The moon, now near the zenith, shone weirdly and vividly above the towering steeps that hemmed in the chasm, and revealed the fact that a far-flung body of water flowed at the bottom, winding out of sight in both directions, and almost lapping my feet as I stood on the slope. Across the chasm, the wavelets washed the base of the Cyclopean monolith, on whose surface I could now trace both inscriptions and crude sculptures.
–H. P. Lovecraft, Dagon

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Shadow of the Monolith, the sixth and final Asylum Pack in the Ancient Relics cycle for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game!

In the first quarter of 2012, players worldwide will pull back the final veils of the Ancient Relics cycle and the Ancient Ones’ global reach. However, the 60 cards (3 copies each of 20 different cards) in Shadow of the Monolith aren’t for the feint of heart, and as the different factions of Call of Cthulhu travel to the South Pacific, they are greeted by malevolent cultists and their dark spells. Who will prosper as the final secrets of the Ancient Relics cycle are revealed? Who will fall mad or die along the way?

Dark knowledge revealed

The quest for powerful Relics reaches a feverish pitch under the Shadow of the Monolith, but the different factions of Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game still know little of how these artifacts gain their powers or survive through the eras, disappearing and reappearing at the strangest of intervals.

One Servitor of the Ancient Ones may know more about their designs than he’ll ever share. Still, players who find room in their plans for The Sanguine Watcher (Shadow of the Monolith, 124) may benefit from his long gazes deep, deep into the darkness and the weaves of fate. Ally yourself to The Sanguine Watcher, and you may catch glimpses of the future that can steer you to power. But at what cost to your soul?

You can tell from The Sanguine Watcher’s sardonic grin that he knows more than he’ll share. Still, those who are willing to invest and pay of themselves, they gain a limited measure of control over the fabrics of fate. By looking at your opponent’s deck and reordering the cards, you can shield yourself against unexpected Actions and Disrupts. When you know they’re coming, you can prepare for them, and if you’re willing to give more fully, The Sanguine Watcher even affords you some measure of control over your opponent’s ability to find the cards he needs when he needs them.

Look at The Sanguine Watcher’s expression, and imagine his sadistic glee when your opponent struggles to keep a foothold on the board, tries to draw characters, flailing desperately, but manages only to draw into attachments or events that can have no immediate effect…

Dark magic to strengthen your cause

A deck based around The Sanguine Watcher’s control may suffer if you don’t draw him early, but followers of Yog-Sothoth can summon a similar effect through dark magic. The Spell, Song of Charybdis (Shadow of the Monolith, 128) grants you knowledge of and control over your opponent’s draw. Plus, as a Spell, it reduces the cost of Yog-Sothoth (Core Set, 101) when it’s in your discard pile, and it can be recycled with Chant of Thoth (Secrets of Arkham, 35). As with The Sanguine Watcher, the more you pay for Song of Charybdis, the greater the chaos you can sow.

Face the storms of the South Pacific, and unveil the last hidden secrets of the Ancient Relics cycle for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game with Shadow of the Monolith. Will your sanity survive the trials? The Shadow of the Monolith spreads across the game in the first quarter of 2012.