Phentari

The Phentari are sapient humanoid cephalopods from the Tau Ceti System.

Biology
The Phentari resemble bipedal squid-like beings with four sinuous tentacles, each of which is capable of independent action. The squids have raspy voices that hiss when they speak. Phentari make a noise like the sound of the wind when they breathe. Female squids reproduce every 4 years. After mating, the male must escape with his life. If he fails, he is killed by the female for his lack of cunning. The test proves the resourceful nature of the Phentari male. The male and female must agree on terms for the ritual before mating and though they seldom admit it, most male squids fear their wives. Squids live to be 150 years old. A Phentari will fully regenerate a lost "arm" in 1 month.

Culture and society
The Phentari are the most mistrusted, disliked, and feared of all the Alliance races. They have generally nasty dispositions toward life, and are sometimes called names like Grim Reaper, Cold Death, Demon Spawn, and Soul Sucker. They are typically evil, but a few have been known to be good.

Phentari culture advocates superiority. Somehow, after fifteen civil wars, the people have avoided any further conflict among themselves. They prefer to subjugate others to their will. The most powerful and cunning Phentari are exalted and all children worship the great Jaquassarious Phentari, the most notorious fugitive in the galaxies. Heroes (most others consider them villains) are the icons of Phentari society.

History
Phentari history is strange. They first developed interplanetary travel in 4226 B.C. This industrious race set forth to develop intragalactic travel and in 4012 made a breakthrough on translight technology. Within decades, Phentari vessels swept out across the galaxy. In 3431 B.C., while exploring the uncharted Piscium star system, the Phentari exploration vessels were ambushed by Eridani warships and destroyed. The smooth-running Eridani military juggernaut quickly hunted down the Phentari colony planets and slaughtered their inhabitants. Desperate, the Phentari sought the aid of the Orions, whom they had only heard of through intelligence reports. Actually, the Orions were to be the next Phentari victims, but that fact matters little now. The two fate-sealed allies acted quickly to defeat the Eridani, with the legendary Phisicus Phentari leading the naval assault on Eridine.