Burning of sweetgrass

To the Moorland Gnomes there is no greater enemy than the Sheep, and no greater fear than the The Beast of the Moorlands. It is therefore not a surprise that several little customs have sprung up surrounding these two facts, most of them designed to appease or ward off the Beast.
Since the fateful slaying of the Gnomes who decided to kill one of their hated enemy there have been other proclaimed sightings of the Beast, out on the Moorlands, when there are sheep about, as if the Beast is giving warning. There have been no further evidenced killings but several disappearances have been blamed on the Beast, in hushed tones of course, "no need to call it down on us" they will say.
It is a well known fact that sheep love the sweet grass which grows on certain parts of the Moorlands during the summer, and this fact has become the basis of what is now a well practiced tradition amongst those who find themselves out on the Moorlands at night, especially when there are sheep about.
Everyone who travels the moorlands usually carries with them a few small sheafs of sweetgrass hay. They keep it wrapped in magically sealed pouches in order for the smell not to attract any wandering sheep. At night when they make camp, they will burn some of the sheafs as they walk the perimeter of the camp. This is thought to either appease the Beast or to keep it at bay, depending on which story you believe.
If anyone travelling the Moorlands is unlucky enough to come upon a dead sheep, then it must be made obviously clear to the Beast that they indeed had nothing to with said death. It is customary to gather as much sweet grass as possible and pile it upon the dead sheep, and then set it on fire, done of course in a controlled manner, with the proper precautions carried out. It is hoped that this will show respect as burning is also who gnomes treat their dead, and that the sweet grass will appease the Beast, or at the very least mask the scent a little