
Back of a Mystic Ruins Encounter card (Moai Statues here)
A Mystic Ruins Encounter is a feature introduced in the Strange Remnants expansion. It is always in use when
Syzygy or
Antediluvium is the Ancient One, if the players use the In Cosmic Alignment or The Stars Align Preludes (or simply decide that they want to use it, although this is not an official option).
Similar to an Expedition Encounter, the Mystic Ruins deck is shuffled and put in play. The top card of the deck will specify where to put the Mystic Ruins marker. As an encounter, the player may choose to draw the first card and resolve the effect. Like an Other World Encounter or an Expedition, there is typically more than one skill check to resolve.
The most common effect from these encounters allows player to seal a Gate, no matter what space it is on. Some others grant a Relic Unique Asset, which are in abundance in the Strange Remnants expansion. Others will allow the player to gain Talents or move the Omen without triggering any negative effects.
Typically, any card that grants a bonus to an Expedition Encounter is also considered to grant a boost to a character undergoing a Mystic Ruins Encounter.
Mystic Ruins can be found on Space 2 (Mu), Space 3 (Easter Island), Space 7 (Chichen Itza), Space 8 (Atlantis), Space 9 (Hyperborea), Space 21 (Pnakotus), London (Stonehenge) or Shanghai (The Great Wall of China). Just as with Expedition Encounters, the type of space the encounter is on applies to any checks made: Spaces 2, 3, and 8 are Sea spaces, Spaces 9 and 21 are
Wilderness spaces, and Spaces 7, London, and Shanghai are
City spaces.
List of Mystic Ruins Encounters
Space 2 Encounters (Mu)
Initial Text | Pass Effect | Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
The high priest of Ythogtha calls his god forth from the Abyss of Yhe. Resolve the pass effect to help Zanthu change destiny and stop Ghatanothoa; or resolve the fail effect to steal the secret that keeps the doorways to Ythogtha sealed. | As you help, you try to convertly look at the Thirty One Secret Rituals of Yhe (![]() |
You attack a giant worm gnawing at the bonds holding Ythogtha prisoner (![]() |
T'yog, the high priest of Shub-Niggurath, intends to ascend Yaddith-Gho and face Ghatanothoa. He offers you a reward in exchange for helping him to create a scroll that will protect him from the god's terrible petrifying gaze (![]() |
T'yog rewards you with the means to seal portals between worlds. Close 1 Gate of your choice on any space. Ghatanothoa's priests are aware of your help and try to catch you unprepared (![]() |
Furious, T'yog invokes the power of the Black Goat against you (![]() |
A large dragon-like approaches a monolithic stone. At the base of the stone, some important gift appears to have been left for the creature. You try to sneak closer and take the object for yourself (![]() |
Your theft is unnoticed. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. A series of strange symbols are carved into the stone (![]() |
The lloigor binds you to servitude. Gain a Corruption Condition. You tell it of your travels (![]() |
You find a small statue hewn from something resembling jade. The stone has been carved to resemble a conical creature with a lizard head. You exploit every resource at your disposal to identify the creature (![]() |
You identify the god and begin to have nightmares about Zoth-Ommog (![]() |
In time a man with a fish-like face asks for the figurine (![]() |
This area appears to have been destroyed by some cataclysm that left behind pools of brackish green water and a great deal of residual psychic energy. You search the terrain for survivors or anything else that might be of value to you (![]() |
You find something. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. If you try to harness the energy here (![]() |
Looking down into a crevice you see severed limbs. Lose 1 Sanity. You climb down to examine the carnage (![]() |
Space 3 Encounters (Moai Statues)
Initial Text |
Pass Effect |
Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
At the bottom of a deep chasm you find an ancient text sitting near a large monolith. Sitting on top of the monolith is a statue of Cthulhu. Resolve the pass effect to examine the text; or the resolve the fail effect to examine the monolith. | The words are from R'lyeh text and offers some insight into the doors between worlds (![]() |
Tendrils of smoke stealthily wrap around you like tentacles (![]() |
Long ago the inhabitants of this island buried their high priests under stone platforms called ahus. You use the moai statues at one of these ahus to speak to the spirits of those who are buried there (![]() |
The spirit of the high priest does as you ask. Close 1 Gate of your choice on any space. The spirit then calls out to its brethren, the deep ones! You try to convince it to return it to its slumber (![]() |
You discover that the spirits here use the moai to open portals between worlds! You try to topple the statue (![]() |
You believe an ancient treasure may be hidden in the cave of the Tangata-Manu, where a high priest once lived. You ascend the slope of the volcano Ranu Kau in search of this sacred cavern (![]() |
You find it! Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. After you leave, a large bird follows you (![]() |
The search exhausts you. Gain a Back Injury Condition. You ask an old man for help (![]() |
You sense great magical energy is being stored in the large statues found here on Easter Island. You believe you know a way to tap into that arcane power (![]() |
You are shocked to see one of the statues open its eyes (![]() |
As you examine the statues, a figure lurks in the shadows (![]() |
You were told of a submerged chamber just off the island of Moto Nui beneath the water's surface. You search the sea floor for a sign of this hidden cavern (![]() |
You find a lost treasure! Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. There is writing on the walls, but you are almost out of air (![]() |
You are struck by a deep one! Gain 1 Injury Condition. You try to drive it off with a protective symbol (![]() |
Space 7 Encounters (Chichen Itza)
Initial Text |
Pass Effect |
Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
You patiently spend the evening in the ancient observatory, El Caracol. From here, you search the night sky as stars and planets pass overhead (![]() |
The light from Venus reveals a hidden panel. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. Behind the object is a heavy stone dial (![]() |
You fall asleep and dream of talking to an ancient Mayan astronomer about the stars (![]() |
Chichen Itza is located on a plantation belonging to Edward Herbert Thompson. The Mexican government has seized the land, accusing him of stealing from the ruins. You search his abandoned home for hidden treasures (![]() |
You find a strange object! Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. You ask the local villagers for permission to take it (![]() |
You find a trap door that leads to a series of tunnels. Strange sounds echo from the darkness (![]() |
If you know the proper ritual, the sacred well located here can be used to contact the Mayan gods who dwell in the underworld. a realm known as Xilbalba (![]() |
Your request has been answered. Close 1 Gate of your choice on any space. In return, the gods demand a sacrifice! You feel compelled to dive into the well (![]() |
The ritual backfires and a skeleton begins to crawl up from the well. You hope to hide from it (![]() |
Despite his wrathful nature, Yig can be merciful to those who show proper respect to his children. At this temple he was worshiped as the snake god Kukulcan. You try to show proper veneration (![]() |
You follow a snake-like shadow up the side of the temple (![]() |
Serpent people surround you, and you ask for mercy (![]() |
Men dressed in the skins of jaguars challenge you to play a traditional Mayan ball game. Resolve the pass effect to play the game; or resolve the fail effect to reject the challenge. | The game is physically exhausting (![]() |
The men become violent, but you claim to be a high priest, wise in the ways of the gods (![]() |
Space 8 Encounters (Atlantis)
Initial Text | Pass Effect | Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
The high priest Klarkash-Ton foretells a great disaster coming to Atlantis. Resolve the pass effect to work with him to change destiny; or resolve the fail effect to find a way to escape using his knowledge of the doorways between world. | You listen carefully as he researches ways to save Atlantis (![]() |
The end is nigh! You try to rescue Klarkash-To from a collapsing temple (![]() |
As you navigate through the concentric rings of streets and canals that make up the city, you hear Senzar, the language of Atlantis. Through careful study you hope to master this strange and esoteric vocabulary (![]() |
You eloquently strike a bargain with Atlantean priests to protect the future. Close 1 Gate of your choice on any space. In return, you help them to build a temple (![]() |
Lacking the words, you offer Atlantean priests wealth in exchange for help (![]() |
Atlanteans have been disappearing into an ornate temple. You are told the statue of a young man outside the temple is actually a horrid god named Gloon, trapped in this stone form. You carefully watch the temple to see who enters (![]() |
You see a priest entranced by an odd object. Gain 1 Relic Unique Assets. Once you have it, you feel a dark compulsion (![]() |
Gloon's priests covertly hide a progane object in your fear. Gain 1 Bane Condition. You research the thing (![]() |
The seers of Atlantis teach you to invoke Daoloth so that you may learn the secrets of the future. You try your best to master the complicated rites and call forth the Render of the Veils (![]() |
Even the slightest glimpse of Daoloth is mind shattering (![]() |
The rites fail but you eavesdrop on the whispering seers (![]() |
Many Atlantean bear an unmistakably fish-like appearance, marking them as the hybrid children of deep ones. You attempt to steal precious object from the temples in which they worship Dagon (![]() |
You succeed. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. Glyphs adorn the walls (![]() |
The hybrids violently stop you! Lose 1 Health. You ask for help and promise to keep their secrets (![]() |
Space 9 Encounters (Hyperborea)
Initial Text | Pass Effect | Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
As the cold grows worse, the Voormis raid human villages. Resolve the pass effect to learn how the subhuman bandits plan to escape their fate; or resolve the fail effect to convince the humans to leave using their knowledge of portals. | In a case you find the legendary Voormish tablets (![]() |
You plead with the Hyperboreans to abandon their homes (![]() |
On a frozen mountaintop you find a crude painting of a monstrous god sleeping on his throne. In the picture, hairy creature that walk on six legs surround the throne. The image is framed by unsettling symbols (![]() |
You translate the secret to closing doors to distant realms. Close 1 Gate of your choice on any space. You are interrupted by a gnoph-keh, from which you try to hide (![]() |
As you struggle, you are attacked by a gnoph-keh (![]() |
The blasphemous wizard Eibon has disappeared from his tower. The inquisitors of Yhoundeh are eager to punish him for his dark worship of Zhothaqquah, and you agree to assist in their relentless search (![]() |
You find the treasure room. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. You pass through a door that leads to a distant planet (![]() |
You find corpses near the shrine to Zhothaqquah. Lose 1 Sanity. You examine the bodies (![]() |
The inquisitors of Yhoundeh accuse you of being a blasphemer! They question you for hours to determine if you are knowledgeable in the rites and customs related to the worship of the elk-headed goddess (![]() |
After proving yourself, you pray to Yhoundeh for help (![]() |
They attack you as a heretic (![]() |
The wizard Zon Mezzamalech lets you gaze into his crystal that can show all of time and space. You carefully watch all the events that relate to the imminent return of the dark gods, looking for anything that might help (![]() |
Impressed, the wizard rewards you. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. You spy on dark rites (![]() |
You view the primal god Ubblo-Sathla. Lose 1 Sanity. You fight to escape this vision (![]() |
Space 21 Encounters (Pnakotus)
Initial Text | Pass Effect | Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
The Yithians migrate to the future and the minds now trapped in their old bodies face flying polyps. Resolve the pass effect to save them and use what they know to alter fate; or resolve the fail effect to see if they can save themselves through portal. | You attempt to use a Pnakotic pentagon (![]() |
It is horrifying to watch these creatures be torn apart (![]() |
You find several of the Yithians' lightning guns that have been discarded after ceasing to operate. You disassemble them in the hopes of understand the complex mechanics involved in harnessing such powerful energies (![]() |
You adjust the devices to repair rifts torn between dimensions. Close1 Gate of your choice on any space. Then a very small red light on the device begins to flash (![]() |
The item malfunctions and shows you all potential futures, most of which are bleak (![]() |
One of the strange conical beings shows you a picture of a specific leafy plant and directs you to a vast, lush garden. You search the assorted flora there for any specimens that match the image you were shown (![]() |
You find a rare object by the plant. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. You speak to the Yithian (![]() |
You spend too long in the sun. Lose 1 Health. As you search, a carnivorous plant grabs you (![]() |
You find yourself alone on an airship powered by electrical repulsion, You examine both the engine and its controls, trying to figure out how to launch and pilot the bizarre craft and eventually see more of this ancient era (![]() |
Once in the air, you search the night sky for familiar stars (![]() |
You ask a Yithian for help (![]() |
You believe that at some point in your future you will be here, trapped in the body of a Yithian. You search the City of the Great Race, looking to find your future self, stuck in the form of one of these creatures (![]() |
The other you offers a gift. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. He then writes a cryptic warning (![]() |
You fear you are being followed. Gain a Paranoia Condition. You future self attacks (![]() |
London Encounters (Stonehenge)
Initial Text |
Pass Effect |
Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
Long before these stones were used by the servants of Yog-Sothoth, they were part of a larger structure built by the elder things to trap creatures from other worlds. You try to contact any being still imprisoned here (![]() |
You awaken a servitor of the outer gods! It is weakened, but it tries to overpower you (![]() |
Something invades your thoughts. You try to talk to this alien mind (![]() |
A man and a woman are arguing over the stones' occult significance. He claims they open doorways to other worlds. She says they measure the stars. Resolve the pass effect to agree with the man; or resolve the fail effect to agree with the woman. | Exasperated, the woman leaves. You ask the man to tell you more about these portals (![]() |
The man storms off. The woman tries to show you certain stars (![]() |
According to one legend, the wizard Merlin moved the stones here magically from Ireland to honor knights that fell in battle and to protect a powerful treasure that he had acquired. You search the area for any sign of this lose item (![]() |
You make a discovery! Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. Taking the item, your thoughts are flooded with lose arcana (![]() |
A long dead knight protects what you seek. Lose 1 Sanity. You try to identify him by his heraldry (![]() |
Cultists in robes and hoods are in the middle of a ritual to invoke Yog-Sothoth! You try to approach without being seen to interrupt their work (![]() |
You steal an item used in the ritual. Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. Yog-Sothoth fills you mind (![]() |
The cultists bind you with an enchanting chain. You try to undo their magic (![]() |
Cultists have been here enacting some ritual. You think you can undo the effects of their work by analyzing the items they left behind and the symbols they drew (![]() |
That which they have opened, you can shut. Close 1 Gate of your choice on any space. While you are undoing the ritual, the police arrive and accuse you of vandalizing the area. You try to escape (![]() |
A storm begins and the winds threaten to sweep you away. You fight to complete your task (![]() |
Shanghai Encounters (Great Wall of China)
Initial Text |
Pass Effect |
Fail Effect |
---|---|---|
Untold numbers of laborers died during the centuries of construction of these walls and their lingering souls can be harnessed by someone with the proper arcane skill (![]() |
You seek the aid of the dead (![]() |
You are possessed! Gain an Amnesia Condition. When you recover, you look around (![]() |
Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of a wall not just to defend his empire, but also as a safe place to hide important treasures. You search the masonry for entrance to hidden chambers (![]() |
You succeed! Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset and you find arcane words left by Xu Fu (![]() |
Several of the stones collapse on to you (![]() |
At the Temple of Lady Meng Jiang, you carefully study the couplet hanging from the columns. You believe a careful analysis will reveal a deeper meaning (![]() |
The spirit of Lady Meng Jiang manifests and helps you in your quest. Close 1 Gate of your choice on any space. In her presence you are overwhelmed by her terrible sorrow (![]() |
You ask a young, sad-looking woman to help you with the translation (![]() |
It is said that the wall was built in part to defend against a cult of undying Cthulhu worshipers who reside in the mountains of China. You search this legendary area for signs of the cult (![]() |
You find a hidden temple! Gain 1 Relic Unique Asset. You try to purge the evil from this place (![]() |
The cult floods your mind with horrific images! Lose 1 Sanity. The nightmares continue for weeks (![]() |
A stranger stands outside Jiayugian and asks for your permission to pass. You remember that this place was once called the Gate of the Demons. Resolve the pass effect to forbid him to enter; or resolve the fail effect to allow him to pass. | The man grows angry and tries to force his way past you (![]() |
After he goes by, you hunt him down (![]() |