Black Oak

Demographics

White (89.2%)
Black/African American (5.3%)
Native American (2.6%)
Hispanic/Latino (1.2%)
Two or more races (1.5%)
Asian (0.2%)

Government

Black Oak, Tennessee operates under a council–manager form of government. The town is officially run by a five-member city council, one of whom is selected as mayor, while a city manager handles administration and daily operations.
However, Black Oak's government structure is unique—a shadowed second layer of authority exists beneath its quaint small-town politics.
L.U.N.A.R. maintains its Appalachian Reconnaissance & Investigation Division (A.R.I.D.) headquarters just three miles outside Black Oak in a heavily restricted zone known as “The Grove.” The compound is hidden behind camouflaged fencing, motion-detecting woods, and a façade of an abandoned timber mill.
L.U.N.A.R.'s presence in Black Oak dates back to the 1940s, when unexplained radiation, mass hysteria, and anomalous disappearances caused federal eyes to quietly shift to the area. It is widely believed that Black Oak sits atop a dimensional weak spot, or “veil fracture,” attracting everything from cryptids and curses to serial killers and apocalyptic entities.
L.U.N.A.R.'s Five Focus Branches:
Legislative – Tracks serial killers and mass Human anomalies with unexplained behavioral patterns.
Undead – Handles reports and encounters involving ghosts, zombies, vampires, wraiths, and soul-bound entities.
Nonnative – Specializes in extraterrestrial sightings, abductions, and off-world threats.
Apocalyptic – Responds to potential world-ending threats, demonic incursions, rogue gods, and major veil breaches.
Relics – Contains, catalogs, and guards cursed, haunted, or enchanted objects of immense danger.
Black Oak Official Government Structure Mayor: Edna Cray – Elected figurehead, elderly and blunt, but fiercely protective of the town. Known for her motto: “The only monsters in Black Oak are ourselves.”
City Council: Five members, all longtime residents, some rumored to be L.U.N.A.R. informants.
City Manager: Gregory Vance, a stoic bureaucrat who liaises with L.U.N.A.R. and maintains the illusion of normalcy.
Black Oak Police Department: Mostly underfunded, often defers to L.U.N.A.R. during “red-level” incidents.
Local Rumors: Some say L.U.N.A.R. employs non-humans.
Others whisper that Section D, the Black Oak-specific federal task force, is made up entirely of people who’ve survived supernatural attacks.
Every Halloween, a “Relic Van” makes an unmarked stop in town. No one knows what’s inside.

Districts

1. Dunlowe Ridge The “heart” of Black Oak—town square, local shops, diners, and crumbling historic homes. Think Friday night football, faded church bells, and way too many "Missing Person" flyers. Home to Black Oak High and the boarded-up Lovecraft Library.
2. Gray Hollow The thickly wooded, mist-covered outskirts that practically breathe malevolence. Residents hear whispers in the trees and see lights where there shouldn't be any. No cell service, no safe paths, and yet, it's where half the town’s ancestry was born and buried.
3. Echo Vale A newly "revitalized" district used as a cover site for L.U.N.A.R. operations. Beneath its art deco government buildings and scientific "institute" fronts lies the ARID Grove Facility, where all hell is quite literally monitored 24/7.

Points of interest

The Bleeding Chapel Ruins - The site of the gristly "Blood Baptist" murders, which are still unsolved to this day. Many influencers and internet detectives make their way to the ruins of the Bleeding Chapel, otherwise called "Green River Baptist Church".
Black Oak Lake - A bustling summer camp called Camp Deepwood, for kids of not only Black Oak, but also surrounding towns like Clinton and Knoxville, used to sit along Black Oak lake. One day, a massacre caused by The Camp-Deepwood Cannibal forced the camp to be shut down forever. The buildings have been standing ever since the massacre, because the town is too afraid to step foot over there anymore. Along with the camp deepwood killings, boats and sometimes entire small islands have up and disappeared mysteriously. Obviously, these strange happenings only invite tourists in.
Ash Lantern Caverns- In 1967, six juniors from Billwright Highschool went spelunking in the Ash lantern caverns (which were formerly abandoned due to a mine collapse). Only one of the students made it out alive, and when they wandered out of the cave, they looked like a corpse. His name was Michael Ulrich. Michael was a promising young wide receiver at Billingham high, previously making the all-state team in his freshman, and sophomore years. He was about 6'2"ft. tall and weighed almost 190 lbs. prior to the disappearance. After he came out of the cave he only weighed 110 lbs., and for some reason he was 5 inches taller than before, even though he was only in the cave for 2 weeks. L.U.N.A.R took him in for studies and he was never seen again. The bodies of the other 5 teens were never recovered, but internet detectives believe he cannibalized them, or something in the caves ate them.
Annual Cryptid Lantern Parade

A fun lantern decorating event held on the first day of summer every year. In 2019 it was abruptly canceled the day before due to "unforeseen disruptions”. Rumors swirled and the general consensus is that some type of curse threatened the town and now restricts day long parades.

Tourism

Black Oak draws hikers, ghost hunters, paranormal influencers, but people who stay too long often leave changed or don't leave at all.

Climate

Winters: Harsh, icy, and still
Summers: Thick humidity, buzzing insects, and heat mirages in the hills
Year-round: Fog rolls through the forests like waves on the ocean

Founding Date

01/18/1806

Founders

• Abraham Billwright

Alternative Name(s)

"Cryptid Capital USA"

Type

Town

Population

8,953

Location under

Earth