Sarsparilla Ranch

Long ago, a wagon train rode across the Longgrass Plains full of people and materials to build a new cultural center for the kingdom of Angesh. They planned to subsidize their startup with a small herd of goats and a larger herd of hardy sheep. They constructed a mathematically precise central building for themselves atop a hill, meant to be ranch house during the quiet times but acoustically perfect performance auditorium in any season save heavy rain.
Is it any wonder that their plans withered on the scrub?
 
Eventually the deed passed to a small coalition of ranchers who rebuilt the barn, closed off those parts of the original house that felt too creepy, and tried to make a serious ranch -- with a side serving of brewing Sarsparilla for sale from the Cactus of the same name.
That endeavour, too, ultimately failed. The deed was bought out by the Alfredo Family shortly before Ludwig K. de Alfredo passed away, the former owners sent away with enough cash in pocket to start anew in a distant city, the original ranch hands paid generously for their final drive. Old Sarsparilla Ranch became part of Whippetal Ranch.
Legally speaking, however, the deeds for the component ranches have never been merged. Mr. Ludwig named a different one from each of his three children as the primary deed-holder on each of three large ranches. He expected them to collaborate, but he knew his children: he left open the option for any individual to try an independent path, or sell their portion to an unrelated party. The only legal action forbidden by his bequest is to take out a loan with the ranch as collateral, and even that restriction is only valid for twenty years after his passing.

Maps

  • Sarsparilla Bunkhouse
    It may be lacking in amenities, but this bunkhouse had a few comforts built into it for ranch hands who would be living here more than half the year around.
  • Sarsparilla Barn
    Here is a typical ranch barn on the Longgrass Plains region near Oatman Canyon.   VERY typical.   It was certainly constructed to hold cattle and/or sheep, not horses.   It is a large building constructed primarily of clay bricks mixed with occasional bits of shaped stone. The interior walls of the stalls are made from pieced-together wood segments which have been sanded smooth and completely re-stained every time they were repaired.   The floor is extremely clean.   Pegs on the walls along the center walkway could hold coils of rope, dunning forks, shovels, brushes, or various other tools of indoor cattle maintenance. (Currently the pegs hold nothing. But they COULD hold these things!)
  • Sarsparilla

    Sarsparilla Barn, the attached Bunkhouse, the ruins of the former ranch house, and immediately surrounding environs.

     

    The spot near the northeastern barn door where the physical form of the Cloven Prince melted, that is a spot where nothing will ever grow -- not even worms, not even flies. The dirt from that spot will never be good for any life, neither!

     

    Some other areas continue to show signs of fast plant decay. It will take many years for the residue of a druidic plant growth region followed by an infernal Greater Curse will work out of the soil. It will take almost as long for that persistent slime on the northwest face of the Bunkhouse roof to completely dry up and vanish, too!



Cover image: by CB Ash

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