Catullan: Difference between revisions

==Name==

* '''Proper Name''': Catullan

* '''Pronunciation''': ka TULL an

Negotiations between the Federation and the Catullans for membership were underway as early as 2269, stardate 5832. Actual membership was granted that year.<br>

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==Government==

Catullans elect representatives to one of seven regional councils. Each regional council then selects three of its members to send onward to a senate for matters of planet-wide significance. Technically, all three members from any one region are expected to vote as a block, but in practice much secret negotiation and jockeying for influence back home (at the expense of one's regional colleagues) has occurred. Currently, elections occur every seven years, one region per year.<br>

Now that the Catullans are members of the Federation, a final three members from the global senate act as a delegation to the Federation's governing assembly. Replacements are elected to their seats at the planetary level. To some extent, contact with other spacefaring races (which in prominent cases vastly outnumber the Catullans) and membership in a galactic federation have taken some of the energy out of the global political process for Catullans. Some view the planetary senate as just another level of regional government-- not that important in the big picture. <br>

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==Description==

As a race, Catullans tend to warm skin tones, from pale gold through a rich peach. Blushing, tanning, and sunburn can alter skin tone temporarily, although these reactions may be hard to detect in some cases. Hair colour ranges from a near-snowy-white to pastels, with undertones in one or more of a range of hues (although to non-natives the differences may seem indistinguishable.) Some comparison between Catullans and the natives of Gamma Trianguli VI has been drawn by biologists, but no link has been established, and convergent evolution is considered a likely explanation.<br>

Adult height can exceed the M-class average, but is more likely to fall below it; some attribute this to the slightly higher-than-M-class-normal gravity on Cendo Prae.<br>

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==Physiology==

Some Catullans (perhaps a quarter) can tolerate and even delight in sour flavours more than M-class averages. Catullans have a higher tolerance for salt. These variations reflect Catullan evolutionary biochemistry, and the available nutrient sources and biohazards on Cendo Prae.<br>

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==Psychology==

Small but intense storms, especially if they were unexpected and inconvenient, were said to be brewed by Vorde. She also cursed or transformed people. On occasion, she might deign to help someone; but if she did, she would make the help unpleasant to employ, or the help would come in the form of obstacles put in the way of a third party. At the end of the story it would often be revealed that Vorde had gained more from the whole process than the protagonists had. She was said to spend much time drifting around the outer edges of the ''kliegerst'', peeling secrets away from the cursed like seed fluff off a thorn bush. Furthermore, she was said to be able, for a price, to call a particular soul out of the storm, so it could be asked questions or tell secrets it had not told in life. But paying the price for such a consultation seldom ended well for anyone except Vorde.<br>

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==Mythology==

Historically, their customs and their expectations about 'personal space bubbles' reflected that shortage of room. Household goods were designed to take up as little space as possible. Multi-purpose spaces, with furniture that could be moved or put away, were a necessity.<br>

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===Economy===

[[ma:Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems|Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems]] maintains both a corporate center in Utyoyomsaeg, one of Catulla's major cities, and an orbital shipyard above it. A significant portion of the homeworld's population, although not a majority, is employed there, either living in the associated space station or commuting from the surface daily. Students from Catulla frequently tour the shipyard as part of their social studies or career development.<br>

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==Culture==

===Language===

* ''zoon, tal, zuit, lar'': names of the Catullan alphanumeric symbols for the sounds 'oo', 't', 'ee', and 'l' <br>

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===Leisure===

'''Aquatic sports''': Catullan shore life is reflected in the range of sports most commonly pursued, which include most sailing, swimming, surfing and diving variants. Mountain climbing and gliding are also popular to a lesser extent.<br>

Much of the broadcast content on the planet's sports channels is related to ''jekker,'' and successful players, such as Ribo Bantiker, are at least as famous on Cendo Prae as any Federation Parrises Squares champion, although nearly unknown off the planet.<br>

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===Food and Drink===

'''Zorsulte''': A tangy, rich Catullan liquor made from the fermented rind of unripe ''sulte'' fruit, small citrus-like pods that grow on bushes in sandy soil. Replicated ''zorsulte'' is more likely to be clear, indicating its origin, unlike naturally-aged ''zorsulte'', which will have tiny flecks from rind and seeds accidentally included in the pressing.  Daagenzeelt is considered a premium label.<br>

Like most other Catullan products and cultural references, indeed, like Catullans themselves, ''zorsulte'' is relatively rare outside [[Cendo Ipraem]].<br>

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==Customs==