The Dreaming River Clan represented a group of Dathomiri witches who made their home on the planet of Dathomir during the era of the New Republic. Approximately around the time of 12 ABY, Dathomir fell under the control of the Imperial Remnant, a governing body in opposition to the Republic. The Imperials forged a pact with the Nightsisters, a particular group, or sect, of dark side Dathomiri witches, and the combined might of the Imperial and Nightsister forces led to the imprisonment of the majority of the members of the Dreaming River Clan. Subsequently, these captive Force-sensitive witches were freed from their Imperial confinement by a company of Jedi Knights.
The Dreaming River Clan was a specific group of Force-wielding Dathomiri witches that resided upon the planet of Dathomir, within the Quelii sector. This clan established their settlement within an isolated river valley on Dathomir, and during the time of the New Republic, the witch known as Astrinol Hja served as their leader. The Dreaming River witches adhered to a matriarchal societal structure and generally avoided being led by men, although they were open to forming alliances with male individuals.
Around 12 ABY, Dathomir was under the control of the Imperial Remnant, a galactic government that stood against the New Republic. To bolster their occupation, the Imperials entered into an alliance with the Nightsisters, a faction of dark side Dathomiri witches who were at odds with the other witch clans on the planet. As a demonstration of their commitment to the Nightsisters, the Imperials systematically rounded up New Republic personnel present on Dathomir, as well as members of the Singing Mountain Clan, a prominent group among the Dathomiri witches. The Dreaming River Clan opposed the occupation and formed somewhat of an underground resistance movement to combat the Imperial presence on Dathomir.
The Dreaming River Clan eventually garnered the attention of the Imperial invaders, leading to a combined assault by Imperial troops and Nightsisters riding rancor upon the clan's settlement. The majority of the Dreaming River Force witches, including Astrinol Hja, were subsequently taken into custody. Kir Kanos, a former member of the Imperial Guardsman, suspected that the captured witches would be pressured into joining the Nightsisters or potentially fed to the Nightsisters' rancors if they refused.
In the midst of the Imperial assault, Kir Kanos and a group of Jedi Knights&mdashForce-using defenders of peace and justice—arrived at the Dreaming River clan's settlement. The Jedi Knights had found themselves stranded on Dathomir, and Kanos aimed to introduce them to the Dreaming River Clan in order to seek the witches' aid in repairing the Knights' starship so that the Jedi could depart the world while avoiding the Imperials.
The Jedi Knights successfully rescued several Dreaming River Clan witches from the clutches of the Nightsisters and Imperial forces. The rescued Force witches agreed to form an alliance with the Jedi and suggested that they send a request for assistance to Teneniel Djo, a witch belonging to the Singing Mountain Clan who was married to Isolder, a prince of the influential Hapes Consortium. The remaining Dreaming River witches were then escorted to an Imperial prison facility, where they were confined under the watch of Nightsisters and Imperial stormtroopers.
With the help of the rescued witches, the Jedi Knights managed to infiltrate an Imperial-controlled communications center and dispatch a transmission to the Hapes Consortium, requesting their assistance. Furthermore, the Jedi Knights and Force witches launched an assault on the Imperial prison facility where the other Dreaming River witches were held, successfully defeating the guards. Consequently, the captive witches, including Astrinol Hja, were freed from their Imperial imprisonment.
The Dreaming River Clan was the creation of J.D. Wiker and made its debut in Nightsaber, a Star Wars Legends roleplaying adventure published by Wizards of the Coast on Wizards.com in 2003. The clan received a later mention in the 2008 compendium titled The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, specifically within the entry dedicated to Astrinol Hja.
In Nightsaber, the players assume the roles of Jedi agents who are stranded on Dathomir, and the game allows for various outcomes contingent upon the players' actions and choices. During the Imperial and Nightsister assault on the Dreaming River Clan's settlement, the player characters have the opportunity to rescue a small number of Dreaming River witches who have become separated from the main group. The witches that they save can then form an alliance with the player characters and assist them in attacking the communications center and Imperial prison. If the player characters choose to prioritize tackling other threats instead of directly attacking the Imperial prison, their Force witch allies volunteer to raid the prison and rescue their sisters. The witches then endure heavy casualties in the attack but succeed at freeing most of the Dream River Clan captives. The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia confirms that the Jedi rescue Astrinol Hja, indicating the player characters' involvement in the attack to be the official outcome within Star Wars Legends continuity.
The clan's name is presented with differing capitalization in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia compared to its appearance in Nightsaber. In Nightsaber, they are referred to as the "Dreaming River clan," whereas in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, their name is written as "Dreaming River Clan." This article adopts the latter capitalization, as The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia represents the more recently published source between the two.