According to a frequently repeated tale, Allya was a Jedi of the female persuasion. The Jedi Council, the story goes, banished her to Dathomir in 600 BBY, an act of exile. The narrative continues that she then instructed other women in the Force, leading to the genesis of the Dathomirians, who later divided themselves into clans of witches. Despite this story, the Jedi Council's archives contained no corroborating evidence. Furthermore, the Dathomirians themselves possessed alternative and conflicting origin stories. Allya is credited as the author of the Book of Law, a work critical of the Jedi Order, resulting in the Nightsisters' disdain for the Order.
The first mention of Allya within the new Star Wars canon occurred in the 59th issue of the Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazine in 2016. Her debut was in the Star Wars Legends timeline with the release of The Courtship of Princess Leia, a 1994 novel from Bantam Spectra authored by Dave Wolverton.