Grakka the Hutt was a pretty repulsive master to have, for any who had to get near him. Happily for Phylaverian, his duties as a fabricator slave involved (very) long hours in the workshop, and very minimal contact with his master.
Unfortunately, this was not true for all slaves, particularly those with more ornamental duties. Sadly, this included Phylaverian’s sister, Nissatreyn. Whether they were truly related by blood or not neither could be sure; both grew up in Grakka’s slave pens, and neither knew their past. But being of an age - Phylaverian the slight elder - adopting the relationship seemed natural. Grakka had many other Twi’leks among his slaves, and while they formed a loose family of sorts, Nissatreyn and Phylaverian were particularly close.
The casual cruelty of the Hutts claimed Nissatreyn’s life when Phylaverian was (as far as he could tell) 21 Galactic standard years of age. Already working as a fabricator, and already inured to despair and powerlessness, nonetheless her death pushed him over a threshold. His dedication to his work increased, and was noted by his supervisors - not that they understood the reasons for it.
The slaves all considered it extremely lucky when during a bout of gang warfare, the apartment building Grakka and his lieutenants were using as their base on Nar Shaddaa collapsed, killing them all (and many of their opponents). Most of the Twi’leks were able to escape their slavery then, including Phylaverian, and they scattered for all the corners of the galaxy.
As an escaped slave (not that any are left who know or care, as far as he knows) Phylaverian is keen on both freedom and Twi’lek nationalism, believing that only together can their race avoid bondage. He seeks to amass as much wealth as possible, both to guarantee his own freedom, and in time to free others… though his idealism is tempered by a calculating, deeply political mind.