Terrigenesis
The process by which someone with an Inhuman gene is mutated by exporsure to Terrigen, usually resulting in their developing superpowers.
Some Inhumans will not develop powers from the exposure, such as Maximus Boltagon, or may die during their exposure.
Humans do not usually react to Terrigen unless explosed in extremely high qualities, however some humans have been killed by limited exposure. It is theorised this is because they have a small amount of Inhuman DNA, resulting in failed terrigenesis.
While any exposure to Terrigen will trigger the process, in most Inhuman cultures the exposure is done as part of a ceremony, usually a coming of age ceremony. It is possible to trigger terrigenesis in infants or even fetuses, but the risk of failure or complications is higher, and due to the dangers involved this is not usually done.
Amoung the Attilanians, terrigenesis is a major ceremony, and before the exodus to New Attilan it was usual for the Inhuman Royal Family to attend every one (made possible by the small population of Attilan). Access to a terrigenesis ceremony was controlled by the Genetic Council.
After the exodus and the destruction of the Attilanian supplies of Terrigen, new Inhumans were usually NuHumans who had no idea before exposure that they would develope powers. As such, New Attilan replaced some of the traditional terrigenesis ceremony with a name-chosing ceremony, in order to give those who underwent terrigenesis unexpectedly a ceremony to mark their transition.
History
Due to the scattered nature of the terestrial Inhuman population, little it known about terrigenesis in these communities.
On Attilan, terrigenesis was the major coming of age ceremony in a young inhuman's life, conducted on their 18th birthday. The 'coming of age' was the completion of the ceremony itself, rather than attaining the age of 18. The association between the ceremony and attaining adulthood was so strong that Blackagar Boltagon, who had been born with powers, still underwent a terrigenesis ceremony, although it had no effect on him.
After the process was complete, the council would judge whether a young Inhuman had developed powers, and if so, a celebration would be held. If not, they were deemed not to have reached adulthood, and their family would have to choose between keeping them as a dependant child for the rest of their life, unable to work or marry, or disowning them, resulting in the individual becoming a Ward of the State.
Wards of the State were used as a slave labour force, and though they were widely considered subhuman, disowning a child was considered the civicly minded thing to do, as Attilan relied on their labour. Families who chose not to disown their child were considered to be putting personal feeling above the good of the state, and were often shunned.
Components and tools
Terrigen, traditionally in the form of mists as this allowed exposure while using the minimum possibly amount of the crystals.
Observance
After the terrigen contamination of the earth's oceans, Avengers Idea Mechanics worked with the surviving remnants of the Genetic Council to develope a reliable test for Inhuman DNA.
This test was then made as widely available as possible, via the Agon Inhuman Outreach Programme, to enable potential NuHumans to visit New Attilan to undergo a terrigenesis ceremony, rather than risking undergoing it by accident from consuming contaiminated water or food.
Related Ethnicities