This town started out like most others in the Badlands did - a small, dusty place that really only formed at all thanks to its proximity to a decent source of drinking water. Being on the border gave it some advantage over other towns further in, thanks to harsh conditions being slightly lessened here. Still, it was far enough away from Ivona's network of cities that quite a few people seeking solitude drifted there.
As it turned out, the Ivona military had their eye on Claiborne. As soon as the town got big enough to be useful, the military moved in and performed a nearly bloodless takeover. Their only reason? The strategic location. As far as the military's concerned, the more settlements they control close to Vohemar, the better. In the years since, Claiborne has grown up into a real military outpost, becoming bigger than it would have been otherwise. Still, it's far enough from most everything that all the stationed troops here do is kill off the occasional monster.