pensive point war

Dossier: The Pensive Point War

Pensive Point: A town of no more than five hundred souls, Pensive Point is due south of Slate Ridge and due west of Ridley. While there is little mining going on in that area (initial prospecting of the area revealed no likely sources of soulstone or other materials: see Survey 17-1790, Survey 150-1901), the area is useful more for the growth of livestock and crops. The town also acts as a regional trading hub, due to its proximity to Ridley and a number of contract towns to its north and west.

Issues facing Pensive Point: Currently, there are three major issues facing Pensive Point.

Issue 1: Mountain Cultists.
While rarer than the areas north of Ridley, contract towns near Pensive Point have been attacked by cultists coming from the mountains. Survivor records suggest that while human, these cultists practice ritual cannibalism. Caution is advised when dealing with anyone approaching from the north wearing heavy furs. Town watches should be aware of this danger as well, and should not grow lax.

Issue 2: Neverborn.
Neverborn raiders do occasionally attack in this area, though never to the degree of attacks in the Badlands. Nephilim have occasionally been involved in these raids (specifically the destruction of contract town #118 in 1903, and #15 in 1905), but more prevalent are neverborn who appear human at first glance, but wield strange magical power over the emotions of humans. Caution should be used when approaching any human who looks out of place, or is behaving erratically (wandering after dark with no apparent goal or objective, appearing frequently around turmoil, etc.).

Issue 3: Water
While certainly more mundane than the prior issues, this is the most clear and present problem facing Pensive Point and the surrounding area. Water wells for human use are consistent enough to not cause problems, but coming up with enough water for livestock is another matter. Most rely on seasonal meltwater from the Slate Ridge to water livestock, but the dry branches are unreliable, and prone to influence by those upstream. Still, they take necessary pressure off of the aquifer when they're running, and are crucial to the survival of men and animal alike. The current feud between the Grangers and the Bernards is tied intimately to this fact.

The parties:

The Granger Family-
Solomon Granger and his family have been on the land since the second breach opened. Native to Kansas, they're well known as tough and reliable sorts, but never ones to back down from a provocation. The feud began when they alleged that their neighbors, the Bernards, built a dam on Horse Camp Branch, a seasonal creek that runs partially through Bernard land and partially through Granger land.

Solomon Granger, 45
Marybeth Granger, 40
-Theodore "Ted" Granger, 29
--Avery Edwards Granger, 26
---Theodore Granger Jr., 10
---Amanda Granger, 6
---Matthew Granger, 4
-Robert "Rob" Granger, 28
--Megan Jackson Granger, 28
---Pamela Granger 7
---Amelia Granger 5
-Ava Granger Davies, 26
--Charles Davies, 29
---Brian Davies, 9
-Luke Granger, 22
--Zoey Dixon Granger, 21
---Alyssa Granger, 1
-John Granger, 20
--Chloe Miller Granger, 19
Around 100 ranch personnel

The Bernard Family-
Hailing from southern France, the Bernards have rapidly adapted to farming life in Malifaux since their arrival in 1903. Focusing on horse breeding, they've been in talks with the Guild to provide more resilient horses for patrols, though as far as we've been able to determine nothing concrete has been done.

Joseph Bernard, 42
Nicole Bernard, 40
-Elias Bernard, 25
--Justine Bernard, 22
---Morgane Bernard, 3
-Tiago Bernard, 23
--Cassandra Bernard, 23
---Leon Bernard, 5
-Enzo Bernard, 22
--Rui Bernard, 20
Around 100 ranch personnel

The Feud:
The Feud began two months ago, when the first round of meltwater came down the slate ridge and began to fill the branches in the area around Pensive Point. Robert Granger reportedly approached Sheriff Jackson "Jack" Harrison about two of his branches remaining dry, noted as Horse Camp Branch and Irish Branch. Irish branch later filled as normal, but Horse Camp remained dry. Robert's elder brother Theodore heard a rumor that Elias Bernard had bought a large quantity of pitch from Ridley on special order, and deduced that the Bernards had dammed off Horse Camp branch. Sheriff Jackson requested to enter Bernard land (A plot of 550 acres northeast of Pensive Point) to check on these allegations, but was refused by Joseph Bernard. Joseph's reasons for denying this inspection hinged on a reported livestock rustling that had gone on six months prior after a previous allegation by the Grangers (Subnote A), and subsequent inspection by local authorities. Believing that the allegation was a plot to steal from him again, Joseph demanded that the Grangers produce more proof than a dry branch before they would accept an inspection. The Grangers were outraged, and thus the feud begun. Thus far it's been peaceful, but who knows how this may turn...


Subnote A: There are numerous well documented interventions by the Constabulary of Pensive Point between the Grangers and Bernards ever since they became neighbors. The specific allegation referenced here was that a horse was spotted roaming free on Granger land, and they expected that the barbed wire fence between their lands had broken. Later, Sheriff Jackson walked along the fence with the Bernard sons and ranch hands and found no break. Upon returning, the barn door lock had been broken open and six horses were missing.