TORRANCE, Clan: (Sandeman) Clanhome is located on Quivira Continent. Although its specialties are boating and seamanship, like most clans it raises most of its own food; because of Quivira's topography and relatively cold climate, it has more land than the average clan. That land includes most of the Cold Peak mountain range, which is popular with tourists who can get the clan's permission to visit; the clan hunts there, as well as harvesting ice-berries, most of which are exported as a luxury item.
TORVA BUSH: (Traiti) Actually a low-growing tree. Its tough inner bark can be used as a substitute for rope or twine.
TRAITI: A cousin-race to humanity, having evolved on Terra from a common ancestor, and removed by the Others about 35,000 BCE to insure racial survival. Although traces have been found on Terra, they were not recognized as such until after contact was made; before that, such finds were denounced as mistakes at best, frauds at worst.
Traiti males average about two meters in height and 250 kilos in mass, with females somewhat smaller. They are heavily built but not fat, due to greater tissue density. Their bodies are human-looking, as are the hands (with the exception of semi-retractile claws instead of nails), although their skin is medium gray in color and as tough as leather armor despite its softness. Heads are their least human-looking feature, being ovoid and having the long axis approximately parallel to the ground, with bulges along the top and sides. The eyes are small; the nose is barely noticeable except for slit nostrils, and the lipless mouth has triangular, serrated teeth. There are no external ears.
Much of Traiti society is influenced by their sexual imbalance and (on human terms) severely limited fertility. Only approximately one-quarter of the Traiti race is female, leading to a custom (almost a compulsion) requiring that females and younglings be protected. (Note that because of this, all Traiti fighters are male.) Their "family" structure is by clans ranging from 10,000 members up, with all adult members of a clan acting as parents to all its younglings.
Custom restricts sexual activity to within a given clan, which is not, thanks to occasional adoptions and a very stable gene pool, genetically harmful to the race. The general attitude is that sharing bodies is a thing of goodness, between any two adult members of the clan. Heterosex is preferable when available, because of the possibility (however remote) of offspring, but because of the sexual imbalance, the great majority of Traiti males are bisexual in orientation.
During peacetime, clans are led by the Ka'ruchaya consulting with the senior fighter, always a Cor'naya; in combat, the senior Cor'naya takes charge, consulting with the Ka'ruchaya. Although she is not in any formal position of authority, both listen to the clan's Speaker for the Circle of Lords, who is their religious leader. The race as a whole is led by the male Supreme and the female First Speaker.
TRAITI, Sector 21:
Ruled by: Supreme & First Speaker, co-Dukes No. systems: 568
Subsectors: 6 Inhabited planets: 308
A. Homesun D. Kranath
B. Peacelord E. Carle
C. Davis F. Sepol
TRAVELER, Subsector 5-C: