SLotH4's Note: Oh lord. Our boy's gone off the deep end again. Much like the voss, this piece was educational to me as well. I had very little exposure to the Witches of Dathomir prior to reading it. They are an interesting people.

Xabiar's Note: The specter of "Empire of War" strikes again. That was also my first introduction to the Nightsisters, and for the longest time I thought that the Witches and Nightsisters were the same thing – they weren't but I don't think the writers of the game knew that. Ah well, in any case, as I looked more into them, they turned into one of the most interesting sects partially due to how different they were to the rest of the galaxy, from their use of the force, to their own culture, that they rode rancors, and all on a very unique planet.

"The Clone Wars" brought them into true canon, which is something I'm ultimately grateful for, and their usage in other material (like "Fallen Order") is pretty neat to see. I don't really agree with every creative decision they made, since they also seem to forget that the Nightsisters and Witches were not the same thing, and to this day their portrayal of the dathomiri magick is… odd, and poorly defined as to how it works.

Nonetheless, they are one of the more interesting small factions in Star Wars, and bringing everything together here was very enjoyable to write.

SotP Addenda - Force-user Sects, the Unorthodox in Practice

THE FELLAN IMPERIUM

IMPERIAL INTELLIGENCE | IMPERIAL KNIGHTS

COMMISSIONED BY SOVEREIGN PELLAEON

AUTHORIZATION COLOR: RED-5

ORGANIZATIONAL REPORT: F-O-WD-0004

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR

DOCUMENTATION INFORMATION

REPORT ID: F-O-WD-0004

REPORT AUTHOR(S):

- Intelligence Compiler Elis Carr

- Technical Reviewer Mabel Byrne

- Gatekeeper Connis Kualt

DOCUMENT TYPE(S):

- Historical

- Organization Overview

- Threat Analysis

DOCUMENT SUBJECT: The Witches of Dathomir

DETAIL LEVEL: Comprehensive

SUPPLEMENTARY ATTACHMENTS:

- F-O-WD-0004M [Methodology Document]

- H-C-GE-1288 [Compiled journals and memoirs of Emperor Palpatine]

- H-O-CIS-0092 [After Action Report: Dathomir]

- F-O-JO-0100 [Secrets on the Dathomiri Witches]

- C-O-ZC-037 [The Consortium Dathomir Operation]

- F-O-WD-017 [Dathomiri Clans]

- H-O-WD-012 [The Queen of Dathomir]

EXECUTED BY IMPERIAL INSTITUTIONS:

- Imperial Intelligence

- The Imperial Knights (The Maw)

ITERATION NUMBER: 22

METHODOLOGY DOCUMENT ID: F-O-WD-0004M

APPROVED FOR SUBMISSION:

- Fabian Dromund, Director of Imperial Intelligence [APPROVED]

- Aegoth Osoad, Keeper of the Maw [APPROVED]

RECEIVED BY SOVEREIGN PELLAEON: RECEIVED AND READ

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : OVERVIEW

The planet of Dathomir is, on the surface, something which would not often stand out from the myriad of planets that exist throughout the galaxy. It is a multi-biomed planet with jungles, deserts, and unique creatures and plant life. Even the strong connection it has to the Force does not significantly distinguish it.

What makes this planet unique are its inhabitants – and what it contains.

The so-called 'Witches of Dathomir' are a group which is often extremely misunderstood, lionized, or smeared to the point where it is impossible to tell truth from fiction. While some of the rumors regarding the Witches are true, there is much that isn't, particularly as it related to their spells and magick, which have often been a source of confusion for scholars and laymen alike.

The Witches are capable of feats that even the modern Jedi and Imperial Knights would have difficulty understanding, much less replicating. They are capable of performing feats that should be impossible by conventional wisdom, leading some to wonder what the source of their power comes from.

A surprising number of individuals, when surveyed, tend to put the Witches as a group they are afraid of – assuming they have heard of them in the first place. Their HoloNet reputation does them no favors, as they are portrayed as hyper-powerful misandrist savages who turn men into statues and wildlife, if not outright slavers.

To put it simply – none of the above is true. This is one of main reasons this report was commissioned. The Witches of Dathomir are a unique Force sect who hold a doctrine and mindset which we did not possess or understand. At no point did we consider them a true threat to the Imperium, though we were uncertain how we would initially fare in a confrontation.

However, as we performed our investigation, more clues started to emerge not just as to the Witches and their capabilities, but the origins of the dathomiri and the deep and layered history of the planet itself. Dathomir is home to some of the oldest archeological artifacts on galactic record – a fact we were not aware of before now.

What we have found warrants further investigation. Dathomir is no ordinary planet, nor are the dathomiri an ordinary species.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : HISTORY

EARLY HISTORY: There is significant uncertainty as to the true origins of the dathomiri. Prior to this report they had largely been classified as a species that crash-landed on Dathomir and gradually adapted to the environment. Based on discoveries in the dathomiri genome, we strongly believe that the dathomiri were a deliberately engineered offshoot of humanity.

The next question would obviously be what or who would have a use for the dathomiri, and it is likely that whatever was responsible is long-dead, as even the Witches consider much of their origin unknown. We were allowed to visit some of their oldest temples and cultural sites, and recorded the old pictograms and architecture.

Cross-checking those results with our current database, we strongly believe that the dathomiri were active during the time of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. While this is not definitive proof, there has been enough evidence that the rakata were capable of the type of genetic manipulation on display here, and it would explain why they were abandoned for millennia.

Regardless of how the dathomiri came about, they did not form into anything resembling their modern iteration for decades, and skeletal remains are proof that, for a time, the dathomiri were not the only species originally on the planet. However, once the rakata, or whoever their engineers were, were gone, it did not take them long to adapt.

Why we are hesitant to fully lay this theory at the feet of the rakata is because there is significant archeological evidence that shows that there was clearly something else besides the rakatan artifacts we've found. It is potentially even older, and the artifacts, designs, and pictograms are not rakatan.

The presence of both types of relics leads to more questions than answers, and if there were two precursor empires which were on this planet, then the question of what role the dathomiri had or were planned to fulfill remains open. For reasons later on, this is a more relevant question than may be expected.

BIRTH OF THE CLANS: The formation of dathomiri clans was an inevitable occurrence, though their initial form was far different than what they have evolved into. The proto-clans were very different, poorly run, and prone to infighting. Interestingly, there appear to be an equivalent number of male and female-led clans.

Some clans were more stable than others, and at first, they roamed Dathomir, before eventually settling upon some part of land which they would claim as their territory. The majority of these clans remained stable for a time, before degenerating into civil war or invasion from other clans. Some powerful Witches began taking control of the clans, and together formed a stronger alliance which would be instrumental in the war that was to come.

During this same time, the foundations of the first modern clans would be laid by a rogue Jedi named Allya who crashed onto the planet – as she was being hunted for reasons that were never learned. She was taken in by one of the clans, and over the following years taught them more about the Force and shaped the clan around her.

Female-dominated, with Force-users at the center, Allya turned the kind clan which had helped her into one of the most powerful on Dathomir, and is widely recognized as one of the most influential individuals on modern dathomiri society – both the good and the bad. For better or worse, the mother of the modern dathomiri would die just before the Nightsisters emerged, who would become the greatest threat to the clans, and all of Dathomir.

FORMATION OF THE NIGHTSISTERS: The dathomiri women who would eventually be known as the 'Nightsisters' started as a conspiracy. Witches from multiple clans who were dissatisfied with the rule of the matriarchs and warlords and desired a fully unified Dathomir. Some of these women were old, having extended their lives with experimental spells taken from vague memories of the time of the rakata.

They wanted to leave.

They knew nothing of what was beyond the planet, but they knew there was far more out there, and they wanted to discover and rule it. But they were effectively in the stone age, something which they sought to uplift themselves from. The Nightsisters covertly recruited some of the smartest and most powerful Witches and began their research.

The Nightsisters are known for pioneering modern magick theory, but what is more unknown is that they are a large reason why the dathomiri made any sort of technological progress whatsoever. But their true affinity was spells and magick, and they fashioned some of the most complex that have ever been developed, ones which can match even some of the great Sith rituals.

Some of the clans were catching on to the conspiracy, and seeing their time run out, the Nightsisters revealed themselves, and unleashed their most potent spell – the 'Chant of Resurrection.' This is something which most scholars consider to be a myth or illusion. To an extent it is, but it is very much real.

The dead came to life, controlled by the mind of the oldest Nightsister Matriarch who directed the shambling corpses against the clans, allowing the Nightsisters to wipe out a dozen clans in the span of days. They took control of the survivors and established a matriarchy which would serve as the basis of the modern clan structure.

But the Nightsisters were comparatively few in number, and there were many more clans which now knew that the Nightsisters were coming and intended to assimilate or kill them.

THE RANCOR WARS: Through the use of telepathic spells, the clans were surprisingly well-connected throughout Dathomir, and word of the Nightsisters spread quickly. Spies and scouts quickly reported on the army that was gathering, as the Chant of Resurrection had faded and it had been reduced to a fraction of its size.

Many clans took drastic action, putting aside their current conflicts and infighting for something resembling a united front. The Nightsisters were unsettling for many of the eldest Witches, as they were delving into spells and powers which were highly taboo and forbidden. They viewed (and still do) the Nightsisters similarly to how we view the Sith; twisted and corrupted by darkness and power.

In short, they needed to be stopped.

The strongest Witches took over their clans – some peacefully, others not so much – and reformed them around the Witches, all of whom were female. This radical change did not sit well with some of the males, but the majority supported their actions, seeing the Nightsisters as the greater threat.

Just as the Nightsisters trained and researched new abilities to use in war, the Witches began doing so as well, and immediately began seeking to dominate the planet itself. Rancors were the most prized wildlife, but they were far from the only part of the ecosystem to be dominated by the Witches.

The Nightsisters emulated them, not wanting to be outdone, and soon the first clashes between the two factions began in earnest. To this day, it remains the longest battle in Dathomir's history, stretching decades as the Nightsisters and Witches warred against each other, with the Nightsisters resorting to darker and darker magick and the Witches becoming more sophisticated in their own spells and tactics.

Eventually, the Nightsister ranks were broken, and while they were not wiped out, many were driven into hiding. By this point, every clan had been altered by the necessities of war, and all bore similar clan structures. With the Nightsisters defeated, the clans officially came together, and became the ultimate power of Dathomir – for a time.

ARRIVAL OF THE ZABRAK: Even as the clans were restructuring and rebuilding, a new event threatened to reignite the conflicts between clans as a ship crashed from the sky. Multiple clans descended upon it, and all of them were unexpectedly massacred. Alarmed, the clans pulled back and observed the ship from afar.

They were driven back further as bolts of colored light from the crashed ship killed warriors and Witches. But before they were forced to retreat, they were able to spot the hordes of horned figures carrying alien weapons and gear they had no words for.

The clans resorted to using divination spells and acquired a more cohesive picture of what they were facing. While initially they feared invasion, the more they observed, the more some of them wondered if these aliens were a true threat, or just a group that was trying to survive. It was clear they could not repair their spacecraft.

The clans were of split minds on if they should attack again, or approach peacefully. Eventually, they agreed to try a nonviolent approach first. Not willing to risk their scouts, warriors, or Witches, they communicated solely through communication spells, and discovered that while the unknown aliens were wary, they were willing to talk.

They shared that they had been fleeing an attack from a group called the Sith and had been forced to crash on the planet. They explained that they were a group of soldiers from a world called Iridonia, and their pilots, engineers, and mechanics were dead or not experienced enough to repair the ship – which was to say nothing of lacking the raw materials.

What they were attempting to do now was get the distress beacon working, which might call for help. They did not want to fight, and only wanted to leave as soon as possible. After some deliberation, the clans agreed to leave them alone – if they would allow some of the Witches to explore the ship and strange technology. The zabrak soldiers agreed.

The distress beacon was never repaired, but the sharing of technology led to the clans developing a useful understanding of electronic theory, which would be further refined later in their history. Some of the blasters were given to the clans as prized gifts, but only to their best warriors. The zabrak had no interest in integrating with the clans, and had established a hierarchical system of their own, but the clans and zabrak had a working relationship as they helped the zabrak adapt to life on Dathomir, and in turn, they helped bring some modern concepts to clan society.

It is interesting to speculate on what the group who would eventually become the Nightbrothers of Dathomir might have become if they had continued uninterrupted, but the Nightsisters had other plans.

One Nightsister in particular.

THE RISE AND REIGN OF MOTHER TALZIN, HIGH MATRIARCH OF THE NIGHTSISTERS AND QUEEN OF DATHOMIR: I will preface this segment by stating that there is no other period of Dathomiri history which had a greater impact on the dathomiri psyche than the reign of Mother Talzin. Nonetheless, we will start at the beginning.

The woman who was named Talzin was the child of a Nightsister and an unknown male. Given Nightsister tendencies, she was likely the child of rape, though that hardly matters as she was raised communally by the Nightsisters. It is said that even when she was a girl, Talzin was unusually talented and powerful.

When she spoke, her voice had weight and power which should not come from a child. She mastered complex spells as an adolescent and was actively researching the darkest arts of Nightsister magick when she was a teenager. She soon learned spells which could alter matter, and shaped herself to be a woman who towered over other Nightsisters, who wore a gown of flowing red material that almost had a life of its own.

Within years, she had taken control of the Nightsisters, and was viewed with terror and awe – growing into a deity-like figure. Mother Talzin rarely spoke, yet was a master of telepathy that no Nightsister nor Witch has ever replicated. Her instinctive command of magick altered reality around her and impressed her will upon her disciples.

She needed to issue no commands when those around her followed them without prompting.

However, after a time of hiding, she directed the Nightsisters towards the oldest temple of Dathomir. It was in ruins and had been long-abandoned. But Talzin was convinced there was something which had been overlooked. It isn't clear how she learned of it, but her instincts were correct, and she found a powerful artifact which would be instrumental in her eventual conquest of Dathomir.

The artifact in hand, she and the Nightsisters emerged from hiding. The clans were unprepared for anything like Talzin, and it soon became clear that Talzin was in a league of her own, even far beyond other Nightsisters. We cannot confirm the truth of the accounts, but the stories of Mother Talzin's brutal conquest, together with her closest disciple Zalem, are vivid and documented by multiple sources.

She brooked no quarter. Clans that did not surrender were telepathically dominated and made to perform self-mutilating acts before declaring Mother Talzin the 'Queen of Dathomir' before they took their own lives. Others she forced into cannibalistic ceremonies as she observed, drawing power from the magick rituals she had put in place.

One clan she turned to stone, and to this day, eerily detailed statues can be found in a land which no Witch will set foot in. Another she fused with the trees and wildlife, and the legends say that the minds of the transformed still endure, and those who look closely into the bark will see the last expressions of the condemned.

More clans were simply executed in magick rituals. Sometimes, the Nightsisters would kill the children of Clan Mothers and Talzin would puppet the still-warm corpses and use them to kill their parents. There was no deed that was too dark that Mother Talzin would not pursue. It was not long before terror gripped the clans, and many pledged undying fealty to the Nightsisters and Mother Talzin.

The few clans who did not, were wiped out in gruesome ceremonies. The zabrak were utterly broken, with their technology being unable to prevent Talzin's telepathic dominance. The Nightsisters seized all technology and effectively enslaved the male-dominated group, using some for warriors, and a select few to help the Nightsisters with research.

Within half a century, Dathomir was conquered, and Mother Talzin took her role as the undisputed ruler of the planet, and it was the start of her thousand-year reign, which would affect the dathomiri for the rest of their existence. The clans were reduced to shells and puppets, only existing at Talzin's whim.

Males held absolutely no power or roles beyond soldiery. The only individuals who had any real authority were the Nightsisters, who Talzin expanded tenfold, and modified to be beyond any 'normal' dathomiri. The Nightsisters were the voice, will, and arm of Mother Talzin, and one could no more refuse a Nightsister than the Queen of Dathomir herself.

The clan leaders and females were powerless, and all lived in terror of Talzin and the Nightsisters – though there was no talk or even speculation of rebellion, for the will of Talzin reached throughout Dathomir, always lingering on the edges of their minds, examining their thoughts, and waiting for any act of defiance or rebellion.

There was no privacy or independence under Talzin. All were extensions of her will and desire, those who flickered with defiance were slaughtered in ritual ceremonies, as Talzin projected their pain and terror throughout the planet or broadcast their final thoughts. Many dathomiri attempted to commit suicide, though were unable to do so, with Talzin mocking their weakness as she stayed their hands.

Mother Talzin had aspirations beyond Dathomir, and all she did was to prepare for the next time they were discovered, and she would lead the Nightsisters beyond their world to conquer another one. She had forced the zabrak, now known as the 'Nightbrothers,' to multiply and turned them into soldiers and warriors without equal on the planet, with the few female zabrak repeatedly impregnated until they were incapable of producing more offspring.

Those who resisted, or tried to, were forced to comply through magick – while she made sure they were aware of what they were doing. Their minds and desires did not matter to her, only their bodies. Through the technology that remained, the Nightsisters were able to produce bows that shot energy bolts, and developed techniques to produce better armor and weave to protect themselves.

And eventually, Talzin got what she wanted.

THE DATHOMIRI MASSACRE: The discovery of Dathomir by the Confederacy of Independent Systems was an accident, with the small droid transport that landed on the planet intending to perform surveys. This was what Mother Talzin had been waiting for, and they easily destroyed the unprepared shuttle.

This sparked an immediate investigation, as the planet was not expected to be inhabited, much less have the capability of destroying a battle droid scouting party. Several teams of BX-series Droid Commandos were deployed to the planet, with instructions to observe as a more obvious response appeared. Hidden from the magicks of the Nightsisters which relied heavily upon living enemies, they watched the Nightsisters tear apart the droids once more.

Both Darth Maul and Palpatine were very interested in this discovery, and debated on if they could serve a purpose, perhaps being used against the Jedi. Darth Maul personally went to Dathomir to negotiate, and Mother Talzin permitted a brief interaction, sensing his own power. To put it simply, the negotiation did not go well, and Darth Maul was forced to flee, though he slaughtered a high number of Nightsisters on his way out.

Talzin knew that they would be back, and she prepared the Nightsisters and Dathomir for war. All were confident of victory, even if Maul had escaped. They waited and waited, but days passed and nothing happened.

Only one lone ship entered the atmosphere, touching down a short distance from the restored temple where Talzin ruled. We only know this because Palpatine documented his sole trip to Dathomir extensively, and documents written by Nightsisters and Witches corroborate similar signals.

A figure in a black robe was described as entering the temple, and the Nightsisters dropped dead as he passed or gouged their eyes out before taking their lives. Warriors guarding were paralyzed at a gesture and turned on each other in a murderous frenzy. The Nightsisters and Talzin cast spells and magick on him, but each was dispelled with what was described as a 'vortex of power.'

Palpatine described the conflict with Talzin as fascinating, due to her different understanding of the Force – though noted that the Dathomiri spells were inferior to Sith rituals. The details of the duel itself will remain unknown, though what is known is that when the Nightsisters found her body, her skin was warped or melted off entirely, and there existed no trace of her mind or spirit, only a warped expression of pain.

Every clan had known the moment she had died, as the weight in their minds vanished. But before anyone could act, the CIS invaded with ten million battle droids and some of the finest of CIS special forces – commanded by none other than General Grievous. The Nightsisters, led by the incoherent and traumatized Zalem, tried frantically to organize a resistance, but Talzin's death had shaken them beyond anything coherent which could have succeeded.

The clans and Nightsisters fought, but Talzin had been a force multiplier which couldn't be replaced, not even by Zalem. The forests were burned to the ground. Battle droids swarmed like ants over villages and settlements, slaughtering anything alive. Overnight, the Nightbrothers were reduced to a fraction of their numbers as General Grievous massacred them.

Many Witches and those of the clans outright fled, as CIS commandos hunted down the Nightsisters one-by-one, while Grievous killed the ones who still took to the field. Every single settlement and town they encountered was reduced to dirt and rubble. Dozens of clan relics and monuments were destroyed in one of the most brutal invasions of the Clone Wars – one which is rarely even mentioned.

The casualties are estimated to be close to thirty million – ninety-five percent of all sapient life on Dathomir. With their mission complete, the CIS departed Dathomir, leaving the scattered survivors to find some way to endure.

THE ARRIVAL OF MALICOS: There were several years where there was no form of coherency on Dathomir. There existed a few Witches who had found other survivors, and some of the Nightbrothers who had escaped banded together, but were having difficulty adapting without the guiding mind of Mother Talzin.

Only a small number of Nightsisters remained, and all of them were scattered and incapable of doing much more than hiding. The surviving dathomiri were also eager to take revenge after what Talzin had subjected them to for decades. Unbeknownst to them, the Clone Wars had ended and the Jedi were effectively disbanded. Many had fled across the galaxy and found places of refuge.

One of them came to Dathomir.

The Jedi Master Taron Malicos had learned of the planet quite by accident and was intrigued that it was a powerful presence in the Force. He planned to visit and hide for a time as he decided what to do next. Instead, he found a broken people, and a potential source of untapped knowledge in the Witches.

He made contact with the Nightbrothers first, and easily proved his might over them, and with no other figure of authority, the Nightbrothers submitted to his control, though he did very little to supervise them early on, as they were ultimately muscle and pawns by which he would use to approach some of the surviving clans.

He approached the clans and revealed himself to be a Jedi – more relevant to them, an enemy of those who had decimated them. However, he insisted that he be taught the secrets of dathomiri magick, and the Witches refused, as males were simply not taught such secrets. That was not the answer he sought, but he bided his time.

He learned from some of the Witches about the Nightsisters and deduced that a singular individual would be easier to sway than a group. He eventually tracked down a very young Nightsister who was hiding in the ruins of Talzin's temple, holding onto the artifact which had propelled Talzin to power.

Through a combination of manipulation, promises, and lies, Malicos convinced her to share some of the secrets of the dathomiri magick, while promising her revenge. As months passed, he soon came to figure out that the artifact she had found was the true prize, and began experimenting with it, much to her alarm.

Talzin had been powerful enough to use it as a power amplifier, but Malicos was not nearly as powerful, so he instead taught himself to leverage the artifact in subtler ways. Ways which he used to slowly dominate the clan which had initially defied him, slowly opening up their minds to accepting his control and learning more of the magick.

The Nightsister, who is only known as 'Merrin,' tried to stop him, but he easily rebuffed her with the artifact, warning he would turn her over to the clans if she didn't accept her place. She fled him and was fearful that he would be able to control what remained of the dathomiri and lead them to extinction.

Which could have happened, if it wasn't for another Jedi who happened to land on the planet.

THE APPOINTMENT OF PALADIN KESTIS: The Jedi Knight Cal Kestis, one of the few remaining Jedi – spending his days evading the Imperial Inquisitors – found his way to Dathomir after barely surviving multiple assassination attempts which had killed his small crew, including another Jedi Master he had found.

It is unknown how he found the world, but he seemed to believe it would be a refuge. He made a point to avoid the populated settlements with the clans, though his ship was spotted by the lone Nightsister who made her way to it. While initially suspicious when she saw he carried a lightsaber, she quickly understood that he didn't have the inherently malicious nature of Malicos and explained what was happening on the planet.

Aimless and depressed from his losses, Kestis agreed to help her, if for no other reason than to kill an individual who was perverting the Jedi way. Merrin correctly deduced that the artifact was the key to his power, and it needed to be separated from him. Both Jedi and Nightsister snuck into the temple that Malicos had appropriated and were forced to fight with multiple Nightbrothers Malicos controlled.

At this point, Malicos was becoming more proficient with complex magick – though he was more interested in solidifying his control over the clans. He knew of the infiltration, but believed it was not important enough to immediately deal with. This turned out to be a mistake, as they were able to seize the artifact and engage Malicos in combat.

Unfortunately, Kestis was contending against a very experienced Jedi Master, who was now augmented with dathomiri magick. Kestis would have been easily overwhelmed if it wasn't for Merrin. The Nightsister used the artifact to seize control of the Nightbrother guards and assault Malicos's mind – something he barely resisted.

But eventually, the Jedi and Nightsister emerged victorious, and struck Malicos down, preventing a new reign from beginning on Dathomir. Both went before the clan, explaining what had happened. The clan was initially suspicious of the young Nightsister, but when they heard what had been happening, they were very thankful.

Merrin turned the artifact over to them, and it was sealed away, and even now its location is not known. It has never been seen since that time. Merrin abandoned her role as a Nightsister. With nowhere else to go, and wary of returning to a galaxy where he was actively being hunted by the Empire, Kestis remained on the planet, and helped the Witches of Dathomir rebuild.

THE IMPERIAL OCCUPATION: Around a decade passed, and the clans were slowly starting to rebuild their numbers, newer clans were being founded with the older clans acting as a guiding hand. More children were being born, and remnants of their culture and spell books were being discovered after the Massacre.

Then the Empire arrived.

The Emperor had not forgotten about the Nightsisters and Witches, and had determined that they were a group which deserved Imperial scrutiny. When the invasion began in earnest, there were attempts at initial rebellion, but they lacked the numbers and skill to do more than cause a disturbance against the technological and logistical superiority of the Empire.

It took very little time for detention centers and prisons to be built, as clans were systematically located, rounded up, and forced into labor. The Empire kept the elders and matriarchs segregated in order to break the spirit of the clans. Based on reports, it largely failed, and the entire Imperial occupation was beset by continuous terrorist activity led by Merrin and Kestis, while a Nightsister by the name of Silri caused pandemics of her own, and both the Nightsister and her few allies forged a tenuous truce with Merrin and the clans until the Empire was gone.

What no one predicted was the collapse of the Imperial rule at the hands of the Zann Consortium, with Tyber Zann himself leading a strike force onto the planet, and causing mass uprisings and prison breaks, which coincided with the Empire capturing Silri. The Consortium was only there for a Force-user who could unlock a holocron they had acquired, and once they had freed her, the Nightsister departed with them, along with several of her sisters-in-arms.

With the Empire seeming to write the planet off, in light of the growing Rebel Alliance, the clans were left with a significant amount of leftover technology, weapons, and resources, which they stripped, repurposed, and augmented with what they already had. What would follow would be several years of peace before they were once again hurt – through circumstances beyond their control.

THE RETRIBUTION OF THE ZANN CONSORTIUM: Through circumstances which have not been fully documented, Silri betrayed – or otherwise crossed – the Zann Consortium, and they returned to Dathomir.

Defilers had landed on the planet weeks before the main force, and easily tracked down where multiple Nightsisters were hidden, captured them and brought them to the site of massacre – the territory of a small clan which had assisted Silri in the rebellion against the Empire – where the Consortium put nearly a hundred dathomiri men, women, and children – none of whom had a significant connection to Silri – to death.

Of course, for Silri, it affected her less than seeing the few remaining Nightsisters killed before her, before the Consortium fed the Nightsister to a rancor. Even after departing, the long shadow of the Consortium remains, as there is a longstanding bounty on the capture or execution of dathomiri and rancors, which had led to the near-extinction of many native rancors, not to mention dozens killed each year by bounty hunters who seek to collect the price on their heads.

The clans never forgot, and that brief, but horrific act had the unexpected consequence of allowing the Nightsisters to return.

THE EMERGENCE OF GETHZERION AND SUBSEQUENT FALL: Gethzerion was not originally a Nightsister, but a prominent Clan Mother who was exceptionally strong in the Force and held great understanding of magick and spells – and someone who had also learned how to channel the Force properly without such rituals.

This discovery was one she experimented with, though to our knowledge, she never determined if it was a superior usage of the Force, and throughout her life she used both techniques – a feat which allowed her some advantage over her opponents. But she was also interested in the forbidden and lost techniques of the Nightsisters, which were unanimously banned by the other Clan Mothers.

The combination of the clans limiting her power, and seeing what the CIS, Empire, and Consortium had done to them, radicalized her, and after locating a roaming Nightsister and learning from her, she determined the Nightsister path was the correct one for the clans. She was discovered, and before Kestis could execute her, she departed – taking some of the most powerful Witches in her clan with her.

Over the next decade, the Nightsisters would build their numbers through various means, mostly from the abduction of dathomiri girls and the dispersion of propaganda that appealed to young developing Witches. Even as the clans grew, the Nightsisters grew in power as well, and under Gethzerion they made it clear that they would one day control the clans, as Mother Talzin had once before.

The clans were having difficulty holding off continued Nightsister incursions and terrorist attacks, as Gethzerion developed darker and more malicious spells to use against them, which rendered many parts of the planet uninhabitable for anyone other than a Nightsister. Storms wiped out crops, destroyed technology, and diseases struck the clans without warning, and prominent members might one day fall dead or melt before the eyes of onlookers.

The clans were reaching a breaking point, and even the most powerful Witches of the clans were growing weaker as the ambient dark side was continually fed by Gethzerion. But help would come from a very unexpected place. It isn't clear why some of the heroes of the Galactic Civil War landed on the planet, but Han Solo, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker arrived – just at a time where Gethzerion was preparing her final attack to bring the clans under her control.

Luke Skywalker it seems never learned who Cal Kestis really was, otherwise he would have doubtless tried to recruit him to his new Jedi Order, but both men worked closely together and through a mixture of luck and skill, the Nightsisters were exposed, Gethzerion was slain by Luke Skywalker, and the clans emerged victorious.

The clans never forgot them, and they would many years later consider Jedi and members of the New Republic – and later, Galactic Alliance – as friends, even if they never formally joined. The New Republic played no small part in ensuring that the clans were able to rebound as quickly as they did, by organizing shipments of food, medicine, and clothing to the dathomiri.

While the Witches never really adopted much of the modern technology of the galaxy, they were grateful, and took some pointers from the Alliance as far as modern equipment and scientific theories go.

THE MODERN ERA: The Witches have not made a significant impact in the later centuries, and they have never expressed a desire to depart Dathomir, although the modern clans have recognized the changing galaxy, and there are occasionally starships which land and take curious dathomiri out into the wider galaxy.

They were ignored by most every major galactic war, both because Dathomir is not strategically important, nor were many eager to face the Witches with how much rumor had spread as to their capabilities. Their reputation likely worked in their favor to convince others that it would be too much trouble to attack them.

While the clans have incorporated some level of technology into their lives, they are very much primitive when all is said and done, quite content with their low-tech lifestyles and social lives. While the much-discussed gender dynamics are still a fundamental part of dathomiri society, it admittedly isn't as unequal as it was in the past.

The Nightbrothers still exist, and now rule in a self-contained society, a far cry from their more sophisticated origins, and are viewed as a neutral, if dangerous party on Dathomir, not aligning with the clans or the Nightsisters, as they believe they have been dominated by others for too long. The Nightsisters themselves exist to some capacity, but these days the clans are far better equipped to deal with them, and it is unlikely that modern Nightsisters will be able to equal past leaders such as Talzin or Gethzerion.

But it would be a mistake to dismiss them. It is perhaps by luck that the Witches have not become a larger threat, as if Talzin or Gethzerion had acquired power beyond Dathomir, it might have led to yet another direct threat. As it stands, Dathomir has and currently remains something of a catalyst.

On its own, it poses little threat, but it is primed to become a problem in the future. It is best we understand it – and watch it for the next Gethzerion.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : RACES AND BIOLOGY

DATHOMIRI BIOLOGY: The dathomiri are classified as a near-human species, and commonly (and incorrectly) presumed to be a zabrak-human hybrid. We believe this arose from the fact that both zabraks and dathomiri reside on the same planet. Biologically, classifying them as near-human is correct. There is approximately a ninety-nine percent genetic overlap, and for all intents and purposes, the dathomiri look, sound, and act human. What we were interested in was the composition of that one percent.

As it turns out, one percent can make quite the difference.

Physically, all dathomiri have skin which fluctuates between chalk-white and gray-white. They have no other skin tones, and it immediately distinguishes them from pure humans. While most dathomiri have black markings on their faces, those are artificially applied tattoos, and are not naturally occurring.

On average, dathomiri are taller than the equivalent human, though this is typically a negligible difference of only a tenth of a meter. However, it is consistent enough that it is worth noting. Dathomiri also have surprisingly resistant immune systems, and rarely fall ill to typical human illnesses.

It is also worth noting that the average lifespan of a dathomiri is slightly longer than a human, and there is no discernable reason for why this is. The dathomiri genome shows signs of ancient tampering, as the chances that this would be naturally occurring in the stated timespan are extremely small, and to some extent, it seems to have been an attempt to 'shape' the baseline human genome into something specific.

GENDER DIFFERENCES: The first major difference is that females are almost always taller than males. Please note that this does not necessarily correlate to strength, and males still retain a muscle mass advantage, but females are often noticeably taller than males. It is unclear if this is intentional, or a side-effect of millennia of a female-dominated society.

The second distinction of note is that females are universally gifted with some degree of Force-sensitivity, whereas the male ratio is at best one-in-a-hundred – with a high chance that the male in question will not even be particularly powerful. Now, not all females are powerful either, most rank as a 4 or 5 on the Gndda Scale, with a minority reaching 6 and 7. A rare few such as Mother Talzin would have been classified as a 10. The point being that, without exception, females are sensitive to the Force.

We are unsure why this is, as we were unable to run the required number of tests, and to gain accurate data, we would need willing cooperation. We would recommend this is investigated further, but this serves as solid evidence of tampering with the dathomiri genome. Why this unknown party would have made such a questionable ratio is impossible to determine, and we have allowed the possibility that it was a mistake and the dathomiri were 'unfinished.'

While the baseline intelligence of male dathomiri is largely the same as a human, the baseline intelligence of females is slightly above the average human – male or female. This is independently observable, and has been noted in several academic studies, and it's also noted that females often pick up new information and adapt faster than males, which is notable for a species with a distinct lack of technology.

The one area where males have an advantage over females is physically. A male dathomiri is objectively stronger and more durable than a female dathomiri, has better endurance, and can endure more trauma. They also possess a faster healing period, though Dathomiri healing spells make this advantage largely redundant.

THE DATHOMIRI ZABRAK: It is briefly worth considering the immigrant species to Dathomir, which is the 'dathomiri zabrak' as they are known. While for the most part they are indistinguishable from standard zabrak, the centuries on Dathomir have shaped their species to a degree.

Almost all dathomiri zabrak are born yellow-skinned, and the number who do not fit this description lessen each year. They are also a mark higher in speed, strength, and physicality compared to baseline zabrak. Ever so slowly, the number of Force-users is also increasing, though it reflects a more even split between males and females – a fact that the Witches are still attempting to get used to, as the presence of male Force-users remains foreign to them.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND LIFESTYLE

It would be misleading to call the dathomiri 'primitive.' It would also be a mistake to call them 'developed.' The Witches are in an unusual and odd position of adopting certain modern technologies, mannerisms, and habits, while rejecting everything else. Dathomiri are hygienic people, who practice a surprising number of modern medical techniques, and have a solid grasp of biology, virology, and disease treatment.

On the other side, there is effectively no industrialization whatsoever. There are no vehicles, starships, or hovercraft. There are a half-dozen old Imperial speeders that the clans use in cases of emergency, but almost no one knows how to work and maintain them. All travel is done on foot or on the backs of domesticated wildlife.

Nearly everything they use and wear, the clans make themselves, and everything else is scavenged or recycled. This applies to clothing, armor, and weapons. The techniques have continued to improve, as well as the material quality, but the dathomiri fiercely resist any attempt to modernize their production habits.

One place where they have taken modern cues is in farming, with using modern farming techniques on a smaller scale, or otherwise able to be performed with the absolute minimum amount of technology. It isn't completely the same, as dathomiri are very efficient farmers through the ability of Witches to use spells to cause beneficial climates, but any farmer from the galaxy could go to Dathomir and immediately understand how it was laid out and grown.

Interestingly, the dathomiri do not maintain any kind of animal husbandry for food purposes. All consumed meat is hunted each time by clan Huntresses, and they usually target some of the larger prey on Dathomir. Dathomiri tend to eat more vegetables and non-meat products, and this is largely attributed to their connection to the dathomiri rancors.

Notably, modern dathomiri are taught about various technological developments, and none of them are surprised when ships arrive from the stars, but the clans maintain a strict policy of non-adoption. There are effectively no computers or complex electrical systems, outside of the shells of Imperial detention camps hundreds of years old. They do make some electrical pieces, but only for their energy bows.

The clans firmly do not believe in adapting modern technology, both because they view it as unnecessary, and because they believe there is something inherently corruptive about technology. The clans are very tight-knit and close to each other, community is extremely important to them and social circles are bound tight in the clans. To them, the isolating nature of technology is seen as a threat.

This attitude isn't applicable to every dathomiri, obviously, and that's why the clans began the 'Path of Stars' pilgrimage which gives young dathomiri a chance to go and experience the wider galaxy. Notably, a significant majority eventually return to Dathomir, indicating that the cultural bonds and norms they grew up with are very, very tight.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : SPELLS AND MAGICK

There are a significant number of misconceptions about the 'magick' that is used by the Witches and Nightsisters. A majority of people believe it to be something wholly unique, and even those who believe it is tied to the Force are unsure to what extent, and a few fringe conspiracy theorists consider dathomiri magick to be more powerful than the Force and tied to some unknown aspect of the galaxy.

All of the above are incorrect. The explanation is very simple.

The dathomiri magick is simply another manifestation of the Force. It is the Force, just as how the Jedi, Sith, and our Imperial Knights use it. There is no mystery or conspiracy. It is not some unknown aspect a backwater species has somehow managed to figure out, nor more powerful or even more complicated than the Force.

It is a wholly different manifestation of the Force, but that has everything to do with habit, tradition, and mindset. Anyone could eventually replicate the dathomiri magick, but there are complications and downsides to doing so which will be touched upon shortly. What is relevant now is explaining how the magick functions.

What immediately puts people on edge is that dathomiri spells are accompanied by chanting – saying words of an alien language – and bodily motions. Witches believe that each word and motion is essential for the execution of the spell, and most bystanders believe it as well.

This is untrue.

There is no such thing as words that have power to reshape reality, nor accompanying motions. A person could perfectly replicate the same motions a Witch does and absolutely nothing would happen. They could mispronounce a word or make an incorrect motion and nothing would happen. Words and motions have about as much impact as blowing air and expecting a storm to appear.

Nonetheless, these do serve an important placebo purpose. They serve as a way to channel the Force into a tangible outcome. It is, in fact, the same principle most Jedi and Imperial Knights employ when using the Force. A Force push is often accompanied by a thrust arm. Telekinesis is done by reaching out to intangibly 'grab' something.

Are these motions necessary? No. One could perform any action with the Force with no tangible movement at all. But it is done because most individuals have difficulty channeling the intangible; it needs to be accompanied by something we can physically see. The thrust of an arm triggers our brains to register a Force push.

So it is the same with dathomiri magick.

The words are not important because they have actual power, but because the words help the mind focus in such a way as to channel the power. Combined with physical motions, one could train their mind to eventually perform complex feats in the Force through simple repetition.

This taps into the unique advantage of dathomiri magick – by nature of the combination of spoken words and gestures, this theoretically allows the Witches to perform extremely complex feats in the Force simply by exploiting psychological patterns in their minds which channel the Force in specific ways.

This is how the Witches are capable of feats which should be impossible or are only theorized at most. Molecular or matter transformation is one such field where we can theoretically say that the Force can affect life at a molecular-level and change it, but which has actually been performed on Dathomir. The Witches personally demonstrated them turning a stone to something weaker than paper and augmenting a piece of wood to be harder than durasteel. This level of augmentation through the Force is possible, and the Witches were able to figure it out before anyone else – seemingly by accident.

In a sense, the discovery of spells is the further mapping and examination of the dathomiri mind. Each arrangement of words is a different path their mind follows to channel the power, each fires off a specific neuron and pattern, and what the Witches are interested in is unlocking the potential within themselves.

It is very, very complex, and an experiment which would be infeasible in any modern Force sect, but the Witches did so because they didn't know there was another way. This is the only way they know how to use the Force, and it has set them on a path which is unlike any we have yet encountered.

We can confirm that there are many of their spells that are possible (not least because we have seen them), but we are unsure how many we are capable of replicating. In theory, we could replicate the magick techniques used, but Witches are trained from a very young age to develop a specific mindset, and we are simply unlikely to do the same because the mindset required to use dathomiri magick is utterly alien.

However, this is not to say the practice of magick is superior to the traditional uses of the Force. Perhaps in complexity and versatility it is capable of things we cannot replicate, but the issue of the Witches is both speed and accuracy. It is far faster to thrust an arm and send a Force push than chant a spell that lasts precious seconds. This is for the simplest of Force uses, much less the more complicated spells.

Witches are at a distinct disadvantage against other Force-users because spells are an inefficient way of combat. They need time to develop, and if that is allowed, the fight may shift in the Witch's favor. That assumes that they do not mess up a spell, as the more complex a spell becomes, the higher the likelihood of failure – and since the Witches are trained to be unable to use the Force without such habits, simply silencing them or restricting their movement will render them helpless.

There is also the matter of the language they use in spells. The Maw thought it sounded familiar to them and asked for a copy of the aurebesh or pictograms used in the spells. It was eventually provided and to their fascination and concern, it appears that the Witches – whenever they speak the language of magick – are speaking an altered variant of Rakatan.

The word altered must be stressed, as there are clear linguistic differences, and there are symbols and sounds which are nowhere in the Rakatan vocabulary. The working theory is that the dathomiri somehow combined elements of the languages of both precursor races into a singular hybrid.

Why it became the language of magick is unknown, and what is more concerning is that they're using this language to effectively decrypt their thought processes through spells. We are unsure what they would do if we provided them with a copy of unaltered Rakatan text. Perhaps it might improve their research significantly or confuse them.

We do not know, and what we do not know is unsettling.

It raises the question of why the dathomiri are so skilled at this when no other species has, even accidentally, manifested the Force in such a manner. Combined with the fact that every single one of their Force-users is a natural in psychometry – a fundamental pillar of many dathomiri spells – the dathomiri seem to have elements of an incomplete rakatan project which the subjects decided to complete themselves.

More study on this is recommended.

VIEWS OF THE FORCE

The Witches of Dathomir have a unique perspective of the Force. While we obviously understand that their magick is simply another manifestation of the Force, they firmly consider it two separate things. They consider what the Jedi and Sith perform as witchcraft to an extent, but something which lacks the complexity and versatility of spells.

This is admittedly because their views have been shaped by limited experience. The few Jedi they have encountered are not exactly flashy powerhouses of the Force, and utilize it in simpler ways which are arguably better in their own right. The Witches have no concept of the rituals the old Sith once performed, nor have they seen the true capabilities of the Maw, Sphere of the Living Force, or even the Militant Order.

However, despite this rejection of the Force as the source of their powers, they do note that there is a very clear spectrum on what is and is not acceptable to perform. The Witches hold an almost Jedi-like view on magick, where it should primarily be used for self-defense, discovery, and healing. The Witches have offensive spells, of course, but those are fairly mundane and do not rank among their most complex.

Whereas you would notice that the Nightsister magick is far more violent, corruptive, and deadly by comparison. Their spells are described by Witches as 'unnerving' and 'unnatural.' There is something they instinctively know is wrong about the Nightsister magick, and they go out of their way to forbid it and punish any who seek it out.

It is fascinating that even with a completely different understanding of the Force, the Witches know the difference between the light and the dark, and unlike us, they do not believe intent matters when using a spell. Some spells are forbidden and can never be used under any circumstances. You cannot use a spell learned from a Nightsister and remain justified in your actions.

Ironically, they seem to view the Force as immune and simple by comparison, essentially a well of power that Jedi can draw from at will, and which is generally more limited. This again is attributed to the more mundane abilities the Jedi like to display. Arguably, the only individual who could have displayed otherwise was Palpatine, and he left no witnesses to his power.

It would be interesting to see the Witches react to a modern clash of the Jedi and Sith, or experience a Sith of their own. I do not know if it might make them reconsider their belief that the Force and magick are not connected, but I suspect it would raise certain questions.

What is unknown is if the Nightsisters also hold the same view. There has been nothing that indicates such one way or another, though considering their actions and mindset, it is unlikely it would make much of a difference.

ARTIFACTS AND RELICS

THE TALISMANS: The Witches are not without their own creations of Force-infused or augmenting artifacts. While these items function differently to most artifacts, they are ultimately classified as the same due to the reliance upon the Force. The most ubiquitous artifacts they have created are talismans, which are small objects or pieces of jewelry which perform or imbue some kind of action or effect.

Talismans are not always infused with power, and almost every Witch makes at least one – as do most in the clans – and wear them as personal identifiers. Most are ultimately just decorations, and the ones with power are typically used by the Clan Mothers, Witches, and Nightsisters. We have found no indication of outside groups like the Nightbrothers creating their own equivalent artifacts.

The three largest ones are below:

OF FINDING: This is perhaps the most common and easily made talisman. The 'Talisman of Finding' was first created by the clans (and is in fact the only talisman originally from the clans). The purpose is in the name itself – a Witch can use the talisman to find someone or something. It is somewhat limited in scope, only being able to be bound to a single individual, but it will lead someone across the galaxy. It only needs the Force – no satellites, electronics, or trackers.

What is necessary for its creation is an organic sample from the person who the talisman will be bound to. Blood is preferable, though small quantities of skin and other bodily fluids can suffice. When these are gathered, the Witch performs a binding ritual of a sort to the materials and the primary talisman agent, which is a dathomiri metal that is warm to the touch. Should the ritual be successful, whoever holds the talisman will be able to find that who it is bound to.

The clans create these today, especially for powerful Witches and Huntresses. Young girls also have talismans of finding created in case they are lost or kidnapped. They are heavily protected, and only used when they are missing or their life may be in danger. As girls mature, their talismans are destroyed unless they specifically request to keep them, or if they transition into a role where a Talisman of Finding is necessary for their protection.

OF AGE: A more benign artifact which was originally created by a Nightsister, the 'Talisman of Age' is one of the rare pieces of knowledge and power touched by the Nightsisters that is not inherently corruptive or tainted. It is a small medallion that is worn and warm to the touch, and most who wear it keep it hidden.

It is relatively simple to make, and it is standard gear for Nightsisters – and most Witches – even today. The talisman is designed to be able to hold energy, which is not limitless, but significant. As long as it is stored, the energy can then be accessed later. Nightsisters and Witches, when they are tired, hurt, exhausted, or otherwise at the limits of their physical bodies, can draw upon the stored power of the Talisman of Age, and restore their bodies within seconds.

The cost to this is that the talisman is completely drained, and must be 'recharged,' and that can only come from the user or another life force. In times of rest or peace, those who use the talismans often do nightly rituals to slowly recharge the talisman to full power. Unlike other talismans, the quality of them determines how powerful they can be.

Expertly-made Talismans of Age can restore a user multiple times, whereas a cruder one would only work once before needing to be recharged. Lesser-quality ones may also deteriorate upon each use or lose their potency. Most Talismans of Age used by the Witches do not deteriorate but can only perform one or two restorations at most. Nightsister variants are often more powerful, with Mother Talzin's talisman being rumored to restore her indefinitely, though this is likely an exaggeration.

You will be interested to know that the Imperium actually possesses her talisman, and it is currently stored in the Pergatorum with other artifacts. We had no idea until we specifically looked, and we can only presume that Palpatine took it when he killed her, and that it was one of the many relics of the old Empire that we recovered. It may be worth examining further.

OF RESURRECTION: A talisman which has been wholly condemned by the clans is the 'Talisman of Resurrection.' The name itself is technically a misnomer, as it is not a true resurrection, and only possessed the ability to temporarily return a spirit to the host body for a short time before it fades.

This talisman is rare, even among the Nightsisters because of the cost of possessing one of these. It is created in a similar fashion to the Talismans of Finding, using blood or bodily materials to bind the talisman to an individual. However, the Talisman of Resurrection can only be used on that person – it cannot arbitrarily bring anyone back from the dead temporarily. We also do not believe it works on non-Force-users due to its reliance on a Force spirit.

Something else that is extremely important is that the talisman is capable of far more than resurrection – it holds the power to control a person in life as well. If another Witch or Nightsister controls the talisman bound to an individual – they can effectively control them. This has led these talismans to also be called 'Talismans of Control.'

Originally, they were designed for Nightsisters to give their brethren a means of telling them how they had died and by whom from beyond the grave. The process was horrifically painful if measures were not taken to repair bodily damage before summoning the spirit, which likely led to the rise of modern dathomiri burial rituals.

However, the Nightsisters were quick to seize on these controlling properties of the talisman, and it was not uncommon for them to try and acquire samples of prominent Clan Mothers, Witches, and other dathomiri to create these talismans. Use of these talismans could range from direct telepathic attacks, causing sourceless pain, and bodily hijacking.

This is one of the most dangerous and potent artifacts the Nightsisters have ever developed, and the clans banned them for a reason, and in fact, one of their initiatives is finding a way to counter this artifact, or otherwise ensure it is fully negated. It has been decades since a known Talisman of Resurrection/Control was used, but it remains a danger on Dathomir, and a good reason to maintain a healthy sense of paranoia.

THE ORB OF MOTHER TALZIN: Despite the potency of the above talismans, the most powerful artifact which has existed or been used on Dathomir has been, without question, the 'Orb of Mother Talzin.' Its exact origin is unknown, as mentioned in an earlier section, it was found by Mother Talzin. While theoretically possible, there is significant doubt that it was actually created by her and is instead a relic that has existed on Dathomir since the dathomiri arose.

The clans have locked it away under heavy guard, and would not let us examine it closely, but from texts, carvings, drawings, and renditions, we can piece together a fair description of an artifact the clans are utterly petrified of falling into the wrong hands. It is spherical in nature, as the name implies, and is described as having a 'black-wave' composition.

Those who have seen it describe an eerie power around it, a compulsion to look into the Orb which calls like the void. It is not a static artifact visually, so the witnesses claim, and it emanates the power of the dark side. When used, it emits first a white glowing outline, and transforms into a glowing ball of light green.

We are not unconvinced that the color this artifact displays is arbitrary and dependent on the user. Green is an associated color of dathomiri magick, and it could likely project a different color if a Jedi or Sith were to use it. We would need to conduct tests to be certain, and the clans will not allow that under any circumstances.

The capabilities of the Orb are somewhat nebulous, but what we do know is that it augmented the power of Mother Talzin to a planet-wide degree and allowed her to maintain a planet-wide grip over the dathomiri, simultaneously able to observe her victims which numbered in the millions.

Classifying the Orb as an amplifier may not be inaccurate, but it seems to fail to capture the scope of how it was used. Mother Talzin was the most powerful Nightsister in history, and it is difficult to determine if she simply used the Orb as an amplifier or harnessed some unknown capabilities of the Orb and applied them to scale.

Regardless, something the Maw noted was that from the stories, the level of control and reach offered implied that there was unlikely an upper limit on range, implying that the artifact is scalable to a degree beyond a single planet. Which would make this one of the most powerful and dangerous artifacts an existence; by some definitions it could be classified as a superweapon if this is confirmed to be accurate.

However, it must be stressed that this is theory. We can make no determinations without testing for ourselves.

The question of the origins of the Orb remains, and if it was not made by Talzin or another Nightsister, then it is likely a relic of the precursor race before the dathomiri, potentially responsible for their creation. If that is the case, there remains the possibility that this was not the only orb created, and there could be others on Dathomir and beyond, depending on their power at the time.

The clans have stated that they would never use the Orb, but the Nightsisters will certainly try to acquire it – and if others learn what the Witches possess, they would doubtless seek it out. That is something that cannot be allowed to happen.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : STRUCTURE – CLAN ROLES

OVERVIEW: There are a number of different roles and positions in the clan. For the sake of simplicity, this is how they will be organized – even if not all clans use the same role titles or have a strictly rigid structure. While it would be a mistake to assume all clans are the same, most of them follow a similar structure and this can serve as a reliable guide to understanding the base pillars of the clans.

CLAN LABORER: While there is no role which is considered the 'lowest' per se, laborers are without a doubt the most unimportant. The role is far more versatile than one assumes, and they can range from construction workers, to dish cleaners, clothes washers, cloth-makers, waiters, and cooks. When people hear 'laborer,' they tend to assume that it's a male-only position – which is incorrect. Most males will be laborers, but there are certain roles which females will do, particularly making clothes and sometimes cooking.

The laborers make up the majority of the clan, if only by a small margin, and are effectively the backbone of it, as positions and roles further on are more specialized and exclusive. All dathomiri have a place in the clan, and while the clans don't necessarily force roles, you will be contributing in some way. A large number of laborers change their duties regularly, becoming very skilled and versatile, and thus improving their use to the clan. Laborers are respected (yes, including the males), even if their jobs aren't the most exciting.

CLAN FARMER: One of the second-most prolific stations within the clans are the farmers, which includes everything from planting, maintaining, and ultimately harvesting the yields. This is important, intensive work and the dathomiri have been notably successful in agricultural development despite the lack of technology.

This is another male-dominated field, and unlike laborers, farmers have very few women who work within it, which is likely due to the fact that it is a highly physical area no matter what is done, and females don't necessarily have the strength or endurance to perform the necessary labor on a regular basis, and more importantly, they have little reason to when the men will do it for them.

CLAN RAINMAKER: The second major component to the dathomiri agricultural system are the 'Rainmakers.' Farmers in the galaxy have to rely on luck to some degree and hope the seasons will be favorable to them. Floods and dry spells can ruin crops, which can spell doom for smaller, self-sufficient communities, as well as larger ones which rely on agricultural exports.

The clans bypass this risk with the Rainmakers, who are almost exclusively weaker Witches who have been trained in weather-alteration spells. They can quite literally make it rain on command, as well as dispel storms and weather. Not a single crop harvest has been threatened by weather, and the Rainmakers and farmers are experienced enough to know how to extract the largest yields from their farms.

Rather ingenious, and it ensures that no matter what happens, the clans will not starve.

CLAN MATRIARCH TEACHER: Schooling is handled in a rather nontraditional way within the clans. They very rarely have large classes, and what is defined as 'traditional schooling' varies from clan to clan. By the time most children are teenagers, they are already in a kind of apprenticeship program with a more experienced individual, and their formal schooling is 'done.'

The Matriarch Teachers are responsible for helping raise the children until this point. They teach boys and girls, though classes are segregated by gender. The primary goal of the teaching is not strictly educational, but cultural. History, norms, and values are instilled into them at a very young age, while more standard subjects such as reading, writing, and basic math are taught.

Girls are taught about the responsibility they have to the clan and each other, and to treat their elders and men well, and the dangers of forbidden magick and spells. Boys are taught to always be respectful and submissive to women, particularly Matriarchs. The teaching is largely successful in shaping their views, although for more non-conforming children this approach is not as effective.

CLAN STORY-WEAVER: Oral storytelling is a practice that the clans have maintained for millennia, and it is still alive today – if altered to a certain degree. The duties of the Story-Weavers are not simply the retelling of old stories, legends, and myths, but also the physical recording of history.

Paper is a resource which is rarely acquired, and many Story-Weavers dislike using it because of its fragility and their view that it is an overly complicated means of communication. They know how to write, but typically prefer to record history through pictograms and carvings into stone tablets and walls.

The Story-Weavers are considered some of the most important people in the clan, and even the Clan Mothers go to them for counsel and advice, they are always elder Matriarchs, and with extremely sharp and active minds. However, most are not strong or experienced Witches, even as they spend a lot of time with them to ensure that they are afforded their rightful place in clan history.

CLAN HUNTRESS: The Huntresses are a fairly small group of women within the clan who are responsible for tracking, hunting, and preparing food for the clan. They are very highly skilled hunters and trackers, and few know the planet better than they do. While few of them are powerful Witches, they make up for these deficiencies by being expert users of energy bows and capable of setting deadly traps.

Additionally, they have deep anatomical knowledge, and are expert knife-fighters, given how often they use them to kill and skin prey. They are also camouflage experts without relying on magick, and are always utilized when the clans organize Nightsister hunts, as very often the Nightsisters will only leave physical evidence of where they are going or hiding.

CLAN WITCH-HEALER: It should not be a surprise that the clans have an equivalent of a medical corps, though unlike modern civilizations, the number of Witch-Healers is very small, oftentimes barely numbering a half-dozen for most clans, with double that for some of the larger ones.

As expected, they are Witches who are responsible for healing and subsequent recovery. They actually practice a number of modern medical procedures and aren't your average tribal shaman. They surprisingly don't use magic for all treatments, and very often will use bandages, surgical tools, and medicines for minor illnesses and wounds.

This is believed to be because healing spells are some of the most complex and exhausting a Witch can perform, and as such, they only use them for grievous injuries. They also don't like for the clans to become reliant on healing magick, and that there should sometimes be scars gathered from misadventures.

Nonetheless, Witch-Healers are some of the most skilled spellweavers in the clans, possess a large amount of practical medical knowledge, and are respected by all. Witch-Healers tend to choose their successors from other interested Witches, and it is not a path you can begin unless directly approached.

CLAN WITCH-INSTRUCTOR: Before Witches can officially join their ranks, they must first be trained, and that is the sole role of the Witch-Instructor. When dathomiri girls who have the correct affinity are identified, upon reaching adolescence they are moved under the tutelage of the Witch-Instructor.

What they will learn is all of what is necessary to be a full Witch of the clan, which includes learning simple spells, magick theory, and a deep and very slanted history of the Nightsisters and why they should never aspire to be one. Students will typically train for two to three years before they are released by the Witch-Instructor to join the Witches proper.

There are some of those who simply do not have the talent or affinity, and they usually drop out of their own volition to find another role in the clan. Very rarely does the Witch-Instructor have to deny one the right to join the clan Witches, but it sometimes happens. The failed Witches are typically watched closely afterwards, to ensure they do not flee to the Nightsisters.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : STRUCTURE – CLAN LEADERSHIP

CLAN MATRIARCH: The pillar of any clan leadership starts with the Matriarchs. This is something of an informal position, and one that every single dathomiri woman will grow into in time, but there is usually a core of experienced women in the clan who are looked to as leaders and advisors.

A woman is typically considered a Matriarch when they reach ages of between fifty and sixty, although it isn't really official until one is regularly advising a Clan Mother or other highly-placed individual in the clan. Different clans have different women they look to more as Matriarchs, but if they are intelligent, known in the clan, and very experienced, they are worth paying attention to.

CLAN MATRIARCHAL COUNCIL: Of the Matriarchs who are considered the most important to the clan, they form the Matriarchal Council which is a more formalized institution most clans possess. The Council is more organized, and each Matriarch has defined responsibilities. This does not prevent the Clan Mother from seeking out other Matriarchs, but the ones which comprise her Council are her most reliable and trustworthy.

The size of the Matriarchal Council depends on the clan and the respective Clan Mother. Some only have small Councils, while others have ones that number two dozen. It is a very fluid system, and wholly dependent on the leadership of the clan. Similarly, the Matriarchs who comprise the Council could have detailed responsibilities or only provide advice if asked.

The Council does have some administrative power, and is the body which helps set what few laws or rules there are for each clan. These can vary, but they generally aren't major, and if there is any legislative (a term I doubt they would recognize) work they do, it is more properly formalizing clan traditions and ceremonies.

THE CIRCLE OF WITCHES: This is another institution which some would consider the 'military advisory' to the clan, but considering that the Witches are not exactly a proper or formal military to begin with, it is not what would be considered a proper definition. There has always been a Circle to some extent, as in a group of Witches who led their kind, but in recent decades it has become more important and formalized.

Most modern Circles of Witches are composed of no more than a dozen senior Witches, typically Spellmasters, Mutators, and, if applicable, Witch-Avatars. The most powerful, experienced, and skilled are selected, and together they provide advice to the Clan Mother, the Matriarchal Council, and shape the direction of the clan Witches.

Due to their status, they do have some influence over the clan Witches and how they develop. Some will want their clan to focus on spell research, while others may want to build a massive core of Witches who aren't necessarily all-powerful. Witch combat doctrine is also affected, which can make it more or less aggressive, or prioritizing offensive spells over support ones.

It is one of the most important bodies in a clan, and always worth paying attention to.

CLAN PALADIN: One of the most fascinating positions and roles within the entirety of dathomiri culture is the role of the Clan Paladin. What makes it immediately unique is that it is the highest-ranking position within a clan that a male can maintain, and effectively the only male who can challenge or overrule a female (though not all females, obviously).

According to the Nightsisters, the role of a Paladin was part of the earliest dathomiri clan culture by some of the clans but was either abandoned or rejected as time passed. Since the Jedi Cal Kestis and Merrin worked together to defeat Malicos, the role of Paladin was reinstituted and has been maintained to this day.

There are some requirements to even be considered for the role. The most important is being very strong in the Force. Paladins are some of the strongest Force-users on Dathomir, and unlike the Witches, are trained more traditionally like Jedi in their usage of the Force. They are not taught spells or allowed to learn them.

The role of a Paladin is a mixture of champion, bodyguard, and ambassador within and beyond the clan. They are expected to fight, defend, and represent the clan and Clan Mother, as well as making sure that the males are not causing issues or threatening clan stability. Their authority does have limits, even though it is rarely utilized to begin with.

They cannot defy the Clan Mother or Circle of Witches, though they can challenge, defy, or command anyone below that. Most Paladins are not aggressive in using their authority, and typically prefer working with the respective organs as opposed to the alternative. In almost all cases, the Paladin is mated to the Clan Mother, or one of the Circle of Witches. At minimum, they are mated to a powerful Witch.

Interestingly, when it comes to aliens or outsiders, the clans typically prefer to rely on the Paladins to serve as their voice, especially if they are dealing with men or male-dominated hierarchies. It is likely because they judge the Paladins will be more capable of commanding respect, or because they dislike less submissive men when negotiating.

Regardless of the case, the Paladins have a very important role in each clan. There is only ever one true Paladin, and they control the Paladin Guard which is the institution which manages the male Force-users of the clan, though their role and authorities are much reduced.

CLAN MOTHER: The leader of each clan is the Clan Mother. They are responsible for the affairs, direction, and well-being of the clan, and ultimately the person who will determine if it will thrive or die. There is no higher individual in a clan than the Clan Mother, and everyone, Witch or not, male or female, is ultimately beholden to her.

Oftentimes, she is a Matriarch upon her ascension, usually one of the Circle of Witches or Matriarchal Council. Whoever she is, she is implicitly trusted, experienced, and considered wise. Clan Mothers are not hereditary, and each new Clan Mother directly chooses their successor, who is usually groomed for the role sometime before she officially takes control.

Most Clan Mothers are responsible and manage their clans well, if not exceptionally. There are good Clan Mothers, and subpar Clan Mothers, but there is significant incentive to ensure that whoever is chosen will not only be skilled enough to lead the clan, but also cultivate good relationships with other clans.

Interestingly, there is no method to remove a Clan Mother outside of her abdicating the position, which is a severe flaw in dathomiri government. At the same time, if a Clan Mother dies unexpectedly with no clear replacement, there is a process where the Matriarchal Council and Circle of Witches are able to jointly choose a new Clan Mother.

Fortunately, there have not been many terrible Clan Mothers in recent decades, helped by the fact that there are many other clans which do a fair job of holding each other to account. But there will probably come a day when the limits of the position are tested, and the clan itself will be powerless to act.

THE COUNCIL OF CLAN MOTHERS: The final major organ of dathomiri leadership is the Council of Clan Mothers, which is a collective, planet-wide body which serves as a meeting ground and resolution chamber between clans. It is a place for clans to meet, forge direct agreements, settle disputes, arrange marriages, and other diplomatic functions.

It is one of the major reasons that there has been effectively no intra-clan conflict in the past four centuries, as the clans have made themselves intertwined so tightly that a conflict between some would affect all. That has been its most important function, as the Council of Clan Mothers has effectively no binding power beyond dialogue facilitation.

The Clan Mothers will at times issue unanimous resolutions, such as honoring Witches and dathomiri who have helped kill a Nightsister, or develop a new spell, or founded a new clan, or issuing condemnations against the Nightbrothers, or reaffirming the decree to not research or open the forbidden texts. All ultimately pointless and in service of a unity narrative.

However, the differences between the clans are not so large as to be problematic. Usually, if there are rivalries and tension between clans, it is never anything serious, and more likely because one of the members poached a male the other was interested in, or the clan accomplished one feat that made the other look lacking in comparison. Almost all ego-driven, and in the end, harmless.

The most effective form of diplomacy is not going to this Council but approaching the clans directly. They only convene at this Council once a year for a full week, before departing again. There is a method by which an emergency session can be called, but this has never once been started.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : STRUCTURE – CLAN MILITARY

CLAN GUARDIAN: The most basic part of the clan military forces are the Guardians, who are non-Force-sensitive or extremely weak Force-sensitive men and women of the clan. It is one of the few roles that men can participate in, although generally females still dominate this role due to tradition and their Force-sensitivity advantage.

Clan Guardians wear light leather-based armor, which prioritizes movement and acrobatics over raw protection. Since advanced ranged technology is limited at best, Guardians utilize mêlée weapons which differ depending on gender. Females tend to use short blades which are made of a spell-forged steel and are able to be easily sharpened and wielded. Males usually use blunt weapons such as spell-enhanced flanged maces that take advantage of their superior physical strength.

They are used also as semi-peacekeeper roles within the clans, and if there is any incident which needs to be broken up, Clan Guardians facilitate the 'arrest' of individuals before they determine what has happened. In combat, they tend to move in teams, with male Guardians taking the front path, while female Guardians outflank opposition. They are skilled in their own right, but they are ultimately useless against a superior technological foe.

CLAN ARCHER: The second part of the non-Witch clan military are the Archers, which again are capable of being staffed by males and females, though are also female-dominated. The Archers utilize the singular piece of 'advanced' weapons technology the dathomiri have produced.

The energy bow is effectively a weak blaster incorporated into a bow format. Using simple electronics and a solar battery, the Archer will pull back the string which will form the energy bolt and then fire it. Holding onto the charged bolt is dangerous as it can overload the charging mechanism. Thus, Archers are trained to fire extremely quickly, though their output is weak compared to any modern blaster rifle.

Nonetheless, the energy bow is more than adequate for similarly equipped enemies, and it will cause damage to unarmored or poorly armored individuals. It is not especially effective against droids and armored soldiers, requiring multiple shots to take down – unless the Archer is particularly skilled.

They ultimately complement the Guardians with combined arms, but they are, in the end, inferior to any modern equivalent.

THE PALADIN GUARD: As mentioned earlier, the Paladin Guard is the body which hosts the few male Force-users of the clan. They are unique, not only because they are a rare male-exclusive role, but because they are also not trained by females. The Paladin Guard trains their own, primarily by the Paladin himself.

What distinguishes them from the Witches are that they do not use spells, but instead a more traditional usage of the Force. This likely originated from Paladin Kestis who taught the first of the Paladin Guard based on his Jedi heritage. They are incapable of performing the more complex feats of the Witches but are also more decisive and arguably more effective than most Witches in direct combat.

Their role is much reduced from the Paladin himself, and as the name implies, they are effectively bodyguards to the most important members of the clan. They are not necessarily assigned, but are called upon as the need arises, usually when members of the Matriarchal Council or Circle of Witches leave the clan temporarily on a quest or mission, or there are important visitors arriving. They are not used as traditional soldiers due to their limited number.

They are something of a sign of status as well for clans. The more Paladin Guard, it is generally accepted, the stronger a clan. Paladin Guard are always equipped with the best equipment, are impeccably dressed, highly cultured (by dathomiri standards), and hygienically immaculate. The quality of the Paladin Guard is seen as a reflection on the clan itself, and as a result, the clans go out of their way to make sure the Guard is a good representation.

Another unique element of the Guard is that each of them carries a lightsaber. The color is not important, and has little bearing on their role, but each one builds their own and is trained by more experienced members, and the Clan Paladin himself in how to wield it. The crystals used are not of a high quality initially, but Witch magick is capable of cleansing them to the point of usability.

A final point worth mentioning is that any member of the Paladin Guard is seen as an extremely desirable mate, and there are often multiple women attempting to choose them, which can sometimes lead to intra-clan tensions. Typically the higher-ranked or experienced the women, the more authority they have over choosing a mate. It is often the case where the Circle of Witches in particular have mates all from the Paladin Guard, and the other Witches fight over the rest.

WITCH OF DATHOMIR: The most ubiquitous and famous part of Dathomir are the famed Witches themselves. Being a Witch of Dathomir is an implicit promise of being a defender of the clan. Each Witch has a responsibility to, if necessary, use their powers to protect their brethren and defeat their enemies.

Those who are classified only as 'Witches' are equivalent to the standard Jedi or Imperial Knight, though not nearly as numerous or militant. Their skill levels and specialties can vary wildly as those without a more dedicated assignment have very little formal structure or command.

Nonetheless, Witches are skilled in many forms of offensive and defensive magick, and will pose a fair challenge for a baseline Jedi, and even an Imperial Knight in most cases. They should not be underestimated, but generally, if you are faster than the Witch, you are almost certain to emerge victorious.

WITCH-BEASTRIDER: The Witch-Beastriders are quite self-explanatory, though they are much more dangerous and versatile than implied. The Beastriders are Witches who have managed to dominate or domesticate one of the dathomiri wildlife, most likely rancors. To do this it must be done solely on their own, with no outside help.

It is not a feat to take lightly, and even as the Beastriders move their mounts into battle, it is always accompanied by the promise of telepathic domination to follow. A Beastrider is not only capable of ordering her mount into battle, but also summoning the rest of the nearby wildlife to follow suit.

As mentioned already, Witch-Beastriders are powerful telepaths, and they will usually cast the appropriate spells from atop their mounts against distracted opponents. Many times they will also use magick to augment and enhance their mounts, and a Beastrider rancor should not be treated as a normal rancor – not unless one has a death wish.

WITCH-CHANTER: If there is a support role within the Witches, the Witch-Chanter would be it. They are almost never on the frontlines, but they are an instrumental part of any kind of clan offensive. There are often few Chanters due to the complexity of the spells they utilize, but a Chanter can quite literally mean the difference between life and death.

In their protected and isolated locations, the Chanters begin rituals and spells of pure speaking and incantation which can last minutes, when they have been executed, there are usually a number of benefits cast over allied forces, from enhanced senses, to tighter coordination, to accelerated wound healing.

Of course, this can also be cast over an enemy force. Instant illness, terrifying illusions, and other mental attacks can distract or harm the enemy forces and allow the Witches a clear advantage. Typically, a Chanter can only perform one or two chants, and maintain them for a short time before they are forced to relent and recover. But in those brief windows, there is usually enough time for victory to be achieved.

WITCH-MUTATOR: This is a highly specialized field of dathomiri magick, and somewhat controversial even among the clans. Some clans have Mutators, others do not. In short, they specialize in the use of spells which directly alter the material world around them. This practice is controversial since mutation spells are often used by Nightsisters, though it is generally accepted at this point that such spells are not malicious in nature.

What Witch-Mutators are capable of as a result is the ability to alter the material composition of the environment around them – though they draw the line at directly altering opponents themselves, as that is considered Nightsister magick. This allows them to alter the ground, and swallow or trap those who walk on it, turn the air to poison or another element deprived of oxygen. Stone can be turned to liquid and hardened again; wood can be hardened stronger than steel.

What the Witch-Mutators are capable of is beyond even what the Maw has been able to achieve, and this can be attributed to their extremely complex spells which take literal years to memorize, though the results speak for themselves. Every Witch knows some basic augmentation spells, but the Mutators are on another level entirely, the Witch Merrin was considered one of the most powerful Witch-Mutators to ever exist, though that is partially due to her Nightsister upbringing.

Some Mutators do augment their own bodies, which is not considered an issue since it is a tangible choice, and they bear the costs and responsibilities. A majority do not, but those that do are instantly recognizable, due to their enhanced height, muscle mass, and bodily composition – being far harder to wound or even kill. The oldest Mutators have even learned how to extend their life far beyond the natural, and as a result, are some of the most powerful and dangerous Witches on Dathomir.

Treat them with extreme caution.

WITCH-SPELLMASTER: If the Mutators are considered among the most powerful Witches from a micro standpoint, the Spellmasters are the overt power of the clans. They are a rare and exclusive breed of Witches who have memorized hundreds of spells and have mastered the most complex and powerful.

One Spellmaster is enough to stand against most enemy forces, especially if they are unprepared. They are capable of summoning lightning storms, micro-hurricanes, mass telepathic attacks, and telekinetic vortexes which crush everything in a fifty-meter radius. The scale of their power can rival any of the Maw or Jedi Sages.

Their powers are not just limited to offensive attacks, they are also capable of more passive supporting actions, such as restoring flagging and tired armies, shrouding an army in a cloak of invisibility, and manifesting illusions for a short time. A Spellmaster augments an army to a degree that is difficult to calculate – especially to an unprepared foe.

When there are Nightsisters that must be confronted, it is the Spellmasters who take point, as they are usually the only ones who can counter their dangerous spells – and respond with ones of their own.

A final duty of the Spellmasters – and generally how one becomes a Spellmaster in the first place is the research, refinement, and discovery of new spells. So long as they do not violate any forbidden techniques, they will be added to the vast libraries. As such, over the centuries, the Witches have grown more powerful and versatile, and this is thanks to the efforts of the Spellmasters.

WITCH-AVATAR OF THE CLAN MOTHER: The concept of the Witch-Avatar is a relatively new one, and was only recently implemented by a few clans. While the Avatar was initially assumed to be something of an overseer of the Witches from the respective Clan Mother, the role is actually more complex than that.

The Witch-Avatar is primarily a general or equivalent high-ranking military official. Their job is to be primarily a military advisor and strategist to the Clan Mother, and they have a responsibility to provide contingency plans, battle strategies, and other pieces of knowledge which will be needed in the event of a military conflict.

While the concept of 'war games' is not one that the dathomiri really practice, the Avatars do perform something equivalent several times a year with their respective clans. It isn't especially in-depth or managed properly, but more of an informal event to let the Witches know that there is a plan in a conflict.

Due to its relatively new status, we expect the role to become more important as time goes on, and many clans don't have a Witch-Avatar to begin with. It goes without saying that the Avatar is always one of the most powerful Witches in the clan, and to date, all Avatars have been former Spellmasters.

This may change in the future, but the role is only going to grow more prominent.

THE NIGHTSISTERS

The Nightsisters themselves are one of the constants of Dathomir history and society. Their name is said to have originated from a breakaway cult that had heavy religious overtones towards the now-defunct Dathomiri pantheon, specifically the 'Stalk-Eyed God,' who was said to bless his followers with the power of shadow.

The Nightsisters participated in rituals which generally involved some kind of sacrifice, with a leading Nightsister channeling power which was passed down to the lesser Nightsisters, which would indeed cloak them in shadow and darkness. They were known initially to the clans as the 'Sisters of the Night,' before eventually shortening the name to 'Nightsisters.'

There remains much that is shrouded about the overarching motivations of the Nightsisters as a whole. Their most visible goal has always been control of Dathomir, and to a lesser extent, control over the clans. However, as shown in Mother Talzin's rule, the clans were still kept around, just in a state of servitude and terror. More Nightsisters were taken from abducted daughters, but the Nightsisters curiously care less about changing the clans, and more about holding the ultimate power.

Before returning to this topic, the structure of how the Nightsisters are organized is worth appraising. There are not multiple 'clans' of Nightsisters. You are either a Nightsister, or you are not. Altogether they form something resembling a super-clan in sheer numbers at their height. The Nightsisters are fanatically loyal to each other, and they will only act in their own self-interest – or that of another Nightsister. Dathomiri are not owed any special loyalty, and they will kill one of their own species as easily as an alien.

The Nightsisters have always been at their most powerful when there has been a central figure of power. Talzin and Gethzerion stand apart as particularly powerful and driven individuals. These figures are afforded a cult-like reverence, and Talzin in particular was practically considered a deity by both the Nightsisters and clans due to the absolute power she wielded.

We suspect there is correlation here because the Nightsisters are particularly self-sufficient and driven. They are not as reliant on social bonds and relationships as clan dathomiri, and can function alone for long periods of time without issue. While there are those girls who are abducted and later raised by Nightsisters, plenty more are Witches who begin researching the forbidden spells of the Witches. It is less that they have inherent loyalty to the Nightsisters, and that they have nowhere else to go. Latching onto a group which not only welcomes, but encourages such research instills a strong loyalty.

We have considered that they are primarily driven to develop highly forbidden and destructive spells born of the dark side, but this seems to be one piece of the puzzle of what the Nightsisters are working to – if such a thing is happening at all. Both Talzin and Gethzerion had both sought to leave Dathomir, and this implies they had an agenda beyond the planet, whereas the clans are content to remain.

The question is what that agenda is – and if the few Nightsisters that remain still intend to carry it out.

Complicating efforts further is an indication that the old connections to the dathomiri pantheon may not be completely gone. A recent raid against a known Nightsister resulted in her death, and the recovery of personal belongings, which included a poorly sculpted statue of an alien species which is impossible to make out, and a journal in which the following was written:

'Each night my blood calls out for the One with Eyes of Flesh, in longing to answer a call that remains dormant, trying to answer a question that I do not know. It grows more intense, my mind and body react to the call, I write down words and symbols I have no comprehension of and make likenesses of fleshy things that do not exist and cannot exist.

'The Old Ones are real. I have sought and have touched the minds of one, and now I can never be released. I need to find it, I need to leave here, I need to make sure it stays asleep, or I might bring the final judgment upon myself and my sisters.

'Mother forgive me, they must be appeased.'

This is currently an isolated case, but the Witches who were responsible for performing divination spells and determining if there were other Nightsisters were reportedly very unsettled with what they learned. The Maw does not know what the Nightsister could have been referring to, but it is possible that they are trying to contact something or someone – assuming this is not some delusion of an addled mind.

The Nightsisters hold a secret, and it is a valid question to wonder what the secret could be. If Talzin and Gethzerion were also working to seek out whatever this Nightsister purportedly discovered, it is not out of the question that it is still out there, and it has an agenda of its own. We should not discount the possibility.

THE NIGHTBROTHERS

It is unclear why the former Iridonian zabrak chose the moniker of 'Nightbrothers.' Associating themselves so closely with the Nightsisters by name alone would generally not be advisable, especially with the eternal enmity between the clans and Nightsisters. Though from what we have learned, the Nightbrothers only truly became such during the reign of Mother Talzin and the name may have been forced upon them.

It was during this period where they became objectively dathomiri zabrak, as they appear to have been primarily used by the ruling Nightsisters in experiments, particularly involving primitive cell and genetic manipulation. They were altered on a fundamental and psychological level and were often favored slaves and bodyguards of the Nightsisters.

The female Zabrak were completely ignored for the most part, and their only use according to the Nightsisters was to produce more zabrak, and it should be uncomfortably obvious how the Nightsisters were able to not only maintain the zabrak numbers on Dathomir, but grow them to a sustainable population.

After the Nightsisters and clans were scattered, and after the fall of Malicos, the Nightbrothers regrouped and tried to rebuild independent of anyone else. It is difficult to overstate how badly they were damaged by the Nightsisters rule and the subsequent domination of Malicos whose death a number of Nightbrothers were slightly resentful of. Effectively everything about the Nightsisters was something they rejected, and by extension, much of the clans themselves.

The Nightbrothers were never taught spells, so instead taught themselves how to use the Force without it. Their own Force-users, while few, use the Force more similarly to a Jedi or Imperial Knight than a Witch, and they have trained each other with the sole purpose of countering and killing Nightsisters and Witches.

It is simple and elegant when thought about. No use for complex spells and patterns when a simple telekinetic grip can snap a neck. It would be a mistake to call the Nightbrothers 'sophisticated Force-users,' but they are remarkably good at killing Witches – one reason the clans prefer to leave them in peace.

The Nightbrothers are far more hierarchal than the clans, or at least it is enforced more rigidly. Every single Nightbrother is trained from birth to be a warrior, and each Nightbrother is stronger, faster, and better than any Clan Guardian or Archer. Unlike the clans, they have no interest in ignoring technology and have made deals with off-world smugglers for arms and explosives, and there are even a few ex-soldiers who have come down and taught them modern tactics and formations.

They resemble something closer to a mercenary force than a primitive people. Even though they still live in pre-industrial infrastructure, they are continuing to look towards improvement. The Nightbrothers have begun exploring ways to acquire credits, and sometimes a few of their number leave with off-world pilots and work for several years before they return, a little richer – and having some important connections.

This combination of technology, connections, and festering hatred for anything resembling the Nightsisters is largely why the clans have avoided antagonizing them despite there being a clear justification for doing so at times. The Nightbrothers do not recognize any of the clans as holding authority and when the clans first tried approaching them, they were rejected and one of the messengers deposited on the ground, with her hands cut off, with a warning not to approach again.

The Nightbrothers treat females exceptionally poorly, and even the female zabrak are effectively slaves. They are continually quarantined, watched, and used largely as sex slaves, and are ultimately powerless against the much stronger males. Males raise all children, and are known to remove the tongues of any females who speak in opposition.

They will kill female Force-users on sight, and kill female zabrak who display any hint of Force-sensitivity. They will not deal with any female aliens or off-worlders, no matter what they offer. The few times they have managed to capture a Nightsister, they have tortured, raped, and mutilated her for months before putting her out of her misery. The longest one was rumored to have been tortured for a whole year, and the methods used to keep her alive for that length were highly unpleasant. It should be no surprise that the conditions of the zabrak women and stories of torture – so heinous it isn't justifiable even for Nightsisters – have caused some clans to openly question the practice of treating the Nightbrothers neutrally.

However, the Clan Mothers are unlikely to change their stance. They know the Nightbrothers have a technological advantage – and more importantly, several centuries worth of contacts – and that the Nightbrothers have prepared for a time when the clans march against them and are confident they can win.

The clans may act one day, but until then, each side will regard the other warily, waiting to see which one blinks first.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : CULTURE – THE PATH OF STARS

The fact that there is much beyond Dathomir is not something which is lost on the clans. Nor upon their children, many of whom grow up and wonder what is out there. The Matriarchs and Witches give answers, and state quite firmly that the simpler life within the clan is preferable, but they are also wise enough to know that forcing the curious to remain only breeds resentment.

The 'Path of Stars,' as the custom is known within the clans, is a relatively recent development, only begun in the past two centuries, which is effectively something of a pilgrimage for young dathomiri men and women who are permitted to experience the outside galaxy for a year. This is not mandatory, but simply presented as an option for children on the cusp of maturity.

The clans don't just throw them into the wider galaxy, over the decades they have built some reputations with traders, smugglers, and other entities who they know they can trust (largely mediated by the Jedi Order) who take the younger dathomiri and serve as something akin to guides. While sometimes these guides are dathomiri, this is rare as those who leave for good rarely wish to be associated with Dathomir.

After the year passes, the dathomiri will either decide to return back to the clans, or make their way in the galaxy. The severe culture shock is often strong enough that most females return and lead content lives back on Dathomir, but for a number of others, more so males than females, life beyond Dathomir is more desirable, and they are never heard from again.

The sendoff of the Path of Stars is considered a bittersweet moment, because their friends and family know there is a chance that they will not be returning and will never be seen again. Before all participants leave, there is a clan-wide ceremony and celebration, as the clan wants to make the potential last memory of a member of their clan a happy one.

Not every clan member approves of the Path of Stars, but the Clan Mothers all acknowledge the reality that not everyone will follow the same path, and it is better to make the most of the time they have, then have those of the clan be bitter that they were denied the chance at a different path.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : CULTURE – MATING AND GENDER DYNAMICS

One of the more controversial elements of dathomiri culture are the normal gender dynamics between males and females. This is especially unsettling and potentially enraging to many others in the galaxy who live in gender-neutral or male-dominated societies. There are exceptions of course, such as the Hapes Consortium, though today such dynamics are restricted to the higher classes and are ignored by the galaxy at large.

On Dathomir, your gender heavily determines what you can do, where you can go, and what your rights actually are. With the exception of the Clan Paladin, females are the dominant gender in every aspect of clan society. The female can feasibly achieve whatever she wishes, whereas a male will not be able to, despite their potential.

It is worth mentioning that this is closer to segregation and class division than slavery, as some have compared it to. In fact, dathomiri are very strict about ensuring that their mates and other males are taken care of, and will exile or punish those who mistreat them. So there is that, though for many that is the absolute bare minimum that can be done.

It does not help that dathomiri females are biologically superior when it comes to intelligence and Force-sensitivity. Even if it was not intentional, it was inevitable that they would eventually dominate whatever society would form on Dathomir. Since they control how children are raised, both males and females are brought up as if this is normal – and for them, it is.

It is sheltered in a way, for both men and women, and it is one reason that outsiders and aliens are unsettling for some of them. Seeing male Jedi or officials who come to Dathomir able to directly speak with the Clan Mothers like equals inherently strikes both the men and women as inherently wrong.

Those who go on the Path of Stars and out into the wider galaxy are given some type of education on standard norms, but it rarely prepares them for the cultural shock compared to what they have experienced all their lives. Unsurprisingly, it is a larger number of females who voluntarily return to Dathomir and the comfort of the norms and authority. Even some dathomiri women who choose to leave will return at times to see their clan and remain on good terms.

Males who depart for good never return to the planet again, and will not associate with dathomiri women. Speaking to some of them reveals that most who leave view the clans as exploiting the males in an attempt to control them. They are resentful of the clans, but while some would want to go back and change the culture, they want nothing more to do with them, and would prefer to see the females return and beg their forgiveness.

It is a dream, and they are aware of it, but there is a point worth noting here. Based on the data we collected, we expect that the clans will face something of a population crisis within two centuries. There are a larger number of males taking the Path of Stars, and a notable majority are not returning. If one walks through Dathomir, there is a far larger number of females than males.

This is already causing some issues in the clans, as how dathomiri women choose mates is fairly informal and almost on a first-come basis. How 'romantic' it is wholly depends on the woman, who decides every step of the process. Most generally only do it if there is some kind of chemistry, but others are not quite as mature. The male is largely conditioned to go along with it, regardless if he has feelings for her or not. The arrangement isn't necessarily permanent, and something akin to a divorce can be done and initiated by either party, so long as it is approved by the Matriarch.

The issue is that since females outnumber males, that means there are literally not enough men to go around. There are females who do not have mates – not because they didn't try, but because there just aren't any available. Dathomiri females are likewise fiercely protective of their mates and trying to steal or seduce their mates is one of the actions most likely to set them off.

A few females sometimes 'share' their mates with friends or mateless women, either out of pity or kindness, which has led to some distinctly non-traditional relationships. From what we can tell, the Matriarchal Councils tend to disapprove of such arrangements, but they are at something of a loss because there is no obvious solution for them.

Women sometimes alleviate this problem by moving to clans with a higher male count, but this has diminishing returns. Females are deliberately attempting to get pregnant more often to produce more male offspring which are considered more valuable now. However, it is unlikely to be enough as the clans don't seem to see the underlying flaw of their society.

Some clans – we believe – are beginning to realize this. The Bright Sun Clan together with the Solemn Vow Clan are both openly discussing repealing a significant number of restrictions on males. If change comes, it will not be for years, but two of the largest clans taking such measures could begin the reversal of their inevitable population decline.

This issue should be observed closely. Ironically, if there is ever to be a civil war among the clans, this is an issue it could truly revolve around.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : CULTURE – BURIAL RITES AND CUSTOMS

The death rites of the dathomiri are, surprisingly, some of the most intricate and complex in the known galaxy. Interestingly, this is universal for all dathomiri, Nightsisters included, and the Nightbrothers have adopted similar rites as the centuries have passed. Originally, we believe that the clans performed more mundane ceremonies, but the reign of Mother Talzin standardized dathomiri death rites, and no Witch can imagine anything different.

The bodies are first taken to a clean and respectably sterilized place. Using healing magicks, the Witch overseeing the rite will repair any major damage, and effectively restore the body to a 'whole' state. Burns, cuts, even amputated limbs will be restored – ironically, this is a very strenuous task for the Witch in charge, but this will be done for each of the deceased.

When the bodies are restored, they are clothed in fresh garments of whatever their station or place in the clan was. Any weapons, jewels, or personal effects will be incorporated and placed with them. If they were destroyed, replicas will be made if possible. The following part is the mummification of the body.

The body is embalmed with spices and chemicals the Witches create with their spells, and the reddish material that is used to wrap around the body is soaked in these. The body is tightly wrapped and layered several times and prepared for the final part of the ceremony. Burials are highly important for the clans, and the entire clan – and sometimes others – join as each of the deceased has words spoken about them and their deeds.

Once this is done, they are hung from the branches of Dathomir's many trees, and a preservation spell is cast. This, combined with the embalming, will allow the corpses in question to be remarkably preserved for hundreds of years. Now the reason for such elaborate measures is obvious in retrospect.

Mother Talzin clearly expected to face challengers, and ensuring that there was an intact number of corpses would make her usage of the Chant of Resurrection more potent, and turn an army of thousands into hundreds of thousands. Even though the clans know the true reason for the rites, they show no wish or incentive to change them, and we do not expect them to do so in the future.

At this point, I'm not sure they could even if they wanted to. The scars of Mother Talzin's rule run deep, even hundreds of years later.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : CULTURE – RANCORS AND WILDLIFE

The Witches have always had connection with the wildlife of Dathomir, and perhaps the most famous symbiotic connection is the dathomiri rancor. Alongside magick and spellcraft, the Witches of Dathomir are known for their rancors. This has, at times, led to a significant amount of misinformation, and in truth, the Witches didn't really start domesticating rancors until after the Clone Wars.

Before that point, they were a creature they respected and sometimes hunted for food, but for the most part, the dathomiri and the planet's wildlife lived in some degree of harmony. Nightsister rituals and spells sometimes corrupted this, and many a creature was used as a test subject for their arcane spells, but even the Nightsisters held some respect for life on the planet.

The idea of rancor wrangling was something that arose by accident and is initially believed to have been the result of a rancor stumbling into a clan camp where they were forced to subdue it. Several Witches, instead of killing it, considered trying to domesticate it. The spell they used was successful, and with a domesticated rancor, several of them started riding them.

While rancors are ideal mounts, especially on planets like Dathomir, what those who rode the rancors commanded was respect for claiming a creature so powerful and bending it to their will. It should be noted that trying to capture a rancor is a very dangerous task, and there are a number of Witches who attempt to do so who get eaten. If one wishes to claim a rancor as their mount, it must be done solely by them. No outside help can be provided.

The Nightsisters also adopted this idea, and naturally, used spells to augment their mounts once they were domesticated. Many of the more powerful Nightsisters and Witches tend not to use mounts, since it's seen as unimportant, and as a result, only Witches who are of middling power, but who want to prove themselves further in the eyes of the Matriarchs and Witches pursue the submission of a rancor.

It is nonetheless an achievement. Understand that for any rancor with a Witch riding on its back, the Witch is the bigger threat.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : CULTURE – LAW AND EXILE

Crime is not something which is common on Dathomir. There is the occasional mischief carried out by children and adolescents, and there is the occasional theft by men and women, as well as fighting between clan members – usually women over potential mates. Normally, this is solved by having one of the Clan Matriarchs judge the dispute and render a verdict. If it is a serious civil dispute, some may be taken before the Clan Mother.

There are a few crimes for which there is no forgiveness and rehabilitation. The first is murder. The clans do not actually like to utilize the penalty of death, and for a dathomiri, death is not the worst punishment one can receive. Exile is traditionally considered the harshest punishment, as they are branded and cast out into the wilderness. No dathomiri can ever speak, assist, or interact with them intentionally in any way.

In the past few centuries, all exiles have talismans of finding made for them, and multiple copies are made and distributed to the clans. If for any reason the clans need to track down exiles, they have the means to do so. Though traditionally, exiles have rarely posed a threat, and it is believed that the majority kill themselves within the first year of exile. Those who endure typically attempt to flee off-world.

Those who practice forbidden magick and are caught are not treated as leniently. At one point, those who committed this crime were also exiled, but this was a mistake as these Witches simply joined the Nightsisters and grew their numbers. Now a Witch who has been caught practicing forbidden magick is executed outright. The clans have determined that they cannot risk having such dangerous people wander the planet and lead to a resurgence of the Nightsisters.

ALLIES OF NOTE

THE JEDI ORDER: The Jedi Order is considered an ally in that they are a group which will openly work with the clans, and even if Dathomir is not part of the Alliance, have pledged to help defend the planet in the event of an invasion or attack. There is a definite symbiotic relationship between the two organizations which has endured for several hundred years now.

It is especially relevant since over 90% of all dathomiri which leave the clans integrate into the Jedi Order, and very often carry over some of their traditions. Dathomiri are no longer an uncommon sight in the Jedi Order, though there are notably a higher percentage of males than females – an inverse of the clans on Dathomir.

It isn't uncommon for Jedi to send expeditions of their own to Dathomir, and multiple Spheres have been noted operating on the planet, especially the Sphere of Exploration and Discovery, History and Knowledge, and the Living Force. The former Spheres more interested in the planet and history, while the latter has learned directly from the Witches themselves.

You will likely be interested to learn the Saresh Palavola has visited once and spent a full month with the Witches. Most believe she was learning dathomiri magick, but from what we learned, a large portion of her time was exploring Dathomir itself. What she was looking for is unknown, and the Witches know no more than we do.

Add it to the list of suspicious activities Councilor Palavola is connected to.

ENEMIES OF NOTE

THE ZANN CONSORTIUM: Ever since Silri betrayed the Zann Consortium, the Witches have been on the receiving end of the Consortium's wrath. It is not necessarily clear why the Zann Consortium continues to maintain the bounties, as they have shown no professional or criminal interest in Dathomir for decades, but they will always honor the bounty of someone who comes with a verified dathomiri corpse.

The clans have gotten better about protecting themselves and being aware of the fact that there are outside bounty hunters who come to the planet solely to hunt them down – most of the time the bounty hunters get far more than they bargained for. Daily and nightly divination spells have found many an ambitious hunter, who was either driven off or killed.

The Witches are merciless to any such beings they find, and many of them hope the Consortium themselves return one day, as there is a long and raw score to settle. But many who we talked to said what they really want to know is what Silri did to Tyber Zann which caused the following centuries of bloodshed.

THE NIGHTSISTERS OF DATHOMIR: Broken and scattered as the Nightsisters have been, they still persist in the forests and deserts of Dathomir. Despite the fact that no Nightsister has risen to the caliber of Mother Talzin or Gethzerion, they survive and continue to harass the more powerful and organized clans.

Unlike in the past where the clans were unable or unwilling to go after the Nightsisters, the clans now regularly send out Witches to hunt down and kill Nightsisters, many times resulting in the deaths of several. Even as reduced as they are, the willingness of the Nightsisters to research and use forbidden spells and call upon the dark side without restraint make each and every one a dangerous threat.

One which will threaten the Witches, until they are driven extinct for good.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : GOALS AND FUTURE PLANS

SHORT-TERM PLANS: As of the writing of this report, the planet is about to enter into the harvesting season, and the clans are working to ensure that there will be enough food for the entirety of the planet. These are not a political people, and what is wanted is highly mundane, and frankly irrelevant to our own interests.

INTERMEDIATE PLANS: The Bright Sun Clan has been in direct talks with the Sphere of History and Knowledge about further research projects on the planet itself, and the history hidden throughout Dathomir. Councilor Dal in particular has expressed an interest in working closely with the clans to uncover these secrets.

The Witches have an interest in learning what was lost in earlier conflicts, and their own origins to a degree. They are not archeologists, and in return for being able to work with certified ones from the Jedi Order and Galactic Alliance, they are willing to allow more outsiders to come to their planet – under supervision of course.

I would recommend the Reclamation Service reach out to them. Their history with the Empire is not the greatest, but it would not be unwise to make some attempts to begin a new relationship – if for no other reason than to ensure that if the Jedi and Alliance learn something important, then we do as well.

LONG-TERM PLANS: One of the immutable goals of the Witches is the final elimination of the Nightsisters, their teachings, their artifacts, and their allies. This will be a long and arduous process, but the clans believe that for the first time, the Nightsisters are losing members each year instead of maintaining or growing their numbers.

Something far more ambitious and likely infeasible is finding some way to prevent outsiders they do not approve of from landing on Dathomir. It was a doctrine that Mother Talzin held, actually, that only the Nightsisters should walk the lands of Dathomir without consequence. The clans prefer a more open, but still controlled version of this doctrine. How they will go about doing so is another story, but there is evidence to support that they are working on highly complex spells that could drastically reshape the nature of Dathomir itself.

It is worth watching.

They are also interested in restoring many of the old temples of Dathomir, though this is a lower priority, and there is internal debate among the clans if they want to perform a restoration – or make temples reflective of the modern dathomiri clans. Until this gets resolved, it is unlikely to significantly proceed further.

If we wish to improve our standing, assisting the clans in hunting down the Nightsisters would be viewed very highly by them, and even helping develop these spells could be a means of gaining them as legitimate allies and knowing exactly how they wish to shape the planet. Depending on what the clans decide, assisting in the restoration or reconstruction of the old temples could engender additional goodwill – provided we also don't insult them by using construction equipment in the process.

THE WITCHES OF DATHOMIR : THREAT ANALYSIS

THREAT TO THE FELLAN IMPERIUM: Low.

The greatest asset the Witches possessed was the mystique, uncertainty, and mythology which surrounded them. Prior to this deeper analysis, we would have likely avoided the planet or antagonizing the Witches based heavily on the rumors of their capabilities and could easily have ascertained that the effort would not be worth it.

But the truth is that the Witches are just Force-users who have learned how to apply it in a different way. They are skilled, no doubt, but there are documented weaknesses in their usage of the Force as noted earlier in this report, and they are highly reliant on this method. Disrupting it would not be difficult, and our own Imperial Knights would be easily able to match them.

Numerically they are at a significant disadvantage, as the CIS proved hundreds of years ago. Today would be no different. It would be a difficult invasion, but if even a single Imperial Knight was not used, the Witches would lose due to the sheer numbers of Stormtroopers at our disposal – which is to say nothing of our special forces, armor units, and artillery.

Technologically it is a laughable contest. They have no modern infrastructure or arms. Their sole technological weapon – the energy bow – will need several shots to penetrate armor, and unless it is a critical hit, will not cause fatal wounds. The Witches are a significant threat, but even without using ysalamiri units, they can be removed without them setting eyes on our snipers and artillery.

If we so wished, we could simply move a low-atmosphere craft to bombard their villages to dust. They simply have no answer to a modern military force, and there is no scenario in which we can envision them emerging even in a draw. On top of this, the Witches have absolutely no interest in antagonizing us, and we do not expect this posture to change.

VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS: Technological and numerical inferiority, as noted above. No anti-air or modern surveillance detection or methods. We could likely land thousands of soldiers on the planet and they would not know until it was too late.

They cannot win a war of attrition. They cannot win a war of pure Force power unless they use the Orb – which they are highly unlikely to do – and this would bring down the full might of the Imperium.

The Clan Mothers in particular are significant shatterpoints in their society. Kill the Clan Mothers, the Clan Matriarch, the Paladin, and the powerful Witches, and you can shatter any clan. They are not psychologically strong enough to endure so many losses in such a tight-knit community – another reason that a war of attrition is impossible for them to fight.

LEADERSHIP INTENTIONS: The Clan Mothers are focused primarily on the well-being of their clans, outsiders are secondary to this. But they are not inherently hostile to others, even us – despite the bloody history of the Galactic Empire's short occupation. If we show a willingness to work with them on their terms, they will be amenable to a dialogue.

The leadership is not an issue. Do not antagonize them unnecessarily and they will return the favor.

CONCLUSION

The Witches of Dathomir are ultimately an anomaly which seemed destined for a grand entrance that never came. If there was any species outside of the voss who was primed for a galactic emergence that could have fundamentally shaped the galaxy, it was the Witches of Dathomir.

But fate had other ideas for the dathomiri, and instead, they were confined to their own world for millennia, isolated as the rest of the galaxy advanced. At one point, their powers would have decimated armies and heralded a formidable force on the galactic scene. But as time passed, they grew more and more irrelevant, culminating in the invasion of a simple droid army that butchered them easily.

The dathomiri are irrelevant now, but that doesn't mean that there is nothing to learn from them. No matter what they failed to achieve, they have learned to use the Force in a way that is unprecedented, and hold a command over it that many Jedi would be envious of. Their ways are tribal, primitive, and sexist, but slowly and surely, they are evolving societally and culturally.

The dathomiri could be considered potential that was never realized, but in our case, it might be worth considering them instead as an opportunity. They may resist change now, but there will come a time when more and more wish to explore beyond their home planet. A population crisis will force them to reexamine their norms on gender. More interest from Imperial and Alliance archeologists and Force-users alike will expose them to new ideas, concepts, and allies.

We firmly believe that the dathomiri are a key to understanding. What this understanding is, we cannot say for certain. It could be about the Force, it could be about the rakata, or it could be about this unknown precursor race. But considering all we have learned, all that indicates the dathomiri were supposed to be something more, ignoring that they exist is something we cannot abide, even if they pose no threat, and offer little of material value.

The dathomiri will one day change, and if we want to know what they are key to, we suggest we be there when they begin the process.