The year is 1864, and Victoria reigns as Queen of England. In Wizarding England, Tobias Smoot serves as Minister of Magic, and Phineas Nigellus Black as the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Tonight, Hogwarts is holding a ball to celebrate its 864th year of operation and to honor a few of its most promising 7th year students. Among them is Leopold, Victoria and Albert's youngest son. The revelation of his magical talent ruffled quite a few feathers among the pureblood wizarding families - the Headmaster among them - but he has acquitted himself well in his years at Hogwarts, and (almost) everyone has forgotten about his Muggle origins.

Tonight, too, the Minister of Magic himself will be on hand to oversee the transport of an Egyptian mummy from the castle's most secure hiding place. The mummy was removed from Muggle hands and awaits inspection by the Department of Mysteries.

There are rumors, too, of a duel between the Minister and the Headmaster, some sort of deductive bet among the students, and a missing student... perhaps the night will reveal more about these events.

The night promises a convergence of truly extraordinary characters from (heretofore supposed) fiction and history, meeting, arguing, forming alliances, dancing, dueling, and deducting.

This is a Victorian-era Harry Potter-verse game, with intersections with A. Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Lewis Carroll, Maurice LeBlanc, and others - and yes, even a little history. Knowledge of these works is not strictly necessary, but will certainly enhance the experience.