The Rom

[cityship]

The Rom, like their relatives in the Ohm and Daligig, are a mysterious and strange race. While just about everyone in the civilized multiverse has heard of them, very few ever actually encounter one, let alone get to know much about them. This is, of course, exactly how they want it. They are one of the few groups who understand the true nature of the Ohm and the Daligig, and so go to great lengths to protect themselves from their wayward cousins. Theirs has become a society based on secrets, as they try to preserve themselves in order to keep hope of defeating the Daligig alive.

When the Rom split off from the Ohm and the Daligig long ago, they gave up much of their technology to live a far simpler life. Because they gave up the powerful genetic engineering technology of their ancestors, they are far closer to what the Ohm and Daligig would have evolved into had they left their own genetic structures alone. They are lithe, graceful insectoid creatures with lightweight, jet-black carapaces and insect wings. Their reflexes are far more refined than most species, and rely on speed and skill rather than strength when forced into a fight. Like the Ohm and Daligig, they have developed powerful psychic abilities, but theirs are more focused around divination than control or communication.

Though they are extremely secretive, the Rom have a deep, rich culture, one based on family and tradition. While the Ohm's deep love of one another arises from their close psychic connection with one another, the Rom have similar feelings for one another due to the fact that there are so few of them, and that they feel they have a sacred duty to bring about the downfall of their blighted cousins, the Daligig. The Rom consider each of their fellow Rom as family, since it is up to everyone to ensure they continue to exist. While great emphasis is placed on love and relationships, there is no real concept of marriage in their culture, and any child born to the Rom is raised by the community as a whole. While there is no nuclear family unit to raise the child, their way ensures the child is fostered with a love for their people as a whole.

Though they did not originate there, the “planet” that the Rom consider their own is known as Athasi, which simiply means “home” in their language. While the Rom live on it, Athasi is not actually a planet, but a vast, living being. It is a massive plant-like creature which allows the Rom to live on it, the original Rom settlers having somehow reached an accord with the ancient, unknowable mind of Athasi. Athasi provides for the Rom, and in turn, the Rom help protect and maintain the elder Athasi. There are a number of other creatures who call Athasi home, each of which have developed a symbiotic relationship with each other and Athasi. The most notable is the Nahiir, a race of massive, beetle like creatures capable of traveling through space on their own, each one the size of a large shuttle. The Rom often attach modules to the back of the Nahiir that allows them to ride the creatures through space and the Bleed. Along with their relatively crude Skiffs, these form the basis of their caravans, which act as the homes of the Rom while away from Athasi.

Though it is not entirely clear how it is possible, it is known that Athasi has powerful healing abilities. While on the planet, people (particularly those that Athasi allows to be there) often heal much more quickly than they normally would. Most peculiarly, however, is the ability of Athasi to “absorb” wounded individuals for a short while to utilize its greatest healing abilities. Those who are in great danger of dying without extensive care are placed inside large, pitcher-plant like pods, where they are placed in a state of suspended animation. While in here, the wounded person is healed at an accelerated rate, allowing the curing of normally fatal diseases and the regrowth of lost limbs. However, there is a price that Athasi asks of those who seek to use its healing properties. Those far too weak to live or those lacking the will to continue to live are “claimed”. They are kept in a state of suspended animation in the pods for all eternity, where over the following centuries they will be slowly absorbed into Athasi's body, and their mind is integrated into Athasi's own vast mind, allowing them to live on in it.

While the Rom love to be around one another, when one reaches adulthood, they often set off alone or in small groups, exploring the multiverse, both to subtly work against the Daligig as well as to learn and live rather exciting lives, feeding the wanderlust that is inherent in all of them. Though this practice has no actual name, the few outsiders who know of it often refer to it as their Pilgrimage or Wandering. These young Rom often make a living as entertainers, traders, mercenaries, and, occasionally, thieves. Over time, these small groups of Rom often find their way to each other, congregating and forming a group often referred to as a troupe, or even incorporating themselves into existing troupes. These troupes rarely remain in one place for very long to prevent any danger coming to them. Eventually, as a Rom ages, they make their way back to Athasi, returning to their people to live out the rest of their lives.

Each and every Rom has rather powerful prophetic abilities. In their youth, this manifests in extremely heightened reflexes and short-term precognition, making them rather deadly and unpredictable combatants. As they age, they are able to gaze further and further into the possible futures fate might take. Eventually, they reach a stage of their lives known as the Fading, where their abilities near their apex. As they approach the Fading, they begin to lose sight in one of their eyes, corresponding to one aspect of the future they see most clearly, with the right eye representing the negative aspect of the future and the left representing the positive. It is typically during the Fading that a Rom returns to Athasi to contribute their acquired wisdom to their people. While most Rom reach the end of their lives during the Fading, a rare few reach a deeper level of ability, referred to as the Shadow. When a Rom reaches the Shadow, they lose sight in both their eyes, and can see only the possibilities the future may take. Though their powers of precognition are unrivaled at this point, the process drives them mostly insane, constantly tormented by visions save for rare moments of lucidity. These unfortunate few are given to Athasi, who lets them sleep in its healing pods until the end of their lives, granting them peace in eternal sleep. On rare occasions, they are brought back out only when the Rom need their deep insight into the future.

The Rom's elusive and secretive nature has become so ingrained in their culture that it has affected even how they are named. Each Rom as a number of different names, each for a different use. The first type is a Shield Name, a sort of pseudonym that they take when dealing with most outsiders to protect themselves. While each Rom has at least one Shield Name, most have a number of them, some even having several dozen of them for a variety of purposes. The next type is the Face Name, the one given to them at birth. This is usually only given to other Rom and trusted outsiders. The last, and most important, type of name is the Heart Name, which is an “earned” name, something of a deed-name that grows longer as the Rom grows older. This name represents the Rom's “true” self, and is only given to those absolutely closest to the individual Rom. When a Rom wishes to reveal the exact direness of a serious situation, they may give their Heart Name, as this is considered a significant event, though this is often seen as a last resort.

While they are particularly serious most of the time, this doesn't mean that the Rom are incapable of enjoyment and entertainment. They have a particular love of music and dance, and are known to become very successful entertainers around the multiverse. In particular, they are known for a style of dance they have perfected which uses absolutely unpredictable rhythm to create a chaotic yet beautiful display. They are often known for their love of bright, vivid colors, which is often shown in their clothing and creations. They give particular significance to each color, with each one representing a different concept. Of course, given their prophetic abilities, they have become master storytellers, and often lace certain important prophecies into their stories.