Mask of the Rose

Welcome to Fallen London: a darkly hilarious gothic underworld where death is a temporary inconvenience, the rats talk, and Hell is only a stone's throw away.

Thanks to an unknown bargain, London now resides in a vast cavern under the earth. Down here, the sun doesn't shine, and Parliament has sunk into the Thames. Queen Victoria never emerges from her palace. The fabric of strait-laced Victorian society has begun to fray.

New Masters are in charge. Why are they so… tall? And always cloaked? And why are they so interested in love stories?

Even death itself has a twist here: the first murder victim since the Fall is feeling much better, and keen to see justice done. Unfortunately, as the doctor who treated him immediately before he expired, your housemate Archie is the prime suspect...

Mask of the Rose is a visual novel, but might not be what you expect of the genre. It’s a complex social simulation, with a huge amount of player freedom.

You can pursue love and try to solve David's murder. Or, honestly, you can focus on something else instead. For example:

• Earn money as a census-taker for the shadowy Masters of the Bazaar and ask people weirdly intrusive personal questions.
• Use the game’s unique storycrafting mechanic to develop theories about the murder, or just help a friend plot out her novels instead.
• Shape what others think of you by assembling the perfect outfit for any occasion, or confound them with bold and terrible sartorial choices.
• Or maybe you’d rather concentrate on matters of the heart? Find yourself a date for the city’s first Feast of the Rose. Seek enduring romance, flirt with devils, have a casual fling, focus on aromantic or asexual relationships, or pursue the affections of that mysterious, looming, taloned newcomer...

With all this, we’re confident every playthrough will be different. And we designed Mask of the Rose with replay in mind: you might uncover the true murderer your first time through, but the why  of it is a deeper secret.

Will you be a brilliant matchmaker, connecting friends and rivals while remaining unattached? Or are you looking for lasting love? Perhaps you're open to whatever comes your way? Every major storyline is accessible regardless of whether your approach to love is romantic or platonic.

Use an elaborate, dynamic story-crafting system to create love stories – and murder theories. Are the twists in the tale not to your taste? Then change the motive, the location, even the victim, and see how the stories adapt!

Your past will open different doors for you in London. What was your life on the Surface like? Were your family landed gentry? Or did they own a tailor’s shop, or dabble in the occult?

Your clothing will also make people think differently of you. Your outfits open new possibilities in conversation: be bolder, more commanding, more flirtatious. Ingratiate yourself with London's inhabitants by changing your style of dress – they won't be able to resist you in that hat!

You'll also work odd jobs and collect resources which will open new avenues in social situations. Your housemate Griz has found you work as census-taker for those curious new Masters. Fill your census-taker's notebook with intimate details about your fellow citizens and you'll find you can pursue deeper relationships with them, romantic or otherwise.

The possibilities for personal connection in London are different now. Thrown together in crisis, you might befriend or romance many of the characters you meet, from Griz, your assertive housemate for whom the Fall was a chance to break free of Victorian societal norms, to the infernally well-dressed gentleman at the Brass Consulate with the amber eyes.

Archie

For your housemate Archie, living in the Neath is terrifying. What is a medical student supposed to believe in when even the laws of death no longer apply?

The Tentacled Entrepreneur

Appointed emissary to London by the Rubberies, he's establishing commercial interests and extending his tentacles in all sorts of directions.

Ivy

Not everyone enjoys the Neath. Bohemian seamstress Ivy sees its possibilities, and they give her life.

David

Destined to be Fallen London’s first murder victim. When he returns from the dead, you can ask him all about it. He'd also like to tell you exactly what he thinks of his sister's new romantic entanglement.

Rachel

Rachel was halfway through her serialised novel when London fell and everything she was writing about w