Thorne
Founding Year
1906
Origin
It is not exactly known where the Thornes first originated but such trails could be traced back to Malachi Thorne and his family when they settled out west during the Gold Rush of 1848, establishing a homestead on the outskirts of San Francisco and raising a farm. When asked why they came to Cresline, written on record Malachi tells of how the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 destroyed their farm and caused the death of his wife, Samantha, when she had been crushed by fallen wooden beams. A distant relative who had heard of their plight encouraged the family to come east having told them of a community that would see to their wellbeing, and seeing that they had nowhere else to go or family to rely on in the area they had no choice but to make the journey. Malachi was also recorded having said that the death of his wife had been judgment cast by God as punishment for being tempted by the promise of gold in the first place and so to repent they had to uproot and seek the guidance of like-minded people.
Contribution
While they were not entirely farmers to the whole community, the Thornes had taken it upon themselves to raise rabbits along with the other settlers that sought to erect farms of their own. Each one naturally had a different use, but with Angora rabbits they were able to procure wool and fur to send to the weavers who then in turn would pass it along to the tailors. Sometimes they would even contribute meat though that wasn’t as often as when they harvested wool.
Reputation
The Thornes had always been known to be elusive and standoffish, yet there was hardly a time when someone interacted with any of the family that they ever thought of them to be cruel or stuck up. God fearing would have been an even better way to describe them. They were honest, hard working people doing what they could to survive and help their community, always made their deliveries on time with even a surplus from time to time, and treated anyone they came across with genuine kindness and respect even when it felt it was not deserved. Some might even say that they are not real and are the very rabbits they claim to keep, skittering away and keeping out of sight.
Traditions
When it became clear to Malachi and his family what Cresline Cay truly was they felt no fear nor desire to leave. For the first time they had felt as though they truly belonged and the generations afterwards would hold onto the same feeling. Having been former evangelical Christians, religion was the most important thing to the family, and in honor of their new gods simple prayers would not be enough. They came to know the rituals and traditions, and as the years passed in Cresline, in order to appease, every lunar cycle they would do their own culling with their rabbits. When the population began to rapidly grow, each month they would take the eldest of their charges and sacrifice them. This would be where they had gotten the extra meat from to send to food storages as well as gathering up extra fur so the tailors could prepare clothing for the winter months. Like the changing seasons it made way for the new and left the old behind.
Present Influence
As it currently stands, the Thornes are a stable, reliable household. Though still suffering the loss of his wife and his children’s mother, Abigail, to the Winter Storm of 2024, Thomas runs a firm, respectable house where laziness was not tolerated. Everyone had to contribute and they did their tasks well.