|
Aliens? Aliens? This article is about a subject that is from official sources but is not considered canon. |
Harmon Baird was an old man and amateur hunter in Supernatural: Witch's Canyon.
History
Harmon Baird was born to a couple from a family who had worked as ranch hands on the Copper Bell Ranch in Cedar Wells, Arizona for at least a generation before he was born. Growing up, Baird worked on the ranch himself despite his young age and attended school in what was often called Witch's Canyon. Baird had Neville Stein, an amateur historian for a schoolteacher and was aware of Stein's efforts to write a book on the history of the Copper Bell Ranch and like everyone else, thought Stein was crazy for it. At some point as a boy on a dare, Baird traveled down Witch's Canyon to the home of long-dead witch Elizabeth Claire Marbrough but was only able to take a few steps inside before he bolted out of fear. Though Baird never returned to the cabin due to his fear, the location of the place was always etched into his mind.
In December 1926, when Baird was eleven, the first cycle of the Forty Year began. During the attacks by the army of reanimated spirits, Baird's father, aunt and neighbor were all killed. Baird witnessed his father get his back split clean open by a tomahawk, his aunt get shot in the back and his neighbor get dragged behind a horse until all of the flesh on his front was flayed off. While the spirits came after his father, aunt and neighbor, they left Baird and his mother alone and they survived the Forty Year as Baird later came to call it. Following the attacks, Baird's mother became convinced that the attacks had something to do with the ranch, presumably knowing of Elizabeth Claire Marbrough's history with it and moved them to town, despite Baird telling her that the attacks had happened in town as well.
Over the next forty years, Baird grew up and got married to a woman named Betty. In December 1966, the Forty Year started again and Baird recognized it from when he was a boy. This time, Baird chose to fight back, carving crosses into bullets as he believed that the power of the Lord would protect him. While Baird had been left alone during 1926, the spirits came after him in 1966 nine times. Baird's bullets, which were homemade dumdums, proved to be effective against the spirits and Baird was able to repel the nine attacks with a rife, a pistol, an ax and in one case, a flaming log. Baird was able to kill some of the spirits and scare the rest off, but had to go into town at one point for more ammo and supplies. While he was gone, Baird left a gun with Betty but returned to find that the spirits were somehow able to get at her and split Betty open from collarbone to breast, killing her. Grief-stricken, Baird buried Betty in his backyard and went out into the woods with the intention of hunting down and killing the spirit that killed Betty.
In the woods, Baird began attempting to track the spirits and learn what he could about them, such as if they had a leader and how to track them. Baird spent days hunting the spirits, living as much animal as human and learned that the spirits couldn't be tracked, leaving behind tracks only occasionally with the tracks sometimes changing into different tracks. Baird eventually learned that the spirits materialize when one appears nearly on top of him. Baird is able to kill the spirit through decapitation with his ax and continues his work, but while he learns things about the spirits patterns and how to fight them, he is unable to find their source or a way to stop them before the Forty Year ends once again.
Following the second Forty Year, Baird finds it unbearable to live in Cedar Wells anymore with Betty gone and an element he didn't care for moving to town and moves several miles away. Over the next forty years, Baird keeps an eye on the dates and remains alive with the purpose of returning to Cedar Wells during the next Forty Year and ending it once and for all.
In December 2006, the Forty Year starts up again for the third time and the now ninety-one year old Baird returns to town in an attempt to stop it. Due to his efforts to stop the spirits in 1966, Baird is able to detect the spirits coming out of the woods to attack the residents of Cedar Wells and works to stop them from harming anyone without much success. One of his attempts is to protect the Richardsons from a cowboy attempting to scalp them. Due to Baird appearing around so many crime scenes, he has become a person of interest in the murders and Cal Pohlens mistakenly believes Baird is on his way to harm the Richardsons when he spots him and calls 911. Cal confronts Baird at gunpoint before the cowboy comes out of the Richardsons' house after killing the couple and attacks Cal. Though Baird kills the cowboy, he is able to partially scalp Cal who dies of his injuries.
After spotting another spirit heading towards the house of Wanda Sheffield, Baird follows it in hopes of stopping the spirit but is spotted by a resident named Jodi Riggins who calls 911 to report on spotting Baird. Hunters Sam and Dean Winchester, who had been looking for Baird due to his presence around so many of the crime scenes making them suspect Baird was one of the spirits, convince Sheriff Jim Beckett to give them a head start to go after Baird before the police. The Winchesters are able to spot Baird who attempts to run from them to no avail before threatening them at gunpoint. Realizing that Baird is not the enemy, Dean talks him down and tells him they both want the same thing: to stop the spirits. Dean asks Baird to leave with them before the police arrive so that they can compare notes on what they each know about their enemy. Though reluctant at first, Baird agrees to leave with the Winchesters and then warns them of the fact that one of the spirits is going after Wanda. Baird tells them about how he is able to kill the spirits with his special bullets which Dean realizes works because they are dumdum bullets. Returning to Wanda's house, Dean leaves Sam and Baird downstairs while he goes to rescue Wanda. Dean is able to kill the spirit with rock salt and the three depart before the police can be called to the situation.
In the Winchesters' motel room, Baird fills them in on his history with the Forty Year which Sam notes doesn't tell them much more than they already knew about it. Sam asks if Baird has any idea about who might've had enough of a grudge against the town to start the Forty Year and Baird informs him about how his mother had always insisted that the Copper Bell Ranch had something to do with it and states that after having thought about it for a long time, he supposes his mother could've been right. However, Baird is unable to take the Winchesters to the ranch to investigate as it has long since sold, resulting in what was there being long gone.
At Dean's insistence, Baird takes the Winchesters into the woods to hunt one of the spirits in order to prove his story. After a long time of nothing happening, Sam questions Baird on whether the spirits might come from somewhere else and Baird admits that he's right as the spirits come out of the woods in all different places and they can only guess at which spot to go to and hope they are right. Shortly afterwards, one of the spirits appears as a deer and turns into a coyote. After confirming that its one of the spirits, the three men chase it only to have another spirit appear and attack Sam before Dean dispatches it. As Dean stays behind to tend to his injured brother, Baird chases the coyote and follows it to where it meets up with a group of spirits before turning into an eagle and flying off. Baird ends up in a gunfight with the spirits and is unable to beat them before the Winchesters rejoin him. Coming up with a plan, Dean orders Baird to continue to draw the spirits fire while he and Sam flank them. Though reluctant, Baird complies and the Winchesters are able to dispatch the group of attackers.
Following the battle with the spirits, the Winchesters question Baird on anything he can remember about the ranch to try to determine what if anything could've enraged someone enough to start the Forty Year. While Baird remembers a lot about the ranch, he is unable to remember anything that could've set someone off so badly and can't remember why his mother believed the ranch was involved though Baird thinks he was told a reason in 1926 or 1966. Sam suggests searching for a book about the history of the ranch, but Baird tells them about how his old teacher Neville Stein worked on one but was murdered before he could finish it. Seeing Neville's work as their best chance at finding the source of the Forty Year, Sam asks about Neville's notes and where they would've ended up and Baird tells him that they are likely still in the schoolhouse. After explaining that the schoolhouse was still standing as it was placed in a rocky canyon no one cares about, Baird agrees to take the Winchesters to the schoolhouse in an attempt to find Neville's notes.
Baird leads the Winchesters to Witch's Canyon where they are shocked to learn of the name and angered that Baird never said anything about it to them given what they are up against. Baird doesn't see it as a big deal, pointing out that names don't always mean anything, but Sam suggests that in this case it might and its a possible lead. Baird leads the Winchesters into the canyon to the ruined schoolhouse where he tells them about the chest that Neville kept his journals in and points them to the front of the room where the roof has collapsed. The Winchesters dig out the chest and the three begin going through the journals though Baird spends most of his time sitting and looking around the room, apparently remembering when he was a student there. Finally, Sam finds a reference to Elizabeth Claire Marbrough being a witch and asks if Baird knows the name. While Baird knows that Elizabeth's son Jens was the first owner of the ranch, he doesn't know anything about Elizabeth personally by name. With a direction to look in, the Winchesters search Neville's journals for stories about Elizabeth and discover that she was an evil witch who's antics caused her to be banished from Cedar Wells and her son to force her to live in an isolated cabin where she plotted revenge. Sam is able to find an account of her revenge plot: cast a spell that would reanimate everyone who died on ranch property, both animal and human every forty years with some of the reanimated humans being skinwalkers that could take on animal forms. After Sam tells them that the reanimated spirits are meant to attack the town and kill indiscriminatly in the ways they themselves were killed, Baird is stunned to realize its the Forty Year. Sam tells the other two that Elizabeth died in 1886 and the murder cycle created by the Forty Year was supposed to start after her death, but he is unable to find anything about how long each Forty Year is supposed to last. Having gotten all they can from Neville's journals, the Winchesters decide to return to the Impala and locate a way to break Elizabeth's spell. Noticing how upset Baird now is by the state of the schoolhouse, Sam suggests they return later to get Neville's journals and take them to Baird's home so that they at least can be preserved.
As the three prepare to leave, one of the spirits appears in the form of a bear and is engaged by the Winchesters. The bear proves almost impossible to beat, with the Winchester's rock salt rounds causing it no lasting harm. Dean eventually kills the bear with the spear its human form of an Indian carries, but Baird takes no part in the battle. Afterwards, Dean suggests that the bear was stronger since they are closer to where Elizabeth cast her spell rather than further away and Baird comments on how while he doesn't doubt what his senses are telling him, he doesn't think its sensible. The Winchesters and Baird then return to the Impala where Dean searches through John Winchester's Journal and finds more information on Elizabeth's past as well as a counterspell that might be able to break the Forty Year. Needing to perform a salt and burn on Elizabeth's bones as part of the counterspell, Sam questions Baird on where Elizabeth's cabin is and he informs him that its further back in Witch's Canyon, nearly to the Grand Canyon due to Jens wanting his mother as far away as possible. Baird watches as the Winchesters discuss Sam going to the local mall opening in case the spirits attack before Dean can perform the counterspell and offers to go with Dean himself to help, telling Dean that he wants to see an end to the Forty Year. Dean agrees and after looking at Sam for validation, Baird follows Dean back to Witch's Canyon as Sam departs.
Baird and Dean begin traversing Witch's Canyon to Elizabeth's cabin and Dean questions Baird's knowledge of its location. Baird lets Dean know that he only went there once as a kid and he doesn't know if there's an easier way to the cabin or what's there currently, drawing Dean's annoyance as Baird held back the fact that the cabin existed despite knowing that they were up against unnatural enemies. As the two continue, they notice an army of various types of animals gathering around them and wonder if they are spirits or real and what to do about them either way as they can't afford to waste much ammo before arriving at the cabin. As they discuss the situation, the animals attack, but Dean is able to establish a salt circle which shields them. Baird is horrified to find that one of the deer is in fact his own resurrected father and tries to rush to his aid, but Dean convinces him that the only way he can help his father is to reach Elizabeth's grave and perform the counterspell. Baird then tells Dean that the salt is melting the snow and if it melts unevenly, it could disrupt the salt circle and leave them vulnerable. Pondering their plight, Dean finally tells Baird that all of the animals are clustered tightly around them, meaning that Dean can kill many with just one blast of his shotgun. Getting the idea, Baird tells Dean he can back him up, but with his rifle he can't kill bunches at once. After establishing their plan, Dean opens fire in the air, killing many birds and then fires at the ground, killing many of the smaller creatures and crippling several of the bigger ones. One of the creatures Dean wounds is the deer that is Baird's father, causing Baird to rush to his aid and breaking the circle. Dean quickly fires another shot at the animals before saving Baird from his father's attack and killing Baird's father once again. The two men return their attention to the animal army with Dean attacking clusters of animals while Baird targets the surviving bigger animals. After a few more blasts from Dean, the animals retreat, but not before Baird saves Dean from an attack by a coyote. The two men briefly celebrate their victory before moving on.
Following the battle with the animal army, Baird goes faster though the exertion starts to get to him. Finally the two arrive near where Baird recollects the cabin being and find a ranch there instead. Dean questions Baird's memory as a result with Baird recognizing a tree next to the house as being a sapling eighty years before. When Dean continues to hesitate, Baird admits that his memory isn't so good anymore but the witch's cabin had terrified him so much it was somewhere he'd never forget the location of. Baird realizes that someone tore down the cabin and built a ranch on top of it, annoying Dean due to the terrible choice in location. Approaching the house, Dean checks with his EMF reader which goes crazy and he informs Baird that its a likely sign of spiritual activity. As they approach the house, the two men hear Juliet Monroe scream and try to break in through the front door. Failing, they go inside through the broken front window where Baird stays downstairs while Dean goes upstairs and rescues Juliet from the reanimated spirits of Juliet's ranch hand Stu, relator Howard Patrick and a spiritual wolf.
Following the rescue of Juliet, the two men explain their purpose at the ranch and the situation to her. Juliet tells them about a patch of dead earth near the house that Dean realizes could be the witch's grave and the three retrieve shovels to dig her up. As the three dig up the grave, four Indian spirits attack with bows and arrows. Dean quickly dispatches them, but not before one hits Baird in the leg with an arrow. Dean removes the arrow and orders Baird to keep pressure on it until they can finish the job and get him help. Due to Baird's injury, Dean leaves him with Dean's shotgun so he can keep watch for them. As the witch's bones are unearthed, Baird banters with them about the situation, including joking about wondering why he'd ever left his home. Dean promises that Baird has been a lifesaver in more ways than he'll ever know as he and Juliet clear off the coffin.
Dean starts the counterspell and gives Juliet orders on how to perform the salt and burn since Baird is in no shape to help him. As Dean performs the counterspell, Juliet opens the coffin and Elizabeth's ghost is released, terrifying Baird into inaction. As Elizabeth approaches Dean, Baird finds his courage and shoots Elizabeth with Dean's shotgun and taunts her, drawing Elizabeth's attention and ire to him instead of Dean. Baird's distraction allows Dean and Juliet to continue the counterspell and salt and burn, but Elizabeth attacks Baird, knocking the shotgun from his grasp. Despite being mortally terrified, Baird doesn't let it stop him and grabs onto Elizabeth, restraining her from attacking Dean and Juliet. Baird buys Dean and Juliet enough time to complete the salt and burn and counterspell and Elizabeth's ghost is destroyed and the Forty Year is finally ended.
After finishing with the witch, Dean and Juliet turn to Baird to find that the strain of restraining the witch's ghost was too much for him in his advanced age and he has died. Juliet is upset at Baird's death while Dean recognizes that Baird always knew it was likely he wouldn't survive his third Forty Year but was willing to stop it at any cost. Dean hails Baird as a hero to Juliet, Sam and Sheriff Jim Beckett as Baird was the one person fighting the Forty Year who had volunteered and if he hadn't acted to restrain Elizabeth's ghost, she would've been able to stop Dean and Juliet. As a result, her spirit would've been loose upon the world and the Forty Year would've continued. Dean also expresses remorse that the people of Cedar Wells will never know of Baird's sacrifice though Juliet suggests that Baird would be happier with people not knowing as he didn't like Cedar Wells. The morning after the end of the Forty Year, Dean leads a toast to Harmon Baird with Sam, Juliet and Sheriff Beckett.
Powers and Abilities
- Basic Hunting Skills - Due to having lived through the Forty Year twice, Baird possesses a basic level of hunting skills with regards to the spirits of the Forty Year.
- Supernatural Perception - Due to the amount of time Baird spent studying the spirits of the Forty Year, he developed a perception of where and who they would target. Baird called it "a nose" for the spirits when explaining it to the Winchesters.
Weaknesses
- Mortality - As a regular human, Baird was vulnerable to regular human weaknesses. Due to his advanced age, restraining the ghost of Elizabeth Claire Marbrough was enough to kill him through the strain.