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Torm
The torm are certainly the most intelligent of the Seanchan exotics. They are approximately the size of a horse, and look like a cross between a cat and a lizard. Most find the three-eyed gaze of the torm disturbing, most likely due to the obvious intelligence behind those eyes. The torm are smarter than a dog, and in some instances (such as navigating a maze) they are almost as intelligent as a human. Torm bear live young, and nurse them. Most torm do not reach adulthood, however, as fights for dominance between torm typically result in the death of one of the animals. Training by animal handlers prevents these fights for dominance. The torm are faster than horses, with better endurance as well. But the fact that they are rare and very valuable prevents their use in battle. They are typically used as scout units. Finding a rider for a torm is no easy task. Torm will turn and attack rider after rider, until it accepts one for no apparent reason. Once a torm has accepted a rider, no other may mount that torm. It is very difficult to get a torm to accept another rider after its own has died. Early morat’torm sought to use these intelligent animals as trackers. But the torm quickly made it clear that it hunted only what it wanted to, and nothing else. Torm are primarily carnivores; they can survive on only plants for several days, but become increasingly difficult to control as they attempt to hunt for food.
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