Twila (A1-0)

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Twila

Biological Classification
Designation	Sapient
Classification	Mixed-species group, Humanoid
Races	Dresk, Daw
Physical characteristics
Average height	1.83 meters
Skin colour	Darken Black
Eye colour	Lighten White
Hair colour	Lighten White
Lifespan	Original Strain: 90 years
Maturity	Original Strain: 15 years
Sexes	Two
Distinctions	Black and White appearance, only seen by outsiders within their suits
Notable abilities	Bioluminescence, heightened resilience, faster healing
Sociocultural characteristics
Place of origin	Auren
Star nation	Twilight Ascendancy
Total population	19 Trillion
Key worlds	Auren, Argris
Languages	Twila Light Language
Marital customs	Polygamous

Biology and Appearance

The Twila are a heterogeneous group made up of any individual who's undergone the genetic modification known as Ascencion. While an unsuited Twila's black and white appearance may hint at the nature of their changed biology, it only serves to scratch the surface.

Through Ascencion, the water in one's body is replaced with Null, the water-equivalent created by mixing Lighten (a strong base equivalent) and Darken (a strong acid equivalent), over the course of a year. As these substances are foreign to realspace, genetic alterations must be made to limit the trauma done to one's body. After the process is complete, the individual will be permanently made into a Twila, capable of breeding with any other Twila and producing Twila offspring, assuming they've been spared the common side effect of infertility.

History

The Twila are the ultimate successors to the Old Kind, a genetically engineered cult species who were destroyed, perhaps mercifully, by the Alchemists. As they searched through the aftermath before joining their species in death, the Alchemists stationed on Auren stumbled upon the Twila, a new experiment from the Old Kind's creators that had been left untouched by the attack, but still trapped in the throngs of unaided Ascencion. Rather than die, these Old Kind decided to become the guardian mentors, the first Alumai, of this new life, eventually gathering many of their secrets in their sacred Grimoire.

After the death of their mentors, the Twila would slowly begin to spread out into the ruins of a civilization both familiar and unknown to them. While the technology they found could be repaired or reverse engineered, problems began to rise with the population. There simply wasn't enough Null stockpiled to be distributed to everyone, and so two races emerged: the Dresk and the Daw. The Dresk, having an unbalanced Null, had higher sensitivity to light levels, to the point of potential death, and the faster loss of what little Null they had. They would become feared and persecuted after some took to the "vampirism" of the Daw's Null to sustain their own.

This problem would eventually be alleviated after the creation of the Twila's signature suit, which was designed to maintain the proper amount of light for its wearer. The Alumai would eventually pass a mandate on these suits while in public, stemming the tide of hatred and fear. The terror would finally be squashed after the rediscovery of The Transmutation in 2981 BBT, and the ability to now produce Null independently of reserves.

Society and Culture

The Twila live in a federalist meritocratic oligarchy in which a council of the most experienced, skilled, and competent lead the Federal Government, or the Upper Alumai. To protect the individual regions from experiencing a brain drain as their best are taken to "more important" locations, or a takeover by an "invading genius", all members of a Local Alumai must be a native of the system, or otherwise naturalized, and are directly elected by the populace. A representative assigned to the area by the Upper Alumai clears candidates to run.

The Grimoire is the most important book in the entire nation, which may only be read in its entirety by the Upper Alumai. Distributed sections of it, which are jealously guarded, can contain knowledge such as how to safely preform Ascencions or the locations of Old Kind technology. Unauthorized reading or copying of the Grimoire will earn a Twila life imprisonment without parole; for an outsider, violation of the Grimoire is the one place where the death sentence still applies.

The Twila strongly value the pursuit of happiness and new truths. Science and exploration are favored careers, but the arts are promoted and protected as well. Twila tend to be very curious, but modest, and archiving various details about the universe is not an uncommon job for a Twila to have. No matter what career a Twila chooses, they can count on the government providing their basic living needs while they put their money towards enhancing their craft and living a fulfilling life. While they make use of genetic modification and AI, they do so sparingly and are wary of their use in excess.

In an individual Twila's life, they may take multiple spouses, a tradition spurred on by the low fertility rate post-Ascencion. Twila are protective of and loyal to their families, and protective laws are in place to prevent abuse or inheritance scandals.

In most regions of TwAs, it is expected, or even legally required, that a Twila wear their suit out in public, a tradition started in the days of the Dresk Crisis. In doing so, all Twila are reminded that despite their differences, they are all one. From this, a population of those who choose to remain Dresk have flourished, although their predecessors more violent tendencies have fallen to the wayside in favor of Null supplements.