Gentens

Of all the traits in the fixed designs, the moral sense is among the most important for the acquisition of trust. It is in many cases highly reactive, especially in Muella, and for parents wishing for superficial similarity, an entirely reactive design is a simple and quite adequate approach. For a perfect copy however, we will see that a number of constituent instincts are needed.

—On The Original Designs, a classic work by Genten philosopher Iellus Martensei

All of a Genten's basic desires are chosen for them by their parent on the day they are conceived. All of the ordinary human desires, from the urge to eat when hungry and avoid pain to feelings of curiosity, aesthetics and goodwill to others, hold no importance for a Genten unless their parent decided to include them in the child's design. Each aspect of their motivation can be fully customized, and whatever new desires the parent imagines can be added, though the design is fixed after they're hatched. It is still possible for a Genten's desires to change in limited cases, either if the parent included the possibility of certain sorts of change in the design, or if they learn that something they don't want for its own sake would lead to something they do.

Because the parent's choice for how to design their children depends on their own design, there is a strong tendency for Genten lineages to spiral off to various peculiar extremes. Most choose a design reasonably similar to their own, and when a design is sufficiently stable over the generations, a whole clan of Gentens all with much the same desires may arise. Some so-called fixed clans take this even further, codifying a written specification for the design that every child hatched into the clan must adhere to. The imperial guard of The Southern Empire are a notable example of a fixed clan, greatly valued for their perfect loyalty. Less common than clans are unstable lineages, where the design changes substantially with every generation.

Although designs vary greatly, there are certain common trends. Many Gentens turn their own instrumental goals (things they desire for some other purpose, rather than as ends in themselves) into terminal goals in their children, so any goal that is useful for a wide variety of ends is common. Most Gentens have at least the common sense to survive to adulthood and the basic politeness to get on in society (though they are usually still mistrusted as a species). Most are satisfied with their own design, no matter how much it might deviate from what the other species might consider basic parts of a person's existence. Some are designed partially in imitation of the other species, in order to get along better. A few have designs chosen by non-Gentens, for various reasons such as marriage, though the biological parent must of course be the one to implement the design.

One thing almost all Gentens have in common is the Creed of Moderation, the conviction that it is an abomination for any Genten to care more about expanding their own lineage than they do anything else, or to not themself hold to the Creed.

Because an unknown Genten has much less predictable motivations than a member of another species, and is quite likely to not care at all for the wellbeing of others, Gentens tend to be mistrusted in general. Even a Genten whose particular design would make them even more trustworthy than normal will usually still have to face this prejudice at least from strangers, as there's almost never a way to prove their intentions.

Unlike their mind, a Genten's appearance is mostly fixed rather than chosen by their parent. Gentens are tougher and usually stronger than the other species, with a stout build and tough shell. They have only one sex, and other than the shell patterns, they all look rather similar, more so than human siblings but still less than identical twins. Their shell patterns are the one physical trait that is chosen by their parents, within the constrain that the pattern always consists of shades of white, grey and black in smoothly curved bands. They can curl up so as to be entirely covered in shell, with their many ocelli (tough, low-resolution eyes) still able to see out in all directions. They require something like bone or seashells in their diet to maintain the shell, which slowly flakes off on the outside. Some Gentens polish their shells, while others leave the flakes to fall off as they will which gives a rather shabby appearance.

(An illustration will be added shortly.)