The death of Lord George was unexpected. A heart attack he was considered too young to have, considering his good health. The funeral was procession lacking in any tenderness. Anger, nervousness, greed. The air was thick with the fog of it. Grief seemed to be absent among them. Everyone there wants something. Land deeds, money, social standing, freedom, secrets, and revenge. The room hadn’t even fully cleared yet when the first call came in. When they answer, it’s unmistakably the voice of the man they just buried. It carried his tone, his mannerisms, his knowledge. At first, the calls seem helpful, a gift even. The voice of Lord George gave word towards the things they want most: hidden deeds, letters, secret accounts, long-forgotten scandals. Obsession started to circle the calls. Whatever theories they have, however they feel about the calls, they can’t keep from answering them. They start waiting for them.
Inspired by the enticing character of Penhaligon’s fragrance line, Portraits. This Lovecraftian horror group gives these characters of English aristocracy a world of their own, one of obsession, identity, and questionable sanity. Each family member is a skeleton that embodies a specific signature fragrance, described by Penhaligons themselves. Taking place in the late 1950’s England, Portraits the RPG is meant to draw them deeper, giving Lord George his own game for all to play. Memories, photographs, letters all change; and slowly, the dead patriarch reemerges to the center of their lives, but do they even remember who he was? It all starts with a phone call, one from the voice of George himself. Despite all of the warnings left behind, will you answer?
How the game works: While you have autonomy over your characters, the phone calls will place events, memories, and items on them individually or collectively. Whether these things have actually happened or not is as much up to you to decide as your characters. The best way to come to any conclusion will be to interact with other characters, compare experiences, and attempt to create an accurate timeline.