Backstory

Maggie Finch, born in 1835 to an Appalachian healer and an Irish settler, grew up blending European folk remedies with American traditions. Immersed in nature from a young age, she mastered herbalism, survival skills, and spiritual practices under her parents’ guidance. Despite the settlers’ mistrust, they often turned to Maggie’s family in times of need, shaping her fierce independence.

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Her brother, Jacob Finch, was her closest bond. While she worked with roots, herbs, and charms, Jacob focused on the physical — the lumber, the nails, and the care of Hollow Acres Barn. Their father’s teachings shaped them both, though in different ways. Maggie’s world was one of unseen forces and whispered bargains, while Jacob’s world was anchored in sweat, iron, and timber. Yet, they moved in rhythm, their paths crossing at quiet moments of shared labor. When Maggie hung protective charms from the barn rafters, it was Jacob who fixed them when they broke. When strangers came seeking Maggie’s remedies, Jacob’s presence just a step behind her kept them polite. Their silent partnership was as steady as the beams of the barn itself.

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At 18, Maggie lost her parents to a smallpox epidemic and retreated deeper into the wilderness, continuing their legacy as a healer. With Jacob’s help, she kept Hollow Acres standing — both the barn and the family’s reputation. Jacob’s watchful eye kept Monaghan’s men at bay, and Maggie’s knowledge of the "Old Folk" kept things from stirring in places they shouldn’t. By her thirties, she was both feared as a “witch” and revered as a lifesaving healer, treating those overlooked by the town doctor. Her intuitive bond with the spirits of the mountains, the "Old Folk," deepened her connection to the land, warning her of the dangers posed by the Monaghan Mining Company’s desecration of sacred spaces.

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Her brother’s presence remained constant. Where Maggie’s words carried weight in whispers, Jacob’s actions carried it in silence. Monaghan’s men learned quickly that she was never alone. More than once, a hand on her shoulder or a glance in her direction from Jacob was enough to end a tense negotiation. The two of them together were a force — quiet, steady, and unyielding as old roots beneath the soil.

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When Eleanor “Nellie” Daws arrived, Maggie found an ally in protecting the vulnerable, offering remedies and charms to support the miners’ fight. Jacob’s support of Maggie’s efforts was quieter but no less present. When miners’ meetings were held near the barn, Jacob’s eyes watched from the shadows, his hands busy with rope or hinge but never far. As tensions escalated and strange phenomena plagued the mines, Maggie’s warnings of restless spirits were dismissed as superstition. But Jacob’s silence on the matter was more unsettling to those who knew him.

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Now a guardian of the old ways, Maggie Finch stands at the crossroads of humanity and the supernatural, determined to preserve the harmony her parents taught her, even as the balance teeters on the brink. Beside her, Jacob’s quiet presence remains a reminder that even unseen things have weight — and sometimes, that weight is enough to shift the world.

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