Name: Disturbing Portrait
Set: New AEon
Type: Artifact
Dimension: Playable in Any Dimension
Value: 0
Attributes: Affects Your Hand
Public Attributes: None
Sanity: -1
Artist: Dan Frazier
Special Effect Box This card has constant effect. While in the New AEon, you may find Waking World Allies from your current Subregion.
Willet saw no more, but somehow this small glimpse gave a new and vague terror to the painted features of Joseph Curwen which stared blandly down from the overmantel. Ever after he entertained the odd fancy--which his medical skill of course assured him was only a fancy--that the eyes of the portrait had a sort of wish, if not the actual tendency, to follow young Charles Ward as he moved about the room.-- "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward," H. P. Lovecraft.
The subregions Catskills (New AEon) and Catskill Mountains (Waking World) are the same subregion despite the slight difference in names
Disturbing Portrait permits you to play an Ally from the Waking World at a New AEon Location and to ignore the Ally's Region. When you use the special effect of Disturbing Portrait in the New AEon, it does not change the dimension of your Current Location from New AEon to Waking World. Travel Events have no subregion, so the Special Effect box of Disturbing Portrait cannot apply while a Travel Event is your Current Location.
Lovecraft Country comprises the following subregions:
Only the Catskill Mountains, Kingsport, Miskatonic Valley, New York, and Providence subregions match subregions in the New AEon dimension.
Waking World Europe comprises these subregions
Only the Paris, Rome, and Scotland subregions match subregions in the New AEon dimension.
No subregions of the Exotic, Middle East or South Pacific regions match subregions in the New AEon.
The full description of a card's location begins with the Title of the card, then its subregion followed by its region and dimension. The full description of Lovecraft's Grave is
The Shunned House has as its full description
Robert Harrison Blake has as its full description
The full descriptions are important when determining when a Waking World Ally may be played at a Location in the New AEon dimension. Disturbing Portrait permits you to play an Ally from the Waking World at a New AEons Location and to ignore the Region line of the description.
A subregion in Mythos is the title printed in the Region Colour Bar. It is a proper name such as Arkham, Providence, or Yucca Mountain. Also printed in the Region Colour Bar are special circumstances under which some Allies may be played in the Region indicated by the colour. Some of the special circumstances are any Tome, any Artifact, or any Cemetery. These are not subregions but are interpreted as reading a Location with the Tome attribute at any subregion in this Region. Some of these allies may be played at a Location in the New AEon dimension.
Robert Harrison Blake, had he not died acquiring the Shining Trapezohedron in "The Haunter of the Dark," might have survived into the New AEon. He is a Providence Ally. If Shauna has Disturbing Portrait in play, has as her Current Location Lovecraft's Grave, and has Robert Harrison Blake in her hand, she may as her turn announce she is using the power of the Disturbing Portrait to meet Robert Harrison Blake who is placing a rose on the grave of his long-dead friend.
Edward Pickman Derby might also survive into the New AEon. The spirit posessing him knows the secrets of longevity, perhaps even immortality. Unfortunately Edward Pickman Derby is an Arkham Ally and no New AEon Locations have Arkham as their subregion. Edward Pickman Derby may not be played while at a New AEon Location.
Captain Edward Norrys has as its full description
Captain Edward Norrys survived the Battle of Britain to become a British appointee to the European Space Agency. His card has no named subregion, instead using the any city special circumstance. An Ally of special circumstance is playable in any subregion of its region provided the special circumstance is met. Captain Edward Norrys is playable in any city of any subregion in Europe in the Waking World.
Only the Waking World European subregions Paris, Rome, and Scotland match subregions in New AEon dimension. By using Disturbing Portrait, Norrys may be played at a Paris, Rome, or Scotland Location with the New AEon dimension mark. Use of Disturbing Portrait does not alter the special circumstance under which the Ally must be played, so Norrys is further restricted to New AEon Locations with the city attribute. (Only Rome and Paris Locations in the New AEon have the city attribute. The New AEon Scotland Location is country, not city.)
By the New AEon, Squire Sawyer Whateley stills owns his farm in the country, though he leases the land to younger man and his son Napoleon moved to the city long ago.
The full description of Squire Sawyer Whateley is:
Squire Sawyer Whateley may be played in the New AEon only at Locations in subregions which are in Lovecraft Country in the Waking World and which satisfy the any country special circumstance. These Locations are: Lefferts Corners (Catskill Mountains), Maple Hill (Catskill Mountains), U.S. Coastguard Station (Kingsport), Wreck of the Hellene (Kingsport), Billington's Woods (Miskatonic Valley), Carlyle House Museum (New York), and Dr. MacDonald's House (New York).
The Captain of the White Ship has as its full description
The Captain of the White Ship may be played in the New AEon at Locations in subregions which are in Lovecraft Country in the Waking World or in Europe in the Waking World and which satisfy the any Water special circumstance. These Locations are: Artist Colony, Citè Tatoue, Dawn Biozyme Research Lab, Dr. MacDonald's House, Greenwich Village, Harbor Place Hotel, Louvre, McCarty's News Stand, Notre Dame, U.S. Coastguard Station, United Nations, Vatican, and Wreck of the Hellene.
All other Allies with a special circumstance are handled similarly.
Q: May I play any Ally from Lovecraft Country at Lovecraft's Grave by combining Surprise Meeting and Disturbing Portrait?
A: No. Disturbing Portrait allows you to play an Ally from the Waking World whose subregion matches your Current Subregion. When you play Surprise Meeting, it permits you to play an Ally from the same Region, but not a different Time or Dimension. The Special Effect Boxes of the two cards conflict. Because it is played after Disturbing Portrait (which is in play, so its constant effect is applied first), the Special Effect Box of Surprise Meeting supersedes the effect of Disturbing Portrait. This forbids play of an Ally from the Waking World.
Q: May I play any Ally from the Waking World by combining Keeness of Two Alike and Disturbing Portrait?
A: Except that it may be used in Combat, Keenness of Two Alike does not add any power to Disturbing Portrait. The Special Effect Box of Keenness of Two Alike reads Cast this spell upon an Ally in your Hand. Ally may be immediately played, even during Combat, but you must be legally able to play that Ally card in your current Region. Your current region is the New AEon. A legal play is restricted by the special effect of Disturbing Portrait to Allies from the Waking World playable at your current subregion.
Q: May I use Train (or another Travel Event that permits play of an Ally) in combination with Disturbing Portrait?
A: No. Travel Events do not have a subregion. The power of the Disturbing Portrait cannot be used. This is different from Keeness of Two Alike, which does not change the subregion of your Current Location and so can be used.
Q: May I use Grecian Lekythos + Resurrection or Lamp of Alhazrad to play Waking World Allies in the New AEon (because the Waking World is to the New AEon as the Past is to the Waking World).
A: No. These cards permit play only of Allies from the Past. Such Allies have the word Past in the subregion area of their cards.
Q: May I use the combination of Grecian Lekythos & Resurrection to play an Ally from the Past at a New AEon Location?
A: Only in combination with Disturbing Portrait. Every Ally from the Past is a Waking World Ally (there is no dimension mark on these cards) that have a special attribute past. Once you have supplied the means to play an Ally from the Past, they are played as any other Waking World Ally would be played at a New AEon Location.
For example, Olaus Wormius (any Europe) is playable at the Catacombs of Rome (Rome, Waking World). If your Current Location is the Porta Portese (Rome, New AEon), then the Disturbing Portrait permits you to play any Ally that may be played at the Catacombs of Rome. Olaus Wormius is playable there with Grecian Lekythos & Resurrection. You use the Disturbing Portrait to supply the dimensional change, making possible the play of any Ally playable in the Rome subregion of the Waking World, then you use the Grecian Lekythos & Resurrection to make that ally an Ally from the Past. Similarly, Joseph Curwen may be played at Lovecraft's Grave.
Q: Can Lamp of Alhazrad be used to play an Ally from the Past in the New AEon?
A: Yes; in the same manner as Grecian Lekythos & Resurrection. An Ally From the Past is a Waking World Ally which may be played at any Location (in the right subregion) with the past attribute. While Lamp of Alhazrad is rotated, it adds the past attribute to your Current New AEon Location. Disturbing Portrait permits you to play a Waking World Ally at a New AEon Location when the Ally's subregion and the New AEon Location subregion match. The only two Allies from the Past whose subregions match those in the New AEon are Olaus Wormius and Joseph Curwen.
Q: With Disturbing Portrait can I play George Birch (any Cemetery) in the New AEon dimension? Can I play Richard Upton Pickman (Corrupt Friend) at a New AEon Location.
A: Yes. George Birch has as its full description
George may be played in any of the New AEon subregions which match Waking World subregions. He must still be played at a Location with the Cemetery attribute; for example, Lovecraft's Grave. Other Waking World Allies that may be played in any Region are handled similarly.
The Special Effect box of Richard Upton Pickman permits the card to be played in the Dreamlands or the Waking World. The card Richard Upton Pickman has no dimension mark upon it, making it a Waking World card. It may be played in the New AEon similarly to George Birch.
Q: Can I use Tiara of Opulent Fantasy to change my Current Location in the New AEon dimension to a Waking World Location, then on my next turn play a Waking World Ally?
A: No. Tiara of Opulent Fantasy changes the attributes of your Current Location to match the attributes of the target Location. The dimension, region, subregion, and special effect of your Current Location are unaffected.
Q: May Tiara of Opulent Fantasy be combined with Disturbing Portrait to play an Ally from the Waking World?
A: Yes. Tiara of Opulent Fantasy changes the attributes of your Current Location to match the attributes of the target Location. The dimension, region, subregion, or special effect of your Current Location are unaffected. It's possible to change the attributes of your Current New AEon Location to allow play of additional Waking World Allies.
For example, Arthur Jermyn has as his special circumstance any house in any subregion in Europe. As other Waking World European Allies, he may be played only in the Paris, Rome, or Scotland subregion of the New AEon but still must be played at a Location with the house attribute. No New AEon Location in Paris, Rome, or Scotland has the house attribute. If Tiara of Opulent Fantasy changes the attributes of Colesseum (Artifact, City, Ruins, Outside) to match the attributes of Carlyle House Museum (Artifact, Country, Gate, House, Museum, Forest, Inside), then Arthur Jermyn may be played in the New AEon.
Q: May I use Disturbing Portrait to play a Cultist from the Waking World as a Monster?
A: Yes. Disturbing Portrait doesn't require a card be played as an Ally, it permits play of an Ally card. At Lovecraft's Grave (New AEon), the Disturbing Portrait allows Dr. Allen, a Corrupt Cultist from Providence, Waking World to be played to the Threat. Cultists from other Waking World subregions are played similarly at New AEon Locations with Gates and matching subregions.
Who Needs to Thumb a Ride? When a New AEon Adventure requires a particular subtype of Ally, use of Disturbing Portrait can increase the number of such Allies available in a single subregion, lessening the need for travel. Ashes, Ashes Azathoth requires a Corrupt Cultist. Each Corrupt Cultist in the New AEon is associated with one subregion: Ozzy Orne (Kingsport), Brother of the Yellow Sign (Rome), and Reverend Baxter Lully (Washington D.C.). With Disturbing Portrait, a single Kingsport Location can suffice to play Ozzy Orne and The Terrible Old Man. Both Brother of the Yellow Sign and Simon Orne can be played in Rome in the New AEon. The Adventure Deliverance requires a Musician. With Disturbing Portrait, Johnny Booger and Erich Zann both may be played in Paris.
You See the Family Resemblance, Don't You? Use of Disturbing Portrait permits family reunions. By hanging the Disturbing Portrait in your Investigator's Artifact area, you can play the Ornes: Simon, Granny, and Ozzy, or the Zanns: Erich & Henri. Not necessarily useful, but colourful. One family that cannot be united through the use of Disturbing Portrait is the Whateley clan, but the J. Edgar Hoover Building can be used to unite Napoleon Whateley with his unsavory and distant relatives.
I Performed My Greatest Trick of All. I Evaded Death! With brush and canvas (or a full colour bitmapped display -- this is the New AEon), four Mythos Standard Game Set Allies can be found in New York, New AEon. Surprised to be standing beside your Investigator will be Frank Belknap Long, who will translate The Zanthu Tablets from Glyphs; Harry Houdini, who in combat will perform death-defying magic (and unlike Toodee-6, Harry may wield a weapon); and Mrs. Sonia Lovecraft, who will meet her former husband and virtual intelligence Howard Lovecraft. The two cards Howard Lovecraft (New AEon) and Mrs. Sonia Lovecraft may join as a single play. Howard Lovecraft (New York, Waking World) is also playable in the New AEon by use of Disturbing Portrait and may be played joined with Mrs. Sonia Lovecraft in the New AEon. Disturbing Portrait allows play of Allies from the Waking World each turn.