Sacred Time Preparations

[Ivarenna]

Ondureen was preparing for the month of Sacred Time. "Well", she thought to herself, "I want to honour the gods properly at the religious ceremonies coming up". She recalled Grumbold muttering something about branching out into animals when they had spoken last.

It was the day before the shops closed for the Sacred Time festivities. Ondureen left her humble lodgings within the Babeester Gor shrine and headed into the Merchants' Quarter.

And there it was. The sign above Grumbold's shop. No longer just "Silks and Sapphires" but "Silks, Sapphires and Sacrificial Animals, for Sacred Time Only". Underneath were drawn, respectively in brown, black and white pigment, three runes: beast, death and spirit.

Entering the shop Ondureen checked to see what Grumbold still had in stock. It seemed the he was all out of bulls and boars. "I can do you a good deal on sables", Grumbold said. "Buy one get one free".

"I'll take two then", Ondureen said, and paid over the money. She was sure there would be more than a few raised eyebrows as she led four of those beasts into the shrine grounds.

"You wouldn't have any ferrets, would you?" Ondureen enquired.

"No ferrets, but I've got a couple of stoats." Grumbold replied.

"Fine, I'll take a pair of those too." she said.

"Speaking of ferrets", Grumbold continued, "I hear Broar is now working for the Deputy for Public Harmony."