Sweet Grass Ranch
Sweet Grass Ranch is the biggest ranch in Mountaina and the last settlement for miles in any direction. Several buildings cluster together at its heart: a main sleeping hall for off-duty ranchers, a designated meal and cooking building, several outlying family buildings, and barns for supplies. Orderly crop rows and fenced pastures surround the complex, holding cattle and horse herds that represent the ranch's primary livelihood and reputation.
The Sweet Grass Ranchers are renowned as the toughest Natural Ones in the region. They range far in teams of three or four to protect their herds, with one acting as scout while the others stand ready to relocate livestock or fight. When creatures attack without warning, ranchers flank and fight on horseback using crossbows, clubs, and blades. Hordes of zed periodically amass on the surrounding plains and must be diverted with noisemakers and picked off one by one. The ranchers will warily share their campfire with travelers and point them toward the nearest settlement, mostly to get them out of their hair. Visitors are expected to be respectful on the land, or face serious consequences.
Corrie Sanders runs the ranch now, a tall, muscular woman with the scars of a lifetime of hard labor and one of the hardest ranchers Mountaina has produced. She wrested control from her father Marrow, who refused to trade with outsiders, because she recognized the ranch was slowly dying from isolation. Under her leadership the ranch has opened to outside trade, particularly with Rover caravans like the Meloy Clan, who exchange metal and supplies for livestock. The horses bred at Sweet Grass are the ranch's most famous product, sought across the region.
The Sweet Grass Ranchers are renowned as the toughest Natural Ones in the region. They range far in teams of three or four to protect their herds, with one acting as scout while the others stand ready to relocate livestock or fight. When creatures attack without warning, ranchers flank and fight on horseback using crossbows, clubs, and blades. Hordes of zed periodically amass on the surrounding plains and must be diverted with noisemakers and picked off one by one. The ranchers will warily share their campfire with travelers and point them toward the nearest settlement, mostly to get them out of their hair. Visitors are expected to be respectful on the land, or face serious consequences.
Corrie Sanders runs the ranch now, a tall, muscular woman with the scars of a lifetime of hard labor and one of the hardest ranchers Mountaina has produced. She wrested control from her father Marrow, who refused to trade with outsiders, because she recognized the ranch was slowly dying from isolation. Under her leadership the ranch has opened to outside trade, particularly with Rover caravans like the Meloy Clan, who exchange metal and supplies for livestock. The horses bred at Sweet Grass are the ranch's most famous product, sought across the region.
History
Sweet Grass Ranch grew as a Natural One ranching community in the heart of Mountaina, building its reputation on horse breeding and cattle ranching. For years the ranch operated under Marrow Sanders, who refused to trade with outsiders, slowly draining the community's resources through isolation. His daughter Corrie recognized the decline and wrested control from her father, opening the ranch to outside trade. Under her leadership, Rover caravans began exchanging metal and supplies for livestock, revitalizing the settlement. Settlers from Sweet Grass Ranch later helped found Yellstown Settlement to the north, extending the ranch's influence across the region.
Geography
Sweet Grass Ranch occupies central Sweet Grass Country in Mountaina, the biggest ranch in the region and the last settlement for miles around. Several buildings cluster together: a main sleeping hall, meal and cooking building, outlying family structures, and supply barns. Orderly crop rows and fenced pastures for cattle and horse herds surround the complex. Misery Swamp lies just east of the ranch. Rover caravans, especially the Meloy Clan, frequently camp near the ranch borders for weeks at a time during trade seasons.
