Lost Luck Ranch

At a Glance

A wide open field reaches the horizon only to be occasionally broken by wooden fences, bovine, and equine. A long dirt road only made apparent by the tracks cut into the earth by wagon wheels leads far into the distance to what appears to be a sizable home. Following the road leads one to a massive sign coated in white paint. The image of a unicorn is painted above the words "Lost Luck Ranch". Nearby, cows gather in cliques to graze while massive mares seem to mind their own business.
Nearby the home is a rather large set of buildings. One is a faded red barn that echoes with mooing from cows. Near the barn is a sizable shed that appears to be where the horses are cleaned and groomed. The rhythmic tinking of a hammer adds to the noise as a smithy bends and fixes shoes to a horse.
Farmhands and laborers make their rounds about the ranch taking caring of the animals, cleaning the grounds, and fixing fences. Sitting on the porch of the lovely home nearby is a woman nearing her fifties. She keeps a watchful eye on the workers. The woman is tired and wearing simple clothing to accommodate for the sudden heatwave.
The old ranch house has certainly seen better days, but it is certainly a testament to the generations of hard work paying off. Standing two stories in height with some apparent additions added in more recent years, this home is clearly where many of the farmhands and servants stay the evening. A man tirelessly works to apply a fresh coat of white paint to the siding as a young woman offers him a cup of water with a smile.

First Impressions

Nothing about this ranch is particularly interesting at face value, for it is rather banal. Mary Pearce is the owner of the ranch, as she inherited it from her father. Many of the farmhands have their own ideas on the ranch's namesake. Many believe that it was Mr. Pearce's last effort to get by in this world. Some believe that gambling everything he owned put the place into crippling debt. In truth, not a single one of them actually know the origins of the name. Except Mary.

"'Nothing exciting ever happens around here!' I always hear the farmhands saying things like that. If they only knew what 'excitement' entailed."

- Mary Pearce, Head Rancher of Lost Luck Ranch

The ranch itself deals in selling cattle, mares, and the occasional stallion to butchers, riders, and nobles alike. Most of their sales are not done on site, but the surrounding farmers come from all around to purchase milk, cheese, and meat from the place when they can afford it.
The inside of the barn is filled with buckets, sheds for cows, and tools all used for milking and branding. It was easily big enough to hold a dozen or so cows all at the same time.
The house itself is quite the marvel even in its current faded state. The interior always smells of something rich and savory coming from the kitchen to one's immediate left. The kitchen itself is impressive, for it is hardly bereft of two or three servants cooking up massive meals for the ranchers. Three meals a day for a score of people is a difficult task especially for so little help. Oftentimes Ms. Pearce assists where she can about the place before she has to relax.
Many of the rooms in this old home have been converted from smoking rooms and parlors into beds for the farmhands to rest. The upstairs of the home, however, is home to two fine guest rooms with queen sized beds, a study packed with dusty old tomes and ledgers, and a brilliantly large master bedroom with a bed big enough for four.

"Aye, she was married at a time. Had three children, too. They all left- felt too restrained by the simple life, I s'ppose"

- Howard Silverbristle, Lost Luck Smithy

Ms. Pearce seldom speaks of her husband who died years ago from undisclosed means. Very few know the fact that she was wed to an elf that was a master at handling animals and growing crop. After he passed, she was left to raise three children on her own alongside her father who was rapidly advancing in age. The loss of her father some years ago alongside her children abandoning the ranch has thrown her into a state of manic depression and the farmhands are more than aware of it. She is kindly and rarely reprimands even the biggest of mistakes but, in recent years, she has been known to snap at particularly mouthy workers.

Secrets & Rumors

The very nature of the ranch is shrouded in mystery. Many believe that the ranch grew in fame because it once bred a unicorn with a brilliant white mane and a pearlescent horn but, as it stands, there is no proof of such a creature ever existing at the ranch.
It is heavily speculated upon that Ms. Pearce's elven husband was hated by her father and that it was him who made Mary a widow.
Years ago, the ranch fell victim to attacks of gnolls, but the farmhands were resourceful and resilient enough to hold them at bay until help arrived. Mary herself took up a crossbow and delivered fatal blows to the creatures that ailed her family home.
Mary's three children fled not long after the death of their father. Hardly adults, they feared that their grandfather would have them killed, for it was them who stirred the rumors behind their father's death. The three of them promised their mother to return after Mr. Pearce had died, but have yet to do so.

Parent Location

Farm Ward