the Floss Cake

The Floss Tree

In the City of the One Prince, no trees can grow in the Underdark. The skeletal remains of the huge white trees that once were plentyful under the dome have just but disappeared from within the city walls under the pressure for wood.
Only a few of those bare-leaf trees remain and are now protected from pillage.

However the city do have one tree: the Floss Tree.
A magical tree planted more than a millennia ago by the One Prince himself. The lone, beautiful tree has pride of place on the City's central square.

The tree has lent its name to the square and all citizens usually come and admire it several times a year - some have been known to spend entire days at its feet.

The tree itself is a marvel. It towers well above the rest of the buildings around and it cast a dimple shade to whoever shelter under its folliage.
The Floss Tree has become part of many traditions in the City of the One Prince.
It is a symbol of the One Prince's power and benevolence towards his people, and as such many rites of passage and cremonies are held underneath its dome. 

Flower and Cake

The leaves of the Floss tree are of a light green turning slightly pink if the heat rises in the city.
The tree gets his name from the huge pink fluffy powder puff flowers it sports twice a year. The flowering on the tree seems to be haphazard and does not happens always at the same time during the year.
The flowers seem to bud and appear overnight, usually after a heat wave and a proportion of those are quickly gathered up by the Floss Wards (more commonly known as the Flossies).

The Floss Ward are part of a circle of druids attached to the Prince's Shield whose sole job is to guard and look after the tree.
One of their tasks is to collect and dry the Floss Tree flowers and make them available to the all and sundry.

The Floss tree flowers are given free of charge to all in small quantities only.
The Floss druids record who is given the flowers on the Floss Scroll and a certain quota must not been exceeded annually.

One of the uses of the Floss Tree flowers is in the making of birthday cakes.
The Floss flowers are very sweet and are ideal as a celebratory ingredient in confections. Sugar is hard to come by in the city. It is only achieved through the fermentation of a narrow range of aquatic plants that are more suitable to create hooch than anything else.

The widely available Floss flowers are ideally suited to enter into the various cake recipes available to the enterprizing City cooks.
They give a lovely honeyed taste to the confection and are very much prized by all the City's children.

Baking in the City

Traditional baking in the City of the One Prince is not possible. However, a few centuries ago, a convicted fellow landed in the City with his favourite hen in tow.
It so happens that Midge, his fabled ginger hen
laid fertile eggs within the city as soon as she settled down in one of the inns' yard. With careful rearing of the chicks over many moons, the city now possesses a healthy supplies of eggs. 

Flour was soon replaced by a powdered kelp alternative and various sorts of cakes and soon cakes were on the menu during celebrations, in particular as a birthday treat for children.
If one mention cakes, one must also mention cake decoration.
This skill is now much in demand within the city and many wealthy families will source a good baker for their children's family birthday party.
Popular decorations include fire drakes and Black Fin sharks as well as the more traditional Floss Tree design.