The Boneyard (Petrichor 365)

Twice a year, more or less, Captain Terrance drives a massive number of herd animals to the outskirts of Port Imperial where they are efficiently and messily slaughtered.

The place where this great slaughter happens has become known as the Boneyard.  It is a rocky area with some scrub plants and hardy flowers.  Scattered among the stones are bone chips and tufts of fur, the area is set between some low hills with a stream running along one side.

When the herd arrives, butchers professional and barely trained descend and a great slaughter begins.  Very little is wasted, the meat is taken away to be smoked, salted or eaten fresh, the hides to be tanned, the bones to be burned or ground into meal and the skulls stacked for later.

This all takes place just down from the Pig and Whistle, where many of the workers stay during this process, and who take advantage of the fresh meat to cook impressive meals during this time.

After all of the slaughter is done, the skulls are gathered in a hollowed-out section of the field surrounded by dry stone walls, there they are shattered by the application of destructive magics into portable-sized pieces.  These bone fragments are then treated as any other bones.

It takes several weeks to process one of the herds brought in and all is noise and chaos, during the off months, it is a quiet place where flowers grow between the rocks.

Notes: A messy job but the city has to eat.

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Image found on The Gallerii and is in the Public Domain.