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.
Call of Cthulhu 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.
To do something uncertain, roll percentile dice and try to roll under your skill rating. Higher skill, better odds. The Keeper tells you when to roll — 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.
Your mind can be wounded like your body. Witnessing the impossible costs Sanity. Lose too much at once and your character may panic, freeze, or crack. Protect it — look away when you can.
You are meant to feel outmatched. Lean in. Play your character's dread honestly, make bad brave choices, and let the horror land. 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 it's supposed to. Bring your curiosity, leave your bravado. The night will take care of the rest.
Come Saturday, the thirtieth of September.
Come alone. Speak of it to no one.
— The Household · Old Sentinel Hill · You Are Expected —
