You are cordially summoned
To bear witness to a wonder that comes but once in fifteen years —
the single-night flowering of the Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid, rarest bloom in all the temperate world.
The Household requests the company of a small number
of true horticulturists to attend. You have been chosen.
What awaits you up the hill, and how this game is played
You are a lover of rare and growing things; that is why the letter found you. You have never met the others who were invited, and none of you quite recall how the Household learned your name. You have come a long way to see a flower. Whatever else you find up there, you will find it together.
This is horror, not heroics. You play ordinary people, not warriors, who stumble onto things older and hungrier than the world admits. There is no “winning” by force. You survive by being curious, cautious, and clever, and sometimes you survive by knowing when to run. The fun is in the dread, the mystery, and what your character is willing to face.
When the outcome is uncertain, the GM asks for a roll in whatever system your table plays. You never need to memorize rules.
This is a mystery. Search rooms, read documents, question people, follow the details that feel wrong. Clues are how you stay alive; the story rewards attention, not aggression.
Witnessing the impossible calls for a Horror check. Fail it and your character may panic, freeze or crack. Protect your nerve; look away when you can.
You are meant to feel outmatched. Play your character’s dread honestly, make bad brave choices, and let the horror do its work. A frightened investigator is a story worth telling.
Come with a character you’re happy to put in danger; this is a one-shot, and not everyone walks back down the hill. Trust your fellow investigators; you’ll do best as a group. And when something horrifying happens, remember that it is supposed to. Bring your curiosity and leave your bravado. The night will take care of the rest.
Come the thirtieth of September.
Come alone. Speak of it to no one.
— The Household · Old Sentinel Hill · You Are Expected —
