Dathomirian

Perhaps due to a genetic quirk or some subtle influence of the Force, the near-human Dathomirians are all women with pale white, blue, or gray skin with darker markings that the Nightsisters accentuate with tattooed patterns. They have piercing eyes that range in color from white to blue to amber, and their hair can be any shade: dark black or stark white, or any of the rainbow of colors in between.

Every creature and being on Dathomir must have strength and stamina in order to survive the planet, and Dathomirians are no exception. A weak Dathomirian is a dead Dathomirian. The Nightsisters further train for speed and mental fortitude, pushing an already-strong people toward developing a warrior’s endurance.

Dathomir housed human exiles, criminals, and disenfranchised beings for generations, yet the Dathomirians have multiple stories about their origins—all contradictory. One commonly told story claims the Jedi Council exiled a woman named Aliya, who trained the women on Dathomir in the ways of the Force. The Council has no such record. At least one band of exiles survived on the vibrant yet violent planet. These proto-Dathomirians continued to explore the Force, applying their discoveries toward practical uses, creating the alchemy, magicks, and weapons they now employ.

Over the generations since, these people—who began calling themselves Nightsisters—bonded with the human and Zabrak criminal exiles, absorbing their bitterness, harshness, and ire against the Republic. These misanthropic attitudes pushed the Nightsisters toward self-reliance and isolationism. They remain a matrilineal and female-only society; the male humans and Zabrak are never invited to join their clans.

A few Dathomirians may have rejected the Nightsisters’ society and magicks, but they are few and far between and essentially live as hermits. A Dathomirian wishing to return to the Nightsisters need only prove her lineage through a genetic test, via a magickal ritual, or by revealing secret Nightsister knowledge. Once a Nightsister, always a Nightsister.

Historically, the Dathomirians divided themselves by clans, each led by a Mother, who passed on her specific knowledge and wisdom orally or in written form. Dathomirian society contains quite a number of texts by these Mothers, sometimes based on a specific theme of wisdom, using shadows, light, law, or other metaphor to teach their lessons. The tomes blend history, spirituality, local knowledge, folklore, and insight.

Dathomir, a temperate and largely unexplored world in the Outer Rim’s Quelii sector, has a rich biomass and abundant natural resources. Due to its isolation from major hyperspace lanes, however, it remains largely uncharted. Lurking predators, strange flora and fauna, and rumors of baleful and supernatural activity are enough that many traders refuse to land on the planet, further increasing its isolation. While Dathomir has all the necessities to support intelligent life, it might seem as if the very environment harbors an ill will toward life and light.

Throughout most of the galaxy’s history, people treated Dathomir as an exile’s planet. Supposedly, the Republic used the planet as an unofficial penal colony. It dropped prisoners onto Dathomir with no real support, a bare minimum of supplies, and the directive to turn the planet into a true colony. The records of these “colonists” conveniently do not exist in Republic databases, and history has largely forgotten the planet.

Those with a sensitivity to the Force claim Dathomir to be a planet shrouded in deep shadow. The Nightsisters, if asked, merely claim Dathomir a locus of spiritual power. The few Jedi historians who know of the Nightsisters believe they have conjured the shroud themselves, not only as a shield from prying eyes, but also as a defiant warning to the Jedi Order, which allegedly exiled their founder.

Some of the Nightsisters’ wisdom has come from their exploration of the many ancient ruins scattered across the planet. Most Nightsisters believe Dathomir hosted at least one empire in the ancient past, though this is unverified. Because of their practical nature, Dathomirians and Zabrak have repurposed some of these ancient ruins to their own use, turning them into temples with stone facades depicting revered Nightsisters and Zabrak.

Dathomirians speak a dialect of Basic generally understandable to a Republic citizen but littered with ancient loanwords and criminals’ slang from all over the galaxy. Nightsisters also claim to speak a language called Paecian, extracted from Dathomir’s ruins, and mix what they say are Paecian words with their Basic.

Dathomirians in general want to be left alone, but the Clone Wars, the meddling of the Sith, and the prying of Jedi all threaten to expose their planet and society. The Nightsisters, particularly spiritual leader Mother Talzin, have sent away members to collect intelligence, hone their skills against the vast diversity of the galaxy, and even earn a few credits.

Dathomirians who journey out into the galaxy find that their philosophy of struggle and determination fits well in the Outer Rim. A life of isolation and hardship on Dathomir may be the perfect arena to test their strength, but the wider galaxy provides much more violence and many more enemies, allies, and opportunities.

As the Nightsisters continue to grow in power and influence, they threaten to forgo their neutrality in matters regarding Sith and Jedi. Mother Talzin’s manipulations may bring Dathomir too far into the galactic limelight. Some Nightsisters chafe at the growing attention paid to their planet, their sanctuary. Others trust the leadership of Mother Talzin, pushing all Nightsisters to band under her. Some Nightsisters even talk about building their own Sith-like empire in order to control their destiny.

The Nightsisters definitively dominate society and politics on Dathomir. Their magicks give them undeniable power. In general, the generations of Republic exiles and Zabrak refugees avoid the Nightsisters as much as possible. Some Zabraks, in order to gain some control over their lives, have established a vassal-like relationship with the Nightsisters. Both groups share a similar philosophy. Life on Dathomir tends to give people the same practical, cold, and sometimes cruel outlook.

The Nightsisters require the Nightbrothers to undergo brutal ritual trials. Nightbrothers who pass the trials are selected to serve the Nightsisters as muscle or by performing dangerous tasks. Any attempt to usurp the Nightsisters’ power results in swift and merciless retribution, so the Nightbrothers grudgingly give up a member of their own once in a while in exchange for protection from the other monsters of Dathomir.