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Minor lore: The Things in Appalachia

Minor lore of The Things in Appalachia: smaller theories, local history, rules of the world and running ideas. Larger threads have their own pages, such as The Bigfoot Hoax, Covenant Beliefs and the Clinton Surveillance Scandal.

Civil Forfeiture

After finding the gold room, the party justifies taking bars under "civil forfeiture." A reasonable amount (small bars in pockets) is fine; an unreasonable amount costs -1 forward to physical rolls until dropped. Huell and the Biz take unreasonable amounts and clink, Kurt takes a reasonable amount "for my wife and kids," Andrew's satchel holds about six bars, and Sheriff Burke takes some to "figure out the legality later." The team means to return for the rest. See Gold Bars. (Appalachia 09)

Feral-pig Theory

Eddie Jones of the Circle Chasers argues that Bigfoot is really feral humans, in the manner of feral pigs. He wants the group's footage on local news to "build our brand." Vanessa prefers an undiscovered hominid, Andrew and Sloth a werewolf, and Kurt suspects a hoax. See Eddie Jones. (Appalachia 02)

Georgia Gold Rush and Trail of Tears

Sheriff Burke resents how Dahlonega sells its gold-rush history to tourists. He recalls that the mines were dug mostly by slaves and that Cherokee land was seized, leading to the Trail of Tears. He says he will "take the Bigfoot stuff over the gold stuff." The phrase "gold in them there hills" is also described as a corruption of a local mint man's speech. See Dahlonega. (Appalachia 01, Appalachia 02)

Gold Mining Theory

The team's working theory links the dirt in the wrecked Spud Hut truck to the tunnels beneath Dahlonega. At Spud Hut Corporate, a man investigating the company guesses "Gold mining?" when Kurt tells him the truck carried only dirt. The theory is confirmed in the ninth episode, when handler Clive explains that ape-men dig the remaining gold because they do not talk. See Jan's Conspiracy. (Appalachia 08, Appalachia 09)

Marblehead Cover Story

Three versions of the Marblehead incident exist, as Andre lays out in the recap: the code-word classified report kept with Big Bill, a version for the rest of the government in which a religious cult leaked nerve agent into the sea and then made a failed attack on a nuclear plant, with the worms downplayed, and a different public version. Andre likens the incident to the Oklahoma City bombing in scale. The cover story is also the KGB's leverage over the Biz, who is offered information on the "Massachusetts matter." See KGB. (Appalachia 01)

Methanol Fermentation and Torpedo Juice

Frotter Comstock lectures the team on methanol: natural yeast working on fruit-skin pectin yields it, which makes the Covenant's peach drink risky, and the thermostat on their old McMurray still has been sticking for about twenty-five years. Kurt contributes "torpedo juice," his claim of a naval ethanol fuel mixed with fruit juice. His parting advice is "Good luck keeping those cultists from going blind." See Frotter Comstock. (Appalachia 02)

The dead man in the Chewbacca costume bears a faded anchor tattoo on his bicep and a trident on his calf. Kurt, rolling Sharp at -1, is confident the trident is a Navy SEAL emblem. Combined with his military haircut and the missing tags, it marks him as ex-military, though Kurt thinks a SEAL seems "overqualified" for faking Bigfoot. See Troy Cleaver. (Appalachia 06)

Never Touched by Human Hands

Spud Hut's potato guarantee is that its potatoes are "never touched by human hands," harvested with a special tool and the subject of a presentation on "the future of hygiene." Charlene repeats it when the Biz inspects the lumpy sacks. Kurt asks to see the tool; it is not shown. Meanwhile the wrecked truck's "Potatoes" bags are filled with dirt. (Appalachia 07, Appalachia 08)

Philosopher's Fist OVA Retcon

At the top of Appalachia 02, Andre explains that he has retroactively decided the non-canon one-shot, Philosopher's Fist 3.J/2: Unchainable, was an OVA that Huell watched on the Smith Hotel's cable TV while falling asleep. (Appalachia 02)

Psychic-spy Programs

To test Andrew after his sleepwalk, Kurt holds his face and recites the names of real psychic-spy programs: Gondola Wish, Stargate, Grill Flame, Sun Streak, SCANATE, Project CF and Center Lane. Andrew shows only confusion. When Andrew asks whether he should know them, Kurt answers "Not for another ten years." See Kurt Larson. (Appalachia 03)

Ritual Healing and Backlash

In Andrew's childhood cult, ritual healing is a higher power acting through the healer, and it carries backlash. Andrew says he has healed only twice before, and both times he got a nosebleed. Dr. Arthur explains the mechanism and tells of his own retracted testicle. In Appalachia 03, Andrew uses Lay on Hands on Kurt and takes the harm as a massive nosebleed. See Dr. Arthur. (Appalachia 01, Appalachia 03)

Ruby Ridge and Marblehead

Past cult incidents are why Big Bill orders the team to run the Georgia case by the book. McManley relays that, because of Ruby Ridge and "that thing in Marblehead," the cult-linked case demands warrants, paperwork and clean hands. See Big Bill. (Appalachia 03)

"Water People"

In Appalachia 01, Huell (Zack) says his grandfather called odd locals "the water people" because of something in the water around these parts. At the table the phrase becomes a name for the rowdy Daniel boys. See Minor characters. (Appalachia 01, Appalachia 02)

Water and Runoff

The Covenant's river water is a problem. Clover says the women get yeast infections every two to six months from bathing in it, blaming runoff from the Spud Hut plant. Mother Dahlia Riversand says the water has been boiled and treated with chlorine tablets for about a year after intestinal trouble, and a member lost two toes to an infected toenail. She wants a lawyer to find out what is in it, and saving for the lawyer delayed the boiler. The Biz proposes testing the river. See The Land Dispute. (Appalachia 04)