"Knowledge is the purest strength."

        The hoomiku are inventors, astronomers, and scholars, almost by nature. Their brains are capable of breaking down complex problems into dozens of smaller parts, solving each independently before putting the solution back together. Unfortunately, they have yet to fully adapt to Rym's heavier atmosphere, and are considerably more vulnerable to local diseases. They are a quiet, dignified people, amazingly patient and focused. Their society is somewhat xenophobic, as they fear outside influences can create a breach of harmony. The most important words in the hoomiku language are calm, insight, and focus.

        Hoomiku monestaries are hidden with almost unbelievable care, the assumption being that any discovery by those other than hoomiku will lead to disaster. Within their hidden sanctuaries lie entire microcosms; magnificent botanical gardens to grow food, spacious living quarters, vast libraries, observatories, laboratories, and so on. Each monestary follows a general philosophy - knowledge is life. They dedicate themselves to learning, mastering the various sciences and often the most benevolent of magical arts. Each monestary has a council of thirteen sages, an authority of each science, who teach the complex ranks of students beneath them. Most hoomiku never leave their monestaries, and thus they are virtually unheard of in the outside world. Only rarely do they embark on pilgrimages to other monestaries, or to investigate happenings of great importance in the world outside their walls.

        Most of the hoomiku have no intention of waiting around for the Eater to destroy Rym. They have spent the past several centuries attempting to repair and restock their damaged colony ship, and the project is nearing completion. Only a small number of the hoomiku actually know about the ship, the descendants of those who first crashed on Rym. From the ranks of the most promising students, these elders have been selecting individuals to join in the effort to repair the colony ship, all of whom must swear to secrecy before learning the more advanced sciences required to contribute to the project. The rest of hoomiku society also contributes to the reconstruction, albeit unknowingly. Some are sent out to gather needed resources. Still others are presented with fragmented problems which appear to have no significance, yet combine to form complex astrophysical and engineering equasions once re-submitted to the elders. Those actually aware of the project always communicate in code, or by magic. Hoomiku PCs would likely be those sent outside the monestaries to courier books, coded messages, or gather odds and ends such as seeds, rare metal ingots, and any number of other seemingly senseless things.