So I've been playing with the various filters and the noise layer because the speckled colors irk me. So under Filter > Brush Strokes > there's an option called 'Sumi-e' that adds a bit of blur in a sort of random spatter. The result is above and I must say I like it.
Another update, I messed up the mileage and the location of THE major city in the book. Go me! lol
Saving for more info.