Arkham Horror: The Card Game – Black Stars Rise: Mythos Pack Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Scenario VII: Black Stars Rise
  • Setup
  • Dual Agendas
  • Standalone Mode
• Suggested Location Placement for Black Stars Rise
• Resolutions

Scenario VII: Black Stars Rise

Check Campaign Log. If Ashleigh Clarke is listed under VIPs Interviewed: Proceed to Ashleigh's Information. Otherwise, skip to Setup.

Ashleigh's Information: You recall the night where this all began, and your thoughts drift to the mesmerizing song Ashleigh sang that night. Somehow you remember the lyrics perfectly after all this time, and its haunting melody is ingrained in your mind. "Above the city the storm clouds rage, and waves crash through the gilded cage… Below the earth the salt water seeps, the shadows fall as the red sun sleeps…" Studying the island that lies before you, illuminated by flashes of lighting and assaulted by tumultuous waves, you can't help but wonder if Ashleigh was singing about this very moment.

• During this scenario, as a triggered ability, an investigator may remove 1 doom from an agenda in play. (Group limit once per game.)

Proceed to Setup.

Setup

• Gather all cards from the following encounter sets: Black Stars Rise, Evil Portents, Byakhee, Inhabitants of Carcosa, The Stranger, Dark Cult, and Ancient Evils. These sets are indicated by the following icons: [encounter-set icons, one per set, as printed].

  Be aware that some cards from the Black Stars Rise encounter set have multiple versions, some with The Flood Below encounter set icon on their reverse side, and some with The Vortex Above encounter set icon on their reverse side. These encounter sets are indicated by the following icons: [The Flood Below icon and The Vortex Above icon, as printed].

• Based on your difficulty level, add the following chaos token to the chaos bag for the remainder of the campaign:

  • Easy: –3.
  • Standard: –5.
  • Hard: –6.
  • Expert: –7.

• Sort each copy of the following cards into two separate piles, based on the encounter set icon on their reverse side: Agenda 2a—Let The Storm Rage, Agenda 2c—The Entity Above, Chapel of St. Aubert, and Abbey Tower.

  • You should have two piles of exactly four cards. Each pile should have one copy of each of the above listed cards. The cards in the first pile should have The Flood Below encounter set icon on their reverse side, and the cards in the second pile should have The Vortex Above encounter set icon on their reverse side.
  • Flip each pile over so that only the Black Stars Rise encounter set icon is showing. Randomize the two piles so you cannot tell which is which.
  • Choose one pile at random to remove from the game and one pile at random to use throughout this scenario's setup. Do not look at the reverse sides of any of the cards in either pile.

Dual Agendas

During this scenario, there are two agenda decks. One represents a means for you and your allies to open the path to Carcosa, and leads to one of the two set-aside act cards. The other represents a means for Hastur to escape into our world, and spells demise for Earth.

When playing this scenario, while there are two agenda decks in play, players must observe the following additional rules:

• Whenever 1 or more doom is placed on "the current agenda," the players may decide which of the two agendas to place this doom on.
• Doom on cards other than the two agendas (such as enemies, locations, or assets) count towards the doom threshold of both agendas.
• When one agenda advances, doom on the other agenda is not removed. All other doom in play is removed.
• If the doom thresholds of both agendas are satisfied during the "Check doom threshold" step of the Mythos phase, choose only one agenda to advance. Then, once you have completed advancing that agenda, check the doom threshold of the other agenda and advance it if its doom threshold is still satisfied.

Standalone Mode

If you are playing in Standalone Mode and do not wish to refer to any other setup/resolutions, you may use the information below when setting up and playing this scenario:

• Assemble the chaos bag using the following tokens: +1, 0, 0, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –3, –3, –4, –5, three Skull tokens, and two further tokens printed as icons [two chaos token icons, names not confirmed from the glyph set].
• Randomly choose one of the following tokens (Cultist, Tablet, or Elder Thing). Add 2 of the chosen token to the chaos bag.
• The lead investigator adds The Man in the Pallid Mask weakness (The Path to Carcosa #59) to his or her deck.
• Do not take any additional weaknesses as instructed in this Setup.
• Ashleigh Clarke is not listed under VIPs Interviewed or VIPs Slain.

Suggested Location Placement for Black Stars Rise

The printed page shows a suggested layout of the locations. The layout is: North Tower above the centre; Abbey Church, Broken Steps, and Outer Wall in a row beneath it, with Broken Steps in the middle; Grand Rue below the centre; and Porte de l'Avancée at the bottom. The printed text of each location is reproduced below.

• North Tower (Location): The north tower along the outer wall overlooks the town on one side and the tumultuous waters on the other. Freezing rain has made this path slippery and dangerous to follow.
• Abbey Church (Location): The path leading to the Abbey Church is blocked. As an additional cost for you to enter the Abbey Church, investigators at Broken Steps must spend 3 clues, as a group. You'll have to find a path not blocked by debris and rubble in order to reach the abbey.
• Broken Steps (Location): Bolts of lightning silhouette the abbey above. A path of long, winding steps leads up the hill, branching into multiple routes as you draw nearer to the abbey.
• Outer Wall (Location): The outer wall of the city defends it from the wrath of the tides, and also from conquering invaders.
• Grand Rue (Location): Mont Saint-Michel's main road courses around the abbey, lined with shops and homes for fishermen and farmers.
• Porte de l'Avancée (Location): This gateway serves as an entrance to the Grand Rue during high tide, when a boat is the only means of reaching the city.

Resolutions

Do not read until the end of the scenario.

If no resolution was reached (each investigator was defeated): Go to Resolution 3.

Resolution 1: You hold your breath as you swim through freezing water toward the spires below. As you get closer, you see ripples throughout the water, as though you are peering into a reflection upon the sea's surface. You break through the surface and gasp as air fills your lungs.

• In your Campaign Log, record that you opened the path below.
• Remove all Cultist, Tablet, and Elder Thing tokens from the chaos bag. Then, add 2 Cultist tokens and 2 Tablet tokens to the chaos bag.
• If Ashleigh Clarke (Songs Die Unheard) is in the victory display, record her name in your Campaign Log, under "VIPs Slain."
• Each investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.

Resolution 2: You marvel at the cloud-waves encircling you and fly toward the spires above. The desolate and inscrutable city of Carcosa towers before you. You suddenly realize you are falling—not floating—and a pulling force takes hold of your body.

• In your Campaign Log, record that you opened the path above.
• Remove all Cultist, Tablet, and Elder Thing tokens from the chaos bag. Then, add 2 Cultist tokens and 2 Elder Thing tokens to the chaos bag.
• If Ashleigh Clarke (Songs Die Unheard) is in the victory display, record her name in your Campaign Log, under "VIPs Slain."
• Each investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.

Resolution 3: When you awaken, you are sitting in the choeur gothique of Mont Saint-Michel's abbey. No rain pelts the glass of the windows above, and you hear no thunder, nor the screeching of winged horrors overhead. Somehow, you had escaped the island's certain doom. You creep to the door of the abbey and open it with trepidation. A dazzling light sears your eyes, and you lift your hand to block the glare of two suns. You stand overlooking the Lake of Hali. Black stars hang in the heavens above. Beyond, over leagues of tossing cloud-waves, the towers of Carcosa rise behind the shattered moon.

• You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?
• In your Campaign Log, record that the realm of Carcosa merged with our own, and Hastur rules over them both.
• Each investigator is driven insane.
• The investigators lose the campaign.