Twila (A1-0)
OOC Note - This page is out of date. Some of the information in this wiki page may not be public knowledge IRP.
   | |
| Biological Classification | |
|---|---|
| Designation | Sapient |
| Classification | Humanoid |
| Races | Dresk, Daw |
| Subspecies | Olekun |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Average height | 1.96 meters |
| Skin colour | Black |
| Eye colour | White |
| Hair colour | White |
| Breathe | Oxygen |
| Lifespan | 90 years |
| Maturity | 15 years |
| Sexes | Male, Female, Hermaphrodite + Nonbinary |
| Distinctions | Black and White appearance, only seen by outsiders within their suits, lack of vocal cords or any other construct that allows for speech |
| Notable abilities | Bioluminescence, heightened resilience, faster healing |
| Sociocultural characteristics | |
| Place of origin | Auren |
| Star nation | Twilight Ascendancy |
| Total population | 27 Trillion |
| Key worlds | Auren, Argus |
| Languages | Civil Twillum |
| Marital customs | Polygamous |
| Notable individuals | Jun Lucio |
Biology and Appearance
The twila are an unatural race made when an unknown starter species was uplifted and forced to undergo the process known as ascension. While a twila's black and white features may hint at the nature of their changed biology, it only serves to scratch the surface.
During the delicate process of ascension, null--a mixture of the extra-dimensional substances lighten (a strong base equivalent) and darken (a strong acid equivalent) that cancels out their more dangerous qualities--is integrated into a subject's body, filling the role water used to hold. In order to prevent the body from rejecting these substances, sujects also undergo precise genetic modification, giving them a greater fortitude and speeding up their natural healing. Any species that undergoes ascension will be permanently made into an olekun, capable producing viable offspring with any other null-based lifeform, regardless of what they started as, assuming they've been spared the common side effect of infertility.
History
The twila were the last creations of the Old Kind, being the forcibly uplifted and ascended form of some favored pet species. While they would have been destined for lives of servitude, a xenocidal slave revolt would hit as the twila were gestating, leaving them their heirs of a territory filled with the ruins of a dead society. While the twila were found by the first Alchemists two years after their emergence, they would be left with a lasting cold disposition that would endure for thousands of years.
Though the influence of the Alchemists would leave its own lasting trauma on twila leadership, they nonetheless gave a massive head start to the young species. During the Trials of Vezun, the first efforts to colonize another planet, the twila's signiture love of merit-based leadership was developed. Conversely, the Cruxus Null would tear the nation appart and result in the development of distict cultural identities.
Society and Culture
TwAs is divided into 3 distinct societies, each with their own array of local cultures, but there are a handful of things that define a twila no matter where they hail from. The first is a fervent belief in the ideals of merit-based leadership, along with the idea that anyone, through hard work and effort, can grow to be a leader in their field. The second is a passion for knowledge and a desire to piece together shadowed pasts. The final is a generally cold disposition towards any who do not know them, having reached the stars only to find the decaying remnants of a long-gone empire.
The Eye of Aesis - the Aesis Twila are what many refer to as the "Pale Standard," which, while harsh, us not exactly untrue. Having gone through the Cruxus Null comparatively unchanged, Aesis Twila remain closest to the original culture and traditions of the first Ascendency. They are the most quiet and withdrawn, valuing efficiency as one of their core tenants, which has proved useful in producing the highest number of leaders out of all the Eyes. They also commonly view themselves as the "big siblings" of TwAs, believing that it's still their responsibility to mediate all the quandries that arise in the other Eyes, much to their amusement.
The Eye of Drellun - the Dresk-kin Twila are the most radically different of the three Eyes, having developed a distinct culture for themselves during the Chemical Wars. They value the pursuit of science, recklessly so in the opinions of others, and their achievements in that regard remain marred by the unusually high number of injuries sustained in the process. The Dresk-kin are very community-oriented, but have been known to place great power in the hands of the few in order to benefit the many. The crucial lack of resources at the proto-Eye's founding also resulted in the establishment of Great Houses that have persisted into contemporary times. The Dawn Barons and their families receive the highest quality educations, allowing them to remain as experts in their fields, so long as they use the boons of their success to benefit the people. Many a great leader has gotten their start in the tutelage of a Dawn Baron, including those from outside of Drellun.
The Eye of Arc'hana - The Alchemic Twila came out of the Chemical Wars horrified by what they had become, and are almost unrecognizable after centuries of cultural reform. The Alchemic Twila deeply value courage, honor, and self-sacrifice, and have sworn to never again fail in their duties to protect their fellow twila. They continuously work to better fortify the nation, never beleieving the job to be finished. They deeply value the arts as a creative and emotional outlet, and have been the biggest advocates for expanding the Lexia Corthis to include key cultural fields as well. Perhaps the greatest thing to come out of Arc'hana is the Alchemic Order, an almost religious order that has, through its works across the nation, risen to have an authority only second to the Lexia Corthos itself. It is the Alchemists who now administer and protect the Transmutation, for no singular Eye should be trusted with so great a task.