Phylactery

You are Kâşif, the Auditor. Centuries ago the First Lich turned you, bound you to his will, and set you to work auditing his estate. When you were away, checking on his deployed liches, your leash broke.

Now you have come home to the estate beneath Cappadocia where you were made. The staff are still at their posts. The systems still run. Nobody told them to stop.

Something else still walks the halls. The Beast keeps the house in order, and you were struck from the rolls the day you left. To him, you are a discrepancy.

A dungeon built by hand
Five floors, inspired by the real underground city of Derinkuyu. Every room, every monster and every item is placed by hand, and nothing is generated. The house never shuffles, so what you learn on one run holds on the next. Routes become knowledge, and knowledge becomes speed.

Build your lich
64 unique items, 64 spells, and an Aura from every boss you drain. Each of the 18 minibosses fights with the exact spells and gear it drops. You learn a spell by having it used against you, then you take it for yourself. Everything you find unlocks permanently, ready to equip at the start of your next run.

Cat and mouse with the Beast
From the moment the doors shut, the Beast climbs from the deepest floor toward you. There’s no timer and no map marker, only his roar, louder as he closes. Stop and listen to judge how near he is. Slip past him or lead him into a trap. He uses no magic at all. He only has to catch you.

Mana is everything
There’s no health bar, because a lich has no blood. Damage bleeds your mana, and that same pool pays for every spell and every teleport.

Save by splitting your soul

Every fifth miniboss you drain fills a Phylactery, a piece of yourself you can leave behind. Die, and you wake at your newest jar. The Beast destroys every jar he walks past, so choose carefully where you hide yourself.

Keep the Ledger
Your book, the Vakfiye, starts nearly empty. Every room cleared, item found, spell learned and Aura taken writes itself into its pages, along with the history of the house and the names its servants carried before they were turned.

A house that remembers you
The Gardener still tends roses no one comes to see. The Pantryman still stocks food that rotted centuries ago. The Proctor is still taking attendance. Every miniboss is a servant still doing the job they were given, and some of them remember you.

In development
Phylactery is in active development, and this is an early playtest build for Windows. Some art is still placeholder, and things change with every patch. Feedback is welcome: https://discord.gg/3AS69QjUf