Twazen

The **Twazen** are a large, well flourishing tribe of semi-nomadic **Manna**, their settlement moving two to three times a year in order to follow crop migrations and water flow. Since the Twazen do not stay in one place permanently, they typically build their homes out of clay and sun dried bricks arranged in a circular shape, with the roof being made out of thatch and mud. They build their homes in this way with the intention of allowing them to be washed away by the rain, erasing the temporary village after the tribe has left.

## History

The Twazen tribe was created around the peak of the Celestial **Pafella's** influence on the creation of Eprea, with their found, **Aodh Melchior**, having a close relationship with the Celestial. Pafella and Aodh often spoke together when creating the world's foliage and animals, giving Aodh a deep insight on how the animals and plants of the world looked.

As Aodh got older, they found more Manna interested in the lands they walked, sharing their knowledge with them and creating the Twazen tribe, just before their death.

## Physical Appearance

Both the men and the women of the Twazen will cake their hair in thick layers of brightly colored clays and muds, both to keep themselves cool from the desert sun, and due to their belief that they were born from the clay of the lands as children of **Celena**, and that their souls are stored within their hair. The mud gives their hair an orange or red tint, and they typically wear their hair down or in a bun with decorative beads and flowers decorating them.

They wear extremely little clothing, with their clothing being mostly made up of beads that hang from around their neck and cover their chests, along with studded or beaded short skirts around their legs. The Twazen typically go shoeless, seeing it as an insult towards Celena to put a barrier between them and the lands they walk.

When wearing makeup, the Twazen will mix the clay and mud into ochre, creating vibrant cosmetics to decorate their entire bodies with.

## Culture

the Twazen travel with herds of livestock. It is a common belief all over Eprea that they have the best meat and dairy products in the world, due to the care the Twazen give the creatures. The Twazen take great pride in the creatures they raise, making sure they have the best health and produce possible. They believe the reason why their livestock is so healthy is due to their founder, **Aodh Melchior**, working close to the Celestial **Pafella** as the **Celestial** first began creating the creatures of Eprea. Their livestock primarily consists of Flyffl and goats.

The women within the Twazen do the more labor intensive work in the tribe, often carrying the water and supplies from long distances back to their temporary settlements. Women also are the ones who build the homes and decorate the bricks with intricate designs. Men take care of the livestock and gather the eggs and dairy, as well as shear the wool from the Flyffl. If a couple has a baby, the baby will often be held in a cloth sack worn on the back of their father as the father works.

### Food

The Twazen don’t eat any meat, taking on a strictly vegetarian diet. They enjoy eating porridge, goats milk, honey, chicken eggs, and wild herbs. A popular dish made by the Twazen is a dish referred to as a **clay-baked egg**. The eggshells are caked in a thick layer of mud and leaves, and left in the sun to cook for three days, then unwrapped and enjoyed de-shelled and plain. The Twazen believe that the clay gives the eggs all the nutrients needed. Surprising to most of those who are outside of the tribe, it is actually quite delicious.

### Worship

Outside of their beliefs with **Pafella**, the Twazen are very loose in their celestial beliefs. The Twazen do look closely towards **Celena**, believing that they are direct children of the Celestial, and that they had been born from the land itself.

However, it is also common for the tribespeople to also worship **Ania**. The Twazen believe that the sun is one of Ania’s eyes, and that Ania is always watching them on their travels. If the day is particularly hot or a Twazen’s skin gets burnt, they believe they have somehow enraged the Flameseer and are now being punished for it. When this occurrence happens, the Twazen will stop their travels for the day, gathering **fire flakes** and offering it at their makeshift shrine for the Celestial.

Many Twazen also view fire as sacred, using it to cook muds and clays into their jewelry and decorations. When communing with any of the Celestials, the Twazen will light a variety of incense, using them to calm their spirits and help them meditate easier.

### Romance

The Twazen are a polygamous society, with no real courtship traditions. Many of them do arranged marriages, and will take on several wives and husbands. After marriage, both men and women wear a headdress made of clay beads in order to signify it. The amount of strings of beads represents the amount of marriages that the Twazen is in.

If a Twazen is put into a marriage with another tribes member that they dislike, they can dispute the marriage, allowing themselves to be placed with another member who they share an affection with.

### Childcare

The children of the Twazen are typically cared for by their father, being held on the father's back in a cloth sack as he works. The Twazen keep their children close to their fathers while infants, believing that it'll keep a close bond and allow for the child to subconsciously soak in the traditions of the tribe from a young age.

### Death

When a Twazen dies, they are caked in muds and clays before being buried within the earth of the location they had died in. The graves are typically left unmarked, with the only way to find the grave being a shard of pottery created by the deceased embedded into the upper layer of the ground.

Death is a sad occurrence to the Twazen, due to the Twazen being skeptical on how well **Eiryot** takes care of their deceased in the afterlife.

## Leadership

**Axmed Kariuki** is the current leader of the Twazen.