From the pages of Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Alien Anthology
Twi'leks are tall, thin humanoids native to the Ryloth star system in the Outer Rim. The species includes a variety of distinct subraces, but are all instantly recognizable by the tentacular "head-tails" that protrude from the backs of their heads. Their native technology is primitive by galactic standards, and while they haven't developed their own means of space travel, they are common sights on many Outer Rim planets.
Sly, cunning beings, Twi'leks frequently consort with people from various "walks of life," including legitimate merchants, tempermental mercenaries, dangerous pirates, and wanted slavers. Their entrepreneurial spirit frequently leads them to positions of influence, and Twi'lek corprate executives and ambassadors are no less common than unscrupulous Twi'lek frieghter catains and crime lords.
Personality--Twi'leks are calculating, pragmatic, and charismatic people. Generally speaking, they try to avoid being swept up in other beings' troubles, perferring instead to duck into the shadows and wait out large conflicts. From a safe hidding place, they can observe, plan, and prepare to profit from the outcome.
Homeworld--Ryloth, a storm-swept Outer Rim planet.
Age in Years--Child 1-12; young adult 13-15; adult 16-44; middle age 45-59; old 60-79; venerable 80+.
RP Aid (Twi'leks)
Hmm... I always seem to get swept up in other peoples troubles. However, one has to if they want to get involved in peoples stories. 
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Ekade
- The Kika'Vati Order
Yes, let's hear it for the Shadows! We have enough problems of our own; to go around assuming other's troubles smacks of hubris.
The above thumbnail sketch ignores one of our more important aspects...we are a religious people, even when we deny our Goddess.
The above thumbnail sketch ignores one of our more important aspects...we are a religious people, even when we deny our Goddess.
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Li'ith
- Lance Corporal
Twi'leks are tall, thin humanoids indigenous to the Ryloth system in the Outer Rim. Their most notable feature is the tentacle head-tails--called either lekku or tchun-tchin--two of which protrude from the back of each individual's skull, distinguishing them from the multitude of other species found across the known galaxy. These fatty, tapered, prehensile growths serve both sensual and cognitive functions. In conversation, Twi'leks will often refer to their lekku individually: tchin is the right lekku, and tchun is the left lekku. On a few rare instances, Twi'leks are born with more than two head-tails. Such variation affords them status and, in some cases, wealth. The Old Republic Senator Orn Free Taa, for example, was a Rutian Twi'lek with four head-tails.
The Twi'lek's smooth skin comes in many variations of color, spanning the rainbow. Sharp, clawlike nails punctuate their long, flexible fingers. Their orange or yellow eyes are especially good for seeing in the dark.
Ryloth is a dry, rocky world with a peculiar orbit that causes one half of the world to remain a barren, unlivable desert where the sun's rays constantly scorch the surface. The other side is always trapped in frigid darkness. Most of Ryloth's indigenous species inhabit the dark portion of the planet, while Twi'leks live in cities carved out of the mountains in the "twilight" section that borders the light and the dark side of the world--where the temperature is somewhat comfortable.
Theirs is a primitive industrial civilization based on windmills and airspun turbines that provide power for heat, air circulation, lights, and minor industry within their city complexes. Hot air blows from the sun-based regions; called heat storms, these winds power the turbines and wind mills. The dry twisters reach temperatures in excess of 300 degrees with gusts hitting 500 kilometers per hour. Although dangerous, they provide the warmth necessary to sustain life.
Twi'leks are omnivorous. They cultivate edible molds and fungi and raise bovinelike rycrits, which they use for food and clothing. While their ancestors seem to have been hunters who struck out upon the frosty plains to find game for food, present-day Twi'leks have developed a more agrarian society.
The Twi'lek people are intelligent, capable of learning and speaking most galactic languages. Their own language combines verbal sounds and subtle movements for which they use their head-tails to communicate complex concepts. Even the most advanced offworld linguists have difficultyt interpreting all the head-tail movements inherent to the Twi'lek language. For this reason, when two Twi'leks converse in public their discussions may remain completely private, unless observed by another Twi'lek or an appropriately programmed protocol droid.
This ability to conduct private communication led to much suspicion on the part of many Imperial humans. However, this fear was unfounded, for the Twi'leks reserve this advantage for much more personal benefits, as revealed in the personal journal of a young female.
These Imperials feel that we are treasonous spies, but what they do not realize is that the lekku are, in truth, our "spiritual appendages." In jostling them, we express the movement of our inner divinity. While this is indeed private communication, it is also a communion on the metaphysical level. While its meaning may remain a secret maintained amongst the speakers, it is not duplicitous or deceitful, nor is harm meant to those outside the communication. Without exception, it is truthful and real, and it cannot fo against our verbal expression. To speak one thing and sign something entirel ydifferent would require extreme concentration, the likes of which may be impossible.
Contrary to the paranoia expressed by the Imperials, the people of Rykloth remained clear of the Imperial conflict, although if they had been called upon to spy, they would have been quite good at it. They prefer cunning and slyness to physical battle.
Hidden beneath the surface of their world, their city complexes are massive interconnecting networks of catacombs and chambers. Built into the rocky outcroppings, they blend right in with the environment of their world--vivid evidence of this people's subtle nature.
Each of these cities is autonomous and governed by a head clan consisting of five Twi'leks who collectively direct industry and trade. These leaders are born to their position and exercise absolute power. When one member of the head clan dies, the remaining four are driven out to follow their colleague to the Bright Lands, making room for the next generation. If there is no generation prepared to follow, a set of regents will take over until a new head clan can be selected.
Because Twi'leks possess no space-faring capability of their own, they have grown dependent on neighboring systems--as well as on pirates, smugglers, and merchants--for much of their galactic interaction. One of their greatest exports is a mineral called ryll, which is used in many medicines, but also used as an expensive and addictive recreational drug.
Ryloth has become vulnerable to the seamy side of galaxy life as criminal vesssels comb the planet to stock their thriving ryll trades. Smugglers often raid ryll storehouses, and some head clans have actually forced their own people into slavery, surrendering them as protection payment when threatened by the possibility of pillaging on a wider scale.
With the dawn of the New Republic, some head clans on Ryloth banded together to stop the slave trade and protect one another from the retribution of angry smugglers and slave traders. This has created a much sager environment on Ryloth, and more and more legitimate trading organizations have started to bring business to the world.
Designation: Sentient
Planet of Origin: Ryloth
Height of Average Adult: 2 meters
Lewis, Margaret Ann. Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Alien Species. New York: Del Rey, 2001.
Quotes of interest on Twi'leks from Dark Horse Comics starring Aayla Secura...
"This is my first return to my birthplace since you and Master Tholme rescued me. I had forgotten how female Twi'leks are treated. Elsewhere, I'm regarded as a Jedi. But here, all the memories--all the ancient memories stored in my lekku--come back, vivid and real. Here on Ryloth, I seem less Jedi and more one of them--a good, submissive Twi'lek woman. I sense the approaching heatstorm and I want to cover up and hide until it passes--as Twi'leks have done for generations. As Jedi, we trust our instincts, but the instincts I feel now are solely those of a Twi'lek--and seem more rooted in fear than in wisdom."
"We are Twi'leks. We do not forget."
"Twi'leks store deep memory in their lekku. We females are virtually bred to be frivolous--good only as slaves, playthings, or pampered princesses! Despite my training, playing the part of "spoiled brat" was shockingly easy."
Ostrander, Duursema, Parsons. "Star Wars Jedi: Jedi Aayla Secura." Dark Horse Comics, 2003. [/i]
The Twi'lek's smooth skin comes in many variations of color, spanning the rainbow. Sharp, clawlike nails punctuate their long, flexible fingers. Their orange or yellow eyes are especially good for seeing in the dark.
Ryloth is a dry, rocky world with a peculiar orbit that causes one half of the world to remain a barren, unlivable desert where the sun's rays constantly scorch the surface. The other side is always trapped in frigid darkness. Most of Ryloth's indigenous species inhabit the dark portion of the planet, while Twi'leks live in cities carved out of the mountains in the "twilight" section that borders the light and the dark side of the world--where the temperature is somewhat comfortable.
Theirs is a primitive industrial civilization based on windmills and airspun turbines that provide power for heat, air circulation, lights, and minor industry within their city complexes. Hot air blows from the sun-based regions; called heat storms, these winds power the turbines and wind mills. The dry twisters reach temperatures in excess of 300 degrees with gusts hitting 500 kilometers per hour. Although dangerous, they provide the warmth necessary to sustain life.
Twi'leks are omnivorous. They cultivate edible molds and fungi and raise bovinelike rycrits, which they use for food and clothing. While their ancestors seem to have been hunters who struck out upon the frosty plains to find game for food, present-day Twi'leks have developed a more agrarian society.
The Twi'lek people are intelligent, capable of learning and speaking most galactic languages. Their own language combines verbal sounds and subtle movements for which they use their head-tails to communicate complex concepts. Even the most advanced offworld linguists have difficultyt interpreting all the head-tail movements inherent to the Twi'lek language. For this reason, when two Twi'leks converse in public their discussions may remain completely private, unless observed by another Twi'lek or an appropriately programmed protocol droid.
This ability to conduct private communication led to much suspicion on the part of many Imperial humans. However, this fear was unfounded, for the Twi'leks reserve this advantage for much more personal benefits, as revealed in the personal journal of a young female.
These Imperials feel that we are treasonous spies, but what they do not realize is that the lekku are, in truth, our "spiritual appendages." In jostling them, we express the movement of our inner divinity. While this is indeed private communication, it is also a communion on the metaphysical level. While its meaning may remain a secret maintained amongst the speakers, it is not duplicitous or deceitful, nor is harm meant to those outside the communication. Without exception, it is truthful and real, and it cannot fo against our verbal expression. To speak one thing and sign something entirel ydifferent would require extreme concentration, the likes of which may be impossible.
Contrary to the paranoia expressed by the Imperials, the people of Rykloth remained clear of the Imperial conflict, although if they had been called upon to spy, they would have been quite good at it. They prefer cunning and slyness to physical battle.
Hidden beneath the surface of their world, their city complexes are massive interconnecting networks of catacombs and chambers. Built into the rocky outcroppings, they blend right in with the environment of their world--vivid evidence of this people's subtle nature.
Each of these cities is autonomous and governed by a head clan consisting of five Twi'leks who collectively direct industry and trade. These leaders are born to their position and exercise absolute power. When one member of the head clan dies, the remaining four are driven out to follow their colleague to the Bright Lands, making room for the next generation. If there is no generation prepared to follow, a set of regents will take over until a new head clan can be selected.
Because Twi'leks possess no space-faring capability of their own, they have grown dependent on neighboring systems--as well as on pirates, smugglers, and merchants--for much of their galactic interaction. One of their greatest exports is a mineral called ryll, which is used in many medicines, but also used as an expensive and addictive recreational drug.
Ryloth has become vulnerable to the seamy side of galaxy life as criminal vesssels comb the planet to stock their thriving ryll trades. Smugglers often raid ryll storehouses, and some head clans have actually forced their own people into slavery, surrendering them as protection payment when threatened by the possibility of pillaging on a wider scale.
With the dawn of the New Republic, some head clans on Ryloth banded together to stop the slave trade and protect one another from the retribution of angry smugglers and slave traders. This has created a much sager environment on Ryloth, and more and more legitimate trading organizations have started to bring business to the world.
Designation: Sentient
Planet of Origin: Ryloth
Height of Average Adult: 2 meters
Lewis, Margaret Ann. Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Alien Species. New York: Del Rey, 2001.
Quotes of interest on Twi'leks from Dark Horse Comics starring Aayla Secura...
"This is my first return to my birthplace since you and Master Tholme rescued me. I had forgotten how female Twi'leks are treated. Elsewhere, I'm regarded as a Jedi. But here, all the memories--all the ancient memories stored in my lekku--come back, vivid and real. Here on Ryloth, I seem less Jedi and more one of them--a good, submissive Twi'lek woman. I sense the approaching heatstorm and I want to cover up and hide until it passes--as Twi'leks have done for generations. As Jedi, we trust our instincts, but the instincts I feel now are solely those of a Twi'lek--and seem more rooted in fear than in wisdom."
"We are Twi'leks. We do not forget."
"Twi'leks store deep memory in their lekku. We females are virtually bred to be frivolous--good only as slaves, playthings, or pampered princesses! Despite my training, playing the part of "spoiled brat" was shockingly easy."
Ostrander, Duursema, Parsons. "Star Wars Jedi: Jedi Aayla Secura." Dark Horse Comics, 2003. [/i]
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Dwilah
- SWG Tales Founder
- Contact
As a side note...I can't edit that post for some reason, sorry about any typos. It was a lot to type. Also as a note...no idea how to actually cite comics in MLA format. I don't know that they're in my nice silver MLA book and I didn't look them up. Improvised.
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Dwilah
- SWG Tales Founder
- Contact
Thanks for posting that Dwi! Jerrel's source was very general and somewhat male-focused.
In the Twilek culture both genders are not even close to being considered equals. Ekade was raised in the culture and does not reject it. This has led me to some interesting arguments with people, and will certainly lead to many more.
In the Twilek culture both genders are not even close to being considered equals. Ekade was raised in the culture and does not reject it. This has led me to some interesting arguments with people, and will certainly lead to many more.
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Ekade
- The Kika'Vati Order
The sources I'm using are very general due to the fact that they have roleplayers in mind so they (those who wrote the entry) make it as broad as possible so people can play the species how ever they want. The book that these entries come from is 223 pages long and has a 193 playable species for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game.
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Jerrel
- Surface Marshal
- Contact
Yeah, I'm really not so sure I really "love" what they did with the Twi'leks. Granted, you only get glimpses of them in the movies since Return of the Jedi gave you a gangster's right-hand man and a protesting dancing girl who became lunch.
The original Star Wars RPG made them more like a cunning pragmatic race, adapted to survive the heat storms. While I like some of the mystical or deep memory aspects given since to lekku, I remember when I first heard about being fearful and submissive slaves -- it didn't fit to me. I'd prefer to believe in a little more diversity among an entire race than that.
Perhaps these submissive-fear roots and memories are true for entire clans/cities maybe not for all. I don't know. While it makes Twi'leks more diverse that other Star Wars species (where all of one race are generally from the same culture), I like it better.
The original Star Wars RPG made them more like a cunning pragmatic race, adapted to survive the heat storms. While I like some of the mystical or deep memory aspects given since to lekku, I remember when I first heard about being fearful and submissive slaves -- it didn't fit to me. I'd prefer to believe in a little more diversity among an entire race than that.
Perhaps these submissive-fear roots and memories are true for entire clans/cities maybe not for all. I don't know. While it makes Twi'leks more diverse that other Star Wars species (where all of one race are generally from the same culture), I like it better.
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Sepiv
- Lieutenant Colonel
Everyone keep in mind that these descriptions give us ideas. Each being is an individual with their own personality.
The (oversimplified) math is:
History(experiences) + Nature(racial tendencies) + Personality = Character
I feel Personality carries the most weight in a Character.. but that can be molded by History and Nature. I also like to play up the alien a little. It is hard because I am not an alien.. but from time to time I will look at humans and make comments on their strange customs and behavior. I try to think in terms of Twi'lek logic.
In developing Ekade's character, I did it backwards because I did not know what I was doing. She is my first RP character. Once her personality solidified, I went back in time, writing the history as I went.
If you are developing an alien, use these guides to give you ideas. They are not a hard and fast map to what your character HAS to be. You can be from a clan who rejected the traditions of your people. Or, like Ekade, you can be very traditional.
Differences make for interesting RP. Flaws make for interesting characters. Keep that in mind. Don't be perfect.
The (oversimplified) math is:
History(experiences) + Nature(racial tendencies) + Personality = Character
I feel Personality carries the most weight in a Character.. but that can be molded by History and Nature. I also like to play up the alien a little. It is hard because I am not an alien.. but from time to time I will look at humans and make comments on their strange customs and behavior. I try to think in terms of Twi'lek logic.
In developing Ekade's character, I did it backwards because I did not know what I was doing. She is my first RP character.
Once her personality solidified, I went back in time, writing the history as I went.If you are developing an alien, use these guides to give you ideas. They are not a hard and fast map to what your character HAS to be. You can be from a clan who rejected the traditions of your people. Or, like Ekade, you can be very traditional.
Differences make for interesting RP. Flaws make for interesting characters. Keep that in mind. Don't be perfect.
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Ekade
- The Kika'Vati Order
Dwilah's post states:
It also uses that Aayla Secura statement:
This certainly indicates that slavery was not a planet wide practice, nor even a predominant one. The incidence of slavery in SWG is perhaps overplayed, given the American sensitivity to the issue.Each of these cities is autonomous and governed by a head clan...... and some head clans have actually forced their own people into slavery
It also uses that Aayla Secura statement:
In England, in the time of the Pilgrims, females were given what we consider a lesser education than males...not to make them second class citizens, but to protect them from the harsher realties of life...the theory being that women had a hard enough life, and it was incumbent on men to ease it as much as possible. The Secura statement could have reflected much the same philosophy, but twisted through her experience as a self-reliant out-worlder.We females are virtually bred to be frivolous--good only as slaves, playthings, or pampered princesses! Despite my training, playing the part of "spoiled brat...."
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xyryn
- Lieutenant Colonel
So, I'm playing a Twi'lek now. Really love to give some things names in Ryl, but my source (gothyo.com) is more or less down. Got some things from google cache, but not the Lexicon. Anyone have any helpful links for me?
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Denia
- Staff Corporal
Here's some Twi namesMarata wrote:So, I'm playing a Twi'lek now. Really love to give some things names in Ryl, but my source (gothyo.com) is more or less down. Got some things from google cache, but not the Lexicon. Anyone have any helpful links for me?
http://www.swgtales.com/twilek_naming.html
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Jerrel
- Surface Marshal
- Contact
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Jabe Adaks
- Grand Admiral
- Discord
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