitch-black alleys and shadow-filled lairs.Here begins a tale of a boy who had his destiny stolen away from him.What follows determines whether or not he is able to steal it back.

Free

"These animals walk among us on two feet and call themselves men. They do not fool me! I see their lower appetites, their sullen faces, and they reek of filth."- Senator Tyber SasalanStay updated. Worship the Exalted Text.

Slave

"The best part of being a gladiator? Crushin' your enemy, seeing them spurt blood as the crowd roars, and hearin' the lamentations of their noble lovers."- Dirk Adamantus, Devourer of the SandsThe free players get scraps.Gladiators get the feast.Join this tier to unlock the full, UNCUT version of Orphan: delve deeper into secret paths, extra routes &amp; sensual scenes that I can't show the uninitiated. 🔓🗝️Thanks for your support!

Gladiator

"When one man breaks free from his chains, it tends to upset many... especially those still trapped by theirs."- MearesdesThe Gladiators fight in the pit. But Kültists slip behind the curtain. Belong to the inner circle of Exalted Text, where choices echo.EVERYTHING FROM PREVIOUS TIERS, PLUS THESE POTENT POWERS...

Kültist

(Coming soon: Ascender+ will receive 2 weeks early access to future chapters of Orphan UNCUT.)EVERYTHING FROM PREVIOUS TIERS, PLUS THESE POTENT POWERS...

Ascender

"Hey, you... Yes, you. Come closer, now. I have an opportunity for you. The stars have aligned and your fate has drawn you here today. What you decide to do with this opportunity is yours only to choose."- A cloaked figureJoin my creative inner circle and get access to exclusive channels in the Discord.EVERYTHING FROM PREVIOUS TIERS, PLUS THESE POTENT POWERS...

Sorcerer

The crown is not inherited. It is taken.The Usurper is for patrons who want to support at the highest level and request one custom deliverable per month. They are not merely a reader, but a rival power in the dark; an outsider with the coin, the will, the hunger to make decrees.Each month, you may command one Usurper’s Decree: a custom creation that bends the world toward your obsession.<h3 style="">Your Usurper’s Decree (Monthly)</h3>Choose one (approval required):<ul><li>A custom vignette / scene (up to 3,000 words) (apocrypha by default unless I explicitly canonize it)</li><li>OR a custom image request (1 image), which may be used in Velvet Visions</li></ul>EVERYTHING FROM PREVIOUS TIERS, PLUS THESE POTENT POWERS...

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