Damoosh

The Damoosh are an ancient alien species that inhabit an area of space closer to the Core of the galaxy than either humans or Fyndii. They are the oldest species that humans have yet encountered and are considered very wise. The Damoosh are credited with helping end the war between humans and Fyndii, by facilitating negotiations between the two empires. Upon dying, the brains of telepathic Damoosh elders become part of a vast computer system of living light, where their knowledge is stored. The elder hivemind can be accessed via underground chambers called wisdompools, which are located on Damoosh planets.

Quotes about the Damoosh
In The Stone City, Holt recalls that on Ymir, they used to say that the Damoosh were "a wise and gentle race, and great philosophers." In his visions of the universe's future, Holt perceives that the Damoosh are "a dying race, though the wisdompools live on and ponder, waiting for questions that no longer come."

In Nightflyers, when discussing his research into the Volcryn, Karoly d'Branin notes that the Damoosh appear to accept the creature's existence as "a literal truth" and call them "people of the gulf."

In A Song for Lya, the telepath Robb describes Damoosh minds as "...different. I read them strongly, but I can't find names for the feelings I read."

Quotes by the Damoosh
In The Stone City, Holt consults a Damoosh wisdompool and asks who the Linkellar are and why they do not come to the Manrealm, to which the pool responds:"“They are far away, too far perhaps. The whole width of the Damoosh suns is between the manrealm and the Twelve Worlds of the Linkellar, and so too the colonies of the Nor T'alush and a hundred worlds that have not found stardrives. The Linkellars trade with the Damoosh, but they seldom come to this place, which is closer to you than to them.”"He then asks what lies beyond the Twelve Worlds of the Linkeller, to which the pool answers: "“There are many directions. We know the dead worlds of the vanished race the Nor T'alush call the First Ones, though they were not truly the first, and we know the Reaches of the Kresh, and the lost colony of the gethsoids of Aath who sailed from far within the manrealm before it was the manrealm. The Kresh tell of a world called Cedris, and of a great sphere of suns larger than the manrealm and the Damoosh suns and the old Hrangan Empire all together. The stars within are the ullish stars.”"When Holt asks what lies beyond the Ullish Stars, the pool replies that "the Damoosh do not know," offering only speculation and rumour. Holt tells the pool that he will travel there and see for himself, to which the pool cries: "Then come back one day and tell us. Come back, come back. There is much to learn.”