Mask of the Plague Doctor

Cure foul disease in a medieval fantasy tale of swords and surgery! Wield poultice and potion against a sleeping sickness that threatens the realm.

Mask of the Plague Doctor is a 409,000-word interactive novel by Peter Parrish, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

The town of Thornback Hollow is under quarantine. Its people are unable to sleep, tormented by a disease known as the Waking Death, and the infection is spreading. At the orders of the Crown, Baron Osbert Morlond’s levied soldiers besiege the gates. The summons have been issued. Plague doctors in the vicinity must respond by law, or face the Crown’s justice.

You are one of these masked physicians. Can the town’s sickness be cured? Or will you be forced to find an escape route, as the creeping infection proves impossible to contain? Are you focused on medicine, intent on curing this plague above all else? Or is this cauldron of political unrest impossible not to stir? The townsfolk share whispers of a malevolent power. Can it be harnessed to your ambitions?

• Play as male, female, or non-binary; gay, straight, bisexual, or aromantic.
  
• Select from a range of mask designs, or opt for one of your own.
  
• Specialize in surgery, medical theory, or uncanny mysticism.
  
• Unearth a cure for the Waking Death, apply traditional medicines, or explore more ‘experimental’ methods.
  
• Respect the local deity, or throw your support behind a banished sect.
  
• Work with the Crown’s appointed mayor, aid a revolt, or do your best to avoid political intrigue altogether.
  
• Find time for romance with one of your fellow plague doctors, or even a dashing mercenary.
  
• Recruit others to your medical cause and perhaps leave a lasting legacy.
  
• Seek induction into the Fellowship of Royal Physicians, or be happy just to escape with your life.

Thornback Hollow is in peril. Can your healing hands soothe it to slumber? Or will the town perish to fire and disease?