Shepherds of Haven

An interactive fantasy novel about a world where magic has been outlawed but demons are invading anyway. Will you use your powers to protect the innocent, or tear down the ones who oppress you? ✧ Play the Game FAQ About Navigate Become a Patron ✧

[shepherdsofhaven]

Shepherds of Haven - A Dark Fantasy Interactive Fiction Game

You are a Mage living in a world where magic is outlawed and your people—those possessing supernatural powers—are oppressed and reviled. The world is ruled by humans who believe in science, technology, and industry: at best, you and your kind are nothing more than a fairytale, and at worst, you are the state’s greatest threat. 

Thus, using magic has been illegal for centuries…

But then the demons return.

After years of persecution, you are suddenly offered an opportunity to use your powers for good: demons are once again troubling the realm after centuries of absence, and the world needs fighters like you to protect the population from their invasion. Guns and bullets do no good against monsters pulled from primeval nightmares; only your people and your mystical gifts have the ability to fight fire with fire. 

So you join the Shepherds: a new order of elite heroes and fighters that, until very recently, the world feared more than the demons themselves. As a Shepherd, you’ll solve magical crimes, slay demons to protect the citizens of Haven, and build your reputation throughout the capital. Explore the world of Blest, recruit allies and factions to join the Shepherds’ cause, find romance and companionship, investigate mysteries, lead rebellions and exorcisms, and uncover answers to the crises plaguing the world. Where are the demons coming from? Where have the gods or God gone, if they ever existed? Who are you, really? 

And will you be the world’s true savior... or will you be its ultimate downfall?

✦  Over 1 million words of choice-based, story-rich interactive fiction!

✦  Fully customizable protagonist! Choose names and nicknames, gender, sexuality, appearance, weapon, magic specialization, educational background, racial heritage, and much more.

Includes options to play as male, female, nonbinary; straight, gay, bisexual, or pansexual; and aromantic, asexual, aroace, or allo.

✦  Thousands of choices and role-playing variations! Build your character’s personality and worldview from the ground up, test your loyalties and morals in every chapter, and make meaningful decisions that will change the story and world of the game in large and small ways.

✦ 15 companions to recruit and befriend, each with their own unique story.

10 romance options (5 male, 5 female) and 2 one-night stands/flings

Fulfilling friendship and romance routes, culminating in dozens of different possible endings for each major character, as well as diverse endings for the protagonist, their relationships, and the state of the world

✦   A hubworld-style exploration system between chapters! Interact with the city and explore the world on your days off; take quests or side jobs; train; shop; gamble; pray; read; and spend time with or date companions between story missions.

✦   Dynamic gameplay features! Explore an ever-changing codex, character guide, journal, inventory, and stats page that grows and adjusts as you play.

✦   Dozens of mechanical secrets to reward your playthrough, including achievements, a new game+ system, a save system, unlockable art, collectible trading cards, room decorations and souvenirs, a planned “stupid mode,” and planned DLC.

✦  Much more!

✨ Play Here ✨

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, first half of Chapter 4

Approx. 460,000 words

Last Updated: July 2025

FAQ

⭐️ Play here ⭐️

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 8.5, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11 [In Progress]

Approx. 1,471,000 words without code

Last Updated: May 2026

Currently only available to testers and Patrons until the beta build

Game Info

Navigate

FAQ

Companions

Short Stories

Custom Character Template

Original Soundtrack (Volume 1)

Original Soundtrack (Volume 2)

Feedback

Report Bugs

Studio

Manifold Studios

Newsletter

Linktree

Tumblr (Announcements Only)

Itch.io

Other Social Media

Patreon

Ko-Fi  

Discord 

BlueSky

Redbubble

Pinterest

Tracked Tags

#Shepherds of Haven, #shoh

If you like my interactive fiction work, please consider checking out a hardcover, paperback, e-book, or audiobook copy of my debut novel, a science fiction thriller called WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE, published by DAW Books and Penguin Random House! Read more about it on my website, or check out the links below!

Links for WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE:

Penguin Random House

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Audible

Other Links:

Author Website

BlueSky

[shepherdsofhaven]

Hi! Before I go crazy; did I miss a devlog for the current alpha build, it's been awhile since I've tested it, so I don't know if the landsmeet path is being reworked currently. I've made sure that I should be able to select the option, but it's always been greyed out. My common sense says that it's currently unavailable, but I could also just be REALLY bad at playtesting.

Hi, Chapter 6 isn’t being worked on currently so the Landsmeet path is still available! Do the Shepherds know about your WOP, or did you choose to hide it from them?

[shepherdsofhaven]

Heyy just a question about your paeton since I'm thinking about joining soon! Does it renew from the day you subscribe or from the start of every month?

Thank you!

Hi, thanks for thinking of supporting the game on Patreon! 😁 Membership renews on the day you signed up (as closely as possible), so you get the full month: for example, if you sign up on February 15th, your membership renews on March 15th! So no need to worry on that front! Thanks for your question and support! 👍

[shepherdsofhaven]

ngl I am struggling to get the chase confession scene using the quick build. I dont know what I am doing wronnggggggg. Somebody help me

Chase doesn't confess during the Ascendancy Festival, if that's what you're referring to! You hook up with him/initiate a FWB with him before that, but he doesn't have a traditional "confession" during the Ascendancy Festival like some of the other characters do! Hope that helps!

[mornynge]

I'm back with more art from @shepherds-of-haven! This time I decided to draw Blade :^)

[verocities]

figuring out how to draw mc (eldyn) & chase...

[bigmeandragonlady]

I've opened one slot on character portraits! These are single character busts that are fully rendered:

SKEB-like Character Portrait by bigmeandragonlady (@bigmeandragonlady)

Send a request while they're still accepting!

they are also available off vgen here

[minusonehundrednerve]

Trouble: And once again, Trouble and Brightburner save the day! Blade: You didn’t do anything, it was all Brightburner. Trouble: We’re a package deal! Everyone knows that.

[shepherdsofhaven]

trying to write really dire torture prison scenes while listening to "chill instrumental lofi beats" is absolutely taking me out 🥹 the modern life of a writer is breathtaking lmfao

[shepherdsofhaven]

do the khehi ket allow fraternization among their own ranks?

It's complicated, but the answer is: it's mostly allowed but not necessarily encouraged! If you serve together (for example, you're both in the same squadron), it's absolutely not allowed. If you serve in different divisions (for example, a Khehi Ket who's an assassin or spy versus one who's a soldier) and you never see combat together or are assigned on missions together, it's generally okay, but it's definitely a case-by-case basis. And if it ever progresses from hooking up/casually dating to having the actual intent to marry, you have to ask your Drasil (basically your president/ultimate commanding officer) for permission to marry, and it's typically seen as a nerve-wracking thing. But there are plenty of Khehi Ket who are no longer active-duty, have earned retirement, or are in the reserves, so it's not generally seen as a conflict of interest and in those cases it'd be okay! So it just depends! But in the Khehi ranks of the Rebellion, it's definitely seen as something people who play fast-and-loose by the rules do and is a bit taboo. Generally, the idea of the perfect loyal upright soldier that gets hammered into you during basic training doesn't involve fraternization, lol, and there's a bit of cultural friction against it, but it does definitely happen!

[stanislas-duval]

caved and subbed to the Shoh Patreon again for Chase...I do not regret it one bit jfc I love him so much

[peonysgreenhouse]

replaying shepherds of haven bc my save got deleted and my god i forgot how bad blade is at flirting (affectionate). NO ONE does it worse than him

[marzely]

I finally got around to making Solies outfit on Tomodachi life and she is just so cute omg 😭😭😭

[theweirdwideweb]

[freebroccoli]

REGRET TO INFORM YOU YOUR SON HAS DIED FROM TRENCH FOOT LOL HE SERVED WITH COURAGE AND HONOR LOL PLEASE ACCEPT OUR DEEPEST CONDOLENCES LOL

[shepherdsofhaven]

I kid you not, there is a tall quiet dark haired guy called Bronwyn Black in my college

I'm obsessed with him already. Has he trained in the ways of the sword?

[shepherdsofhaven]

Which episode should I use the quick build to have Briony relationship content? Is it episode 8?

Chapter 9 is when Briony romance content really shines!

[shepherdsofhaven]

Hope this doesn't come off as nitpicky because it's really not intended to be, but I'm curious what you think makes Shoh a dark fantasy? I'm trying to persuade my friend to play it and I described it as cozy fantasy because I think the found family vibes are so comforting and cozy. She's a little hesitant to play because it's advertised as dark so I was just wondering your thoughts!

Thanks for your question! While I agree that the relationships and dynamics of ShoH are cozy and comforting, I tend to think of "cozy fantasy" as stories that explicitly focus on a low-stakes, slice-of-life setting or plot, like a witch living in a cottage who's focused on starting a potion business, or a story focusing on the Hobbits of the Shire and features many descriptions of their feasts and baking, or a Ghibi-esque Kiki's Delivery-style romp! This is of course very subjective, but I would hate for any readers who are actively seeking the comfort of a cozy fantasy to open up ShoH with that expectation and instead find:

serial killers

demonic nightmare realms

cultists kidnapping children to perform mutilating experiments on them and causing them to be possessed by demons

horrifying swamp creatures, parasites, insects

depictions of slavery

fairly heavy oppression and persecution on a political, social, economic, and cultural scale

a 12-year-old and a bride potentially being slaughtered by demons in front of you within the first hour of gameplay

Not much ado is made about the conditions in Ashtown or Smoketown vs. the Sun Court because the characters are just used to it and don't really notice it, but when Tallys and Lavinet are fighting about race-based war crimes and who's responsible for them, I just wouldn't want anyone to be taken off-guard if they're expecting "cozy" and they get all that. 😅 I do concede that I don't get as grimdark with it as I could: I could really dial up how horrifying the world is and make things really gruesome and gory and depressing, but that isn't my aim for writing the story, either! I don't want to torture the characters (or the readers) needlessly because I'm not interested in writing things like that, so this story is never going to be as truly dark as some dark fantasy stories that require a litany of content warnings. I think of the "dark" in ShoH's "dark fantasy" as more of an aesthetic, like a gothic baroque kind of dark, a certain mood to the atmosphere and setting, kind of like detective noir, than really really dark content in and of itself. But while the characters and environment also elicit a coziness and safe haven escape for most people, I don't want to deceive anyone who's expecting The Tea Dragon Society but gets one of your companions cleaving Thurl's head off of his shoulders instead, LOL!

Hope that all makes sense!