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Description
Totem Biology:
Quadripus sapiens, commonly known as 'totems', are one of several technologically advanced alien species (sophonts) to have evolved within the nearest 1,000 lightyears of planet Earth. These pillar-like leviathans emanate from the almost hycean exoplanet Humbaba - a super-Earth with a choking, hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a surface pressure of 37.3 atmospheres, as well as deep, warm oceans covering its surface. Humbaba orbits the F-class star Tiamat at a distance of 2.17 AU, and over a period of 2.62 years (958 days). Humbaba has a mass of 3.31 Earths and a radius of 1.38 Earths. The exoplanet has an average temperature of 16.6°C (61.88°F) across its habitable atmospheric range, however temperatures vary wildly depending on altitude, and close to sea level temperatures may exceed 60°C (140°F).

Although their appearance might be suggestive of an aquatic lifestyle, totems are actually aerial giants. The long section of their body, known as the 'trunk', mostly comprises a tubular hydrogen gas bladder which allows these organisms to float upright, with their four dense arms hanging below to provide balance. Atop the trunk is a pair of wings used to stabilise the body alongside allowing these organisms to rotate and lean in a desired direction. Wings secondarily function in auditory communication, individual identification, and sexual display. There are also six, stalked compound eyes which possess acute 360° monochromatic vision, and a series of electrosensory pores. The electrosensory capabilities of totems is poor, and this sense is, for the most part, vestigial.

Below the trunk are the four arms. These are flexible and muscular, but are only strong enough to support the totem's weight up to a maximum of 0.4 g. At the ends of each arm are bi-lobed paws which function similarly to our hands. Paws possess dense tactile and chemosensory receptors, alongside a single, small, camera eye. These secondary eyes allow totems to perceive the world beneath them, and can see using four types of colour receptor cells, peeking into ultraviolet wavelengths. However, the visual acuity of the secondary eyes is below that of the totem's aforementioned compound eyes.

Totem's paws are utilised in a number of ways when interacting with objects across various size ranges. Along each lobe of a paw there is a series of longitudinal grooves. At small scales - those similar to which we can hold in our hands - these grooves are implemented to hold items. The septa between grooves are muscularised and can apply pressure, allowing a totem to move and rotate held objects with precision. At larger scales, the whole paw is utilised to hold objects. A tough spur at the base of the palm allows totems to grab objects as though they possessed thumbs. Finally, at the largest scales, objects can be grasped with multiple paws. However, totems cannot lift objects weighing any more than a quarter of their body mass, as they cannot remain buoyant beyond this limit.

In the middle of the arms, at the base of the trunk, is the mouth. Totems possess a cnidarian-like digestive system with only one orifice, functioning to both intake food and expel waste. Surrounding the mouth are a series of hard, grinding plates, comprised of magnetite, simply called teeth. Totems are durophagous organisms, using their teeth to crack open the calcified shells of plants from their homeworld, which they farm.

Totems also possess six spiracles on their trunk which lead into a tidal lung system. They also allow for totems to expel excess hydrogen from their gas bladder to control buoyancy. Because a totem's internal body temperature is close to 50°C (122°F), water vapour condenses quickly from their breath, meaning their spiracles often resemble chimneys, spewing wispy white clouds around their bodies. The hydrogen used in their gas bladders is acquired from Humbaba's atmosphere. Naturally this atmosphere is less than 1% hydrogen by volume, but totems can concentrate this gas, providing efficient buoyancy to remain high in the atmosphere.

Totems are highly intelligent, with a cognizance above that of humans. They have four brains at the base of their trunk, each capable of solving an individual problem at the same time. These brains are connected together by a ring-shaped fifth brain, surrounding the gut cavity, which acts to coordinate the totem's overall behaviour and consciousness. Totems communicate with one another using their wings, which can buzz like an insect's wings to generate loud, sonorous thrums. By modulating the path and frequency of wing beats, totems can generate words and sentences. Ears are located at the base of each compound eye.

In terms of temperament, totems aren't quite as emotionally developed as humans, acting in an almost comically logical and cold fashion. They are group-minded, cooperating well with others of their species, and get along well with other alien sophonts including humans. However, they are quick to aggression, and are very defensive of that which they deem their own, especially territory. Totems have a dark history of imperialist expansion with little regard for their impact on the surrounding environment. As of late, it seems most totems are regretful of this past.

One reason that totems never evolved much of an emotional spectrum stems from their developmental biology. Totems reproduce through broadcast spawning, and larvae develop from eggs that drift in the aeroplankton, no larger than 1-3 millimetres in radius. Totem larvae are morphologically distinct from the adults and take up to a year to reach the juvenile life phase. Totem juveniles will seek out the adults, and will join into their societies, at which point the adults care for and nurture these young. As such, totems exhibit a strange form of 'late parental care' not seen in animal life from Earth. Because of this system, intra-group relationships are never as strong as those found in humans; totems are unlikely to ever know their biological parents. Totems also have few natural predators in the adult life phase, mainly due to their immense size. Male totems can reach over 6 metres in height, while females are even taller; up to 10-11 metres tall.

As a Space-Faring Species:
Totems are, at present day, a space-faring civilisation, having cracked instantaneous superluminal travel using manufactured wormholes (although at earlier stages of their technological development, a relativistic warp engine was used). They are allied with humans, lasobs, and a number of other species in an interstellar coalition. Interactions between sophonts are never direct however due to the risks of cross-contamination of alien microorganisms, and thus politics, trade, and communications are addressed remotely. Nonetheless the coalition has been stable for several decades.

Technologically, totems far exceed any known biological species, being capable of feats of creation previously deemed outside the realm of possibility. Unluckily for humans, however, they do not share their technology with the other sophont species of the coalition. A rather negative viewpoint of the totems has thus grown among certain members of the coalition, and, to a certain degree, mistrust. Their history of imperialism provides no backup to counteract this viewpoint. In truth, totems in modern times have no ill will towards other species and do wish them to succeed, despite interstellar tensions.

Description
Totem Biology:
Quadripus sapiens, commonly known as 'totems', are one of several technologically advanced alien species (sophonts) to have evolved within the nearest 1,000 lightyears of planet Earth. These pillar-like leviathans emanate from the almost hycean exoplanet Humbaba - a super-Earth with a choking, hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a surface pressure of 37.3 atmospheres, as well as deep, warm oceans covering its surface. Humbaba orbits the F-class star Tiamat at a distance of 2.17 AU, and over a period of 2.62 years (958 days). Humbaba has a mass of 3.31 Earths and a radius of 1.38 Earths. The exoplanet has an average temperature of 16.6°C (61.88°F) across its habitable atmospheric range, however temperatures vary wildly depending on altitude, and close to sea level temperatures may exceed 60°C (140°F).

Although their appearance might be suggestive of an aquatic lifestyle, totems are actually aerial giants. The long section of their body, known as the 'trunk', mostly comprises a tubular hydrogen gas bladder which allows these organisms to float upright, with their four dense arms hanging below to provide balance. Atop the trunk is a pair of wings used to stabilise the body alongside allowing these organisms to rotate and lean in a desired direction. Wings secondarily function in auditory communication, individual identification, and sexual display. There are also six, stalked compound eyes which possess acute 360° monochromatic vision, and a series of electrosensory pores. The electrosensory capabilities of totems is poor, and this sense is, for the most part, vestigial.

Below the trunk are the four arms. These are flexible and muscular, but are only strong enough to support the totem's weight up to a maximum of 0.4 g. At the ends of each arm are bi-lobed paws which function similarly to our hands. Paws possess dense tactile and chemosensory receptors, alongside a single, small, camera eye. These secondary eyes allow totems to perceive the world beneath them, and can see using four types of colour receptor cells, peeking into ultraviolet wavelengths. However, the visual acuity of the secondary eyes is below that of the totem's aforementioned compound eyes.

Totem's paws are utilised in a number of ways when interacting with objects across various size ranges. Along each lobe of a paw there is a series of longitudinal grooves. At small scales - those similar to which we can hold in our hands - these grooves are implemented to hold items. The septa between grooves are muscularised and can apply pressure, allowing a totem to move and rotate held objects with precision. At larger scales, the whole paw is utilised to hold objects. A tough spur at the base of the palm allows totems to grab objects as though they possessed thumbs. Finally, at the largest scales, objects can be grasped with multiple paws. However, totems cannot lift objects weighing any more than a quarter of their body mass, as they cannot remain buoyant beyond this limit.

In the middle of the arms, at the base of the trunk, is the mouth. Totems possess a cnidarian-like digestive system with only one orifice, functioning to both intake food and expel waste. Surrounding the mouth are a series of hard, grinding plates, comprised of magnetite, simply called teeth. Totems are durophagous organisms, using their teeth to crack open the calcified shells of plants from their homeworld, which they farm.

Totems also possess six spiracles on their trunk which lead into a tidal lung system. They also allow for totems to expel excess hydrogen from their gas bladder to control buoyancy. Because a totem's internal body temperature is close to 50°C (122°F), water vapour condenses quickly from their breath, meaning their spiracles often resemble chimneys, spewing wispy white clouds around their bodies. The hydrogen used in their gas bladders is acquired from Humbaba's atmosphere. Naturally this atmosphere is less than 1% hydrogen by volume, but totems can concentrate this gas, providing efficient buoyancy to remain high in the atmosphere.

Totems are highly intelligent, with a cognizance above that of humans. They have four brains at the base of their trunk, each capable of solving an individual problem at the same time. These brains are connected together by a ring-shaped fifth brain, surrounding the gut cavity, which acts to coordinate the totem's overall behaviour and consciousness. Totems communicate with one another using their wings, which can buzz like an insect's wings to generate loud, sonorous thrums. By modulating the path and frequency of wing beats, totems can generate words and sentences. Ears are located at the base of each compound eye.

In terms of temperament, totems aren't quite as emotionally developed as humans, acting in an almost comically logical and cold fashion. They are group-minded, cooperating well with others of their species, and get along well with other alien sophonts including humans. However, they are quick to aggression, and are very defensive of that which they deem their own, especially territory. Totems have a dark history of imperialist expansion with little regard for their impact on the surrounding environment. As of late, it seems most totems are regretful of this past.

One reason that totems never evolved much of an emotional spectrum stems from their developmental biology. Totems reproduce through broadcast spawning, and larvae develop from eggs that drift in the aeroplankton, no larger than 1-3 millimetres in radius. Totem larvae are morphologically distinct from the adults and take up to a year to reach the juvenile life phase. Totem juveniles will seek out the adults, and will join into their societies, at which point the adults care for and nurture these young. As such, totems exhibit a strange form of 'late parental care' not seen in animal life from Earth. Because of this system, intra-group relationships are never as strong as those found in humans; totems are unlikely to ever know their biological parents. Totems also have few natural predators in the adult life phase, mainly due to their immense size. Male totems can reach over 6 metres in height, while females are even taller; up to 10-11 metres tall.

As a Space-Faring Species:
Totems are, at present day, a space-faring civilisation, having cracked instantaneous superluminal travel using manufactured wormholes (although at earlier stages of their technological development, a relativistic warp engine was used). They are allied with humans, lasobs, and a number of other species in an interstellar coalition. Interactions between sophonts are never direct however due to the risks of cross-contamination of alien microorganisms, and thus politics, trade, and communications are addressed remotely. Nonetheless the coalition has been stable for several decades.

Technologically, totems far exceed any known biological species, being capable of feats of creation previously deemed outside the realm of possibility. Unluckily for humans, however, they do not share their technology with the other sophont species of the coalition. A rather negative viewpoint of the totems has thus grown among certain members of the coalition, and, to a certain degree, mistrust. Their history of imperialism provides no backup to counteract this viewpoint. In truth, totems in modern times have no ill will towards other species and do wish them to succeed, despite interstellar tensions.