Rite of First Poison

Rite of First Poison is a coming-of-age ceremony of the Rezuslic people celebrating a person's first immunity to a poison.

Origins

When the Rezuslic returned to their homeland, they began cultivating poisonous plants which would become a point of pride for their people. One possibly inevitable outcome of this was the rate of accidental poisonings increasing. To combat this trend, the Rezuslic created a method for developing immunity to poisons. Each poison had its own unique properties that changed how a person would go about developing this immunity. It began to become a point of pride to develop these immunities, however there was always the chance that someone might actually poison themself in the process. That is why those who developed the most immunities were greatly respected. To develop one's first immunity was a sign of maturity, proving that you were ready to face threats of the natural world. That is why it became a celebrated event. The first celebration of this rite of passage was held in 163.

Immunity Development

While many children are eager to begin the process of developing immunities, the Rezuslic are careful not to let the process interfere with their growth and development. Certain immunities are age restricted due to the level of lethality or type of impairment the poison causes. There is always the chance that someone will push themselves too quickly through the process and end up poisoning themselves, so the process is especially monitored in regards to children. Usually the first immunity is developed in the late teen years.

Ceremony

Once a year the Rite of First Poison is held in every village. In the center of the village, bottles of Rezuslic poisons are put on display and the villagers gather for festivities taking place around the display. Anyone who wishes to be recognized for a newly-developed immunity presents themself to the village elder manning the display who then gives the person a cup of the particular poison they request. After drinking the poison, the person must wait out the time required to prove they suffer no effects of the poison to be recognized has having developed immunity. The cartilage of their left ear is then pierced to indicate their passage into maturity and they are presented with a sprig of the plant they no longer must fear and are now able to wear everyday. Traditionally, most children develop immunity to the flower of the Withered Black Vine first due to its ties to the Rezuslic's return to the homeland. While rare, it is possible to poison oneself during the ceremony if one is too eager to be recognized for an immunity one doesn't yet have. There have also been rare instances where an elder presented someone with the wrong poison. This is considered an unforgiveable mistake and is punishable by death.

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