Spiderkiss cake
The Spiderkiss cake, also known colloquially only as Spidercake, and as Ssinthchal'und in drow dialect, (direct translation 'Spider's kiss pastry', sometimes also an archaic elven word quinpah is used instead ssintchal) is a type of pastry eaten during the coming of age ceremony that is in this form celebrated among the drows living in the Zilvraena Noqu'yl.
History
One of the core parts of the coming of age celebration is the ssintchal'und. Before The Turbulence happened and activated the wards of the capital city Zilvraena Noqu'yl, the spiders used to be real poisonous spiders, and they used to be eaten by the debutantes; it was up to Lolth, The Spider Queen, to decide if she wished to see some of the youngsters dead or alive. During the reign of Lolth, a small number of youngsters used to perish every time. A real problem arose when the protective wards cut off the capital city from the rest of the drow cities, and the precious little spiders used in the ceremony. When it also started to become apparent that it had become more difficult to bear children, some minor chances were made so the loss of children could be controlled.. Nowadays, the spiders are only spider-shaped small pastries, which have a flaky crust and some sweetened and spiced root paste baked in. A special ingredients is added too; a poison, which is made to emulate the one of the original spiders. Ingesting this poison in the pastry can cause mild hallucinations, out of body experiences, dizziness and disorientation among other mild symptoms, but the poison is so diluted that in centuries no one has died after digesting it. Usually people just feel a little tipsy afterwards.
Participants
When a drow child comes to a certain age, usually around their first half a century, they are expected to be revealed to the greater masses, to make their great debut. Only the noble families have the luxury to keep their children away from the eye of the public, mostly because the children born into the lover economic classes are needed in the workforce. Therefore the great celebration held for the age group is purely the privilege of the cream of the crop. In the celebration the children are dressed in their best and The youngsters perform, often showcasing their and their families' talents, but rest of the evening is filled with social networking, family politics, good food, dance, and other entertainment. The key event during the evening is the official introduction to the Matriarch of the city, who now acknowledges them as members of their respective families and the city's elite. This means that the youngsters, even if they are still considered under-aged in terms of completely governing over themselves (especially with drow men), they are now regarded as eligible members of the city. Biggest change is that now they are considered to be able to run errands alone for the women of their families and can be approached more freely when alone, without the social order being disrupted too much. Also, after the showcase the proper marriage talks can finally being, although it usually takes a good few years, even decades of family politics and scheming to settle the deal.
Observance
The Sshintchal'und is only eaten during the coming of age celebration, the guests are served the ones without any added poison and with different fillings. The heavily spiced and sweetened root paste is the original and most popular one, but there are also varieties filled with various jams and sometimes even whipped cream made of rothé milk.
Primary Related Location
Important Locations
Related Organizations
Related Ethnicities
Comments