Study of Folklore and Magic in Texas and the Gulf Coast

[Icelander]

Are there any places in Galveston that would naturally have lower Threshold (Pyramid #3/58 'Safe as Houses') and Facade (Pyramid #3/97 'Mask of Humanity') than others, even to the point of being Places of Power (GURPS Thaumatology) with nasty-bad flavour and/or Bad Places (GURPS Horror)?

Sites of massacres, notable suicides, serial killer residences, etc.?

Haunted houses?

[SionEwig]

Not on the coast, but there are the well known Marfa Lights. Usually seen along US 67 (on Mitchell Flat) east of the town of Marfa. You might be able to make some use of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marfa_lights

[LokRobster]

Originally Posted by Icelander

On the subject of folklore studies in East Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, are there any local myths that might relate to creatures that could come from an alternate world of Faerie, Álfheim or the equivalent?

Any stories about local sprites, fairies, gnomes, little people, elves, fey, changelings, Fair Folk, goblins, gremlings, bugaboos, hobs, ogres or other ultraterrestial fauna?

Some 20th century-based stories are sure to have come from some dark prehistoric time that we are just now discovering: Skunk Ape (aka Louisiana Big Foot), the Houston Bat-Man (the clickbait-ad-laden Texas Hill Country.com has a cool story about it), and the Chupacabra from Mexico may often wander up the coast.

The Wampus Cat of Cherokee folklore has been spotted in a East Texas as well....

[LokRobster]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Are there any places in Galveston that would naturally have lower Threshold (Pyramid #3/58 'Safe as Houses') and Facade (Pyramid #3/97 'Mask of Humanity') than others, even to the point of being Places of Power (GURPS Thaumatology) with nasty-bad flavour and/or Bad Places (GURPS Horror)?

Sites of massacres, notable suicides, serial killer residences, etc.?

Haunted houses?

Reminded me of La Salle’s lost French Colony. Matagorda Bay ain’t too far from Galveston:)

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by adm

Actually, Louisiana uses Parishes because their legal system is based on the Napoleonic Code, instead of the English Common Law system the rest of the U.S.A law is based on.

Which is weird, because the basic unit of rural local government here on Homeworld is the Civil Parish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_...gland#Parishes

Originally Posted by Icelander

Are there any places in Galveston that would naturally have lower Threshold (Pyramid #3/58 'Safe as Houses') and Facade (Pyramid #3/97 'Mask of Humanity') than others, even to the point of being Places of Power (GURPS Thaumatology) with nasty-bad flavour and/or Bad Places (GURPS Horror)?

Sites of massacres, notable suicides, serial killer residences, etc.?

Haunted houses?

Dunno about Galveston, but besides the more famous fountain of youth in Florida, there's the one from the song located in Mineral Wells TX.

[adm]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Which is weird, because the basic unit of rural local government here on Homeworld is the Civil Parish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_...gland#Parishes

...

Interesting, now I wonder where else in the US parishes may be used.

A quick internet search later, no one else for government subdivisions.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by LokRobster

Reminded me of La Salle’s lost French Colony. Matagorda Bay ain’t too far from Galveston:)

It's indeed a short distance, especially by fast yacht, which is likely to be the PCs' transportation of choice.

Thanks. I'll be sure to schedule an adventure hook in connection to this. I'll just have to find out where in the East Texas wilds LaSalle was murdered in the Tarantino-scripted side-story of the rescue party.

[Icelander]

Where in Florida would I find the most remote, inaccessible isolated communities of clannish Duck Dynasty/Swamp People -esque people?

I'm aware that these are both set in Louisiana, yes. The character for whose backstory this is actually comes from Louisiana, originally, with all his Cajun kin, but they've spread all over the Gulf Coast, at least to places sufficiently hospitable to their lifestyle*, and his branch lives somewhere in Florida.

Culturally, I'd prefer the Panhandle, but climatically and ecologically, it might be that it's necessary to have it be in southern Florida, like the Everglades. The PC requires a mangrove tree near his home, for example.

It's absolutely imperative that there is no convenient way to reach the place. Ideally, no road, just fanboats. But if possible, there should also be trees and thick, impassable greenery in places. Basically, the local terrain would, in a perfect world, offer some combination of bayou, swamp, jungle and forest.

Any suggestions?

Edit: If placing a family of a few hundred Cajuns in Florida living a lifestyle iconic of Cajuns in the wetlands of Louisiana stretches credibility or just feels wrong, I expect the player might be convinced to simply have his character live in southern Louisiana. In that case, I expect that Atchafalaya Basin might be the best location. Are there any parts of it that are incredibly inaccessible and inconvenient to visit, with small communities that rarely, if ever, receive outside visitors?

*Which seems to involve a laissez-faire attitude toward responsibility, a strict policy of live-and-let-live toward the 'gubmint', especially as regards taxation, which they regard as one of those things you can take or leave and they'd rather leave it, a complex favor economy within the family and little actual currency changing hands, an aversion to formal education and working 9-5, and a fondness for hunting and fishing, making everything that won't crawl out of a pot into gumbo or grilling it and having a fais-do-do at every opportunity.

[Icelander]

For the purposes of Herb Lore (and maybe Alchemy), can anyone tell me what fruit, nuts and seeds one would find along the Gulf Coast and where one might expect to find them (i.e. in Louisiana wetlands, Texas coastal prairie, Florida orchards or somewhere else)?

Also, any information that people can recall about the folkloric associations of flora in the Gulf Coast states would be great. By that, I mean what kind of Herb Lore or Alchemical Elixirs such fruits, nuts or seeds could be used in, what decan, sephirah or zodiac sign they might correspond to and the like.

[SionEwig]

Originally Posted by Icelander

For the purposes of Herb Lore (and maybe Alchemy), can anyone tell me what fruit, nuts and seeds one would find along the Gulf Coast and where one might expect to find them (i.e. in Louisiana wetlands, Texas coastal prairie, Florida orchards or somewhere else)?

For this you're looking at something possibly approaching book length. Especially considering both the commercially grown items and those not but still out there. Also a lot of imports including some that have gone wild so to speak and are well acclimatized. Give me some time to look in some of my tree books and I'll give you some with information.

Also, any information that people can recall about the folkloric associations of flora in the Gulf Coast states would be great. By that, I mean what kind of Herb Lore or Alchemical Elixirs such fruits, nuts or seeds could be used in, what decan, sephirah or zodiac sign they might correspond to and the like.

Tougher for me to find, but I'll look around. Hopefully someone else will be able to help more with this.