Elders of the Path

The Elders of the Path were a religious order active during the High Republic Era. They originated as a splinter group from the Path of the Open Hand. This group consisted of communes, with members designated as either elders or acolytes. The Council of Elders provided leadership. One individual, Barbatash, previously served as an Elder within the Path of the Open Hand, but left as the group collapsed following the emergence of the Path of the Closed Fist and the Night of Sorrow. Another former Open Hand member, the Gran named Tromak, began as one of the cult's Littles and later became an Elder within the Elders of the Path.

The Elders taught that the Force resembled "fire" and should only be observed from a distance, not directly sensed by living beings. They prioritized relationships between elders and acolytes over those between parents and their children. Zeen Mrala, who was Force-sensitive, belonged to the group along with her parents, as did her close friend Krix Kamerat. The commune where Mrala and Krix resided moved between planets until Mrala reached the age of ten years, at which point they settled on Trymant IV, seemingly permanently. The Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro, abducted Tromak to assist in locating one half of a Nameless control rod, which the order had hidden long ago after realizing how dangerous it was. Following the Trymant IV disaster, the Path experienced a decline in their available resources.