Necropilis: Memphis

"I ain't no saint, but I've tried never to do anything that would hurt my family or offend God... I figure all any kid needs is hope and the feeling he or she belongs. If I could do or say anything that would give some kid that feeling, I would believe I had contributed something to the world."
-- Elvis commenting to a reporter, 1950's.

Introduction

    In writing this supplement I will often refer to people and places which exist in Memphis, Tennesee. More specifically much of this supplement revolves around the person of Elvis A. Presley. In writing about the real persons and events of Memphis and Elvis I will try to be both true to the events and people portrayed while at the same time seeking to be wildly inaccurate. This is intentional in writing an adaptation of Memphis for Wraith the Storyteller game. While some of the things I write about Elvis will be historically accurate this is a work of fiction and the motivations and actions that are presented here are invented from my imagination and should under no circumstance be attributed to the real persons and events of Memphis and her inhabitants.
    I also want to make clear that I'm not actually an Elvis fan. I don't have any Elvis memorabilia and I don't listen to his records. That said, after having read a few biographies and sat through a few documentaries I can honestly say that Elvis the man was much more complex and interesting than Elvis the entertainer. When I set out to write this I wasn't going to do a book on Elvis, what I set out to do in the beginning was to present a power structure that would arise in the vaccum of Stygia's fall. To that end I reviewed a number of historical figures such as John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill seeking one who could not only unite the farflung Wraiths of the Heirarchy but who would have the personal power to replace Charon as a figure of central authority. While the political and religious figures I contemplated where all certainly people capable of getting the job done, in life as well as death, I decided early on that the person not only had to have the ability and the ambition but also the remembrance of a large group of people to fuel a Memoriam that would also provide enough personal power for that figure be a force of reckoning. This supplement was going to be about Kennedy until I thought back to the Kevin Costner movie JFK. I was going to use that as my benchmark for the Memoraim and Pathos that Kennedy would have at his disposal to make those ambitions a reality. That was when it hit me that the number of people who observe Kennedy's death and who keep his memory alive pale in comparison to the millions who love Elvis and the hundreds of thousands who to this day don't really believe that he's actually dead.
    Elvis is actually the center of a plethora of ghost stories and has become a part of American mythology. Elvis is practically a religion in some parts of rural America. There are people who get married in chapels dedicated to Elvis and who make annual pilgrimages to his grave. Not to mention the hundreds of Elvis impersonators who live around the world. And don't think that Elvis is a wholly American phenomenon. Add the number of record sales of Elvis discography from overseas, not to mention bootleg and illegal recordings and Elvis has sold more records than Michael Jackson, Madonna, Garth Brooks and Britney Spears put together. So here I am, writing a netbook on the most unlikely person, which also leads into a full resource book for Memphis.
    Also, some information proved to be sparse. In many instances all I had to work with were a name and a date of death. So many of the 'historical' figures are actually nothing but characters fleshed from my imagination who simply share the same names. In some cases I have not the slightest idea what killed the actual person, so some Legion members will obviously be in the wrong Legion, but still I hope to provide at least a playable setting for a Wraith campaign if not an overly accurate one.

How to use this setting.

    Much of the material here is specific to Memphis and it would be difficult to adapt it to another location. No other city in America has quite the combination of Notoriety and Mundanity of Memphis. On the one hand two great figures in American history have died in Memphis. On the other hand there's not really much happening in Memphis on a daily basis. Relatively speaking it's a pretty boring place. For this reason the Storyteller and Players may find that the Chronicle will focus more on events within the Underworld with the Skinlands being an occasional intrusion.
    However it is this stability which makes Memphis an attractive setting to establish a power base for the new Heirarchy. The average Wraith can wander about Memphis for years without ever encountering Spectres or running afoul of the Heirarchy patrols. This sense of a safe haven allows Players and Npc's alike the freedom to establish far reaching plans that will affect the politics and development of the entire Underworld. And besides, all the intresting places in the Shadowlands have descended into anarchy and chaos.
    The Pacific Rim Necropoli are under increasing attack from the Jade Kingdom which senses the Heirarchys' weakness. The Los Angeles Necropolis is no longer in Herairchy control if it ever was. The Anarchy of the Underworld in the California Free States is mirrored by the Anarchy of the vampire and werewolf factions following the fall of their power structures.
    The largest and most powerful Heirarchy Necropolis was New York and then the unthinkable happened. The events of 9-11 have created a power vacum on the North American continent that the remnants of the Dark Kingdom of Obsidian wish to capitalize on. In this book I will refrain from speculating as to what effect this tragedy would have on the Underworld and the World of Darkness but to ignore it completely would be just as bad. For purposes of the campaign setting it should be sufficient to note the scope of the tragedy and how it has affected the lives of individuals. The collapse of the power structure and the outpouring of refugees should drive home the horror that drove them. This also allows you the storyteller the freedom to include as much or as little of current events in your campaign as you want.
    All this leaves boring, stable Memphis to pick up the pieces and pull the beleaguered Heirarchy together. Memphis is a rock when every other faction is falling apart. It's only natural that those who have lost their foundation would want to seek refuge here.

Memphis At A Glance

    Population: Suburban 653,507, Metropolitan area 1,100,230.
    Area: City 288 sq. mi. (746 sq. km), Metropolitan area 3,092 sq. mi. (8,008 sq. km).
    Climate: Average temperature: January, 40 degrees F (4 degrees C); July, 82 degrees F (28 degrees C). Average annual precipitation: 52 in. (132 cm) (rainfall, melted snow, and other forms of moisture).
    Government: Mayor/council. Terms 4 years for the mayor and for the 13 council members.
    Founded: 1819. Incorporated as a city in 1849
    Quick Facts: Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee. It lies on a bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the southwest corner of the state. Memphis serves as the commercial and industrial center of western Tennessee and parts of neighboring states.
    Cotton and river trade accounted for much of the city's early growth. By 1900, Memphis was the world's largest market for cotton and hardwood lumber. The city is still a leader in these activities. But the industrial expansion after World War II ended in 1945, made Memphis one of the South's largest urban centers. The city also became a hub of higher education, medical care, and motel development. Memphis also happens to be a center for the recording and distribution of music.
    Memphis was named for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, which lay on the Nile River. Settlers chose the site because the nearby Wolf River flowed into the Mississippi and provided an excellent harbor. The bluff site also furnished protection from floods. The Memphis Metropolitan Area is part of Shelby county.
    Law Enforcement: The Memphis Police Department is a model of efficiency and remarkably free of prejiduce for a southern state. Discrimination is frowned upon at the highest levels and racial profiling is limited by a mostly black constabulary. While other cities were torn apart in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, Memphis managed to maintain rioting and civil unrest to a minimum. The arrest and confession of James Earl Ray to the murder allowed things to calm down in the Skinlands. Things aren't perfect, but the mostly social discrimination is preferable to the open hostility suffered by other cities.
    Travel: Memphis boasts and International airport and two commuter airports. Dewitt Spain Downtown Airport to the north and West Memphis Airport in West Memphis in Arkansas. Interstate 240 loops through Memphis while Interstates 40 and 55 cross through the heart of the city connecting Memphis with the rest of the United States.
    Culture: Memphis isn't a city for grand culture. It has a variety of theaters and recording studios but Nashville is just a few hours away and very few come to Memphis to start their Jazz careers. The nightlife is a wasteland. A few bars featuring local or fading music acts are barely a step up from the watering holes that dot the region. Goth and underground clubs are usually mismanaged and overpriced. Dinner theater, the last refuge of the desperate falling star is popular in Memphis. Many daytime soap opera stars come to Memphis to kill their careers once and for all.
    The highest form of entertainment in Memphis is Wrestling. Aside from the sport venues who keep themselves afloat during the off season by hosting Wrestling cards, a few casinos will sometimes feature a few Wrestlers among the live shows. Whenever a large Wrestling promotion such as the WWE comes through town they an usually book The Pyramid on short notice and expect to sell out in just a few hours. Memphis hosts two local Wrestling Promotions, Memphis Championship Wrestling and Heartland Wrestling. Memphis Championship Wrestling is a local concern and is the brainchild of Jerry 'the King' Lawler. Heartland Wrestling is based out of Universal Studios in Miami and makes regular circuits through the central and southern states.
    The only other thing to remember about Memphis is that there is no 'last call' and gambling is legal. How this relates to the falling incidence of violent crime in the city is anybody's guess.

Map of Memphis

History

    Chickasaw Indians lived in what is now the Memphis area long before white settlers first came there. Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer, arrived in the area in 1541 and became the first white person to see the Mississippi River.
    In 1682, the French explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, built Fort Prud'homme near what is now Memphis and claimed the area for France. By the 1700's, France, Britain, and Spain had claimed the Tennessee region. The United States gained control of the area in the late 1700's. In 1818, the U.S. government bought much of western Tennessee from the Chickasaw. General Andrew Jackson, Judge John Overton, and General James Winchester became owners of 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) of the land. In 1819, the three men organized a settlement there and named it Memphis. The story of the Chickasaw is something you don't hear very often. A group of Native Americans selling low value land for a good price. Until the railroads came, Memphis wasn't a very profitable area.
    Memphis was incorporated as a city in 1849. In 1860, it had a population of 23,000 and ranked as the South's sixth largest city. After the American Civil War began in 1861, Memphis became a military center for the Confederacy. The city fell to Union forces in 1862 with very little resistance. In the 1870's, a series of yellow fever epidemics struck the city. About half the population fled. In 1878, the epidemics killed about 5,200 of the 19,600 people who lived in Memphis. The state legislature took away the city's charter in 1879.
    By 1890, river trade had increased, and the population had climbed to 64,500. In 1892, a railroad bridge was completed across the Mississippi at Memphis. The bridge increased trade with the Southwest, and Memphis soon became the world's largest inland center for cotton and hardwood lumber. Memphis regained its charter in 1893. During the late 1800's, many freed slaves moved to Memphis from plantations and small towns to the South. Many worked in the cotton and lumber mills.
    In 1909, Edward H. Crump was elected mayor of Memphis. Crump became one of the most powerful political bosses in the nation's history. Until his death in 1954, Crump controlled almost all politics in Memphis and some state politics as well.
    By 1960, the city's population had grown to 498,000. During the 1960's, a building boom brought many new factories and skyscrapers to Memphis. Memphis International Airport opened in 1963. The area of Memphis increased by about 70 percent through annexation of suburbs. The city's population grew by about 25 percent, largely as a result of this annexation.
    In the late 1960's and early 1970's, Memphis suffered from racial conflict and weak political leadership. Recognition of common interests, however, has helped blacks and whites work together in order to resolve racial conflicts in the city. Memphis shifted from a mayor-commission to a mayor-council government in 1968.
    Since the 1980's, the growing black majority in Memphis has put increased emphasis on the educational and economic needs of the black community. In 1991, the voters of Memphis elected W. W. Herenton mayor. Herenton became the city's first elected black mayor when he took office at the start of 1992. He was reelected in 1995 and again in1999.

Haunts

    Memphis is not an area that is steeped in a magical tradition. The Chicasaw Indians weren't inheritors of a grand shamanic tradition and by the time white settlers took over the area they were already fairly ruralized. Memphis is pretty plain when it comes to magical practices. It's no surprise then that Memphis is home to very few Haunts.
    Historically Memphis has enjoyed the protection of the Wolf Bluff from storms and floods. In the Shadowlands this has also helped to minimize the damage caused by Maelstroms. During the Fifth Great Maelstrom many Wraiths sought shelter in the small area between Beale Street and the Rail Yard. This allowed many Tennessean Wraiths to escape the destruction that accompanied the Storm to End all Storms. One reason that many Wraiths continue to flock to Memphis is the safety enjoyed by the inhabitants of Memphis' Underworld. No other Citadel or Necropolis in the world can be considered such a sanctuary for the Restless. (In game terms reduce the intensity of any Maelstrom by two in the area South and East of Wolf's Bluff.)
    The scant existence of Nihils in Memphis mirrors the lack of Haunts in the city. This also makes Doomslaying an almost exclusive profession. Doomslayers and Helldivers in Memphis are specialists and are usually available in an emergency since they are not tied up with multiple objectives and threats. Other Necropoli have to commission Doomslayers on a constant basis. In Memphis the low number of Doomslayers means that the ones who do exist are usually much more professional and dedicated to their craft.
    The Shroud in Memphis is usually a steady 9 throughout the downtown area. It drops to 7 all along the banks of the Mississippi river. The vast suburbs that border the city usually have a Shroud of 8, though a 9 is not unheard of in certain areas of commercial development. Only a few scyscrapers in the center of downtown have a Shroud of 10. Martin Luther King Park, President's Island and Treasure Island to the south of downtown are all Shroud 8. Davy Crockett Park to the north is in a less frequented area and has a Shroud rating of 7. North Horn Lake and Coro Lake are Shroud 7 too. Though the lack of boating accidents and serial killers has limited the number of Wraiths who take to the open water.

Orpheum Theater (Haunt ••••)
    According to theater legends, this grand building is haunted by the ghost of a small girl known as "Mary". She was reportedly struck and killed by a car on Beale Street and somehow her spirit found refuge in the nearby Orpheum Theater.
    The original building was built in 1890 and burned down in 1923. It was rebuilt in 1928 and at some point the ghost found her way inside of the place. She has been reported here for more than sixty years and many witnesses claim they have seen doors open and close by themselves, heard her quiet, giggling voice, and have heard her small feet tapping up and down the aisles.
It is also reported that theater patrons have observed her sitting quietly in her favorite seat, C-5. She never creates a disturbance during a show but visiting actors are often uneasy in the house. In 1977, the traveling cast of Fiddler on the Roof became so convinced the theater was haunted that they demanded a seance on the upper balcony to try and contact the ghost. Employees have gotten used to having her around and her playful pranks have become commonplace and expected. They are used to the questions of visitors and even the traveling ghost hunters who show up on occasion.
    In 1979, a parapsychology class from the University of Memphis came to the building for an investigation and they believe that Mary is not in the place alone, they were convinced that they found evidence of at least six other ghosts in the Orpheum.
    The theater is located at 203 South Main Street. It is a favorite of Heirarchy and Renegade Wraiths alike and though sometimes fighting might break out, especially over violations of the Dictum Mortum, the peace is kept mostly by Renegade Wraiths who congregate there for the music and ambiance.

Bellebois Mansion (Haunt •)
    Bellebois Mansion, just outside of Memphis. The apparition of Raike Gaston, known as the "Longest Boy in Tennessee" has been seen there, as well as in the woods and along the roads nearby. Born in 1815, he was the illegitimate son of a gambler who earned a reputation around Memphis as a rake and ladies man. He was said to be very tall reportedly by the time he was 18, he was six feet, ten inches tall and had sired a number of illegitimate children. At age 29, he inherited Bellebois Mansion from his father, but refused to live there and gave it away to a distant uncle. A few years later, Raike froze to death in a ditch and his spirit still roams the countryside, unable to put down roots.

Graceland (Haunt ••)
    Graceland and the Chapel in the Woods (Haunt •••••) are detailed in their own section further along in this supplement.

"Men write histories of living cities. The din that is never silenced, toil that knows no rest, crime that stalks abroad at night, and wretched poverty in rags, and wealth arrayed in splendor and beauty all these are described in books. Why not write the story of the Silent City of the Dead? Why not tell who and what they were, and what they did they who rest, each in his 'narrow house,' in dreamless, painless repose?"
    -- Elmwood: 1874

Elmwood Cemetery (Shroud 5-7)

The site of the Citadel of the Heirarchy Necropolis in Memphis, Elmwood nevertheless has a beauty and peacfulness about it that make it hard for visitors to believe it is so. E.H. Crump is buried here and from here he leads the more traditional and hidebound elements of the Heirarchy. Wraiths who can't let go of their prejiduces and are reluctant to follow The King and his reforms maintain Elmwood as their base of operations. But their power and influence is waning. This is a bitter pill for Crump who, as the Anacreon of the Iron Legion in Memphis, is used to the position of First Among Equals. It was Crump who restored order during the civil unrest of the 60's and many of the older Wraiths of the city remember fondly his harsh, authoritarian rule.

Elmwood History
    Chartered in 1852, Elmwood (the name was drawn out of a hat by the founders) was established as part of what became known as the "Rural Cemetery Movement" of the 1800's. The spearhead of this movement, the magnificent Père LaChaise, the original garden cemetery, had just been opened in 1804 in Paris. With it's rural setting, large stands of trees, and beautiful grounds, it was a totally revolutionary approach to cemeteries. This concept suited the vast spaces of the young nation perfectly.
    Originally, Elmwood was started as a business venture by 50 men. In the early 1870's, the corporation was dissolved and Elmwood became a nonprofit cemetery (One of the oldest non-profits in the state of Tennessee.). The cemetery was established on a 40 acre plot that was then 2.5 miles from town After the Civil War, an additional 40 acres were purchased, for a total of 80 acres.
    As you visit the grounds, you will notice the many magnificent monuments there. During the Victorian Era, the popular view of death became romanticized by Gothic sensibilities. Death was now represented by angels, various flowers, life-sized figures, and by many other symbols. The epitaphs are truly a story in and of themselves. Many of these graves are the Fetters of many older Wraiths and are protected with as much zeal as is possible on the other side of the Shroud.
    As compelling as the monuments are, even more intriguing are the stories of the people buried at Elmwood. Among the 70,000 people buried here are 18 Confederate generals, 2 Union generals, Veterans from all US wars including the Revolutionary War, Senators, Mayors, and Governors. There are several madames (yes, that kind), internationally known doctors, attorneys, immigrants, spies (the Father of the OSS is here), suffragists, river folks, common laws and outlaws.

Victorian Cottage (Haunt •••)
    The Victorian Carpenter Gothic Cottage which serves as the Visitors Center of Elmwood Cemetery was built in 1866 from plans that were drawn on the back of an envelope by the carpenter and the Superintendent. The Cottage is the only remaining example of Victorian Carpenter Gothic architecture in Memphis. As charming as it is, it was too small for the administration's needs. In the fall of 1998, an addition was made to the east side of the Cottage which gave it a great office space so that the Cottage could become a visitor center and education area. It is considered one of the most historic places in Memphis.
    In the Shadowlands the great architects of the Iron Legion have sought to maintain its quaint charm. Many subdivisions are not readily apparent from the outside. They are either underground or hidden in the folds of the land or behind stands of trees. Security is enforced at the gate and most of the structures are low to the ground so as to not break the flow of the beautiful scenery. However a full Regiment of each Legion that can maintain one is stationed at Elmwood. Many of these Legionnaires have their Fetters within the cemetery itself. Other Regiments are stationed at Haunts throughout the city, though usually of Battallion strength or smaller.

Rail Station (Haunt •)
    This historic landmark has been preserved since the 1800's. It's where the Midnight Express stops when it passes through Memphis, but more importantly it's the hub used by the local ghost trains that connect Memphis to the other Necropoli in the US. Unlike the Midnight Express these trains can't reach the byways through the Tempest, but by following the same tracks laid down in the Skinlands they keep regular traffic between Boston, New York, Atlanta and Death Valley. Sometimes other locations are travelled to, but only by request and only if circumstances merit the expense.
    Another tactic is to hitch a ride on existing freight or passenger trains travelling through Memphis' modern railyards. More often Inhabit is used to insure that the computerized manifests will insure that several empty box cars are attached to a train heading in the direction that the Hierarchy representatives wish to send frieght. The materials are loaded in the Shadowlands as the freight cars are loaded in the Skinlands.

The Civil Rights Museum (Haunt ••)
    Erected on the site of the hotel where Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally wounded by gunshot, this Museum is a place of refuge for the Renegades who make up the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King did not become a Wraith upon his death. Popular myth holds that he Trascended before he crossed the Shroud. Other less poetic Wraiths joke that there are already too many Kings in Memphis and Dr. King didn't want to become another politician. His death did manage to polarize many Wraiths who were not previously Renegades. Many black Heretic Wraiths and many Enfants from the Legions joined the Renegades at the height of the discontent following Dr. King's assassination.
    During the height of racial tensions this area was an armed stronghold where Wraiths of the Civil Rights Movement fought the Heirarchy to a standstill. After heavy assaults and an attack on the Citadel in Elmwood the Renegades seemed perched on the edge of sweeping the Heirarchy from power. Unfortunately the rioting and fires had attracted Spectres and E.H. Crump managed to use them against the Renegades. After this the Civil Rights Museum was constructed in the Skinlands in 1991 and those Renegades who had fought there previously flocked to the site. The edifice soon became an actual Haunt which today serves as home to several black Wraiths who are either Renegades from the 60's and 70's or who are Heretic and Heirarchy Wraiths who sympathize with the cause of the Civil Rights movement.

Locations of Interest

Memphis can be categorized as a Rural Metropolis. Very few scyscrapers decorate the Memphis skyline. The city itself is developed, but it has enough open space to accomodate further expansion without having to reach skywards. Apart from several parks and the vast suburban sprawl there are a few areas beside Graceland that the interested party can visit.

The Pyramid (Shroud 10)
    Third largest pyramid in the world, this sports arena is more of a skyscraper. With glass panelling, all the amenities of a modern multi-arena and a steel superstructure, about the only thing it has in common with the Ancient pyramids is the general shape. The Pyramid rises within spitting distance of the Mississippi shore, on it's North side is Auction Ave with parking bounded by rail tracks to the East.
    Local sports teams include the Memphis Grizzlies, an NBA basketball team. The Grizzlies aren't the lowest team in overall standings, but they're close. When not hosting Basketball or Hockey the Pyramid is dedicated to wrestling. Wrestling events usually generate more attendance than the ailing pro sports venues even though the ticket prices are usually higher. Aside from that the Pyramid is also where many concerts in honor of The King are held.

Other Sports Venues
    The Memphis Redbirds, are a Minor's League baseball club who are also very low in their division standings. Again, not the lowest, but close. Their greatest claim to fame is their off season exhibition matches with the St Louis Cardinals. They don't play at the Pyramid though, they play out of Auto Zone Park in Shelby.
    As a matter of fact, the Liberty Bowl Memorial stadium, home of the University of Memphis football team The Tigers, overshadows all other sporting venues. The Tiger's collegiate record is better overall than any of the professional teams hailing from Memphis. People from Memphis take football, especially collegiate football, very seriously.

Beale Street and Sun Studios (Shroud 8-9)
    Many Wraiths hang out here, especially those who died in the later half of the last century. But it's not a Haunt in the mystical sense even though a handful of Wraiths have some part of Beale Street or Sun Studios as their Fetters. Regular patrols keep the area safe and the Heirarchy keeps watch to make sure no one goes after a rival's Fetters. Especially those that are shared by so many.

Mud Island (Shroud 7)
    Not a Haunt, but the location on the river combined with the wonder produced by the scale representation of the Mississippi, conspire to make this a place where the Shroud is uncommonly low for a major Metropolis. Mud Island is an exhibit, but it has the look and feel of a park. Hence many Wraiths who want to harry one of the Quick seek to drive them to Mud Island first. As a response to this there is a Heirarchy patrol that swings by the island every night and does a circuit of the exhibit and surrounding groves.

Chicamauga National Park (Shroud 4)
    Though far removed from Memphis and the surrounding suburbs this forest on the border with Georgia deserves a special mention here. Far removed from the Necropolis, the park is still important because it is a source of Relic wood that can be used as building material. Logging in Chicamauga is not without risk however. The forest is home to a malevolent entity known as 'Green Eyes'. This demon can appear to the Quick and Wraiths alike. And very few manage to escape its deadly attentions. The Heirarchy is convinced that Green Eyes is simply a powerful Spectre. However accounts of the entity date back to before the arrival of white settlers. The Indians named the forest Chicamauga after the demon within. Neither Shamans nor Garou have ever managed to dispel the creature and Heirarchy patrols who seek to overwhelm the creature by force and numbers never encounter it in the choked forest. The very abundance of Relic trees serves to frustrate any attempt to move rapidly through the forest since these cannot be bypassed as easily as their living counterparts in the Skinlands. The demon rarely attacks groups of more than two and then only when they are spread out and can be taken away from the main body.
    Even the Doomed are frustated in their attempts to bring the creature to bay. It seems to be able to slip through any perimeter set to trap it and even foreknowledge of where and when it is going to strike next has not led to its capture. The creature walks into traps willingly enough, but instead of staying to fight it seems to sense when it's in danger and flees before it can be engaged. Chains of Stygian Steel have not been able to hold the demon as it twists its Corpus and escapes with only minimal burning. Nets are next to useless even when the demon doesn't sense the trap beforehand. It simply rips them apart or fades away.
    Even with this threat hanging over loggers the rewards of bringing back the timber are enough that the Heirachy still maintains a loggers station in Chicamauga.
    Close to the park lies the Chicamauga battlefield (Haunt •••••). This open expanse is home to several hundred Drones who reenact one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the Civil War. Heirarchy patrols stay away from them since the Drones are recipients of the only war time Memoriam in Tennessee. They may be Drones but the Relic bullets can still dissolve a Wraith as easily as any other Relic weaponry. Green Eyes never leaves the forest and even though the Drones regularly make their way through the trees, the demon never disturbs them.

"His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac... It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."
-- Frank Sinatra, 1950's

The Heirarchy in Memphis

    Nestled in the confluence between the Liberal North and the Conservative South, the Necropolis in Memphis almost didn't make it to the end of the Millenium. The Civil Rights movement and the Heirarchy's practice of slavery came to a head in the later half of the 1960's. Rioting in the Skinlands in 1968 over the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. led to Nihils erupting all over the Memphis Necropoli. The Renegade and Heretic Circles of Memphis united to pull down the beleaguered Heirarchy while Spectres and Shades attacked individual Haunts stretching the Heirarchy forces thin. However, the Citadel at Elmwood was able to repulse the first assault and E.H. Crump devised a plan to fend off the assault. Sacrificing a Circle of Doomslayers, he had them lure the main force of Spectres to Elmwood. The Spectres attacked everyone in sight and soon the Renegades and Heretics were fighting alongside the Heirarchy forces to beat back the dark assault.
    After their victory a series of talks were established to see if some sort of agreement could be reached. Both sides were weary of fighting and the battle with the Spectres had drained everyone. Some small victories were won by the forces of reform that day, but Crump managed to maintain the better part of the Heirarchy's power structure in place. Vague assurances that only Criminals and Spectres would be sent to Stygia for Soulforging along with agreements that every Thrall would be trained in a useful trade and then made citizens as soon as the training was finished were the extent of the agreements that could be reached that day. As soon as reinforcements arrived from Stygia the Renegades and Heretics found out how faint those assurances really were.
    Crump played all three sides masterfully and came out of it a hero to all. His attempts at 'reform' kept the Renegades and Heretics from open revolt for nearly a decade. But things didn't get a chance to reach the boiling point. At the end of the decade of the seventies Elvis crossed over the Shroud and redefined life in the Shadowlands the same way he redefined popular culture in the Skinlands.
    The Legions are still strong here, those that matter anyways. But the progress and reform that had been held back for decades, came in a sudden rush that no one was prepared for and which is still being sorted out to this day. The Legion of Paupers is particularly powerful, out of all proportion to the size of their Legion.

The Renegades of Memphis

Until about a century ago, most Renegade activity centered around Union and Confederate Wraiths who had died elsewhere, but whose Fetters had brought them home to Memphis. The Civil War left Memphis relatively untouched. Even though many young men and officers came from Memphis only two battles were ever fought in or around the city of Memphis. One was a naval battle that ended with the occupation of a largely intact Memphis and the second was a diversionary tactic performed by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest that simply served to draw more Union troops to Memphis. All told less than 400 servicemen died in Memphis of which less than 20 passed the Shroud. Of these the only group of any note is Forrest's Cavalry led by the late Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and numbering some 26 Wraiths mounted on Relic horses. Of these only eight are members of the original Forrest's Cavalry, though all are former Confederate soldiers and most are natives of the Memphis area or the surrounding Shelby county area.
But as times changed and Emancipation gave way to the Civil Rights Movement, the larger part of the Renegade faction came from the various discontent black men and women who died in the later part of the 20th century. Labor movements and unions also provided malcontents to swell the Renegades ranks. Open sympathizers within the Legions and Heretics also made the Renegades of Memphis particualrly hard to dislodge. However in the modern Memphis Necropolis, Renegades and Heirarchy Wraiths have an open dialogue and work together on many issues. A state of affairs normally unheard of in the Shadowlands. How long this state can last is anyone's guess.

The Heretics of Memphis

The joke is that Memphis has no Heretics because they all belong to the Heirarchy. But the situation is a bit more complicated than that. Large Methodist and Baptist populations among the Quick have dominated Memphis since it's founding, Memphis even has a sizeable Catholic community. The fact is that very few Wraiths in Memphis are considered to be exclusively Heretics. Most also owe allegiance to the Heirarchy or to a Renegade group. Of course since most Renegade groups are Civil Rights proponents that also gives them moral grounds from which to spread their views and that leads to further blurring of the lines.
The only Wraiths in Memphis that can really be called Heretics are those who follow non-Christian beliefs. Still, the liberalism enjoyed in Memphis means that Wraiths who follow any organized religion, whether Eastern, Jewish or Muslim, will be left alone as long as they don't try to make converts. Other Heretics however don't recieve such forgiving treatment. Memphis' growing teen Goth population have found that when they do cross the Shroud their problems are just beginning. Wiccans and Neo Pagans are especially unwelcome in the Necropolis of Memphis.

Sections

Section I:    Everything Elvis
Section II:   Who's Who among the Dead of Memphis
Section III: Story Seeds
Section IV:   Appendix