Fish Does RPG Stuff

2026-07-21: Hex Stocking - C-050 - South Lyon Woods (Hazard)

The trees seem to close together in unexpected ways. No clear roads go through here. Lyon is to the North, but not visible through the trees.

Notable Feature: Detours (Hazard)

There are paths through this hex, but they are twisty and indirect. Whoever is leading the party makes a WIL save. On a failure, the party loses 1 hex worth of travel time as they take a less than optimal route through the hex.

Hidden: The Forester Priest

2026-07-20: Hex Stocking - C-049 - City of Clarksdale (Settlement)

The hustle and bustle of the city present in this jewel of Coahoma County. Roads exit in every direction, while rail access exits to the Northeast, South, and Southwest.

Notable Feature: City of Clarksdale (Settlement)

The land that would become Clarksdale was purchased in 1848 as wilderness for logging at $1.25 an acre (Brieger, pg. 102). The town didn't grow much until the end of the century, as weather and fires slowed its pace. Its growth took off in 1900, and soon became the largest settlement in Coahoma County. It shared its status as the county seat with Friar's Point for several decades, only recently becoming the sole county seat in 1930 (Brieger, pg. 102).

In addition to the usual industries one might find in the city, Clarksdale has its own ice plant to keep the residents refrigerated.

Rumor: The Shoe Store Feud

One of the civic leaders of the town, Josie Kamien, is trying to find a way to negatively impact the business owned by a frenemy without looking like she was responsible for it. The business in question is a shoe store operated by Cullie Hardee, and the fight was supposedly because of some perceived slight or breach or etiquette. Josie will reward anyone who has information that might compromise the operation of the shoe store.

However, this rumor is of mixed truth. There was no falling out between Josie and Cullie; Josie simply finds Cullie's storefront to be ugly and wants it beautified. Anyone who is able to spend a few bucks (or convince Cullie to spend a few bucks) to repaint the storefront and repair the awning) will find the bureaucracy of Clarksdale suddenly moving a lot faster in their favor... As long as it doesn't involve anything overtly criminal.

Hidden: Jungle Judgment

At the hobo jungle on the edges of town, the tent on the highest ground (which isn't all that high given the flat land of the Delta) belongs to the mayor of the jungle, Simeon Yarbrough. He has recently received news that a transient named Burton was credibly accused of heinous acts against a child. Burton hopped a train south before anyone could apprehend him. Simeon has alerted the local authorities and rail workers, and some folks in the jungle believe that he may have been heading to another jungle located just southeast of Blaine (S-064).

Time is of the essence, and Simeon would like to have Burton brought back to Clarksdale alive to face justice for his crimes. If the party is able to get to Burton's location within the next 24 hours, Simeon asks the party to deliver a letter to the jungle's mayor. And in case the mayor down there can't read, he also gives a bottle cap from his favorite soda as proof that the message is coming from Simeon.

Hidden: Musician Wanted

2026-07-19: Hex Stocking - C-048 - The Knock-Downs (Hazard)

The land is full of thin or gnarled trees that either weren't good enough for lumber or grew up after the economically viable trees were cut down. More trees have fallen down or been uprooted than one would expect for a medium growth forest. Sherard is to the Northwest, but it is not visible through the trees.

Notable Feature: Fallen Trees (Hazard)

It is incredibly difficult to travel through here because of all the downed trees (the titular knock-downs). Some folks blame storms knocking them down, others blame disease, and others blame supernatural forces. The truth of the matter is that it's a bit of all three... but mostly the third option.

Pedestrian travelers risk losing or damaging an item carried. The person with the lowest DEX score should save or lose a non-petty item of their choosing. For those who are driving, the driver must save against DEX or have the vehicle get damaged. Afterward, roll to see if you get lost as usual.

Lair: The Ghostly Soldier

Able-bodied young men from the Delta fought in the Great War just as they did elsewhere in the country. Many of those who made it back home came back changed for the worse. Howie Moore was one of the young men from nearby Sherard who enlisted and fought for America, but he couldn't live with the horrors of what he had done overseas. He marched into the woods a few months ago and died by suicide.

2026-07-18: Hex Stocking - C-047 - Town of Greengrove (Settlement)

A handful of stately houses stand on the western edge of the railroad tracks, circled by gravel roads that stretch into cotton fields dotted with crumbling shacks. A long building that looks like it was once a saloon appears to be a store and ticketing office. Both the railroad and a gravel road exit to the Northeast and Southwest.

Notable Feature: Greengrove (Small Town)

Nathan Bedford Forrest* bought the uncleared lands that would become Greengrove around 1857, turned it into a cotton plantation, and brought his family here just before the Civil War. He sold the plantation a decade later in 1867 and the plantation wound up in the hands of Ed Richardson** until his death in 1886, where it passed to his son, John P. Richardson** until his death around 1891. Then control of the plantation passed to John's widow, Ella** and eventually her son, Edmond**. However, Edmond had no interest in running the plantation and sold it pretty quickly to several different people before moving to Washington D.C..

This next bit is speculation on my part because I don't have access to the land records and death records are spotty. The only white Ella Richardson I could find mentioned in Mississippi death archives was 1916. If this is true, it would have put Edmond inheriting the plantation when the plague of boll weevils was basically at its peak. It makes sense that he would try to unload the property as soon as possible.

Anyway, the community continued its decline over the years. There's no formal rail depot here; trains just slow down and stop outside the building that was once the saloon. Now the saloon is a combination general store and ticketing office. According to Brieger's Hometown, Mississippi, the saloon was once the pride of the county, and its bar was special ordered from New Orleans.

*This is a real person and is the same NBF who was a confederate general and first grand wizard of the white supremacist KKK. Do not respect his legacy.

**These are also real people.

Rumor: Stolen Songs

Jessie Stubbs is a member of the Sons of Lee and aspiring musician. Although he's not terribly talented, he has enough money to buy his way into getting records pressed that feature his singing. His song "Take Me Away To Greengrove" is superficially a story about a person who gets into a fight with with a terrible musician, steals their instrument, and plays it all the way back home where he becomes famous.

For those who are willing to read between the lines, the song is a thinly-veiled confession of the time that Jessie beat up Papa Charlie McCoy and stole his banjo. Papa Charlie is a bluesman who is one half of the McCoy Brothers, who in turn are accorded a seat on the Blue Court. Jessie stole the instrument and is keeping it at his house in Greengrove, though the banjo is just a normal instrument. Papa Charlie would be willing to give a small reward for its recovery, though he has since acquired a different banjo for his performances.

2026-07-17: Hex Stocking - C-046 - Vollar Farmstead (Constructed Landmark)

Flat land gives way to the steep but quick slope of the levee. The Mississippi River is visible to the Northwest. A sharecropper shack is built right next to the levee, maximizing the amount of arable land. Hill House is visible to the South.

Notable Feature: Levee (Constructed Landmark)

The levee is a line of earth that is about 25 feet higher than the rest of the area. It used to be shorter before the flood of 1927, but this section of the levee held fast. Work crews added some height in the following years to strengthen it, and that's when one of the Cotton Barons decided to build a shack on the land to rent out. The shack is currently occupied by Columbus Vollar, a single man who has not had much luck in courting.

Hidden: Lineman's Work

2026-07-16: Hex Stocking - C-045 - Allen Swamp (Resource)

Water-loving trees with exposed roots lean precariously over countless pools and ephemeral streams. The Mississippi River is visible to the North and Southwest.

Notable Feature: Catfish (Resource)

Numerous catfish (regular sized) swim near the shore and lurk under submerged logs. Spending a Watch fishing here will assuredly get you food. The method of fishing determines how much food is received.

Hand Grabbing/Noodling - Yields 1d6+3 Rations. Captures larger fish, but fewer of them. Does not require equipment. 5% chance of getting bitten by a snapping turtle, though.

Pole Fishing - Yields 1d4+2 Rations. Requires proper equipment and bait.

Note: I can't quite make out the symbol on the map, but I think there is a campsite here. Either way, the topo map from the time period says Allen here, and that's where I got the name for this place. Can't find any other information on it, though.

2026-07-15: Hex Stocking - C-044 - The Motorcycle Tree (Constructed Landmark)

The trees here shift from sparsely wooded to something much more dense the deeper one goes. A distant wail seems to carry on the wind. Lyon is to the Northwest, though it is not visible.

Notable Feature: Motorcycle Tree (Constructed Landmark)

Contrary to its name, the Motorcycle Tree is not a tree that grows motorcycles. It is just a regular tree that someone chained a motorcycle to a few years back and never came back for it. The tree kept growing, eventually growing around and over the chain and onto parts of the motorcycle. About half of the motorcycle is now covered by bark and the tires have mostly rotted off the rims. No one knows who owned the motorcycle, but most folks think that whoever it was is probably dead.

A sign that reads "No Hunting - Private Property" is attached to the tree.

Secret: Spoils of the Hunters

Living in this stretch of forest is a Kashehota Palo/Forest Screamer named Joseph Thunderhead. Despite the "No Hunting" sign on the Motorcycle Tree, Joseph will only be enticed to appear if there people actively tracking game. Just before the hunter strikes, Joseph will try to scare any animals or people away with his mighty scream for fun. If the party sticks around after the screaming and does not attack Joseph, he will treat the party as tentative allies. He does not allow most animals to be harmed in his domain, and the majority of hunters flee immediately upon hearing Joseph's bloodcurdling scream, so people who stick around are an oddity to Joseph. Many of the hunters leave behind some of their equipment in their retreat, which Joseph collects and offers a few such trinkets to the party. Joseph is especially fond of duck calls, and will only part with those for someone he really likes.

Lair: Black Bears

2026-07-14: Hex Stocking - C-043 - Burkeston Plantation (Dungeon)

Roosters occasionally cluck and crow on a plantation here. The railroad and asphalt-paved Highway 61 both exit to the Northeast and Southwest. Clarksdale is visible to the Southwest.

Notable Feature: Burkeston Plantation (Dungeon)

Small dungeon, 8 areas

Established in 1822 shortly after Mississippi became a state, Burkeston plantation has been in continuous operation since then. Not even the Civil War could stop it, though some legends attribute the operation to a degree of supernatural obfuscation. The legends were true, though the powerful enchantment has since faded. Now the remains of the magic has infiltrated the bloodline of the Burke family and descendants of the original inhabitants have been afflicted with a curse which causes them to periodically shapeshift into someone else, though they usually return to their normal appearance in a few hours.

The curse has also afflicted some of the chickens who live on the property, and the Burkes are very protective of them. Eggs laid by these hens function like a scroll of Masquerade if two or more are scrambled and eaten. Anyone who can liberate a few of these hens will find many people willing to barter consumable magic items for such eggs. Each day, laying hens have a 75% chance to produce a single egg.

Hidden: The Folding Chair Schemer

A set of beat-up folding chairs are placed a little ways back from the shoulder of Highway 61 to mark a dirt path. Folks sometimes sit here to socialize and play games. Isaac Rials is one of those people. He's a cowardly delinquent who is always trying to win a little scratch in illegal craps games. However, he just learned a person who has a grudge against him for some unfavorable court testimony (Moe Russell) is planning on making a break for freedom and will probably come for Isaac soon enough if Moe can stay free long enough. Moe is supposed to cross into Coahoma County at hex C-078 at some point in the next 3 nights. If Moe "accidentally" got arrested or killed during the attempt, Isaac would be most appreciative.

Hidden: The Chapel Watcher

2026-07-13: Hex Stocking - C-042 - Hawn's Crossing (Constructed Landmark)

Swaths of this wooded area have been cleared to make way for a road that is still under development. Numerous trees are marked with paint to indicate areas where the vegetation will be removed. A gravel highway exits to the Southeast and Northwest, while the Sunflower River flows from the North to the South. Clarksdale is visible to the Southeast you're standing on the road.

Notable Feature: Hawn's Crossing (Constructed Landmark)

Although the road through the wood has shifted over time, the sturdy bridge that crosses the Sunflower River has stood in the same spot for years. It's not a grand bridge, but it is elevated to keep it above most flood levels and the metal trusses show no signs of rusting away.

Hidden: The Enterprising Taxidermist

Evadene Kwan is a taxidermist based out of Clarksdale who walks the banks of the river looking for recently-deceased critters to mount after a priority project went sideways. She was originallly working on a mount of a big snapping turtle, but the harsh chemicals used to dissolve the soft tissue ended up cracking the shell. She's pretty sure there's a lair of snapping turtles somewhere downriver (C-072), but she doesn't have the time to hunt them when they are so far away. If the party can bring several specimens back from the area in less than a week, she would be most grateful.

Hidden: The Empty-Handed Rail-Jumper

2026-07-12: Hex Stocking - C-041 - Sherard (Settlement)

A line of small houses and maybe a shop or two follow along both sides of the railroad tracks. Greengrove is visible to the Southwest. The railroad exits to the Southwest and Northwest, while a gravel highway exits to the Northeast and Southwest.

Notable Feature: Sherard (Small Town)

This village was started from a plantation owned by J.H. Sherard in 1874, though it didn't get a post office until 1890. Almost the entirety of what would be considered the town proper is within 100 feet of the railroad tracks. Most of the buildings along the railroad are newer, though the post office is one of the few older buildings. Several of the cabins with mud chimneys originally occupied by the plantation workers are still standing out in the fields (but only just barely), still used by sharecroppers to eke out a living.

I'm not entirely sure where the boundary for Sherard is, but it's probably safe to say that it just follows the path of the railroad.

Rumor: The Crazy Cotton Baron

A Cotton Baron named Oliver Presley built his mansion on swampy land immediately south of Sherard. Folks who worked at the Presley estate say Oliver isn't quite right in the head and that they felt unsafe. Oliver has an uncanny ability to walk silently or appear in unexpected places; and this happens often enough that his staff joke that he's actually a ghost (he actually is a ghost, but one who was rich enough in life to have most of his eccentricities excused). There's supposedly a hidden chamber in the mansion that is guarded by some unusual puzzle full of weird symbols, but the only person who has ever claimed to have been inside is Charline Enboutton, an accomplished spiritual medium. She'll tell the party how to get in and what she knows, but it'll cost them.

Hidden: Protective Measures

At a cabin near the tracks just outside the southeastern edge of town, a woman named Phyllis White is looking for a way to protect herself and her house after her husband died a few months back. She's heard rumors of the glow dogs in C-009 and thinks she could train one to guard her house pretty well. Bring her back a live one and she'll let the party crash in her small cabin whenever they're passing through town.

Hidden: The Ill-Employed Vagrant

2026-07-11: Hex Stocking - C-040 - Old Sumner Field (Hazard)

A swaying carpet of sawgrass is punctuated with the occasional grove of small trees. A smoky smell is in the air, almost as though someone is grilling something. The Mississippi River is visible to the North and Greengrove is visible to the Southeast.

Notable Feature: Brambles (Hazard)

A dense web of brambles grows through and between the meadow grasses of this field that hasn't been cultivated in years. Each person who traverses the area on foot must make a STR or DEX save to avoid getting caught in the brambles. Getting caught in the thorns results either in taking 1 damage to the tested attribute or an item being damaged.

Secret: The Bramble Strider

Vincent Outlaw, a lesser devil in human form (yes, that is actually the name that got rolled up for him), is walking toward Greengrove to find another person to lock up in his cages. There is 50% chance each time the party spends a watch here that Vincent will be spotted. He'll try to lure someone in the party to his secret hideout in the brambles in order to ambush them and lock them up. Those who follow Vincent into the brambles will find a series of cages, one of which is already occupied by a woman (Verona Augustinelli) who only speaks Italian.

2026-07-10: Hex Stocking - C-039 - Jackson Point (Natural Landmark)

A narrow peninsula juts into the Mississippi River, slowly descending into a sandbar that forces the mighty river to go around. It has a commanding view of the river, which surrounds it on all sides except to the Southeast.

Notable Feature: Jackson Point* (Natural Landmark)

River travelers curse this area because it adds a dozen miles to the journey. A small cliff is here that descends into a sandbar. Dense canebrakes dot the landscape. Primordial power seems to resonate through this area, as it has managed to fend off the Mississippi River's attempts to plow through it.

2026-07-09: Hex Stocking - C-038 - Town of Lyon (Settlement)

The town of Lyon has its small, blocky footprint here; a train with a few dozen cars could conceivably have the engine exit the town's boundary before the caboose even entered. Asphalt-paved Highway 61 exits to the Southwest and Northwest. The railroad exits to the Northeast and Southwest.

Notable Feature: Town of Lyon (Settlement)

Lyon was built on the even smaller settlement of Shufordsville according to Brieger's Hometown Mississippi. The residents of Shufordsville relocated a half-mile southeast so that they would be next to the railroad, and then named the town Lyon in honor of Col. Thomas Lyon who owned the Glendale-Eagles Nest railroad. Folks still talk about the fire of 1912 that destroyed most of the town's records.

If I remember to do so in the future, I'll try to put a screenshot of the each town's layout taken from USGS topographic maps from the era. I think this particular one was published in 1935, using data collected in 1932. Behold, all six(ish) glorious blocks of Lyon!

Rumor: You've Been Warned

One of the local Cotton Barons, Mitt Marshall, recently had the front of his house vandalized by the vigilante group known as the Cotton Haints. That's the traditional warning the Haints give to motivate their targets to start behaving better. If they don't start behaving soon, the Haints will move to destroy Mitt's source of income: seed stores and planted fields. A man believed to be associated with the Cotton Haints, Leo Watts, was picked up for questioning, but he's not talking.

Secret: The Killin' Floor

Reverend James of the Pilgrims Rest AME church* in Lyon is not a fan of the Blues, but he does support on some level the actions of the Blue Court (so long as it doesn't detract from church attendance). Of course, he won't acknowledge such support unless you say the right password. In this case, mentioning a particular lyric from Skip James' "Killin' Floor Blues" marks you as a friend. The lyric in question is:

"And the people are driftin' from door to door Can't find no heaven, I don't care where they go"

This allows the Reverend to mention where Skip James will be performing next. Skip's dealing with a supernatural problem that needs a small amount of willingly-given blood from multiple people in order to solve it for good. Those who help him complete the task will be rewarded with a boon or favor.

2026-07-08: Hex Stocking - C-037 - Valentine Gully (Natural Landmark)

A long gully cuts across the western edges of the fields here like a scar in the earth. The city of Clarksdale is visible to the South. A gravel road exits to the North and South.

Notable Feature: Valentine Gully (Natural Landmark)

2026-07-07: Hex Stocking - C-036 - Armstrong Orchards (Hazard)

Countless trees are planted in neat rows surrounding a brick farmhouse. An unpaved road exits to the Southeast and Southwest.

Notable Feature: Blighted Orchard (Hazard)

The Armstrong family owns this land, though they wish they didn't. All the peach and pecan trees in this orchard develop a gray film on their bark. No matter when the produce is harvested or what the outside looks like, the harvest is always rotten inside and makes people who consume it sick. The effect is not quite as pronounced for animals: half get immediately ill, while the other half are unaffected unless they die while on the Armstrong's land where they instantly putrefy.

Many types of animals now roam the property, though they can't be eaten. Anything edible harvested here will poison/sicken the person who eats it, even if it's eaten in another hex. The Armstrong family can't bring in income from their property and no one will buy the property because they know what happens there. Water or moonshine from here doesn't seem to have impart sickness.

Hidden: Bootlegging for Hire

Near the back of the Armstrong property is a small cottage that used to house some of the farmhands. Lyle Armstrong, a devout member of both the Sons of Lee and the Bootleggers, lives here now after being chased out of his hometown of Oakland on fraud charges. He's not one of the property owners, merely an estranged cousin the owners let live here because no one else will help on the farm. He's in charge of disposing of all the animals that die on the property, and they have grown into a stinky pile that is constantly burning.

2026-07-06: Hex Stocking - C-035 - Forwood Grain Co. (Dungeon)

Round sheet metal buildings loom over the flat landscape. The Mississippi River is to the North and Northeast; the railroad exits to the North and Southeast.

Notable Feature: Gourd Patch (Dungeon)

Medium Dungeon, 13 areas

Painted on the side of some of the metal buildings is "Forwood Grain Co. Est. 1912)". This is a mostly-legitimate business, though it has a less reputable underbelly. One of the grain storage buildings is in a degree of disrepair, and the crash in crop prices in recent years have made it impossible to get repaired. However, one of the owners of the company, Ed Forwood, is using the decommissioned building as a place to have fights that a select group of spectators can bet on. It doesn't matter as much if word gets out about the illegal fighting because Ed is also one of the sheriff's deputies.

If the party can smuggle a camera into a fight and get proof that Ed Forwood is on the wrong side of the law, the Newshawks would be quite interested in the story. Additionally, if the fights can be stopped permanently, the Blue Court would be persuaded to part with an interesting relic: a wooden stake that can be hammered into the chest of a person to immediately "kill" them. The person appears dead, cannot move, doesn't breathe or have a heartbeat, and their spirit crosses into the Dead Land. Their body decays as normal. If the stake is removed, the person is yanked from the Dead Land and immediately comes back to life (assuming the body is in a good enough state to do so).

Hidden: Another Killing Tree

A meticulous reporter affiliated with the Chicago Defender named Faith Terry is documenting the aftermath of a recent lynching. A week ago, a man named Adam Eccles was tied to a tree and burned alive for some disproportionately minor offense. Faith is doing everything she can to document this miscarriage of justice and asks if the party would travel to Lula to accompany the mother of the deceased, Dottie, and Dottie's family to the place where Adam died. Dottie plans to give a speech and raise a ruckus at the site, and there are some folks on the train that would very much like that to not happen and are going to attempt to intimidate Dottie into silence.

Hidden: Tenant Dispute

2026-07-05: Hex Stocking - C-034 - Gourd Patch (Resource)

Sediment buildup has made this area slightly higher than the other places; vines grasp at anything providing a modicum of structure. The Mississippi River is to the North and Northeast.

Notable Feature: Gourd Patch (Resource)

Bottle gourds grow here in small amounts where the soil is able to drain well. It's easy to find unripe gourds, though much more difficult to find ones that are mature and dry. Each character who spends a watch searching finds 1d4+4 mature gourds. A mature gourd can hold up to a gallon of liquid if opened. The mature gourds also are used in folk art, birdhouses, and ritual rattles.

Hidden: The Delayed Husband

On the northern river shore is a houseboat currently occupied by a trusting and optimistic woman named Genie Patton. Her husband (Roy) has gone downriver to take care of some business at Hill House and has probably docked his motorboat at C-051. Roy has not come back and it's been two days, and Genie would love it if the party could go look for him. Unfortunately for Roy, his delay was caused by a significant injury: he tripped trying to avoid a cottonmouth snake, severely sprained his ankle, and fell right on top of the snake anyway (who bit him in response). Now Roy is delirious and barely clinging to life.

Hidden: The Repeating Radio Broadcast

Barely poking out over the treetops is a rickety "tower" that was originally designed to transmits four hours of of the same blues music by Wailin' Waldrup each day and nothing else. It was erected by the Blue Court and is powered by illegally tapping into some power lines to the south. The tower was designed to provide some protection against the rapidly developing supernatural elements that are appearing in the Delta.