Singing Mountain Clan

For other uses, see Singing Mountain.

"The Witches of the Singing Mountain should not be underestimated; while their weapons might appear simple their spells make them formidable opponents. Though not as hostile as the Nightsisters, the Witches of the Singing Mountain won't show you any mercy if they see you as a threat."

―Rubina^[4]

The Singing Mountain Clan was a Dathomiri Witch clan based at the Singing Mountain on Dathomir. The clan appeared as a cohesive, hierarchical matriarchy defined by its warrior culture and magical tradition.

During the Galactic Civil War, it was a bitter rival of the Nightsisters as their leader Gethzerion used to be part of the Singing Mountain Clan before she was exiled for attempting to kill the Clan Mother Augwynne Djo.

Description

"Never concede to evil. That is our oldest and most sacred law. When we concede to evil, even in a small way, we feed it, and it grows stronger."

―Augwynne Djo^[1]

The Singing Mountain Clan was a clan of Witches of Dathomir. The clan was a matriarchal community in which political authority, ritual leadership, and martial power were held by the clan's women, particularly those with spellcasting abilities. The clan was governed by a clan mother, who presided over a Council of Sisters that directed decisions concerning internal affairs, justice, diplomacy, and war.^[1]

A Singing Mountain Clan warrior wearing a traditional outfit with the clan symbol

The clan's internal life was structured around ancient traditions and rituals, strict ethical codes and guided by principles of collective defense. Allya's Book of Law provided the moral and legal framework of the community, guiding responses to threats such as Nightsisters and outsiders. Like in many societies living in a close community, the witches were wary of strangers. Nevertheless, they could offer sanctuary to offworlders, granting them equal status under clan protection once accepted.^[1]

A Singing Mountain Clan sister riding a rancor

Women of the clan considered themselves as sisters. Most of them were fierce warriors dedicated to the defense of their clan and their territory. These warriors included witches armed with blasters or mounted on rancors but those with spellcasting talent held the primary positions of influence. Like in other witch clans on the planet, men and children lived within the community but occupied a subordinate position under the protection of the witches and had to obey established restrictions. Males were traditionally regarded as slaves or breeders. Men outside the clan could be taken as husbands or slaves by witches with the power to capture them and claim them as their own.^[1]

Th clan was named after the Singing Mountain, the mountain inhabited by the clan. The witches had established their village and their agriculture lands across the lower slopes of the mountain and in the valley. The village functioned in direct relationship to the fortress, which dominated the landscape from its higher position on the flank of the mountain. The two formed a unified settlement, the village serving as the living base of the population and the fortress acting as the defensive, ceremonial, and political center.^[1]

History

Old Republic era

"Over time, the daughters of Allya have become known to outworlders as the Witches of Dathomir and have splintered into a number of smaller clans. The largest of these is the clan of the Singing Mountain."

―Rubina^[5]

The Singing Mountain Clan was one of the many Datomirian Witch clan formed when the earlier followers of Allya splintered into a number of smaller clans.^[5]

The Singing Mountain was located close to the Infinity Plain and its ancient Kwa Star Temples.^[6] In 30 BBY,^[7] the Jedi Order thwarted a plot of the Nightsisters to used an ancient superweapon against the Galactic Republic. Later, due to the proximity between the Star Temple containing this weapon and the Singing Mountain Clan Stronghold, the Singing Mountain Clan de facto became the guardian of the Star Temple. Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Jedi Knight Jax Pavan, a Great Jedi Purge survivor, visited the Singing Mountain Clan in order to obtain the support of Clan Mother Augwynne Djo to access the Star Temple. Djo and other witches also helped Pavan to open a Sith holocron in order to learn the secrets of the Sith Lord Darth Ramage. Several days later, after a successful mission to rescue a rebel leader, Jax Pavan returned to Dathomir to have his mind cleared of his dark knowledge by Augwynne Djo.^[6]

War with the Nightsisters

"The Singing Mountain clan is in constant conflict with the Nightsisters, another clan of Force-users here on Dathomir."

―Augwynne Djo^[8]

Although the Nightsisters were mostly exterminated by the Separatists during the Clone Wars,^[9] the evil witch sect was reformed prior to the Battle of Yavin^[10] by Gethzerion, the daughter of Singing Mountain Clan Mother Augwynne Djo. Gethzerion and Djo's oldest daughter, Barukka, had both turned to the dark side of the Force and Gethzerion even attempted to murder her own mother. The plan was only foiled by the sacrifice of their youngest sister Kara'Teel, who gave her life to protect her mother.^[3] These terrible events led Gethzerion to become the leader of the Nightsisters. From this day, the Singing Mountain Clan and the Nightsisters became mortal enemies.^[1]

A Singing Mountain Clan witch defends herself against a Nightsister

During the Galactic Civil War, the Singing Mountain Clan was the largest clan of Dathomir witches.^[5] Around 0 BBY, the Galactic Empire invaded Dathomir.^[10] Imperial troops initially encountered no resistance from the Witches. Howecer, Gethzerion's Nightsisters progressively corrupted and took control of Imperial staff.^[11] Realizing that the Nightsisters were more powerful than what he expected, Emperor Palpatine ordered the Witches of Dathomir to be confined on their planet.^[12] The planet was soon blockaded by Imperial starships for the next years.^[3] The blockade caused the Singing Mountain Clan to hate the Empire.^[13]

Following the Battle of Yavin, the conflict between the Singing Mountain Clan and the Nightsisters became extremely violent.^[2] At that time, the clan was led by Clan Mother Aujante K'lee.^[2] In 1 ABY,^[14] a large battle took place in Asou Dankal between warriors of the two groups, involving spell casters and rancors.^[15] The same year, spacers and adventurers traveled to Dathomir and offered their services to both the Singing Mountain Clan and the Nightsisters,^[16]^[17] joining the war between the two clans on both sides.^[2] The spacers loyal to the Singing Mountain Clan also completed a series of missions for the clan. They captured the Singing Mountain Clan servant Aldiae who was about to defect to the Nightsisters. They then rescued the witch Jhuryx captured by the Nightsisters. They also killed the Nightsister leader Morathax.^[18] The spacers later prevented the Nightsisters to use the Berserker Virus,^[19] a bioweapon developed for the Hutt crime lord Borvo,^[20] against the Singing Mountain Clan rancors.^[19] The offworlders also defeated the Nightsister Kyrisa^[21] who was responsible for the creation of mentally unstable and highly aggressive mutant rancors.^[22] Augwynne Djo and the Jedi Rachi Sitra attempted to capture Kyrisa thereafter but the latter managed to escape the planet.^[8] In addition, the spacers discovered the terrible fate of the Howling Crag Clan, decimated by the Imperial bioweapon during the Blackwing virus outbreak on Dathomir.^[23] In the meantime, the Nightsisters also undertook assaults against the Singing Mountain Clan.^[2] Sisters Selia and Espernia were killed by the Nightsisters.^[24]^[25] Later, a group of spacers working for Gethzerion even assassinated Augwynne Djo's adopted daughters Aelta and Chastina.^[26]

A group of Singing Mountain Clan witches and rancors preparing to battle Nightsisters

Beyond the Nightsister clan itself, the Singing Mountain Clan was also in conflict with Nightsister outcasts such as the Spiderclan, a group of heretical Nightsisters who preferred taming gaping spiders than rancors.^[23] The spacers working for the Singing Mountain Clan eventually destroyed the Queen Mother of the Spiderclan, which was in fact a giant gaping spider.^[27] The offworlders also had to deal with Nandina,^[28] a follower of the Nightsister outcast Axkva Min^[29] who had been imprisoned by Gethzerion in the Chamber of Banishment because she had became a threat to her own people.^[30] In 1 ABY,^[14] Axkva Min and her followers discovered a way to free themselves from her confinement but they were killed when attempting to escape.^[29] The only survivor was Nandina. After escaping the Chamber of Banishment, she tried to assassinate Arch Witch Azzenaj of the Singing Mountain Clan but was unsuccessful. Nandina and her rancor Gorvo were finally killed by spacers loyal to the Singing Mountain Clan.^[28]

Reunited with the galaxy

"We have all agreed to help Leia and the offworlders."

―Augwynne Djo^[1]

After the death of Emperor Palaptine at the Battle of Endor, the New Republic replaced the Galactic Empire as the main galactic government. In the following years, Imperial Warlord Zsinj emerged as a major threat to the New Republic.^[3] The former controlled the Dathomir system and stationed a fleet in orbit, maintaining the Imperial blockade of the planet.^[1]

In 8 ABY, during the New Republic campaign against Zsinj, Han Solo won the deed to the planet Dathomir in a card game and subsequently abducted Princess Leia Organa to the planet aboard the Millennium Falcon in order to prevent her marriage to Prince Isolder of the Hapes Consortium. After a skirmish with Zsinj's forces in orbit, the Millennium Falcon crash-landed on the planet. Solo, Organa and Chewbacca soon encountered the witches of the Singing Mountain Clan and took shelter in their village. Shortly thereafter, Luke Skywalker and Prince Isolder arrived on the planet, searching for Princess Leia. Both men were later captured by Teneniel Djo, the grand-daughter of Clan Mother Augwynne Djo. Teneniel claimed Isolder as her mate and saw in Luke a rare male witch that claimed as a slave. All the offworlders were eventually reunited in the village of the Singing Mountain Clan. Augwynne Djo offered them protection but the witches regarded the newcomers with suspicion.^[1]

Isolder and the Heroes of Yavin riding rancors with the Singing Mountain Clan

The situation escalated when Zsinj discovered the presence of the New Republic heroes on the planet. The warlord made a deal with Gethzerion, offering the Nightsisters a ship to escape the blockaded planet in exchange for turning over Han Solo. The ineluctable battle erupted when the Nightsisters attacked the Singing Mountain fortress to capture the offworlders. The latter allied with the Singing Mountain Clan and helped the witches to repel the Nightsisters and their Imperial allies. After a series of confrontations marked by magical and armed combat, the Nightsisters were finally defeated. Frustrated by this outcome, Warlord Zsinj betrayed Gethzerion and destroyed her escaping shuttle from orbit, killing instantaneously the leader of the Nightsisters and her last surviving followers. Zsinj then decided to punish the witches by unleashing siege weapons known as orbital nightcloaks against the planet. However, a space battle soon began when the Hapan Royal Navy arrived in the Dathomir system and attacked the Imperial fleet. The warlord himself was killed in the battle and his fleet was annihilated, along with the dreaded orbital nightcloaks.^[1]

The Singing Mountain Clan defend its stronghold against Nightsisters and their Imperial slaves.

As the battle ended, the witches of the Singing Mountain Clan had come to respect the offworlders, including males. The conflict resolved with Teneniel Djo marrying Isolder, creating an unexpected alliance between the "primitive" Dathomir and the wealthy Hapes Consortium.^[1] Teneniel Djo would promptly become the new queen of Hapes. The destruction of the Nightsisters and Zsinj's Empire opened an era of peace for the Witches of Dathomir. Han Solo offered the planet's deed to Augwynne Djo who convinced the other clans to make Dathomir join the New Republic. The Singing Mountain Clan thus emerged as a bastion of tradition and resilience able to preserve its heritage while adapting to new political realities.^[3]

Later history

"If any of you would like to learn the ways of the Force, to do what Vilas and I can do-whether you be male or female, noble-born or slave-come join us. Our settlement is at the bottom of the Great Canyon, only three days' journey from here by foot."

―Vonnda Ra, to the Singing Mountain Clan sisters^[31]

In the years following the Battle of the Singing Mountain, several witches of the Singing Mountain Clan left Dathomir to join Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order, including Damaya,^[32] Kirana Ti and her niece Sanola Ti.^[33]

In 12 ABY, the Empire returned to Dathomir, in the form of an Imperial Remnant expedition led by General Vit. The Imperials made an alliance with a group of Dathomiri who styled themselves as a reborn clan of Nightsister and overpowered the small New Republic force on the planet as well as the resisting Witches of Dathomir. Although the Infinity Gate — the main objective of the Empire — was inoperable, General Vit and his troops remained on the planet to impose Imperial authority and recruit Force-sensitive warriors for the service of the Empire. The Imperial garrison began incarcerating hostile witch clans, including the Singing Mountain Clan and the Dreaming River Clan. At this point, a group of New Republic sympathizers, including special forces officer and Jedi trainee Dal Konur, as well as renegade Imperial Royal Guard Kir Kanos, arrived on the planet. Working together with the Dathomiri Witch resistance, they fought their way though Imperial troops and finally secured the Dathomir communications center. From there, they were able to contact Queen Teneniel Djo of the Hapes Consortium and convinced her to send a Hapan fleet liberate the planet.^[34]

In 23 ABY, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and Jedi apprentice Tenel Ka Djo, the daughter of Teneniel Djo and Isolder, traveled to Dathomir in order to request support of the Singing Mountain Clan Stronghold in searching information about resurgent Nightsisters allied with an Imperial faction known as the Second Imperium. They discovered that the Great Canyon Clan had became Nightsisters under the leadership of Tamith Kai. These Nightsisters attempted to recruit new followers among other clans, including the Singing Mountain Clan. Posing as Singing Mountain Clan members willing to join the Nightsisters, two Jedi used this opportunity to infiltrate the Great Canyon Clan, and subsequently the Second Imperium's Shadow Academy.^[31]

Behind the scenes

The Singing Mountain Clan first appeared in the 1994 novel The Courtship of Princess Leia, written by Dave Wolverton.^[1] The clan was later featured in the novels Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy and The Last Jedi.^[31]^[6]

Concept art of various Singing Mountain Clan witches for . — Concept art of various Singing Mountain Clan witches for *Star Wars Galaxies*.

The Singing Mountain Clan also appeared in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts,^[15] prior to its closure on December 15, 2011.^[35] The Singing Mountain Clan was a major feature of the game as it was one of the two factions of non-players characters on Dathomir, the other being the Nightsisters.^[36] The game was the first media to present the Singing Mountain Clan witches in their environment and thereby developed an authentic visual atmosphere for the clan, including original clothing and architecture.^[37] Upon the original release of the game, players had the possibility to visit the Singing Mountain Clan Stronghold and work for the witches of the clan.^[38] They could also choose instead to align with the Nightsisters against the Singing Mountain Clan.^[39] These quests series were removed from the game upon the release of the revamped "Witches of Dathomir Theme Park," introduced in the Game Update 19 on December 14, 2010.^[40] The new "Theme Park" proposed modernized quests in which the players could also choose to join either the Singing Mountain Clan or the Nightsisters.^[16]^[17]