They pull into Ghiarathor and find that this really is a one of a kind town. At the end of a road that only goes to it from the south and east, this quiet town of a couple hundred has no tavern, no inn, no business at all. There ar e just several long wooden lodges in the town that everyone lives in. They are riding and caring for Giant Stag Beetles, which they call Ki’o.
Apparently, Ki’o are the only trade here. They raise them from larvae, use them as steeds, kill them for meat, carve and cut their chitin into tools and furniture, and there is a fungus that grows on them that is cultivated and eaten. The Ki’o are domesticated and largely docile.
That is interesting to see. However, there are other wagons and such here, because the monthly Ki’o races will be held tomorrow. As part of a religious festival, the people of the town race their Ki’o. The winners of the various races are venerated for the month until the next festival. There are some who have heard about the races and come to watch.
There are also those who come to place bets and gamble on the winner of the Ki’o races. There are special foods made for this celebration of the Ki’o. Ki’o stew, dumplings, and pudding are samples. There are arrows in a quiver that Alzar sees, and a Chitin helmet nearby. The food is free as the people here have no economy.