Luvatid

## Description

The Luvatid are a short, hardy, furred species from Lu'Vatosaa. They have large ears and eyes, and short limbs that end in clawed nails. Luvatid often have reddish or brown fur with white or cream accents.

The Luvatids have never met a hill too small to die on.  Which is odd as Lu'Vatosaa, the planet from which they hail, is extremely mountainous.  Most of the population has settled on one forested slope or another, living in clusters with their families.  Some do live in the vast open territory surrounding the mountains, but that's more out of necessity for certain crops than choice. A large portion of Lu'Vatosaa is still very much a wilderness.  Before the arrival of the Sovereignty, long distance travel between mountains was a rarity.  When travel did happened, it was most often done caravan-style so as to better guarantee everyone made it to their destination.  Lu'Vatosaa is one of the few Sovereignty planets where someone can take a stroll from their home, be devoured by the local wildlife, and have the neighbors not be surprised.

Because of this, it was important to have people properly trained to protect everyone else.  Each mountain was ruled by a Crownkeeper, who hand selected a court composed of the most powerful warriors.  When trouble reared its head, the Crownkeeper would send a warrior to handle matters.  But once a warrior class exists, they have to be kept busy in a way that doesn't insult them.  Otherwise, the warriors start having the sort of ideas that make their employers nervous. Being strong was not enough to be a warrior.  In fact, a warrior that was merely strong in battle should not be considered a warrior at all, only a fighter.  A warrior must show dedication, and thus a Crownkeeper encouraged their chosen warriors to take up an oath or two to devote themselves to.  A pledge towards strictly honorable combat was the most common to the point that many assumed it was a requirement.  (It isn't.)  A warrior needed to be a tactician and thus Crownkeepers favored scholars that specialized in obscure subjects. A warrior should circle their opponent like a dancer does their partner, and thus they learned to cut a rug.  No warrior is forced to do any of these things, but those that don't are considered uncouth and unsuited for the Crownkeeper's personal ranks.

The floras that naturally grow at such high elevations and in cold thin air left a lot to be desired both in regards to nutrient and taste.  This was an insult to all things Luvatid, and they refused to stand for it.  Some took the path of cultivation and carefully bred strains.  Others scavenged far and wide for anything and everything that might make the food palatable.  Both methods were a resounding success.  Not a single planet in the Sovereignty can match Lu'Vatosaa for cuisine.  Their desserts tend towards the sweet, but outsiders should be wary before blindingly sampling a dish.  Years of desperate eating habits resulted in the surviving Luvatid being immune to poisons and toxins.  Their cuisine takes advantage of that.  So when the menu warns that a dish is too die for, it is being neither cute nor funny. Because nothing about the Luvatid is cute nor funny.  Any Luvatid will say as much.

After their first meetings, the Terran Sovereignty members thought the Luvatids were hiding their "fairer sex." It took multiple "when two Luvatids love each other very much, they use protection because you never know which one of you is going to get pregnant" talks before they accepted that the Luvatids didn't have a fairer sex.  Or a fairless sex.  Further attempts by the Sovereignty members to divide the population were equally unsuccessful as all Luvatids share responsibilities, possess facial hair, are easily irritated while bleeding, dislike getting kicked in the privates, and are capable of begetting and birthing.  (The Luvatid, being sensible, only have the one physical sex, but are accepting of other species that decided to needlessly complicate things.)