Everything Elvis

"I wanted to say to Elvis Presley and the country that this is a real decent, fine boy."
-- Ed Sullivan, During Elvis' third appearance on his show, January 6,1957

Elvis Week

    Generally held during the second through third week of August of each year, Elvis week is a seven day conmemoration of the music, film and legacy of Elvis Presley. Sometimes it lasts more than seven days but the highlight is alway the 16th of August. The anniversary of Elvis' death. There are several venues for the festivities but recent years have seen it held almost exclusively at The Pyramid. Recently Elvis Week has also been a platform for displays of patriotism. This can be generally attributed to the events of September 11 and the subtle influence of Wriaths who are using the memory of Elvis' patriotism to increase his influence in the Shadowlands of the United States.
    Last year over 300,000 people attended the events and many celebrities of Country Music and Country Rock held concerts to benefit causes ranging from victims of abuse to outreach programs for adult education. One cause that is important to remember is the legislation of prescriptions to minors. This benefit is the personal cause of Lisa Marie Presley. As such, if the players or the Storyteller wish to involve The King's daughter in the Chronicle, this would be the place to start.
    Another quirk of Elvis Week is that it sees an explosion in the Wraith population of Memphis as 'tourist' Wraiths visit with their mortal consors. People from all over the world including far out of the way places such as Zambia, New Zealand, the Tibet and others plan their vacations to coincide with Elvis Week and make the annual pilgrimage to Memphis. Since a few of these Wraiths elect to stay and become involved in the unique political system of Memphis, there could be any number of Wraiths from Dark Kingdoms that most Legionnaires haven't even heard of.

"There have been many accolades uttered about Elvis' talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. I shall miss him dearly as a friend. He was a warm, considerate and generous man."
-- Frank Sinatra, 1977

Graceland

    While Elmwood cemetery is the official Citadel for the city of Memphis in the Shadowlands, all Wraiths look to Graceland for protection and direction. The sprawling grounds cover 14 acres most of which is safe haven from Maelstroms and Spectres as part of the Graceland Haunt. The Chapel in the Woods has become the most frequented Haunt in all Memphis. Staying close to both his passions and his fetters, The King himself spends most of his time here. Many other Restless also call Graceland home. From the odd Wraith who has the mansion or one of its occupants as his Fetter to the political Sychophants and hangers on that congregate around The King. Graceland is also the unofficial headquarters of the Unlidded Eye in the Shadowlands.
    The mansion grounds also hold The King's grave. This semi circular monument is part of the Graceland tour and is always overflowing with flower arrangements left by visitors. To keep from being innundated by the flowers the Presley foundation donates the flowers to children hospitals and terminal patients every day when Graceland closes to the public.
    On the second floor is Presley's room. The King's cook, and a permanent resident of Graceland, Nancy Rook keeps this area for the ghost of Elvis Presley. Among other things she keeps the heavy blackout drapes drawn so that The King can move about here freely during the day. She also puts the remote control on the armrest of the chair facing the television set. The remote has very sensitive buttons and The King can operate it using Ghost Touch (Embody Basic Ability). People who ask why the TV in the upstairs room is always on receive a smile and a cryptic "That's the way Mr. Presley liked things around here." The King isn't always watching TV here but he never makes the minimal effort to turn the TV off when he leaves so the cook never knows when he's there or when he's gone. How does she know so much about the Restless? Simple granny lore handed down through her family.

"It is estimated that Elvis has sold over one billion records worldwide, more than anyone else in the history of the record business. It is estimated that 60% of these sales have been in the United States and 40% in other countries. Not all of Elvis' record sales have been documented and not all have been recognized with gold and platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) or by the appropriate bodies in foreign countries. Still, Elvis has more RIAA certifications than anyone else and his international success is generally regarded as astounding."
-- Elvisology, elvis.com

The King Himself

    Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tulepo, Mississippi. Elvis wasn't born an only child, but his twin brother Jessie Garon Presley was stillborn. Even from the very beginning Fate had a hand in Presley's life. He and his parents Vernon and Gladys Presley moved to Memphis in 1948.
    In 1954 he began his celebrated music career by signing with Sun Records Label in Memphis. However a year later they sold his contract to RCA Victor, a decision which would haunt them as Presley became famous with RCA in one year. His music combined R&B, pop and country influences into a style that challenged the racial barriers of the time and redefined the face of American popular culture. Until his death in 1977 he dominated the recording industry as no artist has before and none has managed to equal since.
    The last days of Elvis Presley are the topic of several dozen books and a great number of film documentaries. Whether the cause was drug overdose or failing health has been debated by innumerable people over the past three decades. A small minority even claims that Elvis faked his death while there are other who declare that he committed suicide. The ultimate cause of Presley's death remains a mystery even today.
    Several factors contributed to obscuring the facts concerning Presley's death. Several weeks before his death a Doomed Reaper came to Memphis from Stygia. No one can prove anything but it is believed that he somehow hid Presley's Death Marks so that no other Reapers could lay claim to him. The general reasoning is that if it were known by the Anacreons of Memphis that a person of Presley's status was about to die and could become a Wraith, that the scramble to lay claim to his soul would have torn the Necropolis apart. Not to mention the various Wraiths who had Presley as their Fetter would seek to avoid his death by any means possible. But for some reason the Fated couldn't predict the actual hour of Presley's death. And since he also did not want to draw attention to his interest in Presley he wasn't present at the time of Presley's death. In fact, given the remarkable amount of interest that Elvis had garnered from the various Supernatural factions during his lifetime it seems ironic that no one was really paying attention to him on the day of his death.

    The first Wraith to realize that Elvis was dead was the first one to come across him in the Underworld. A Pauper Reaper by the name of Jesse Cusan was simply hanging about in his favorite Fetter, the famous Chapel in the Woods behind Graceland, when he noticed a Cauled Enfant stumbling around the Chapel. Not one to pass up an opportunity he broke the Caul and stood in dumbfounded amazement when he recognized the face of Elvis Presley as one of the recently dead. His surprise was doubled when he realized that even though Presley was one of his Fetters he hadn't felt the connection break or gone through the Harrowing that usually follows such an event. Though with Elvis right there in front of him he finally realized that the connection wasn't there any more.
    Jesse immediately took Presley to Herb Vaughn. The Anacreon of the Legion of Paupers. Herb knew that something big was going to come of this and wasted no time inducting Presley into the Legion of Paupers. Just as he was calling an emergency meeting of the council of Anacreons it was discovered by the inhabitants of the Skinlands that Presley was dead. Not everyone was present at that meeting. In fact, notable for their abscence was any representative from the Legion of Fate. Later it was discovered that the entire Legion had made the trip from Elmwood to Graceland and had been waiting for Presley at his home. The mistake would cost them dearly. Down to the last member they were all recalled to Stygia by the Seat of Fate, never to be seen or heard from again. It is generally assumed that they were Soulforged into mirrors, though why mirrors are mentioned in every rumor and not some other object is not really known.
    By the end of that meeting it was apparent to everyone that Presley's death was a momentous event that would have major repercusions throughout the Necropolis. They agreed that Presley belonged to the Paupers even though they could not consult the Doomed for a final decision. They also ratified Herb's descision to step down as Anacreon of the Paupers and name Presley for his position. Even with Presley being an Enfant barely a few hours across the Shroud, it was agreed that Herb was within his rights to name his successor and that Presley could learn the job as he went along. E.H. Crump relished the prospect of being able to influence such a celebrity. He saw Elvis as a potential pawn that could easily be influenced to give him even more power of the Memphis Necropolis.
    It was also at this meeting that Presley began to glow.
    Though Presley proved to be a natural Chanteur it was in the study and application of Usury that he made his first impact. Given the volume of Pathos pouring across the shroud in the weeks following Presley's death, a cadre of over twenty Usurers were kept working around the clock to dam the tide and harness all the wasted energy. The guild members desperatly used every trick and art at their disposal. They taught Presley secrets that had been held by the Guild since the time of Greece. Finally Presley managed to control the flow with effort, and with the help of the Guildmasters, even developed new arts.
    One of the arts that Presley can employ is the creation of Soulfire crystals. He exudes them from his skin and they appear at regular intervals on his clothing as small diamonds. Their size and beauty is amazing as most soulfire crystals are large enough to fit in the palm of a person's hand while these crystals are each as small as a fingernail. The concentration of each crystal makes it harder to break and capable of displaying a better sparkle. Much like the difference between a diamond and a quartz crystal. Since they often appear upon his relic jumpsuits people have taken to calling the peculiar crystals Rhinefires. Apparently in referrence to the many rhinestones sewn onto his many jumpsuits.
    This surplus of Pathos that Presley provided made Memphis a center of export. Memphis can export soulfire crystals to other Necropoli without having to worry about turning a profit. One of Memphis' most valued trade partners is the Lost Mine of Death Valley. A special vein of relic silver is mined there. The silvery ore comes from the abandoned prospects of miners who thought that they had struck it rich only to find that there was little or no silver. This silver is used in the creation of Kingsilver, a unique export from Memphis that is the basis for the new economy.
    Kingsilver is the second great breakthrough of the King. Shortly after his death Presley was thrust into the politics of the Memphis Necropolis where the great debate was the question Thralldom and Soulforging. As the center of the Civil Rights Movement in the Shadowlands, the Memphis Necropolis was under increasing pressure to outlaw Slavery and the practice of Thralldom altogether. In the later half of the 70's the Heirarchy was still very much a slave based economy. And just as newly freed slaves had flocked to Memphis at the end of the Civil War, so too did Thralls, Heretics and Renegades from the surrouding areas after the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Promises of reform and a move to a more feudal form of government were not enough to stem the threat of imminent violence.
    Ironically the suggestion that launched Presley to the forefront of this discussion came from his Shadow. Presley's Shadow sardonically suggested that he offer himself up to the forges to save the poor Thralls. When it came Presley's turn to speak before the assembly he suggested just that. He had only the vaguest idea about what he was suggesting. All he knew at this point was that he could convert Pathos into Corpus and that Corpus was what went into the Soulforges. As ridiculous as this idea sounded to the majority of the assembly, the resident Artificers weren't laughing.
    Afterwards they met with Presley in secret and hammered out the details, so to speak... Presley was inducted into the ancient and honored Guild of Aritficers and even though he screamed when his first piece of Corpus was hammered off to make the coin he wears around his neck. He's gotten very good at ignoring the pain since then. Over the next few days Presley began supplying the Necropolis with bars of Soul-steel forged from his own Corpus. Many of these got shipped off to Stygia where they were alloyed with Death Ore. But the flow at the time was definitely in the other direction. It wasn't until the silver ore from Death Valley began flowing into Memphis in exchange for Rhinefire Crystals that Memphis truly experienced it's second economic boom. Being able to forge Soul-steel at Memphis allowed the economy to take off in a new direction.
    With the new economy Presley was ready to push for a real change in Heirarchy policy. Gathering the Renegades and Heretics of Memphis in a demonstration, he led them to Elmwood after a rousing open air speech delivered at Beale Street in what has affectionately been referred to as the Beale Street Uprising. There he delivered a truckload full of newly minted Kingsilvers. And with the support of the rallied Wraiths demanded an end to slavery and Thralldom.
    Nature: Traditionalist
    Demeanor: Visionary
    Life: Legendary Rock Star
    Death: Mystery
    Regret: Unfulfilled Destiny (Never got to see his daughter married.)
    Cohort: Anacreon of the Legion of Paupers for Memphis, Tennessee
Attributes
    Physical: Strength 4, Deterity 5, Stamina 6 (7 Soak*)
    Social: Charisma 5, Manipulation 5, Appearance 5
    Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 5
Abilities
    Talents: Alertness 2, Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Brawl 4, Carousing 4, Dodge 3, Empathy 5, Expression 5, Seduction 5, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2
    Skills: Dancing 4, Drive 3, Etiquette 3, Firearms 4, Leadership 5, Meditation 3, Melee 3, Performance 5, Singing 5, Soulforging 3, Style 4, Swimming 2, Tracking 1
    Knowledges: Bureaucracy 4, Enigmas 4, Law 3, Linguistics 1, Musical Composition 4, Occult 1, Politics 3, Theology 2
Advantages
    Backgrounds: Allies:  5, Artifact 5 (Nhudri's Belt), Artifact 6 (Nhudri's Hammer), Artifact ∞ (Kingsilver Coins) Artifact ∞ (Rhinefire Crystals), Artificers Status 3 (Forgemaster), Eidolon 5, Contacts 3, Haunt 5 (The Chapel in the Woods), Haunt 2 (Graceland), Heirarchy Status 5 (Legion Anacreon of Memphis), Heretic Status 5 (Stairway to Heaven Foundation Leader), Legacy 5, Memoriam 6 (It's impossible to even conceptualize the level of Memoriam Elvis would have when you compare it to other nationally loved figures. Marylin Monroe would be a figure worthy of Memoriam 5 and an entire city doesn't organize a week every year to celebrate her life and achievements.), Notoriety 6 (Admit it, even you have heard of Elvis Presley.), Relic 3 (.45 Pistol Revolver), Relic 2 (Sufficient ammunition for revolver), Relic 5 (Purple Cadillac)
    Passions: See Daughter Happily Married (Hope) 5, Bring Joy to Fans (Joy) 4, Lead Wraiths to Transcendence (Faith) 4, Reform the Heirarchy (Duty) 3
    Fetters: Graceland Mansion 2, Daughter (Lisa Marie Presley) 5
    Arcanoi: Argos 4, Embody 5, Inhabit 5 (Ancient Arts: • Lightning's Bite, •• Flawsight, New Arts: •• Ghost Call), Keening 5, Moliate 3, Usury 6 (New Arts: ••••• • Bank)
    Permanent Corpus: 20
    Temporary Corpus: 21-66 (This temporary Corpus comes from his constant use of Usury to channel the Pathos and Memoriam he receives from his fans. The peak usually comes in August on the 16th of every year, the anniversary of his death.)
    Pathos: 50-200 (Having a marriage related Passion and with all the wedding chapels in Las Vegas and Memphis that are dedicated to The King it's no suprise that the personal amount of Pathos he carries around with him is far in excess of what any other Wraith could hope to achieve. Add to that the Memoriam, his love of his fans and his religious convictions and the amount of Soulfire coursing through his Corpus becomes frightening.)
    Willpower: 9
Shadow: The Martyr
    Angst:  2
    Dark Passions: See Daughter Unhappily Married (Despair) 4, Lead Fans to Self Destructive Behavior (Hate) 2, Lose Faith (Loathing) 2
    Thorns: Infamy 5, Shadow Appearance 3, Shadow Art (Intimation) 5
    Image: The King glows, the first thing one notices is the unearthly glow that surrounds him. This glow takes on many colors and can radiate light up to fifty feet in the Shadowlands where color and light are usually absent. Otherwise he appears much as he did in life, maybe more athletic and trim than in his later years, but still very immediately recognizable as Elvis Presley. The King also has a metallic sheen to his skin. He uses Martiality to harden his Corpus for soulforging so often that he always has a silvery cast to his features. Even when not concentrating on it he has one level of armor on at all times. He wears relic jumpsuits that resemble those that he wore during his performances. These jumpsuits are studded with Rhinestones that are actually soulfire crystals of his own making.
    Another thing that is not so obvious at first but that one can't help but noticing after some time spent in the presence of The King (or after someone points it out to you) is that he has no Death Marks. Not a single sigil or blemish mars his Corpus. Even those that usually accompany the use of Acanoi are absent. No one pretends to know why this is so but some take it as further evidence that The King is destined to be ruler of the Underworld.
    Roleplaying Notes: Elvis never met a woman he didn't make a play for. He doesn't mean anything by it and because of this he leaves a trail of broken hearts and frustrated dreams a mile wide. He doesn't do it out of spite he just woos women like other people make small talk. He's also very generous and likes to meet new people. If the characters ever come to Memphis they can be assured an audience with The King and a gift afterwards. The characters are likely to walk away with a double handfull of Rhinefire crystals and a few Kingsilvers.
    The King has been focused on the process of liberalizing the Necropolis but in his free time he has found a new passtime to occupy his Passion. Starting in 1997 The King saw what everyone but he had realized long ago. His daughter wasn't just the Princess of Graceland, she was also a musical talent in her own right. He does precious little from across the Shroud, but simply being there is usually enough. He makes it a point to never miss her recording sessions if he can attend. And he also enjoys accompanying her on stage. For him it harkens back to a happier time when he sang on stage and his daughter was the one watching from the wings.
    *One die of Armor from Martiality and 6 from Stamina.

The King's Shadow

    Like all Wraiths the King has a dark side. But unlike the majority of Wraiths The King is the source of an entire economy and the Wraith responsible for the future of the Shadowlands. When his Shadow comes to the fore he can't simply be Castigated like a lowly Legionnaire. The slight chance that this could lead to a Harrowing is too much to be contemplated.
    The last time this happened was when Michael Jackson married his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. The whole affair was viewed with more than a passing interest by The King. At first he bought into the whole romantic notion of the 'King of Pop' marrying The King's daughter. But as it became obvious that the marriage was more one of convenience than one of love he sank into depression. The final straw was the very public and very fake kiss that was shown on the MTV Music Awards Show in 1994. This act threw The King into a very frightening Catharsis that nearly destroyed the Necropolis.
    The King's Shadow took over and despite the fact that many concerned Wraiths were on hand observing him and engaged in trying to distract him from his misery, his change went unchallenged. For close to six hours The King's Shadow took to destroying the self esteem and confidence of every Wraith who got within earshot of Graceland. In such circumstances, with many Wraiths falling into despair induced Harrowings and several more succumbing to their own Catharsi, the Pardoners were notable for their absence. Dr. Emmet and the other psychologists associated with the Stairway project decided to let the Catharsis take it's course so that The King could rid himself of the excess Angst generated by his daughter's situation. The doctor and his associates assured everyone that it was much preferable to suffer through The King's Catharsis than to contemplate the posibility of a Harrowing. By their silence it appears that the Pardoners in Memphis agreed.
    Using the Art of Intimation The King's Shadow managed to force several Wraiths into embarrasing and damaging confessions. Many Overlords and Regents lost their positions soon after. The Anacreons however had elected to stay away from The King as the situation with his daughter and Michael Jackson began to develop. The King's Catharsis was probably the most widely anticipated event of its kind in all of Memphis Necropolis history.
    Soon after The King regained his senses Pardoners from every Legion began an exhaustive Inquisition into the affairs of every Wraith even remotely associated with The King. Heads rolled and many innocent Wraiths were punished for The King's moment of passion. While The King himself remains repentant for the actions his Shadow took and the consequences, he has managed to distance himself from them. He's much like a little boy who says he's sorry but shies away from submitting to punishment.
    Though Hellmont wasn't present at the time this happened he has sought to avoid a recurrence. To this end he had some of his subordinates develop Nicolas Cage into a suitor for Lisa Marie Presley. He was seen as the perfect candidate. He was an avid Elvis fanatic, having collected scores of Elvis memorabilia over the years. And The King had a soft spot for the actor himself, having called him a few times using Ghost Call to give some words of encouragement. The goal of Hellmont is to see The King resolve all his Fetters so that he will be able to travel freely through the Tempest and beyond, and also so that he won't be vulnerable to attack through his Fetters. However, he didn't count on the stubborn and willful nature of Ms. Presley. She didn't really relish the idea of being an Elvis trophy for Cage and despite his many attempts to assure her of his sincerity she divorced him soon after the wedding. Thankfully The King didn't acquire quite enough Angst from this event to push him into a Catharsis. What he did gain was easily countered by his resident Restless Psychiatrists.
    While Hellmont has enjoyed some success in guiding The King to resolve his Fetters, Lisa Marie Presley continues to vex him. This is in part because she inherited her father's stubborn streak, but also because she is her father's Fetter she can't simply be made a consor by another Wraith and guided into actions that would resolve The King's attachment to her from beyond the grave. Attuning a mortal has the side effect of weakening that person as a Fetter for another Wraith. And this is almost as bad as destroying a Fetter as it makes it that much more difficult to resolve for the involved Wraith. A risk that Hellmont can't afford to take when it comes to The King.

"There's a Lady who's sure,
all that glitters is gold.
And she's buying a Stairway to Heaven"
    -- Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppellin

A Stairway to Heaven

    One of The King's most ambitious projects is to help all Wraiths to Transcend. Possibly the result of a Messianic Complex, but still something he gives more than passing attention to. Not being a great theolegan himself he nevertheless kept the dialogue running in the council of the Anacreons. A psychiatrist by the name of Emmet came to The King with the idea to produce shadowplays to help Wraiths resolve their worldly concerns. The idea came as an outgrowth of Emmet's continuing study on Harrowings and their psychological roots. His Theory was simple, if Shades could cause a Wraith to lose connection with the Fetters and Passions that drove him to become a Wraith in the first place by using props and events dredged up from the subconscious, then the same could be used to reafirm the Wraith as well. The reasoning being that if a situation involving true emotions repressed by the Psyche and which the Psyche could not distinguish from real events could be resolved within the Psyche, then it could be used to release the Wraith from those things that bound him to the Shadowlands. Dr. Emmet believed that he had evidence from several Wraiths who had passed through Harrowings that their Shadows had somehow mishandled which had actually led to the Wraith coming out of the experience stronger for the effort.
    Though The King is the spiritual father of the project, he has little to do with how it proceeds. The Stairway to Heaven is handled by a Circle of Wraiths who were psychiatrists in life. Most of them committed suicide and belong to the Silent Legion, but the rest are an even mix from the Iron and Skeletal Legions along with one Penitent. The Stairway itself is constructed from Kingsilver and rises about sixty feet from the grounds of Graceland behind Presley's grave. The Stairway itself is one giant Artifact designed to create immersive illusions of the situations and events that troubled the Wraith in life. The Sandmen then shape the event so that the Wraith achieves resolution or 'closure' as pop psychology calls it.
    Certainly the effort is not without risk, just as the Shadow can mishandle a Harrowing and the Wraith come out stronger for the experience, so too can the Sandmen make a mistake that impulses the Wraith one step closer to Oblivion. Of course all this is moot unless the Wraith in question is capable of trusting the Sandmen with his deepest shames and darkest fears.
    Another aspect of the Stairway that not many know is that some Wraiths are trying to turn it into a Byway. Hellmont and several other Stygian Wraiths would like to see Memphis and Graceland connected directly to some outpost of Stygia in the Tempest. In this manner the Deathlords could continue to exert influence on the Shadowlands and The King could possibly be convinced to travel beyond the Shadowlands. Several islands in the Tempest have been proposed, including Eurydice and the Seat of Fate. The suggestion to link the stairway to Stygia has been tabled until such a time as the island stops cedeing into the Labyrinth.

Kingsilvers and Soulfire Rhinestones

    Memphis has two unique exports in the form of Kingsilver and and the specialized Soulfire crystals that The King produces as a matter of course. Kingsilver comes in two forms, pure Soul-steel which is the unalloyed Corpus of The King and those who regularly volunteer to donate Corpus to the Graceland Forges, and an alloy of relic silver and Soul-steel. The main difference between this Soul-steel and that from other forges is that it doesn't moan, cry and whimper as the Soul-steel forged from the Corpus of Thralls, Spectres and criminals will do. Soul-steel forged from the Corpus of The King will actually hum and chant in joyous song. Of course those that expect to hear Rockabilly from Kingsilver are going to be disappointed. Elvis never did enjoy Rock and Roll as much as Ballads and Gospel Hyms. Having several Kingsilver objects together can produce a faint background music as the different pieces start to hum and sing in harmony. Amazing Grace is one that recurs more often than any other song.
    Relic mines are a diminishing prospect in the Shadowlands. Fewer people die in mine shafts or from the terrible conditions of mining that produced many Wraiths and relic claims in past centuries. The mechanization of mining in the US and other first world nations has made it a cold and sterile process. Of the great mines that produced the gold of the California Gold Rush, few if any give up any ore in the Shadowlands today. Exhausted of their ore in the Skinlands, these mines hold no promise of new finds and are generally regarded as hopeless.
    The only mines in the US that do provide new ore for the Ghostly prospectors who seek their treasures are the mines that never were. In Death Valley a series of prospectors and minerologists made great promises about the supposed richness of the Silver veins that were found in the early 20th century. Without much more than whatever tools they could carry, hosts of miners and prospectors flocked to Death Valley only to find that promise to be false. The veins didn't stretch far into the earth and instead of widening with depth, they narrowed. Something in the vicinity of 27 or more mines were started and abandoned in short order.
    From these mines Wraith prospectors found that they could draw relic silver that had never been anything more than the hopes and dreams of men who never got a chance to see it. This silver is shipped to Memphis in exchange for Soulfire crystals. The Wraiths who prospect in Death Valley don't have many potential sources of Pathos and rely almost entirely on trade to keep themselves from spiralling into apathy and Oblivion. The silver is then smelted at Graceland and alloyed with the Soul-steel from The King. The resultant Kingsilver is as strong and durable as Stygian Steel, but it doesn't cause grievous injury when used as a weapon. It can be used to make any object that Stygian Steel can be used to make and is also coined at Memphis with the seal of the city and the face of The King on the reverse.
    The exchange rate for Kingsilver coins is eight for one Obolus. Which is odd since all Usurers agree that it should take at least twelve Kingsilver sized coins to equal one Obolus. But this means that one object can be made from eight Kingsilvers, just as one Obolus can be fashioned into any single object up to the size of a human being. The exception being, of course, chains and objects larger than human size.

The Dictum Mortuum. Or lack of...

    Just as many people look to public figures as role models so too do the Wraiths of Memphis look to The King as an indication of how to act. The King gives little to no regard to the letter of the Dictum Mortuum, he rationalizes that as long as people think it's fake then there's been no foul. The King regularly keeps in contact with several living rock and country stars through the use of his Ghost Call Art. He knows now not to try it with family and friends because they are all too ready to believe that it really is him calling from beyond the grave. But any rock or country star that at least gives lip service to the memory of Elvis can expect to get a midnight phone call from The King.
    Memphis, and to a lesser extent, Las Vegas suffer from a peculiar violation of the Dictum Mortuum that cuts across affiliation and status. Many Wraiths capable of both Embody and Moliate will use the later Art to appear as Elvis Presley when they cross the shroud. 'Ghost of Elvis' sightings can be tracked in waves. Very little is done to stop it and those who perpetrate this form of Dictum Mortuum violation are rarely if ever punished. In most instances the only evidence to be had is that the 'Ghost of Elvis' appeared to some of the Quick. And in other cases the Wraith can claim that since Elvis sightings are so commonly dismissed that there is in fact no violation of the Dictum Mortuum.
    Still, common sense must be used as enforcement of the Dictum Mortuum varies from one Necropolis to another. Only in Memphis can a Wraith hope to get away with appearing as the 'Ghost of Elvis' every time. And even then he might get caught if he engages in frequent and gross violations of the Dictum Mortuum.
    Another thing that The King enjoys is giving lavish gifts to the members of his entourage. Full sized sedans and cadillacs are his gift of choice, but in the Shadowlands these are hard to come by. Even for the extravagant amounts of Rhinefire and Kingsilvers that The King can afford to pay. To make up the demand there is a black market in full sized relic cars that are made to cross the Shroud with the use of Inhabit. Legionnaire Wraiths are more likely to engage in this activity than Artificers. But the prices to be had, sometimes in the thousands of Rhinefire Crystals and hundreds of Kingsilvers, is too much to pass up. Relic guns and ammunition are another black market trade item that is more common in Memphis than elsewhere. As with cars, the demand from The King and the Legions means that a blind eye is usually turned to the method of procurement.