Species/Twilek

Twi'leks are humanoids easily distinguished by the twin tentacles that grow from their skulls. These prehensile appendages, known as "lekku" or "tchun-tchin," are advanced organs used for communication and cognitive functions. Like humans, Twi'leks vary greatly in appearance and have a wide variety of skin colors ranging from pale white to bright green, blue or red.

Twi'leks speak Twi'leki, a language that combines verbal components with subtle head-tail movements. When they wish, they can even communicate in complete secrecy using their versatile head-tails.

Twi'leks are native to mountainous Ryloth in the Outer Rim. Because of Ryloth's strange orbit, half of the world is trapped in perpetual darkness, while the other half remains scorched by the sun. The Twi'leks inhabit a thin band of twilight between these two extremes, living in sprawling catacomb cities just below the planet's surface. They have a relatively primitive industrial civilization, and survive on a diet of raw fungi and cow-like rycrits. Because Ryloth is relatively defenseless, the planet has long been the target of off-world slavers.

Twi'leks adhere to a familial clan government organized around a series of head clans, each consisting of five members who are born into the position. Head clans are responsible for all community decisions, but the position also has a heavy price: When one member of a clan government dies, the remaining four leaders are exiled to Ryloth's uninhabitable Bright Lands, allowing the next generation of clan leaders to assume their rightful place. Religiously, the species worships a single female deity.

Ryloth's harsh environment and turbulent history have forged Twi'leks into tough survivors. Generally nonviolent, they typically use their intelligence and cunning to achieve their goals or resolve conflicts. Noble Twi'leks may seem stoic or even aloof, while less scrupulous members of the species can be considered ruthless and manipulative.