Twi`lek

Personality
Like most races, twi’lek personalities vary considerably, but many take a non-confrontationist stance. It is a common cultural proverb to say that it is better to “ride out the storm” than to “face it head on.” Twi’leks can endure a lot of abuse before being roused to action, and some of the more cynical or Darwinist observers have claimed that this trait is the cause for their state of perpetual slavery and destitution. At the same time, however, twi’leks often have a certain flair about themselves and a strong sense of individuality that, when combined, make them very memorable people.

Physical Description
Twi’leks are smooth-skinned, humanoid creatures whose most striking feature is the pair of twin head tails (called lekku, or tchin-tchun) that grow from the back of their heads. The length of these head tails vary considerably, with the longest and most shapely considered to be the most attractive. These lekku have resulted in some raises using the phrase “wormhead” as a derogatory term for them. Twi’leks are completely hairless with the exception of their eyelashes, which are especially capable of keeping foreign objects out of their eyes. When it comes to skin hues, twi’leks are extremely diverse; they range from pure white to all different shades of blue, yellow, orange, red, green, and purple. Red and blue twi’leks (known as Lethan and Rutian twi’leks, specifically) are among the rarest of twi’leks.

Relations
Hutts are responsible for the bringing of twi’leks to this world, and as a result these two races are closely tied together (much to the distress of the twi’leks). The vast majority of twi’leks are enslaved by the hutts, but significant slave populations can also be found among humans and orcs, who received twi’lek slaves as well as other items of value in exchange for land. Twi’leks get along well with Artilects, as they both have very similar outlooks and histories when it comes to forced servitude. Twi’leks also tend to get along with elves, halflings, and humans who oppose slavery.

Alignment: Twi’leks, with their general indifference to events and desire to survive first and foremost, often fall into the neutral category. For the most part, there are more chaotic individuals than lawful, as their slave status causes them to rebel against all sorts of authority. Good individuals tend to crop up more often than evil ones, but those who do turn to evil tend to be especially cruel. Evil twi’leks often round up others of their kind and collaborate with the slave traders.

Twi’lek Lands: Twi’leks originally hailed from a great sandblasted desert, where they lived in small villages made of mud bricks and lived off of colonies of fungi. The majority are now found in the polluted swamps and marshes that hutts call home, though any urban center in the nearby regions are likely to have a small population of twi’leks as well. Groups of free twi’leks often come together and set off to establish their own isolated communities in the desert. These communities are often on good terms with asherti and bhukas.

Religion: Most twi’leks originally worshipped a harsh desert goddess, but since their forced diaspora twi’leks have adopted the religions and faiths of their masters. Even those who make their way to freedom often choose to worship the local pantheons of gods, and after several generations the name of the desert goddess has already been forgotten. Small groups of twi’leks sometimes band together into cults to lament the fading of (and pay tribute to) the Forgotten Mother.

Language: In addition to the language of their masters, twi’leks have two native languages that they speak. The first is Ryl, which is the verbal language that twi’leks, which also includes many subtle body ticks and movements. The second is a sign language named after their head tails, Lekku, which exclusively uses the tchin-tchun to communicate. For a long time, this language was unknown to their captors, and was used as a way of communicating with each other without worrying about being overheard. After it was discovered, many slave owners started to make their slaves wear headdresses that kept their lekku in place, effectively “muzzling” them.