An Imp and an Impostor

You've spent years undercover, disguised as a human, infiltrating the city’s magical law-enforcement organization. They stole your magic from you. Can you steal it back?

An Imp and an Impostor is an interactive historical urban fantasy novel by Athar Fikry, author of The Dragon and the Djinn, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based, 600,000 words and hundreds of choices, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

You're an imp, a creature from another plane of existence. As punishment for your past misdeeds, a powerful magical being known as "the Mercy" has ripped away your magic, forcing you to live as a human in the city of Raqout. Raqout is a "port" city between our world and other dimensions, a city where everyone has their secrets.

It's taken years, but you've managed to weasel your way into Arkan, Raqout's magical law-enforcement organization. As an Arkan agent, you spend your days busting unlicensed necromancers and negotiating with afareet and djinn. Your by-the-book partner doesn't know who you really are—or that your nose for crime is actually a nose for magic.

Your magic was confiscated when you were arrested, but you’ve regained enough to put you above most humans. And of course, you’ve got talsama, the magic that all humans can use; not to mention your wits, gadgets, and all of the inside knowledge about Arkan that you’ve learned.

Now, after years of preparation, you can finally steal back your magic from Arkan's vault. But, wait—the vault only contains part of your magic. You need to find the rest—and more importantly, find the person who took it. Because, as it turns out, you aren’t the only one whose magic has been stolen—and people are going missing, too.

Unravel a tangled web of plots, betrayals, and hidden motives while you track down smugglers and kidnappers. Go on daring heists, cracking open vaults using magic or gadgets; and chase down your enemies in Raqout’s newfangled automobiles. Talk your way past bureaucrats, professors, necromancers, mobsters, afareet, and djinn; and poke into all of the magical and mundane corners of the city, finding things that most people would like to keep hidden—all while evading the Mercy’s vigilance.

And watch your back! You might not be the only impostor in Raqout…

• Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, or bi; aromantic, asexual, or both, with many shadings of asexuality.
• Find love or friendship with an idealistic necromancer, a stern but soft Arkan agent, or a charming gang leader.
• Trust your allies with your past and your true impish self, or keep everything close to your chest.
• Pet the world’s most adorable undead dog.
• Reunite others with their stolen magic—or keep it for yourself and grow stronger than ever.
• Maintain your identity as an agent of Arkan, or blow your cover sky high and throw your lot in with a gang of thieves.
• Reclaim your magic and resume your impish form.

Oh, it'll feel so good to stretch all four arms again!