Harper Valley Wiki

[attr="class","ishy-subtitle"]Early History

[attr="class","ishy-content"]The very first known settlers to inhabit the land were the Native Americans, specifically the Tonkawa tribe. Sometime after the 10th century the group managed to successfully harness the power within the mountain just north of their village and opened a portal to an unknown realm. It wasn't long after that creatures started to flood out of the portal and call our realm home. For a century there was peace until members of the Tonkawa tribe started to become corrupted by the powerful energy and the portal was closed. Enraged the supernaturals that had once came through the portal were now cut off from their families they drove the Tonkawa out and settled the land as their own entirely.

There was a second group before the human European settlers arrived and were later discovered to be Vampires. The Original fled to America after the European supernatural war had almost wiped out her entire species and brought some of her progeny's along with her. Their visit was short lived due to a string of unsolvable murders that still to this day no one knows the true identity of the culprit.

[attr="class","ishy-subtitle"]17th Century

[attr="class","ishy-content"]In 1620 Johnathan David Harper, a wealthy business owner and former soldier fresh off of a boat from Great Britian, founded what is known today as Harper Valley, along with his closest friends and their families who are known as the Founding Families. Although Harper Valley was not the only town or village to reside in this location during its history, John Harper was the first to successfully build a town with an official title and it flourished rather quickly in it's early days. For years the towns people knew nothing about the history of the land they acquired or the strange creatures that already resided there, nor the mountains around them until unexplained accidents and deaths started to occur. When the humans did learn of the creatures existence and the portal, the Founding Families created a secret Council to continue the original tribes goal's in keeping the portal closed in order to protect the human population of the town from any supernatural harm. Despite most people's belief not all supernatural creatures that called Harper Valley home were as sinister as most and eventually those willing attempted a treaty with the Council.

The treaty was successful but only protected people within the town limits. As successful as the treaty was at first, around the time the states population boomed so did the supernatural activity in the town. Tension between the humans and supernatural who created the treaty built up until finally the Council declared war under false pretenses. The actual story of how the fight began is still a mystery but many blame the legend of the 'Red Witch' and the many supernatural who followed her.

Despite the town's initial outcome following the battle between humans and supernaturals the Council still exists and is consisted of the Founder's relatives and their closest allies. The Council is still a major part of the town's new government and it's decisions but remains as exclusive and secretive as it did when it was first established.

[attr="class","ishy-subtitle"]Town Geography

[attr="class","ishy-content"]Harper Valley is a small but flourishing town located in the western part of North Carolina. It is less than 4 hours driving distance from Charlotte, North Carolina, 2 if by train, and is surrounded by mountains and valleys. Although the population is low the town has it's own town square, library, public school building, park, and plenty of old fashioned houses as well as plenty of farmland.

[attr="class","ishy-subtitle"]Town Landscape

[attr="class","ishy-content"]Just like much of southern towns, Harper Valley is a historic and rural town with vast mountains, valleys and forests to get lost in, and fresh clean air sheltered from any pollution. Harper Valley is miles from the closest city and is very much isolated but communication with the outside world isn't hard to find. Despite the towns low population for a little more than a century, the town still survives and most of it's buildings and homes haven't been remodeled since the late 1800's. During the 1910's more Immigrants started to flood into the town and built new buildings such as the public library, various shops and restaurants, and the town's first official public school building. Even with new buildings standing beside the old, asphalt replacing the traditional style dirt and cobbled streets, and the town officially forming a new local government, Harper Valley is still committed to it's traditions and old way of living.

[attr="class","ishy-subtitle"]The Mountains

[attr="class","ishy-content"]Many speculate when or how the mountains came to be so powerful with mystical energy but all agree that the mountains mystical powers have been around long before man, trapped within the limestone deep within the mountain. As old as the energy is the Tonkawa - a Native American tribe who guarded and worshiped the mountains - were among the first to become aware of the large energy source and how to fully harness it. It wasn't until the group became corrupted and the land overrun with creatures who crossed the portal did they finally decide it was time to seal the entrance to the heart of the mountain - the source of its power and strongest part of the mountain and ultimately the location of the portal. Though the tribe lived along side the creatures peacefully for a century they were eventually driven off by the angry creatures, but still vowed to keep the magical energy surrounding the land a secret and protect the mountains as well as prevent anyone from re-opening the entrance. Long after the Tonkawa tribe was gone, when Harper Valley was founded that vow remained and was initially incorporated into the local town laws by restricting access to the deeper parts of the mountains, though no one knows the exact location of the entrance anymore.

By the time it had closed however corruption from its powerful energy was already starting to plague the supernaturals as well. As time went by it's location became a mystery and it's secrets were lost forever. Those who attempted to find it with non-magical tools quickly became disoriented and lost because of the energy and magnetic fields disrupting their compasses. There are rumors of a magical device said to be created by the Tonkawa so they could find their way through the maze of tunnels but it's location or whether it survived is unknown.

[attr="class","ishy-subtitle"]Legends

[attr="class","ishy-content"]As Halloween rolls around, the residents of Harper Valley grow alight with the festivities. The parties are fun, but one thing trumps all others. In the forest on the edges of town, deeper than most would care to venture lies a house that has been left in ruins, referred to as the Ruins by Locals. Mostly destroyed from fire and time, there a is just one room that is actually safe to enter but even then the foundation is shaky. Creepy on its own, it's even creepier when one learns the story behind it that goes a little something a little like this:

"Since its founding in 1620 the town prospered and thrived, especially when the towns first recognized witch, Raidne, came to town. She helped the small town flourish into more than just a few houses and farms and eventually became the towns go-to for the sick and injured as well. They knew she was a witch, and not many cared and any who did didn't stick around long enough to see the town become what it is today. To most she was considered the most generous woman known to all and had a reputation for her nurturing nature, not even able to hurt a fly. Her presence brought more witches to the town over the years she lived there and with their influence the supernatural already residing within the town, kept in secret for fear of ridicule, revealed themselves to the humans. In 1624 the magi coven was formed and a treaty between the coven and the fae and human founding families was created. Raidne led the coven, teaching the young and inexperienced and corralling the not-so-friendly, dedicating her coven to policing and enforcing the deal between the factions. She was responsible for any supernatural occurrences and was tasked to handle such situations and do so safely and secretly, in exchange for her title in the town and the acceptance of her covens residence within the town.

Her actions and general warmth soon became her downfall when in the Fall of 1626 she met a married man and fell in love with him and he with her. Marcus Finch, the son of ----, a human founder of the town who unlike his brethren despised the witches, began relations with Raidne shortly after the Halloween festival. The relationship flourished but remained a secret from the entire town. If word were to get out about the two's indiscretions it wouldn't be long until hell would break loose amongst the town, and after a year of secretly meeting hell indeed came to Harper Valley. Upon finding a love letter from Raidne to ---- by his wife she grew furious with the two and sought out revenge. Since he was part of the founding families ----- was spared by the council but not by his wife. Out of spite the wife poisoned --- and was found dead in his bed the next morning.

It didn't take long for Raidne to figure out he had been poisoned and by who but by then it was too late. Controlled by grief, she confronted the widow and cursed her and her entire bloodline to a fate worse than death. Because of this the wife gathered the townspeople and led a mob to Raidne's manor in the woods where they cornered her inside and burned it to the ground, unknowing that the real murderer was in the crowd with them.

Winter passed with no more incidents. Raidne was dead and the coven was disbanded, and the policing of the treaty fell into the hands of the human officials. As years passed and the founders died while their grand children took over the Revolutionary War was looming ever closer to their little town, but it wasn't the British who shook the town. Raidne's death had been violent and she had been a powerful witch. As she burned, her cries were loud and carried every ounce of her soul into the heavens. The town was cursed with a Mark and supernaturals had answered. For years supernaturals that had once inhabited the land had secretly flooded back, most not knowing why they were there, only explaining they felt a pull towards the town and the need to stay. 150 years after her death the supernatural began to come to the town with the intent to do take it back just as the wrongfully accused witch wished so from the grave.

They massacred men, women, and children alike, but the town fought back. They managed to save what they could and after the aftermath the human Founding Families decided to burn the rest of witch's house to the ground only to find their flames wouldn't touch it and her ghostly form appeared on the steps, laughing at their failure. They hit the hills and ran, leaving the supernatural to take hold of their home once more, but her voice lingered in all their minds with her eerie promise.

"You can never take what isn't yours, and you never will. Mark my words, I'm here to stay."

Now, she has remained true to her word. Some say you can see her where what is left of her home, especially at night on full moons. She lurks around and is said to kill anyone who trespasses on her lands. It is said that her screams signal when a surviving family member of a human Founder dies within town limits."