Your privacy matters. Here is exactly what we collect, why, and how we protect it.
We collect only the minimum data necessary to operate Sword and Quill:
| Data | Purpose | Stored As |
|---|---|---|
| Scribe Name (username) | Account identification and community display | Plain text |
| Password | Account authentication | Securely hashed (never stored in plain text) |
| Stories & Content | Core writing functionality, quest progress | Secure database with encrypted connections |
| Word Counts | Quest progress, XP calculation, statistics | Numeric values |
| Typed vs. Pasted Word Counts | Writing statistics and velocity tracking | Numeric values |
| XP, Scribe Tier & Inventory | Game progression and ranking | Numeric values and item references |
| Settlement Data | Settlement stage, meter levels (Safety/Food/Joy), equipped gear, decay settings | Numeric values and item references |
| Writing Streak & Streak Freezes | Streak tracking and freeze protection count | Numeric values and date stamps |
| Writing Milestones | First-time achievement timestamps (e.g. first 1,000 words, first publish) | Milestone type and date achieved |
| Bookmarks / Reading List | Your private list of saved stories | Story references (visible only to you) |
| Author Bio | Optional public profile description (200 characters max) | Plain text — publicly visible on your scribe profile |
| Daily Word Goal | Personalised session goal default in the editor | Numeric value |
| Inspiration Submissions | Community writing prompts | Text with author reference |
| Comments | Community engagement on published stories | Text with author reference and timestamp |
| Content Reports | Community safety and policy enforcement | Text with reporter reference |
| Rested XP | Bonus XP accumulation during periods of inactivity | Numeric value |
| Random Encounter History | Cooldown tracking and encounter completion records | Timestamps and numeric values |
| Story Reading Records | Awarding Scholar XP for reading published stories (once per unique story) | Story reference pairs — not used for profiling |
| Follow Relationships | Connecting scribes and tracking follower counts | User reference pairs |
The following preferences are saved exclusively in your browser's local storage. They never leave your device and are not stored in our database:
Clearing your browser's local storage will reset these preferences to their defaults.
Sword and Quill uses only a single essential session cookie to keep you logged in. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or any third-party cookies. Sessions persist for 30 days unless you log out manually.
Stories you publish to The Great Library are visible to all visitors. Your scribe name, Scribe Tier, and settlement name are publicly displayed. Your author bio, if set, is publicly visible on your scribe profile. Your bookmarks and unpublished stories are private and visible only to you.
You may unpublish a story or remove your author bio at any time through your account settings.
Sword and Quill is a platform for human creative writing. The writing prompt Inspiration pool is human-curated — no AI-generated prompts are used. All quest narratives, NPC dialogue, gear lore, encounter scenarios, and world-building text are original human-authored content. We do not use AI to generate content displayed to users.
Submitting AI-generated writing as your own work violates our content policy and may result in account removal. See our full content policy for details.
You own your content. If you wish to have your account and all associated data permanently deleted — including stories, bookmarks, milestones, settlement progress, and profile information — please contact the site administrator. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.