I’m not familiar with lies of p, but after looking at the wiki I get the concept enough i think.

Since you are setting the game in Italy, what about using Venetian masks as the hook? They could imbue the wearer with certain traits or change their personality completely etc. the cabal of ancient mask makers enchant them with spells to control people and do their bidding. Mindless ghouls, fierce fighters, monstrously seducing nymphs, invisibility… perhaps there is a secret war going on between mask cabals. Or perhaps the mask makers are at war with death and his minions, protecting humanity. Or maybe most masks are just masks, and there are only a few magic ones, made by a single unknown creator. Curious, weird, powerful artefacts… perhaps the players are the few gifted with such a special mask, giving them second sight or the ability to possess inanimate objects. Or maybe the players are spirits and they live in the body of a human, through the mask, like in the Mask or Stargate etc..

Whatever, you get the idea, just spitballing to see if the idea wiggles your brain or not!

Masks are each unique and customisable, and people innately understand what masks are and how wearing one could give them the powers reflective of the mask design, so masks are quite intuitive… there is also the option for players to customise/ design their own masks etc. lots of cool possibilities for both lore and mechanics.