Guardians of Gateways

A single need drives every trixxie: to find a doorway they can claim as their own.

A 'doorway' can be anything: from a small mouse-hole in the midst of a forest to a massive intergalactic portal hub, so long as it leads from one space to another, then a trixxie might find it a suitable place to claim. Once claimed, the trixxie makes their home there and becomes the ultimate authority on who can pass through. Being a game-loving species (this reputation is how they earned their name), most traditionally, a trixxie will pose riddles to hopeful travelers, though they may also choose to let things past based on other criteria: hair color, the quality of one's signing voice, an abstract sense of charm, or any other countless inscrutable qualities.

A trixxie's doorway is akin to a dragon's hoard: it's highly personalized and an incredible point of pride and prestige. What makes a worthy doorway varies from individual to individual--there are always those with unconventional tastes--but most typically, a valuable doorway is: physically large, used (or desired) by many beings, and leads somewhere desirable (that is, desirable according to the trixxie). A massive portal to paradise would be the pinnacle of this ideal.

Particularly skilled (or greedy) trixxies will choose places with more than one doorway (ex: a portal hub, a gopher's den, or an apartment complex) and claim all of them to defend as best as they're able. This tendency to annex all the doorways in an area is why it's rare to see trixxies in groups: envy and territorialism leads to conflict. For most of the year, they stay apart to preserve their own relationships.

In the Universe

Many years ago, Lulara, the planet trixxies originally came from, became too crowded for trixxies. There simply weren't enough doorways to satisfy the growing population, and conflict between them was increasing. As more and more trixxies were left with small, neglected, paltry doors and forced to live in the shadows of their betters, fighting over the most desirable doors was becoming a brutal and ruthless affair. Families fell apart and friendships had become terse truces until Aunciyena, a trixxie, and Merte, a novian, unveiled their latest magitech invention: a portal to the stars, aptly named the Universe Portal. Finally, the population pressure was released: any trixxie dissatisfied with their lot could take to the starts and find their dream door elsewhere in the galaxy. As this portal is by far the most important in their society, Aunciyena, still the guardian of the Universe Portal, is their de-facto leader.

Those who studied under Aunciyena and Merte have since brought portal magitech to the rest of the galaxy. Trixxies were the original founders of many early interplanatary portal hubs, and most modern hubs end up with a trixxie occupant before long. Attitudes towards them vary across the galaxy: some alien species consider them pests who hinder operations with their games, while others revere them as beings of near mythical power. Trixxies are still often deeply involved with the founding of new portal hubs. Adventurers know to expect trixxies on their travels to seek out legendary treasures, and spaceship missions live and die on how they handle a trixxie stowaway. Trixxie friendship is a boon, and in equal measure, trixxie enmity is a curse.

Reunions

In spite of most trixxies' inability to live in close quarters with one another, that doesn't mean they don't care about each other. Quite the opposite: they endure life alone because they care about their loved ones. This means that any opportunity they have to get together is an occasion to be celebrated, and any trixxie gathering quickly becomes a party. They have several holidays that are little more than an excuse to do just that, and given trixxies' outgoing and mischievous temperaments, it is very easy for a trixxie party to get out of hand.

Once a year, all trixxies partake in the Homeward Migration. During the Migration, every traveling trixxie returns to Lulara for a weeklong celebration. Young trixxies who were born among the stars get to learn about their homeland, and old trixxies get to reconnect with those otherwise too far to keep in contact with. It is the ultimate family reunion, on a massive scale, and it's a time of celebration and joy for all. Trying to claim a defenseless door during the Migration strictly prohibited, and very few trixxies will defend anyone who attempts something so underhanded.

Lulara

While many trixxies have chosen to leave Lulara, the planet they originate from, those that remain aren't lacking for wonder. The world is covered in a variety of vibrant terrains, rich in resources, though most trixxies choose to reside in the jungle, near to Unity. Unity is the capital of Lulara, being the place where the portal to the rest of the galaxy was first built. It was originally little more than a small settlement, but the portal brought trixxies and novians flocking from all over until a full-fledged city sprouted up overnight. Unity remains a capital of innovation, where trixxies await their relatives--and, of course, manage the doors--while novians develop the latest and the greatest in technology.

Unity is deeply integrated with the flora and fauna around it: stone is braided with wood; enormous trees shade the streets; and flowers bloom on every corner. Local wildlife shares the space with the population, and rivers and streams have been carefully routed into canals as necessary. Ancient, reflective pools rich in magic--and, of course, what is a mirror but a door to the truth--exist side-by-side with gleaming towers of glass. Festival grounds and city parks exist as one. Unity is a place of abundance and acceptance to all.

All, that is, except outsiders. To this day, the Universe Portal on Lulara is unlike anything elsewhere in the universe. If a bad actor were to gain control over it, it would mean instantaneous access to the entirety of existence, countless galaxies in the palm of your hand. To stay hidden, specialized magitech satellites cloak Lulara from scanners and cameras alike. The only way to see it is to physically stumble into its airspace. Similarly, traveling trixxies are strictly banned from bringing back guests. The token they use to create a home portal only permits one to pass. Tokens can only be made on Lularar, and a trixxie that loses their token is liable to be permanently stranded. One of the worst punishments a trixxie or novian can endure is to be banished through the portal to parts unknown without a token.

Novians

Of all the sapient, sentient creatures that live on Lulara, novians are the most numerous. While trixxies largely live apart, novians are social, communal creatures. They've founded their own cities and kingdoms all across Lulara, and each one is a marvel. Novians are natural-born engineers, with an unmatched curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Architects, scientists, and inventors are the stars in their society,

Novians have very little magic, and in its stead, they've developed magitech: a form of technology that utilizes the natural magic from the world around them and bends it into new shapes. Magitech makes magic consistent and stable, and has revolutionized life on Lulara . From small things like flower petal party poppers to massive endeavors like the satellites that shield Lulara from unwanted eyes, magitech has become the foundation of novian life.

Cowlmites

While the Universe Portal may be the grandest of novian inventions according to outsiders, for novians themselves, no invention has turned out to be more useful and more well-loved than the cowlmite. Cowlmites are soft, plush automated magitech assistants that share a telepathic link with their bonded novian. Through thought alone, they can be given any number of simple tasks: fetching objects, tidying rooms, providing reminders, and much more. Families may use cowlmites as baby monitors or pets for their children; disabled novians may use them like service animals. So long as it doesn't requite thumbs, a cowlmite can do it--and even then, some particularly clever novians have figured out ways around that limitation.

Cowlmites earned their name for one of their more peculiar functions: the ability to be unzipped and worn like, well, a cowl. Particularly in crowded environments, unless doing a specific job, it is considered polite to wear your cowlmite rather than have it stand beside you. Wearing it also helps ensure it doesn't get lost or damaged: since they're so valuable and useful, it is extremely rare for a novian to be too far away from its cowlmite, unless the cowlmite has a specific job that requires it. This trend quickly spurred the creation of fashion cowlmites: for many novians, their cowlmite is a form of self-expression. Cowlmites also are class markers: novians without cowlmites are often perceived as poor, luddites, irresponsible, or any combination of the three.

Rare cowlmites, when worn, can grant the novian some special abilities: more fur lets them withstand colder temperatures--being reptiles, novians are naturally heat-loving--and the longer sleeves can be separated from a novians actual arms to give them a very literal extra pair of hands. Certain designer items can modify a cowlmite to offer even more abilities: plant growth, fire power, or even wings.

History

Trixxies have always been the dragons to novian civilization. In ancient times, it was common for a single trixxie to claim a novian village--and all the doors within--and become its guardian. A novian village guarded by a trixxie was considered a blessing and good fortune, as the trixxie was guaranteed protection from potential invaders and other encroaching dangers. This arrangement allowed them to live in relative peace for the majority of history, with only the occasional bright spots of conflict from trixxies who wanted more than just doors, or refused to care for their novian wards.

This balance began to shift, however, as the trixxie population grew. In the war between trixxies for quality doors, novians were collateral damage. A novian village with a guardian trixxie went from being a blessing to a portent of doom: the presence of a trixxie invited competition, and while that battle raged, no cost was too high. Novians began to develop weaponry to fight off encroaching trixxies, further squeezing the options for doors for desperate trixxies. In a few places, novians began to think that striking first was necessary for survival. On both sides, many died.

Their parallel search for an end to this bloodshed was what drove Aunciyena and Merte together, culminating in their creation of the Universe Portal. The Portal brought peace to both sides, but it was not an instant balm to interspecies relations. Many years have passed since the creation of the Universe Portal, but there still exist novian societies where distrust and hatred for trixxies lives on, and certain elder trixxies still bear scars from wars with the novians. That said, all hope is not lost. Those most willing to forgive are the ones who founded Unity, naming it such, and Unity remains a shining example of how coexistance is possible, even wonderful. They remember the blessing unity can be.