Roulette Sandwich

Feeling lucky?

I was about to kill myself. There was a little euphoria, but no fear, as I unwrapped the foot-long bread sandwich. This would be a way to show who I was. This would be a way to prove my loyalty to these rebels. I bit down on the sweet, starchy potato and the cream-colored cheese. A few minutes of nausea and retching, and I was done. I had survived, and I was now a member of the Mitrand Liberation Front.

– Soraya of Mitrand

Summary and Toxicology

Myotoxin by ElementalShrike

The Roulette Sandwich, which can also be translated to Russian Roulette Sandwich in an Earth context, is a sandwich made from millet bread, sliced baked potatoes, and cheese. The millet bread comes from a species that produces Phenethylamine, a mild stimulant, along with a GAO-B inhibitor. The bread is renowned for its palatability, helping ease the rest of the unpleasant experience. The baked potatoes contain a fast-acting toxin, which cause the potatoes and the sandwich as a whole to be illegal in most jurisdictions. However, the toxin and its antidote are what make the sandwich unique.

Denatured Toxin by ElementalShrike

What makes the sandwich interesting is the cheese, which contains an amount of the antidote to the tuber's toxin. This antidote denatures the toxin protein, bending it into a line-shape such that it does not disrupt ion pumps. However, the amount of antitoxin in the cheese is unpredictable, so adrenaline junkies often eat the potatoes with a certain amount of cheese, simply to get the thrill of going through a life-threatening experience heightened with the pleasure of the addictive bread. Casualty rates range from 0.1 to 40 percent.

Traditions and Legality

Sandwich Legality by ElementalShrike

A coming of age ceremony in the outer borderlands of the Grand Duchy of Meringia use this type of sandwich during the final phases of initiation to symbolize the initiate's loss of the fear of death, although they place a copious amount of cheese to make it near-impossible for the initiate to actually die. A similar tradition is practiced in the eastern regions of the Republic of Mitrand. However, outside those regions this sandwich and its variants are mostly illegal.
Due to its illegality and lethality, however, many secret societies use these sandwiches for initiation, to help filter out spies and defectors. For example, the pro-democracy newspaper Voice of Mitrand handed out low-lethality variants at safe houses to new initiates before the Mitrand Revolution, and guerrillas fighting over Dahang Island use it similarly, with a higher-lethality variant. In these contexts, the eating of the sandwich signify defiance of authority, by doing something both illegal and dangerous.

Manufacturing process

To bravery, brotherhood, and bronze!

Traditional toast of the Silver Sails

In general, it is made like a normal sandwich. However, different purposes call for different changes to procedure, and especially when used in initiation or coming-of-age ceremonies, the sandwich is differently prepared.

• When used ritualistically in sects of the Order of the Silver Sail, a Priest of Water sprinkles seawater upon all the portions of the sandwich before combining them. Then, a Priest of Fire cooks it and gives it to the Priest of the Forest, who presents half of the sandwich to the initiate and eats the other half.
• When used ritualistically for initiation into secret societies, the ceremony varies, but generally includes a "brotherhood" section, where the sandwich is split between a senior member and the initiate.

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

Rarity

Uncommon, usually easily obtained in regions where it is legal

Weight

200-300 grams

Dimensions

1ft long

Base Price

Variable by nation

Raw materials & Components

• 1-2 Solanum novaterrae tubers
• Footlong sliced Pennisetum theobroma bread
• 2-20 slices of antidote cheese
• Assorted other ingredients

Notable Users:
Grand Army of Yelowan

MPLF (Meringia)

Society of Magisters

Voice of Mitrand