The Chalk-Mother’s Toll

A Folk Horror Scenario for Call of Cthulhu (1930s)

This adventure takes place in the South Downs, Sussex, during a heatwave in July 1934. The thin soil over the white chalk is parched, and the locals are whispering about “The Thirst of the Hills.”

Running a folk horror sandbox requires a delicate balance: the players must feel the vast, airy freedom of the Sussex Downs while slowly realizing the “walls” of the sandbox are made of ancient, hungry chalk.

Keepers Notes

Here are the Keeper Notes to ensure your rambling party stays on the path—until the path disappears.

I. The Starting Hook: The “Plough & Harrow”

Don’t start on the road. Start in the village of Steyning at the Plough & Harrow pub.

The Atmosphere: It’s a blistering July morning. The locals are quiet, drinking cider in the shade. The investigators are checking their maps and finishing a “Ploughman’s Lunch.”
The NPC Interaction: The publican, a weathered man named Silas, warns them: “Stay to the high ridges, masters. The ‘bottoms’ are a bit soft this time of year. And if you see a black motor-car parked where it shouldn’t be… don’t go lookin’ for the driver. Some folk go to the hills to be found; others go to stay lost.”
The Departure: Have them set off with Toby barking at a butterfly. Use the first mile to establish the “Rambler” vibe: birdwatching, checking the compass, and the whistling of Percy Thistlethwaite as he overtakes them, mocking their “slow city legs.”

II. Keeping Them in the Sandbox

The South Downs are wide, but the horror is localized. Use these “Invisible Fences” to keep them from wandering off to Brighton:

The “Sea Fret” (The Mist): A thick, cloying fog rolls in from the English Channel. It tastes of salt and old bone. If they try to walk away from the Elm Ring, the mist becomes so thick they find themselves walking in circles, eventually stumbling back onto the Rolls-Royce.
The Geographic Trap: The “bottoms” (valleys) between the ridges act as natural funnels. The slopes are slippery with dry grass (like walking on ice). The easiest path—the path of least resistance—always leads toward the Elm Copse.
Toby’s Instinct: If the players are truly lost or heading the wrong way, use Toby. He catches a scent (perhaps Lady Diana’s perfume or Percy’s blood) and bolts toward the plot. No investigator is going to leave a Jack Russell alone in a haunted wood.

III. Pacing the Horror

Phase 1 (The Pastoral): Beautiful views, skylarks singing, the “mystery” of the empty car. It feels like a detective story.
Phase 2 (The Uncanny): Meeting Robin Goodfellow. He is the “Guide” who isn’t a guide. He should frustrate them with riddles. If they get aggressive, have him vanish into a tree, leaving only the smell of his pipe.
Phase 3 (The Visceral): The attack on Percy. This is the “Safety Off” moment. Show them the Scutters aren’t ghosts—they are physical, biting, dirty things.
Phase 4 (The Claustrophobic): The transition from the wide-open hills to the suffocatingly narrow flint mines. Use SIZ/DEX rolls to emphasize how “un-human” the tunnels are.

IV. Keeper Tips for the “Folk” Aesthetic

Contrast the 1930s with the Neolithic: Use the investigators’ modern gear (Leica cameras, silver flasks, Rolls-Royces) as a contrast to the flint, chalk, and bone of the Underworld. The modern world is “brittle”; the Old World is “heavy.”
Sensory Overload: Emphasize the White and the Red. The blinding white of the chalk dust and the vivid red of the blood.
Robin’s Tone: Run Robin like a jaded civil servant. He’s not a cackling villain; he’s a man doing a job he’s bored with. He should treat the investigators like annoying tourists who have arrived five minutes before closing time.

V. The “Safe” Out

If the players are truly struggling or about to TPK (Total Party Kill) in the tunnels, have Toby reappear. The dog knows the “back ways”—the rabbit runs that are too small for Scutters but just large enough for a frantic, crawling human. It will cost them their dignity and their expensive rambling gear, but they’ll live.

Players Handout

SOUTHERN PATHFINDERS’ GUIDE: THE CROWN OF THE DOWNS

CHANCTONBURY RING: A VISTA OF ANTIQUITY

Rising some 780 feet above the sea-level, the majestic summit of Chanctonbury Ring stands as the undisputed “Sovereign of the South Downs.” For the modern rambler setting out from the charming village of Steyning, the ascent offers not merely a bracing exercise for the lungs, but a journey backward through the very mists of British history.

A Sylvan Sanctuary
The Ring is most famously distinguished by its coronet of dark, brooding Beech trees. Planted in 1760 by the young Charles Goring of Wiston Park—who, it is said, carried water up the steep scarp in bottles to nourish the saplings—the grove has grown into a landmark visible across half of Sussex. On a clear day, the discerning eye may look north across the patchwork Weald to the distant heights of Leith Hill, or south to the glittering expanse of the English Channel.

Echoes of the Ancients
Long before the Goring family graced these slopes, the Ring served as a fortress of the Iron Age. The great earthwork ramparts, still clearly visible to the observant walker, once sheltered our Celtic forebears. Excavations by learned antiquarians have even unearthed the foundations of a Roman temple, suggesting that for millennia, men have climbed this height to seek communion with the heavens—or perhaps to appease older, more shadowed powers that dwell within the chalk.

Folklore & Fancy
The local shepherds, a hardy and reticent breed, speak of the Ring with a peculiar reverence. Legend holds that should a rambler run seven times around the dark grove on a midsummer night, the Devil himself will appear to offer a bowl of milk or soup in exchange for one’s soul. While the modern, scientific mind will rightly scoff at such “hill-talk,” one cannot deny the singular, heavy silence that descends when the sea-mist (or “fret”) rolls in, swallowing the trees in a white, ghostly shroud.

Notes for the Pedestrian:

Approach: The climb via the Borstal path is steep; stout ash-plants and hobnailed boots are highly recommended.
Refreshment: No water is to be found upon the heights. Ramblers are advised to fill their canteens at The Plough & Harrow before departing Steyning.
A Courtesy: Visitors are reminded that the Ring is part of the Wiston Estate. Please leave all gates as you find them and disturb neither the livestock nor the ancient silence of the grove.

“He who has not stood upon Chanctonbury has not truly seen England.”

The Ramblers

Here are three investigators designed for the 1934 “rambling” craze. They have just enough utility to survive the Downs, but their low Sanity or physical frailty makes them vulnerable to the “Chalk-Mother.”

1. Arthur “Artie” Penhaligon (Age 42)

The Disillusioned Great War Veteran
Artie finds the quiet of the Downs the only thing that silences the “guns in his head.” He’s the group’s navigator and the only one who won’t freeze when the Scutters attack.

STR: 60 | CON: 50 | SIZ: 70 | DEX: 45 | INT: 65
APP: 40 | POW: 50 | EDU: 60 | SAN: 42 | HP: 12
Key Skills: * Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun): 55% (Carries a break-action .410 poacher’s gun in his pack).
- Navigate: 60% (Essential for the mist-shrouded hills).
- Track: 40% (To follow the Scutters’ strange prints).
- First Aid: 45% (Patched up many a lad in the mud).
Equipment: Stout ash walking stick (1d6+db), heavy wool coat, tinned peaches, .410 shotgun (2 shells left).

2. Beatrice “Bea” Winthrop (Age 29)

The Aspiring Folklorist
Bea is a graduate student from London. She’s convinced “Robin Goodfellow” is just a charming local myth—until he starts talking back. Her knowledge is the only thing that can decipher the ritual in the Marrow Chamber.

STR: 40 | CON: 45 | SIZ: 50 | DEX: 65 | INT: 80
APP: 60 | POW: 70 | EDU: 85 | SAN: 70 | HP: 9
Key Skills: * Occult: 65% (Recognizes the signs of Shub-Niggurath).
- Library Use: 70% (She brought a book on Neolithic flint mines).
- Persuade: 50% (To try and talk Robin into a deal).
- Spot Hidden: 50% (To notice the trapdoors in the chalk).
Equipment: Leica camera, notebook filled with sketches, magnifying glass, a silver hip flask of gin.

3. “Gentleman” George Pringle (Age 34)

The Bank Clerk with a “Heart Condition”
George is out here because his doctor told him he needed “fresh air and vigorous exercise.” He is the least prepared for horror, but his sheer desperation to keep his trousers clean makes him surprisingly agile. George has a dog.

STR: 50 | CON: 40 | SIZ: 55 | DEX: 75 | INT: 70
APP: 55 | POW: 45 | EDU: 75 | SAN: 45 | HP: 9
Key Skills: * Climb: 60% (Good at scrambling up chalk faces in a panic).
- Dodge: 65% (His primary survival strategy).
- Listen: 50% (He’s twitchy and hears the Scutters first).
- Luck: 60% (He tends to trip exactly when a tentacle swings).
Equipment: Expensive leather boots (now ruined), a pocket watch, a box of matches, a map of Sussex that is woefully out of date.

The Group Dynamic

Artie has the “grit,” Bea has the “know-how,” and George has the “luck.”

The Stretching Point: None of them have high CON. A long crawl through the suffocating “Crawlways” (requiring CON rolls to avoid exhaustion or panic) will be their greatest hurdle before they even see the Dark Young.

To heighten the tension before the investigators reach the car, they should encounter Percy “Pebble” Thistlethwaite, a veteran member of the Southern Pathfinders Rambling Club.

Percy is the “expert” who represents everything safe and jolly about 1930s hiking—until the Downs decide to eat him.

NPC: Percy “Pebble” Thistlethwaite

The “Old Hand” of the High Weald

Appearance: A man in his late 50s, dressed in dangerously short corduroy knickerbockers, a Fair Isle sweater, and a jaunty feathered cap. He carries a massive, overstuffed canvas rucksack and a topographical map held in a waterproof case.
Personality: Boisterous, condescendingly helpful, and prone to blowing a silver scout whistle to signal “all clear.” He thinks the “Fairy Rings” of Sussex are just interesting fungal growths.

“Right then, lads! Keep your chins up and your boots greased! There’s nothing in these hills but chalk, flint, and the occasional grumpy sheep. Follow the white blaze and you’ll be in Steyning for a pint by sundown!”

The Encounter: The Whistle in the Mist

As the investigators are navigating a sudden, thick “sea fret” (coastal mist) near the Elm Copse, they hear the frantic, repetitive peep-peep-peep of a scout whistle.

The Discovery: They find Percy’s rucksack first. It has been shredded from the bottom up, as if by small, serrated saws. A trail of “trail mix” (raisins and nuts) is scattered toward a dense thicket of gorse.
The Sight: They find Percy backed against a lightning-struck Elm. He is no longer “jolly.” His stout ash walking stick is snapped in two.
The Attack: The investigators arrive just as the Scutters (the feral children) emerge from the chalk-burrows beneath the roots. They don’t jump; they flow out like pale, hairless spiders.

The End of Percy

Percy looks at the investigators, his eyes bulging. He tries to blow his whistle one last time, but a small, pale hand—its fingers too long, its nails like flint chips—reaches up and clamps over his mouth.

“They… they aren’t sheep, lads,” he gurgles through the fingers. “The hills… they’ve got teeth.”

The Action: A dozen Scutters swarm him. They don’t use weapons; they use their weight to pull him down into a “Swallow Hole” hidden by the grass.
The Sound: The investigators hear the sickening crunch of his Fair Isle sweater tearing, followed by a sound like a dry branch snapping—Percy’s femur.
The Result: By the time the investigators reach the hole, Percy is gone. All that remains is his silver whistle, lying on a patch of white chalk that is rapidly turning a dark, muddy crimson.

Sanity Check

Seeing a seasoned outdoorsman—the very symbol of “safe” English rambling—reduced to meat by pale, chattering toddlers:

Sanity Loss: 1/1d6+1

The Clue

If an investigator retrieves Percy’s map from the bloodied grass, they find he had circled the Elm Ring in frantic red pencil with the word: “THIRSTY.”

The Locations

I. Background: The Old Way of the Downs

The Neolithic flint mines of the Downs are not merely archaeological curiosities; they are the capillaries of Shub-Niggurath. For millennia, a local “pact” kept the hills quiet: a life for the harvest. The Enclosure Acts and modern farming broke these traditions, leaving the resident spirit—a cynical, fading avatar named Robin Goodfellow—with a quota he can no longer fill.

Robin has resorted to using “The Scutters”—inbred, devolved descendants of a Bronze Age cult—to snatch “high-quality” sacrifices from the new motor-roads to appease the Dark Young slumbering in the chalk.

II. The Investigation: The Abandoned Phantom

The Investigators are “Ramblers,” part of the 1930s hiking craze. While walking the South Downs Way, they find the Rolls-Royce Phantom II.

The Car: Inspection shows no mechanical failure. The ignition is still on, the battery drained. Inside is a vanity case belonging to Lady Diana Standish.
The Prints: Track or Spot Hidden reveals barefoot prints of children, but the big toe is offset like a thumb, and the weight distribution suggests they run on all fours.
The Trail: A path of crushed wildflowers leads into Chanctonbury Ring—a real-life hill fort known for its dark folklore—specifically a dense, unmapped copse of dying Elm trees.

III. The Elm Copse (The Threshold)

The air here is 10 degrees cooler. The Elms are suffering from Dutch Elm Disease (which began appearing in the 30s), looking like skeletal claws.

Encounter: Robin Goodfellow. He sits on a stump, wearing a tattered tweed suit and a bowler hat made of dried leaves. He is smoking “Black Shag” tobacco.
Interaction: He is jaded. “She’s downstairs, gents. Being seasoned. The Mother likes a bit of blue blood; says it tastes like copper and arrogance.” He won’t fight unless provoked, preferring to mock the investigators’ “silly little maps.”

Robin Goodfellow doesn’t lie—that’s too modern and clumsy. Instead, he speaks in “Chalk-Truths,” where the facts are correct but the perspective is ancient and utterly indifferent to human survival.

IV. The Swallow Hole (The Descent)

Hidden by brambles is a vertical shaft.

The Climb: A Climb or DEX roll is needed. Halfway down, the chalk walls turn from white to a bruised, fleshy pink.
The Scutter Ambush: The feral children drop from the shadows. They don’t use weapons; they try to bite and drag investigators into “The Squeeze”—narrow side-tunnels where humans can’t turn around.

V. The Marrow Chamber (The Heart)

A massive cavern of pure white chalk. Lady Diana is suspended in a web of pulsating tree roots.

The Horror: The roots aren’t just holding her; they are feeding her milk-white sap while drawing her blood. She is semi-conscious, babbling about “The Goat with a Thousand Young.”
The Guardian: A Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath is rooted here, disguised as a massive, gnarled subterranean tree trunk. It awakens if Diana is touched.

When the Investigators finally breach the Marrow Chamber, the scene is a nightmare of biological industry. The cavern walls are not stone, but a calcified, pulsing membrane. Lady Diana Standish is no longer sitting or standing; she is being woven into the “heart” of the Dark Young.

The Scene: The Living Chalk

Diana’s lower body is encased in a white, porcelain-like substance that is slowly merging with the roots of the Dark Young. Her eyes are wide, glassy, and leaking a milky white fluid. She isn’t struggling; she is vibrating in sync with the low-frequency thrum of the cave.

The Investigators find her just as she begins her “Final Testimony.”

The Dialogue: Lady Diana’s Sanity-Bending Revelation

When they first approach:

“Hush, little walkers… can’t you hear the hills breathing? It’s so much louder than the Rolls. The car was just a toy… a shiny beetle on the back of a sleeping giant. I thought I was running away from a marriage… but I was just running back to the Mother.”

If Artie tries to pull her free (The Physical Shock):
As he touches her, her skin feels cold as ice and as hard as flint. She doesn’t flinch, but the Dark Young above them shudders.

“Don’t tug at the stitches, dear. The roots are my veins now. I can feel every rabbit burrow in Sussex… I can feel the rain falling three miles away… it’s so thirsty. The white earth doesn’t want my dowry, Artie… it wants my marrow. It wants the red to turn to white.”

If Bea tries to use her Occult knowledge to intervene:
Diana’s head lolls back, her neck stretching at an unnatural angle.

“You read the books, didn’t you, scholar? You think she’s a ‘Goat’? A ‘God’? No… she’s the Hunger. The Scutters are just the teeth. Robin is just the breath. And I… I am the seed. If you cut me out now, you aren’t saving a woman. You’re performing an abortion on the Earth itself.”

The Final Action: The “Birthing” Choice

The Dark Young’s tentacles begin to descend from the ceiling like dripping stalactites. The Investigators have three rounds to act before the “Fusion” is complete.

The Cold Iron/Flint Solution: If they use the King’s Flint from the barrow to cut the roots, Diana will scream—a sound that causes 1/1d4 SAN loss as it sounds more like a tree splitting than a human voice. She can be pulled free, but her legs will remain “chalky” and numb for the rest of her life.
The “Fire” Gambit: Setting the roots on fire causes the Dark Young to thrash violently. The Investigators must make Dodge rolls to avoid falling rocks. Diana will be burned, but the psychic link is snapped.
The “Robin’s Deal” (The Darkest Path): If they call out to Robin Goodfellow, he appears in the shadows, yawning. “I can let her go,” he whispers, “but the Mother needs a placeholder. A trade. One of you stays to keep the hum going, and the girl walks. Who’s the most ‘noble’ among you? Who’s got the thickest blood?”

The Transformation (If they fail/delay):

If the Investigators fail their rolls or dither too long, Diana’s eyes turn entirely white. She looks at them with a terrifying, alien pity.

“Oh… the sun must be so lonely for you. Down here, we are never alone. We are the Thousand. Go back to your walking paths… we’ll be coming up through the grass soon enough.”

At this point, the Dark Young fully manifests, and the “Rescue” mission turns into a Sprinting Escape as the cavern begins to digest itself.

Creatures & Stats

The Scutters (Feral Chalk-Children)

Small, pale, hairless humanoids with needle-teeth.

STR: 40 | CON: 50 | SIZ: 30 | DEX: 80 | POW: 35
HP: 8
Damage Bonus: -1
Attacks: 1 (Bite/Claw 40%, 1d4 damage).
Special: Swarm. If three Scutters attack one target, they gain a Bonus Die to grapple.
Sanity Loss: 0/1d4

When the Scutters move as a pack, they cease to be individual feral children and become a single, undulating carpet of pale limbs and snapping teeth. In Call of Cthulhu, treating them as a Swarm makes them significantly more dangerous to investigators who rely on single-shot firearms or physical strength.

The Scutter Swarm (The Pale Tide)

A chattering, multi-limbed mass of devolved humanity.

STR: 110 (Combined weight)
CON: 70
SIZ: 100 (Covers a 10ft area)
DEX: 85
POW: 50
HP: 17
Build: 2
Move: 9 (They scuttle faster than a man can run in the chalk-mud)

Attacks per round: 2

The Swarm acts by “Overwhelming.” They don’t strike; they flow over a target, biting at ankles, shins, and throat.

Overwhelm (70%): The target is knocked prone and buried under 3–4 Scutters.
- Damage: 1d6 + 1d4 (Biting/Tearing).
- Effect: On a successful hit, the target is Grappled. Escaping requires a Hard STR or Hard DEX roll. If the target fails to escape by their next turn, the Swarm begins “Dragging” them toward the nearest swallow-hole.
Flint-Shards (30%): The Scutters at the back of the pack throw jagged pieces of flint.
- Damage: 1d4 per shard.

Special Traits

Difficult to Hit: Because they are a mass of small, low-moving targets, Firearms (except Shotguns) suffer a Penalty Die unless the investigator is firing into the “thick” of the pack.
Shotgun Vulnerability: A shotgun blast does maximum possible damage to a Swarm, as the spread catches multiple creatures at once.
The “Chirp”: The Scutters emit a high-pitched, insect-like chattering. Anyone within 5 feet of the swarm must pass a POW check or suffer a Penalty Die on their next action due to the sheer, primal revulsion.

Encounter Seed: The “Squeeze” in the Tunnel

If the investigators are in the Crawlways (see the map) when the Swarm finds them, the horror is amplified.

The tunnel ahead is only three feet high. You hear it first—a sound like dry leaves skittering over stone, but heavier. Then the smell hits you: wet wool, old milk, and copper. In the beam of your torch, you see dozens of milky-white eyes reflecting back. They aren’t standing. They are crawling over one another, a wall of pale flesh filling the tunnel from floor to ceiling.

The Choice: If the investigator in the front (likely Artie or George) panics, they block the path for everyone else.
The “Percy” Reminder: If they have Percy’s whistle, blowing it causes the Swarm to hesitate for one round—a primal memory of authority—giving the investigators a chance to fire or flee.

Sanity Loss

Encountering the Swarm: 1/1d6
Being “Overwhelmed” by the Swarm: 1/1d8 (The feeling of small, cold hands searching for your throat is unforgettable).

Robin Goodfellow (The Jaded Sprite)

A weary, cynical Lloigor-influenced entity.

POW: 90 | HP: 15
Spells: Cloud Memory, Bewitch, Shrivelling.
Note: He prefers to vanish into a pile of leaves rather than die.

When the investigators find him puffing on his pipe by the Elm Ring, he might drop these “wisdoms” to lead them astray or test their resolve.

1. The Wisdom of the Deep Wells

“You’re looking for the girl? Oh, she’s gone down to the marrow. But why rush? The hills have been thirsty for sixty years. If you hurry, you’ll only reach her while she’s still screaming. Wait an hour, and she’ll be as quiet as the stone. Much more pleasant for a conversation, don’t you think?”

The Misdirection: He implies that waiting is a mercy.
The Reality: Every ten minutes of real-time the players dally, Lady Diana loses 5 POW as the Dark Young drains her. If they wait the hour Robin suggests, she will be a hollow husk—or worse, a permanent thrall.

2. The Riddle of the “King’s Flint”

“If you’re going into the Squeeze, you’ll want a bit of ‘Old King’s Flint.’ There’s a cache of it in the Roman barrow three miles east. It’s the only thing that cuts the roots without the Mother feeling it. A man with a sharp bit of flint is a king; a man with a steel knife is just a dinner bell.”

The Side Quest: He sends them to a nearby tumulus (burial mound).
The Distraction: There is indeed flint there, but the barrow is guarded by a Wraith or simply a very angry, territorial badger. By the time they return, the sun has set, and the “Scutters” are much stronger in the dark.

3. The “Cure” for the Singing

“Hear that humming in your ears? That’s the chalk-rot setting in. If you don’t find a sprig of ‘Dead Man’s Parsley’ from the churchyard in Steyning and chew it till your gums bleed, your heart will stop beating the moment you hit the lower galleries. The Mother hates a beat, you see. Prefers a steady thrum.”

The Beguiling Clue: The “humming” is actually the Dark Young’s psychic resonance (requiring a Sanity Check).
The Misdirection: Steyning is several miles away. The “Dead Man’s Parsley” is actually hemlock (poisonous). Robin just wants to see if he can get them to poison themselves out of sheer “modern nerves.”

4. The Truth of the Scutters

“Don’t be unkind to the little ones. They aren’t monsters; they’re just ‘un-finished.’ Like a loaf of bread pulled out of the oven too soon. They’re looking for a Mother, and they’ve found one. If you give them something of yours—a lock of hair, a fingernail, a secret—they might just let you pass. They love a good secret. Tastes like honey to ’em.”

The Danger: Giving a Scutter a piece of yourself grants the Dark Young a “link.”
The Mechanic: Any investigator who gives a Scutter a “part of themselves” suffers a permanent Penalty Die on all Sanity rolls while inside the mines, as the Mother can now “whisper” directly into their minds.

Robin’s “Parting Gift”

If the investigators are particularly polite or offer him high-quality London tobacco, he might toss them a small, shriveled tuber that looks like a human ear.

“Take this. If you get lost in the dark—and you will—whisper your mother’s name into it. It won’t show you the way out, but it’ll make sure whatever finds you has a familiar face.”

The Dark Young (The Chalk-Root)

A mass of roiling tentacles and hooves.

STR: 220 | SIZ: 200 | CON: 160 | DEX: 80
HP: 36
Attacks: 4 (Tentacles 80%, 1d6 + DB).
Armor: 8 points (Thick woody hide); Firearms do half damage.
Sanity Loss: 1d3/1d20

Outcomes

The Rescue: If the investigators cut Diana free, the Dark Young bellows, causing a localized earthquake. They must succeed in a Navigate or Luck roll to find the exit before the chalk tunnels collapse.
The Sacrifice: If they fail or flee, Diana is absorbed. A week later, the Elms above bloom with unnatural, fleshy red flowers, and the drought in Sussex ends overnight.
The Reward: Lady Diana is traumatized (1d10 SAN loss). If returned to London, her family offers a generous reward, though she will never again be able to stand the sight of a green tree or a white hill.

The conclusion of The Chalk-Mother’s Toll depends entirely on whether the investigators brought Lady Diana back to the surface or left her to become part of the Sussex strata. Either way, the South Downs will never look the same to them again.

I. Sanity Rewards & Penalties

Achievement	Reward/Penalty
Rescuing Lady Diana (Alive and relatively sane)	+1d10 SAN
Rescuing Lady Diana (Physically “chalk-scarred”)	+1d6 SAN
Defeating the Dark Young (Driving it back)	+1d8 SAN
Escaping the Collapse (But leaving Diana behind)	-1d10 SAN
Taking Robin Goodfellow’s Deal (A trade)	-1d20 SAN for the survivor
Returning the “King’s Flint” to the barrow	+1d3 SAN (Restoring the balance)

II. The Physical Aftermath: “The Chalk-Sickness”

Any investigator who was bitten by a Scutter or grappled by the Dark Young finds that their wounds do not heal with red scabs. Instead, the skin turns white, hard, and crumbly—like dry plaster.

The Mechanic: For every 2 HP lost to the creatures, the investigator permanently loses 1 point of APP (Appearance) as the “Chalk-Sickness” spreads.
The Cure: Only a transfusion of “pure” blood or a ritual performed by someone with Occult 75%+ can stop the calcification.

III. Narrative Epilogues

The “Good” Ending: The Silent Socialite

The investigators return Diana to her family’s estate in Steyning. The Rolls-Royce is recovered, but it’s stripped of its leather—the Scutters ate it. Diana refuses to live in any room with a floral wallpaper or wooden furniture. She spends her days in a stone-floored solarium, staring at the hills.

The Hook: A month later, each investigator receives a heavy envelope. Inside is a thank-you note written on thick vellum, but the ink is white. It smells of damp earth and crushed Elms.

The “Neutral” Ending: The Great Drought Ends

If the investigators fled and Diana was taken, a massive thunderstorm breaks over the Downs that night. The lightning is a strange, bruising purple. The next morning, the “bottoms” are filled with fresh water, and the parched grass turns a lush, unnatural emerald.

The Twist: The local papers report Lady Diana as “Missing, presumed kidnapped.” However, the investigators know that if they put their ears to the ground at Chanctonbury Ring, they can still hear her humming the tune of a 1930s jazz standard.

The “Robin’s Jest” Ending

If they made a deal with Robin Goodfellow, the sprite remains a recurring NPC. He might appear in London, sitting on a park bench in Hyde Park, looking utterly bored with “modern pigeons.”

“The Mother liked the trade,” he’ll say, tipping his leaf-mould bowler hat. “But she’s still got a taste for your lot now. Don’t go walking in the tall grass after dark, eh? It’s rude to keep a lady waiting.”

Here is a quick breakdown of the three most likely things that have gone wrong within the story’s logic:

1. The “Chalk-Sickness” is Spreading

If an investigator was bitten by a Scutter or grabbed by the Dark Young, that white, crumbly calcification isn’t just a scar—it’s a transformation. They might find that their joints are becoming stiff (losing DEX) as they literally turn into the same white stone that makes up the Downs.

2. Robin Goodfellow Lied (By Omission)

Robin said the “King’s Flint” would cut the roots, and it does. What he didn’t mention is that the flint is part of a sentient burial mound. By taking it, the investigators have essentially stolen the “teeth” of a prehistoric chieftain. The Barrow Wraith isn’t just a one-time encounter; it may now be stalking them across the hills, reclaiming its property.

3. The Ritual is “Echoing”

Even if Lady Diana was rescued, the humming in the investigators’ ears hasn’t stopped. In Call of Cthulhu terms, this is a Lingering Sanity Threat.

The Symptom: Whenever they are near chalk, lime, or even a school blackboard, they must pass a POW check or lose 1 SAN as they hear Diana’s voice whispering from the stone.

Experience & Mythos Growth

Cthulhu Mythos: Any investigator who saw the Dark Young gains +5% Cthulhu Mythos.
Skill Increases: Standard checks for any skills used successfully during the session (Navigate, Climb, Occult, etc.).

Handout Materials

STEYNING CONSTABULARY: INCIDENT REPORT #882-B

Date: 14th July 1934
Reporting Officer: PC H. Miller
Subject: Road Accident and Subsequent Disappearance of Lady Diana Standish (Recovered)

I. Nature of Incident

At approximately 2:15 PM, a 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II was discovered abandoned in a dry valley near Chanctonbury Ring. The vehicle had sustained minor front-end damage consistent with swerving to avoid an obstacle. No driver was present.

II. Search and Rescue Operations

A group of four local holidaymakers—identified as A. Penhaligon, B. Winthrop, G. Pringle, and a small dog—were encountered near the scene. They appeared to be suffering from a collective heat-stroke or “hill-madness,” claiming the vehicle had been “swarmed by pale urchins.”

A search of the nearby Elm Copse was conducted. Conditions were noted as unusually oppressive.

III. Recovery of the Subject

Lady Diana Standish was located several hours later emerging from a natural sinkhole. She was in a state of extreme shock.

Medical Observation: The subject’s clothing was torn, and she was covered in a fine white chalk dust. Most curiously, her lower limbs exhibited a temporary paralysis and a “calcified” skin texture, which the local surgeon, Dr. Arbuthnot, attributed to prolonged immersion in mineral-heavy groundwater.

IV. Discrepancies and Unsolved Elements

The “Vagrants”: Despite the Investigators’ claims of a “tweed-clad hermit” (referred to as ‘Robin’), no such individual was found. A tattered bowler hat was recovered from a rabbit hole, but it appeared to be made of compressed leaf-mould and was discarded as refuse.
The Missing Hiker: One Mr. Percy Thistlethwaite remains missing. His silver whistle was found near a subsidence zone. The official theory is that Mr. Thistlethwaite fell into a “swallow hole” during the seismic tremor recorded at 6:00 PM.
The Animal: Mr. Pringle’s terrier, “Toby,” was found in possession of a high-quality pork sausage. As there are no butchers within five miles of the Ring, the source of this meat remains a mystery.

V. Final Disposition

Case closed as a misadventure caused by geological instability (Chalk-shelf collapse). The public is advised to stick to the marked “Ramblers’ Paths.”

The Final Reveal (For the Keeper’s Eyes Only)

As the Investigators read this report in the local paper a week later, they notice a small “Found” advertisement in the corner:

“Found: One silver hip flask, engraved ‘B.W.’ Left at the roots of the Old Elm. Can be claimed at the Hollow. Bring more tobacco next time. — R.G.”

Robin’s Side Quest

1. The Guardian of the Mound: The Barrow Wraith

This is the “King” Robin mentioned—or what remains of him. A Romano-British chieftain interred with his flint-knapped treasures. He does not manifest as a ghost in a sheet, but as a shimmering distortion in the air, smelling of ozone and wet copper.

The Encounter: As investigators dig into the barrow, the temperature drops until their breath mists. The Wraith rises from the earth, clutching a spear of black flint. It doesn’t speak; it emits a high-pitched metallic ringing that causes nosebleeds.
The Horror: It fights by “Waking the Stone.” It can cause the flint nodules in the soil to vibrate and shatter, spraying the investigators with razor-sharp shards.

Barrow Wraith (Lesser Lesser Other)

STR: 50 | CON: 70 | SIZ: 60 | DEX: 60 | POW: 85
HP: 13
Damage Bonus: None.
Attacks: 1 (Flint Spear 50%, 1d8 + 1) or (Flint Spray 40%, 1d6 to all in 5ft).
Armor: Immune to mundane weapons (bullets pass through its misty form). Weakness: Magic, Fire, or being struck by a piece of its own burial flint.
Sanity Loss: 1/1d6

2. The Mundane Menace: “Old Brock” (The Angry Badger)

While the Wraith is a spiritual threat, the physical threat is far more grounded. A massive, ancient boar badger has made its sett in the side of the barrow. It is “touched” by the proximity of the Dark Young, making it larger, meaner, and unnaturally stubborn.

The Encounter: Just as an investigator reaches into a hole to grab a piece of “King’s Flint,” a low, gutteral growl vibrates through the earth. Old Brock charges out—a 40lb muscle-bound rug of fury.
The Twist: If the investigators kill the badger, Robin Goodfellow will be genuinely offended when they return. “Oh, you killed the Ground-Keeper? That’s poor form. He’s been there since Victoria was a girl. Now the worms will have no one to lead them.”

Old Brock (Enchanted Badger)

STR: 65 | CON: 90 | SIZ: 35 | DEX: 70 | HP: 12
Build: -1 | Move: 8
Attacks: 2 (Bite/Claw 50%, 1d4+1 + Bleed).
Special: Low Center of Gravity. Any attempt to “Manuever” or knock the badger over suffers a Penalty Die.
Special: Thick Hide. 2 points of armor (fur and fat).
Sanity Loss: 0/1 (The sheer, unblinking malice in its eyes is unnerving).

The Reward (The “King’s Flint”)

If they survive both the ghost and the beast, they find a cache of Black Saxon Flint.

The Clue: The flint is cold to the touch—unnaturally so.
The Benefit: When used as a weapon or tool against the Dark Young’s roots in the Marrow Chamber, it ignores the creature’s armor and prevents the roots from regrowing for 1d4 rounds.
The Cost: Carrying the flint makes the investigator feel a crushing sense of grief. Every hour they carry it, they must pass a POW check or lose 1 point of Sanity.

The Outcome of the Side Quest

If the players spend the 3–4 hours required to travel to the barrow and fight these guardians:

Lady Diana is deeper into the transformation (her skin begins to take on a chalky, porcelain texture).
Robin Goodfellow laughs at them when they return, bloodied and tired. “You actually went! I didn’t think you had the legs for it. Hope the badger didn’t take a fancy to your shins.”

Toby the Terrier (option)

To round out our band of intrepid (and terrified) walkers, we must include the most important member of any 1930s rambling party: Toby, a scruffy, barrel-chested Jack Russell Terrier belonging to “Gentleman” George.

Toby is the heart of the group, right up until the moment he becomes the ultimate survivalist.

Companion: Toby the Terrier

Description: A white-and-tan whirlwind of barking and bad intentions. Toby spends most of his time chasing rabbits and “investigating” badger setts with far more courage than his owners.
The Bond: George carries a small tin of “doggy biscuits” in his pocket. Toby’s presence provides a +5% Bonus to the group’s Sanity Rolls—as long as he’s around to lick their hands and growl at the shadows.

The Vanishing: “The Rabbit Hole”

Just as the Investigators reach the Elm Ring and the first Scutter chitters from a hollow trunk, Toby doesn’t bark. He doesn’t growl.

The little dog stands perfectly still, his ears flattened, his tail tucked so tight it disappears. As the pale, elongated hands of the feral children reach out from the chalk-cracks, Toby lets out a single, high-pitched yip and bolts—not toward the investigators, but directly into a thicket of gorse.

The Search: If George calls for him, he hears only the rustle of leaves and the mocking laughter of Robin Goodfellow from the trees.
Robin’s Comment: “Smart beast, that. He knows when the ‘Mother’ is setting the table. He’s gone to ground, gents. I’d follow his lead if I were you, but your legs are far too long for his tunnels.”

Sanity Penalty: Losing Toby during the Scutter attack causes an immediate 1/1d3 SAN loss for George (and 0/1 for the others). The silence where his barking used to be is deafening.

The Re-emergence: The Hero of the Hollow

The Investigators have survived the Marrow Chamber, rescued a traumatized Lady Diana, and scrambled out of the collapsing swallow-hole just as the earth tried to swallow them whole. They are covered in chalk dust, bleeding, and gasping for air on the ridge of Chanctonbury Ring.

Suddenly, the grass rustles.

Out pops Toby. He is perfectly clean. In fact, he looks smug.

The “Trophy”: In his mouth, he isn’t carrying a rabbit. He is dragging a silk-tasseled garter (clearly belonging to Lady Diana) and wearing a small, woven crown of Dead Man’s Parsley caught around his collar like a festive wreath.
The Comic Relief: As George tearfully scoops him up, Toby lets out a massive, satisfied burp that smells faintly of… expensive French sausages.

The “Toby” Aftermath

While the humans are scarred for life, Toby seems to have had the time of his life.

The Mystery: How did he stay clean? How did he get the sausages?
The Reward: Having Toby back restores +1d4 SAN to the party.
The Hook: For years afterward, whenever George takes Toby for a walk in the park, the dog will occasionally stop, look at a perfectly ordinary tree, and wag his tail with a knowing, conspiratorial glint in his eye—as if sharing a private joke with Robin Goodfellow.

The First Sight: The Dark Young Breaks Through

As the reunion with Toby happens on the surface, the investigators look back at the hole they just climbed out of.

The ground doesn’t just cave in; it erupts.

A massive, oily-black tentacle—the size of a Sussex oak—bursts through the white chalk crust, reaching for the moon. It’s covered in wet, sucking mouths that make a sound like a thousand boots stepping into deep mud. It flails once, shattering a nearby standing stone, before being pulled back down into the depths as the “Mother” settles back into her sleep.

Sanity Check (The Final Sight): 1d3/1d20

Amanda Girard

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