The Nightsisters, also known as the Witches of Dathomir or Daughters of Dathomir, were a clan and order of magick-wielding female Dathomirians who lived on Dathomir, a planet bathed in dark energies. These Dark side users were able to perform their arcane magicks by tapping into the magical ichor that flowed from the depths of their planet.

According to a commonly told story, the first Nightsisters were trained in the ways of the Force by Allya, a female Jedi whom the Jedi Council had sent into exile on the mysterious planet of Dathomir. However, the Jedi Council had no records of an exile named Allya, and the Nightsisters themselves had other, contradicting tales about their origins. Even if she was not the founder of the sisters, Allya also wrote the Book of Law that taught the sisters to dislike the Jedi.

When the Fromprath came to Dathomir, they exploited the natural resources of the planet. The Nightsisters opposed this technological invasion, forming a symbiotic alliance with the rancors, in order to drive out the colonizers. They mounted them in combat and succeeded in driving the colonizers out of the soil of Dathomir. Knowing that technologically advanced aliens posed a threat to coven, the Nightsisters modernized some of their weapons, such as their energy bows.

According to legend, the Nightsister Zeldin went after the Sith Darth Caldoth, after he stole a burial pod from Dathomir. Zeldin attempted to manipulate Caldoth into causing his own death out of revenge, but Caldoth was aware of Zeldin’s presence, exploiting their connection before trapping her consciousness within his mind. Though a weapon used more commonly by Jedi, the Nightsisters had adopted lightwhips by the High Republic Era.

A period took place known as the Golden Age of the Nightsisters. The clan flourished and the separate Nightsister clans lived in harmony. However, the era nearly came to an end as the clans drifted apart. However, the iron will of new Clan Mother Talzin kept the clans together. Since their power was at its most potent on their home planet, the Nightsisters rarely ventured off-world during the height of the Galactic Republic. However, this changed under Mother Talzin. During this time, Talzin worked alongside the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. Talzin became wary of her machinations knowing there could only be two powerful dark side factions at one time due to the Rule of Two. Sidious ultimately betrayed Talzin and took her son Maul from her. At the time of the Clone Wars, Talzin began to sell her sisters’ services as mercenaries to the galaxy‘s wealthy citizens.

In 232 BBY, Jedi Padawan Imri Cantaros thought about how the Nightsisters had less rules than the Jedi and their creative, more destructive values.

In 50 BBY, the clan was forced to give up the young Asajj Ventress to the Siniteen criminal Hal’Sted as insurance for protection.

A couple years before the Clone Wars, Talzin came to tell the witch of no clan Falta to give up her daughter, Yenna. After Falta declined, Yenna slowly became frustrated with her mother’s teachings, and one day left to join the Nightsisters in hopes of different teaching. The Nightsisters became embroiled in Arzo Suun‘s attempt to steal from a Nightbrother village.