Eyahdve

Ay-ahd-vay

We may not be able to grow our own fangs— but we can take them from those who can.

— A Linnh mother to her son

The eyahdve is an important milestone in the life of every Linnh, where their teeth are removed and then replaced with the teeth of the Ahndel Veha. This is seen as a coming of age ceremony— denoting one's growth from a note to a melody.

Pulling Teeth

The eyahdve is conducted shortly after a child's thirteenth birthday. Linnh menders will typically carry out the ceremony, though on occasion, a child's parents may elect to do so themselves— often resulting in the need for a mender soon afterwards.
The mender will visit the family's home, accompanied by family members from other households, and friends. First, music is played, namely the ahvdhe neolth written thus far for the child, repeated three times, before the group sits together to enjoy a large celebratory meal consisting only of deserts such as teohl. After this, the child will thoroughly clean their teeth as the mender prepares their tools and herbs.

Grinning Defense

Most Linnh believe that by undergoing the eyahdve that they can frighten any would-be predators, and thus spare their lives. This, and they can mock the Ahndel Veha itself, showing themselves as stronger hunters by taking part of it.
A small subset of the Linnh, however, protest the eyahdve— citing the deaths from infection as easily preventable.

Once ready, the child will lie down on a reed mat, and their parents will hold them down. They will be fed a pain-supressing potion mainly made from the quitli pepper. The bystanders will begin to play loud music to drown out the child's screams as the mender begins to remove their teeth. Sponges are placed in the child's mouth to contain the blood, and a bowl of water is on standby to wash out their mouth when needed. Each removed tooth is washed in another bowl, and placed aside. Once all the teeth have been removed, the mender will grab a ceremonial dagger, and quickly slit the child's cheeks from the corners of their mouths— widening their bite.
The child is given a few moments to rest, as the mender grinds their old teeth into a paste. The tooth-paste is then placed into the holes left behind in the child's gums, these are used to hold the Ahndel Veha's teeth in place, and promote bone growth so that the child's jaws affix themselves to the new fangs.

Aftercare

After the ritual, the newly-recognized adults must don an eyahdve mask— half-masks covering the lower half of the face, fitting into the mouth just behind the newly placed teeth, with wedges to keep the cheeks from healing shut. Most are ceramic, though some may opt for wood or stone carved masks. The child will drink potions daily that double the speed at which the body heals— reducing the typical six-week period to merely three. During this time their family will feed them soups through a hole in the front of the mask.
Unfortunately, infections are commonly seen in the following weeks— requiring further visits to menders and alchemists alike. Around 1/5 of those who undergo the eyahdve even die as a result of these infections, as poultices and topical herbal pastes can only do so much against them.

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