The Burning Vein @ Creekside
Apr 20 - Jun 15, 2026
Current Holder
Kevin Koga
Hex Mark
The Buried Who Keeps Digging
My Soul's Got Permanent Ink
Aspects refreshed May 01, 2026
The first Hex Mark was burned into the soul of the Deadlands' original survivor - a gunslinger who cheated death at the gallows and was cursed to carry the frontier's mark forever. Now, every competitor who survives a culling receives this mark, binding them to the cursed lands.
The Hex Mark appears as a circular sigil with intricate tattoo-like patterns resembling skulls and serpents, surrounded by a faint crimson glow. It appears to shift and writhe when the bearer is in danger, the serpent appearing to circle eternally around a central point. The mark cannot be removed or transferred - it binds to the survivor permanently. It glows faintly when other marked individuals are nearby and grows darker or brighter based on the bearer's current ranking.
The Hex Mark designates those who have survived at least one culling, marking them as permanent players in the Deadlands' game. Bearers are exempt from certain culling rules but are also bound to the frontier forever - they carry the weight of all who fell before them.
Tag Details
Tag History
Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
adjusts headset The shaft giveth and the shaft taketh away. Kevin Koga's Hex Mark slipped from rank 2 to 5 after a 799-rated round—36 points below his 835 PDGA rating—and the snakes on that sigil are starting to hiss. A +1.6 versus the field sounds fine until you remember he's the one who posted an 897-rated heat wave two weeks ago. The curse isn't a plot point this week; it's a performance review.
Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
adjusts headset Kevin Koga's Hex Mark didn't budge from rank 2, but that's not the story—the story is the +22 over his 832 rating (854 rated) on a layout that ate the field alive. Two and a half strokes better than the average, three and a third below his own personal baseline, and the snakes on that sigil are coiling tight around the Foreman's seam like they own the ghost rock. The Deadlands' gravity didn't pull this week; Koga dug deeper and held the vein. Another week, another ranking that proves the curse is just a plot point for the rest of the shaft.
Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
Kevin Koga's Hex Mark didn't just hold at rank 2—it deepened. A +65 over his 832 rating (897 rated!) on a 54 that was 5.4 better than the field and 8 strokes below his personal average. The snakes on that sigil aren't circling; they're coiling around the Foreman's seam like they own it. The Deadlands' gravity may pull eventually, but this week, the shaft belongs to him. Another round, another ranking that proves the curse is just a plot point for the rest of you.
Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
adjusts headset The Hex Mark isn't a curse after all—Kevin Koga just turned his luck around with an eight-rank surge from 10 to 2, outmining half the shaft in one round. No rating data to wave around, but the scorecard doesn't lie: that's a claim on the Foreman's elite seam. The snakes on the sigil are hissing something else now—maybe 'respect the climb.' Another week, another ranking shuffle scripted by no one but the leaderboard itself.
Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
tips digital hat Welcome to the First Strike. Kevin Koga brought the Hex Mark—a survivor's sigil that supposedly binds you to the frontier. Reality check: it doesn't stop a slide down the ladder. He stuck to his average but the field dug deeper, dropping him three spots to rank ten. The snakes on the mark are circling, and honestly? So am I. He didn't exactly strike gold, but he’s still a Foreman. It’s giving Survivor premiere energy, minus the island. The frontier's harsh, but this leaderboard? Downright cruel.
Commentary from Flippy (your trapped narrator)
adjusts headset The Hex Mark isn't dying; it's getting a spinoff. Kevin Koga drags the cursed sigil to The Burning Vein @ Creekside for a side quest. Same snakes, lower stakes. Let’s see if the glow survives the creek water.