The Path of the Open Hand, known among the Ro family as "the faithful," was a radical missionary order and cult that existed on the planet Dalna during the High Republic Era. This group, spearheaded by Elecia Zeveron, who went by the name "The Mother," and proclaimed herself a prophet, fervently believed that the use of the Force was forbidden, particularly by the Jedi Order. Their core conviction was that wielding the Force constituted its abuse, leading to death and widespread catastrophe throughout the galaxy.
In the year 382 BBY, the Path, along with the Mother, acquired a living weapon referred to as the Leveler, which fed on Force-sensitives. They also obtained the Rod of Seasons, an artifact capable of controlling the Leveler. Following the creature's emergence, Zeveron convinced her followers that it was an instrument of the Force, enacting its will by eliminating those who used it. Subsequently, under the direction of their Guide, Marda Ro, the Path began to broaden their influence, traversing the galaxy aboard their flagship, the Gaze Electric, and venturing to locations such as the sacred moon of Jedha. Simultaneously, the Mother manipulated the Eiram and E'ronoh War to secure an Eirami poison and to portray the Jedi as antagonists, aiming to turn public sentiment against them.
On Jedha, the Path's other prominent figure, Werth Plouth, known as "The Herald," formally requested the dissolution of the Convocation of the Force, a council representing various Force-affiliated groups, and demanded that all associated groups cease their use of the Force. After the Convocation denied his request, the Herald stirred up a mob outside the Convocation Chambers against the council and Force-users. Concurrently, Yana Ro, Marda's relative, unleashed the Leveler upon the crowd, causing the creature's effects on Force-sensitives to escalate the already agitated group into a full-scale riot. The chaos extended to the Second Spire, the location for the signing of a treaty between Eiram and E'ronoh. This event, coupled with the intervention of the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door at the Path's behest, led to both parties engaging in combat, triggering the Battle of Jedha. This was the Mother's intention, and she attempted to portray the Path as heroes by providing aid and healing during the conflict. However, many held them responsible, resulting in the destruction of their healing house. In the aftermath, the Mother asserted that the Herald had acted independently in instigating the conflict and did not represent the Path's views.
Following the battle, several Jedi groups journeyed to Dalna to investigate the Path. Simultaneously, discord arose between the Mother and the Herald, which was quelled by Marda Ro. Marda had become even more convinced of the evil of using the Force after participating in the mission to the mythical Planet X to acquire more of the Nameless, the Leveler's species. She restructured the Path into a subgroup known as the Path of the Closed Fist, declaring war on the Jedi. In a devastating clash known as the Night of Sorrow, the Path engaged the Jedi who had arrived on Dalna, as well as reinforcements, resulting in numerous Jedi fatalities caused by the Nameless. Nevertheless, the Jedi, with the assistance of a united Eiram and E'ronoh, defeated the Path. After the battle, Marda discovered that the Mother had been deceitful about her prophetic visions and had been secretly using the Force. Consequently, Marda used the Leveler to kill her. Marda, retaining her faith, seized the Path's flagship, the Gaze Electric, and initiated a new strategy to dismantle the Jedi, establishing the Nihil. A subsequent group of Path descendants, known as the Elders of the Path, emerged, comprising Path members who had either escaped or survived the Night of Sorrow.
The Path of the Open Hand was an extreme cult centered on the core belief that individuals with Force-sensitivity should abstain from using or manipulating the Force. They held the conviction that such actions constituted an abuse and harm to the Force, disrupting the equilibrium of the galaxy. Furthermore, the Path maintained that the Force would invariably seek to restore balance. In their view, if one employed the Force to preserve life, an equal number of lives would be forfeited elsewhere in the galaxy. Consequently, any utilization of the Force would inevitably lead to unforeseen repercussions. These convictions fostered inherent resentment and animosity towards the Jedi Order, the most prominent group in the galaxy that used the Force, whose philosophy stood in stark contrast to their own. They attributed much of the misfortune and danger in the galaxy to the Jedi, believing that their constant, selfish, and reckless use of the Force disrupted its balance.
Given this perspective, any Force-sensitive individual who joined the Path was required to suppress their connection to the Force and refrain from invoking it. Another crucial aspect of their belief system was the prohibition of access to Force artifacts and weapons, as well as the use of Force powers. To this end, they established a subgroup known as the Children who were tasked with "liberating" or stealing these items, which would then be safeguarded by the Path. The cult also emphasized mutual support, with members providing for one another in the belief that the Force would reciprocate. They willingly extended support to both members and non-members alike, referring to their acts of generosity and resources as 'gifts freely given.' This tactic was often employed to recruit new members, offering comfort and security to those in need with the hope of attracting them to the cult.
The Force icon, a symbol comprising three wavy blue lines, served as the Path of the Open Hand's representation of the Force. Members marked their faces, typically their foreheads, with brikal shell blue paint in the shape of the icon, wearing it daily. Path members typically donned plain gray robes, occasionally accented with blue or brown. In contrast, the Children wore green and gold robes. The cult's name originated from its belief in freely giving gifts, emphasizing the importance of extending an open hand to others rather than a closed one driven by selfishness. Consequently, most members resided on a communal compound on the planet Dalna, where they practiced self-sufficiency.
Over time, the once peaceful Path evolved into a militant faction under the leadership of Elecia Zeveron, known as "the Mother," who urged her followers to arm themselves against the Jedi in the name of the Force. Guide of the Open Hand Marda Ro later transformed the Path into the Path of the Closed Fist when she concluded that the ideal of "an open hand" had failed. Senior members of the Path became willing to sacrifice themselves as a final "gift freely given" and a living shield, while even the young were trained for combat instead of farming. Despite the Mother's earlier assurance to Axel Greylark that the Path was not violent and only opposed those who "abused" the Force, she swiftly ordered the execution of his mother, Kyong Greylark, when his usefulness waned. Jedi Knight Gella Nattai suspected that those who attempted to leave the Path faced execution on charges of treason. Path members who served as warriors were known as Path soldiers and Path guards.
Even before Ro established the "Closed Fist," the Mother's leadership had cultivated a militant Path eager to confront the Jedi and their perceived tyrannical control over the Force. One pamphlet distributed by the Path at the time advocated for fighting evil and opposing "unnatural" practices, urging fellow Dalnan residents to join the impending battle. As noted by Child member Yana Ro, the writing altered the core Path tenet: while it still mentioned the freedom of the Force, it also referenced establishing justice and purity within the Force, which Yana interpreted as a sign that the Path was eager to fight. The language of "evil" and "tyranny," clearly directed at the Jedi Order, concerned her, as did witnessing the once moderate Elder Dinube disseminate condemnation and judgement towards those who disregarded the "plight" of the Force. His words made no mention of the gifts freely given that the cult had once valued.
The Path's internal language also underwent changes, with terms like "brothers" and "sisters" being applied to cult membership. The Mother also preached that the entire galaxy was in crisis due to the Force-usage of the Jedi and similar groups, further asserting that the Republic and HoloNet were untrustworthy. Instead, she urged her followers to remain vigilant and spread the "truth" themselves. Shortly thereafter, Ro formally transformed the cult into the Path of the Closed Fist, urging its members to protect and liberate the Force together instead of succumbing to internal division. Nevertheless, the Mother's corruption and Ro's ascent to power culminated in the cult's disintegration amid its newfound militant focus, with the so-called Closed Fist forming to wage war against the Jedi: as Ro stated, they would deliver change by force with a closed fist instead of open offerings. Meanwhile, the Elders, having lost much of their influence over the cult, remained dedicated to the "Open Hand" and abandoned Dalna as Ro's new faction waged its war.
The Path of the Open Hand was governed by a Council of Elders and a Herald, who presided over the council. Elders were the Path's most experienced and typically oldest members, providing guidance to others. Later, the Path acquired an additional leader in the form of a Mother, who led with visions of the Force and managed to gain control of the cult. The Mother also established and oversaw a subgroup of the Path called the Children, who traveled the galaxy to steal Force artifacts and return them to the Path compound. Youngling members of the Path of the Open Hand were referred to as Littles and were supervised by the Elders and designated members. Marda Ro was appointed Guide of the Open Hand with the Mother's blessing.
The Path's transformation into the Closed Fist caused internal conflict. Ro formed the Closed Fist and was joined by the Herald and the Mother, who clung to power by aligning with her. However, the Elders of the Open Hand fled the Battle of Dalna, abandoning the Closed Fist in the name of the Open Hand: as Elder Yulon Onning explained, the battle's chaos represented something other than the Open Hand he believed in. He realized that he had lost all control over his supposed followers, although at least one Path guard, a Sakiyan Path member, and a group of shuttles remained at the Elders' disposal. While he hoped to see the Path win the battle, he no longer considered its members to be part of the same group as him. During the battle, Path enforcer droids also turned against organic Path members, including an elderly woman who sought her granddaughter instead of fighting. Path members who participated in the battle did so in the name of the Closed Fist, according to chants overheard by Axel Greylark. However, Kyong Greylark, even after Axel reported his observations, believed that only a portion of the Path had transformed into the new group.
The Path of the Open Hand was established sometime before 483 BBY by Sachar Rold, a former member of the Guardians of the Whills who departed due to conflicting beliefs. After being cast out, he sought self-discovery within the Force. Guided by a vision of bright blue light, he arrived on the planet Dalna, which was free from war and suffering. There, he founded the Path of the Open Hand. The cult developed a compound on the planet, utilizing its caves. They practiced self-sufficiency, with members supporting each other and living off the land.
Years later, Elecia Zeveron, a woman from the Core Worlds, arrived at the Path as a refugee. She was welcomed into the cult and embraced its ways. Eventually, Zeveron claimed to have a vision similar to Sachar Rold's, featuring a blue light. However, she asserted that the light took the form of a messenger made of pure Force. She claimed that it taught her how to 'share life' and connect with the Force, resulting in her small garden blooming overnight. The Path came to believe that her harmony with the Force was so profound that it radiated to those around her. As a result, and due to her continued visions, she was permitted to assist in leading the Path, despite not being an Elder. The Path believed that she had been sent by the Force to guide them.
She assumed the title of "the Mother" and officially became a leader of the Path, succeeding "the Herald," Werth Plouth, who agreed to relinquish control and remained their Herald. She collaborated with the Council of Elders. Everyone in the Path, including young Littles and Elders, listened to her. However, the Mother was secretly a skilled con artist who freely used the Force, employing mind tricks to manipulate others and fabricating visions to maintain her power. Zeveron's resentment stemmed from her sister, Oliviah Zeveron, being taken into the Jedi Order as a child, while her own Force abilities were deemed insufficient. Insulted, the Mother harbored her anger towards the Jedi into adulthood, devising a plan to seize control of the galaxy through the Path and exact her revenge.
Under her leadership, the cult expanded significantly. The Path also maintained ties with various groups, including pirates to whom the Mother provided information about lucrative raiding spots in exchange for loyalty, and wealthy backers whom the Mother had convinced to enrich the Path. Evidence also suggested that the Mother used the Path as a front for a smuggling operation, which further enriched the cult. Eventually, the Mother had a vision of a grand ship for the Path to traverse the galaxy and spread their message. The Path began its construction, naming it the Gaze Electric. The Mother founded a subgroup of the Path called the Children, which she oversaw. The Children traveled off Dalna and stole, claiming to liberate, Force artifacts to prevent others from using the Force. They employed any means necessary, often resorting to espionage and violence.
At some point, Axel Greylark, the son of politician Kyong Greylark and a member of the distinguished Greylark family, was disinherited after a series of misdeeds. He turned to smuggling for income and was sent to the Path to smuggle ship parts for the Gaze Electric for Ney Madiine. He remained with the Path because they did not worship the Jedi, whom he blamed for his father's death. He initially subscribed to their belief in the freedom of the Force but eventually lost faith. However, he stayed with the Path because of the Mother. She taught him to remember his pain whenever he began to forget his father and become the Greylark his mother wanted him to be, eventually learning to need and use the pain. She eventually sent him back to Coruscant, near the Galactic Senate, realizing that he would be more useful there. However, he returned whenever she needed him, answering her every call.
Before or during 382 BBY, the Path of the Open Hand expanded its reach to the planets Eiram and E'ronoh, which, along with Dalna, were located in the Dalnan sector. They exploited the war between these planets to recruit individuals seeking to escape the conflict, military drafts, and the poverty and suffering they were experiencing. Many young people joined in the hopes of a better life and continued to promote the cult as the Path expanded. They also welcomed and recruited refugees who sought refuge on Dalna to escape the war.
The war between Eiram and E'ronoh created chaos that the Path and Mother could exploit. The Mother also enriched her coffers through the conflict, directing the proceeds to the Path. At some point, the Mother, and thus the Path of the Open Hand, provided aid to the planet Eiram and its Queen, Adrialla. Initially, she requested nothing in return but later asked for the manufacture of poison from the planet's poisonous Blue scorpions. Queen Adrialla developed the poison, hoping to use it in the war, but after a failed mission, she ceased production and refused to provide any to the Path.
Around 382 BBY, agents working for the Mother were active on the holy moon of Jedha for weeks and months, manipulating Jedha City to her advantage without being physically present. These agents stole holy artifacts for sale on the black market to fund the Path. The broader Path was unaware of these activities on Jedha.
In 382 BBY, the Mother tasked Serrena, a Kage woman and member of her Children, with inserting a program chip into a starfighter intended for use by E'ronoh's Princess Xiri A'lbaran. The chip would seize control of the ship, causing it to fire randomly and explode, with the aim of prolonging the Eiram and E'ronoh War. However, the starfighter was instead used by Bly Tevin, but it still resulted in a skirmish with Eiram that led to A'lbaran crash-landing on Eiram, although she survived. Serrena operated from an abandoned building in the Brushlands of E'ronoh with her partner, Abda, a fellow Kage and Path member. Despite her failure, Serrena later intercepted an EX droid carrying a message from two Jedi Masters, informing the Mother that the Jedi had arrived in the system. However, due to Serrena's failure, the Mother contacted Abda without her knowledge, inviting her to work directly for her and become one of her Children.
Later, Serrena confronted Queen Adrialla of Eiram aboard the Galactic Republic Longbeam cruiser Paxion, where a peace summit was being held to end the war. She confronted Adrialla about breaking their agreement to manufacture poison for them. Adrialla refused to resume production, even when Serrena threatened to harm her son, Prince Phan-tu Zenn, as had happened to Tevin and Princess A'lbaran. Adrialla's wife, Odelia, shot Serrena with a blaster, but she escaped in an escape pod and returned to Abda.
Meanwhile, Axel Greylark was sent to the system to represent his mother, Kyong Greylark, who was now one of the Republic's Supreme Chancellors, at the summit. On his way there, he stopped at a saloon on Lorta, where he met Binnot Ullo, a member of the Path. Ullo told him that the Mother missed him, cared about him, and had a job for him. When he hesitated, Ullo told Greylark that it was more than just a job, but a purpose. The Mother wanted Greylark to monitor the Jedi in the system, but he initially did not understand why. Upon arrival, he was assigned to protect Princess A'lbaran and Prince Zenn, who had agreed to marry to end the war. Using his droid, QN-1, he reported their activities and travels to the Mother, especially those of Jedi Knight Gella Nattai, who had been assigned to protect the couple alongside him and with whom he developed an infatuation. In one E'roni town, Nattai was confronted by a woman named Kala, who told her that fighting for peace was futile and that the Jedi were making things worse in the galaxy. After dismissing her, Marshal Iana Percei explained that Kala was echoing the teachings of the Path of the Open Hand, describing the cult's beliefs, arrival, and recruitment efforts on E'ronoh to Nattai.
In the city of The Rook, Abda encountered Binnot Ullo, a figure who conveyed that the Mother was displeased. This unhappiness stemmed from the perception of the Jedi as potential saviors ending the war, and Queen Adrialla's belief that she could circumvent her obligations following Serrena's missteps. Ullo instructed Abda to rectify Serrena's failings, providing her with a vial of Eirami poison and urging her to succeed. After Ullo's departure, Abda returned to the brushlands. Consumed by anger at her own failures and emboldened by the Mother's selection of her as one of her Children, Abda secretly administered the same poison to Serrena's blaster wound during treatment, resulting in Serrena's death. Later, Abda attempted to assassinate Princess Xiri A'lbaran with the poison in her palace bedroom, but Axel Greylark pilfered the poison before she arrived. Upon sneaking into the room, she found herself unarmed and confronted by Jedi Padawan Enya Keen, who apprehended her.
Subsequently, Axel Greylark communicated with the Mother, who advised him to disregard the war's conclusion. Instead, she instructed him to allow the wedding to proceed, eliminate Abda and Gella Nattai, and retrieve the poison while the Jedi were occupied. Greylark infiltrated Abda's cell and lethally injected her with the poison. As he anticipated, blame was directed towards reactionary E'roni terrorist Viceroy Ferrol instead of Greylark himself. Greylark intentionally left an invitation puck in the cell, using it as a pretext to bring Nattai to Ney Madiine's fighting arena, the Rusty Rancor, on the Hesperys Station. He deposited Nattai into the fighting ring, intending to sacrifice her in exchange for information from Madiine about Ferrol, which he could then use to implicate the Viceroy in the broader conspiracy. Madiine provided the information, but Greylark, swayed by his connection and feelings for Nattai, defied the Mother's orders and could not abandon her.
On Eiram, Greylark accompanied Prince Zenn to investigate the poison manufacturing facility. He successfully stole three vials of the poison before being stung by a blue scorpion. Awakening later, Greylark, realizing the poison's devastating effects due to his sting, decided against sending the vials back to Ullo and the Path. Subsequently, Ferrol attempted to murder Greylark for framing him, but Greylark preemptively stabbed him. In his hasty escape, Greylark left QN-1 behind, which Nattai discovered along with the numerous correspondences with the Mother stored in the droid's memory banks. However, Greylark had avoided directly incriminating the Mother or the Path of the Open Hand in his communications.
As a massive storm engulfed Eiram's capital city, Erasmus, a mentally unstable Greylark strapped the poison to three detonators and positioned them on the three towers protecting Eiram from the storm, intending to destroy the poison. Nattai located Greylark on one of the towers, sensing him through the Force, and questioned why he had not left her to die as ordered by his master. Greylark revealed that his employers sought to be 'free of the Jedi', hinting at the Path. The explosives detonated, collapsing the towers and unleashing the storm upon the city. Gella was forced to save both herself and Axel, who then explained that he knew he couldn't reach the archived poison, so he created enough chaos to draw attention to what he did and expose the Queen. Greylark was apprehended for his crimes and imprisoned. The Mother then sent him a message assuring him that the Jedi were responsible for his predicament and that she had neither forgotten nor abandoned him.
Additionally, in 382 BBY, the Mother tasked her Children with the mission of acquiring the Force artifact known as the Rod of Seasons from the Hynestian royal family residing on the planet Hynestia Prime. Their mission was a success, and they successfully retrieved the artifact and brought it back to the Mother. Following this event, the queen of Hynestia requested assistance from the Jedi Order in locating and recovering the artifact. Jedi Master Zallah Macri and her Padawan, Kevmo Zink, were dispatched to investigate the theft. Upon their arrival on Dalna, Zink encountered Marda Ro, a Path member and caretaker of the Littles. They were immediately drawn to each other, but Ro suppressed her feelings due to her anti-Jedi beliefs and her aversion to his use of the Force, which was considered taboo by the Path. Nevertheless, she eventually extended an invitation to him and his master to visit the Path compound, hoping to sway his mind and beliefs. During their visit, Macri and Zink inquired about the Path's potential possession of artifacts, but Marda insisted that they only had some stored on the subterranean levels and did not steal them.
Concurrently, a hyperspace prospector named Radicaz Dobbs, known as Sunshine, presented the Mother with an egg of a creature called the Nameless from a mysterious paradise planet. In return, she welcomed him into the Path and tasked him with locating the other two rods that formed a set with the Rod of Seasons. He eventually discovered the Rod of Daybreak on the holy moon of Jedha.
Shortly thereafter, an unusual storm caused the Path's compound and the caves beneath and connected to it to flood. Marda sought out Zink and implored him to assist them. He agreed, while his master stayed behind to aid the city, and accompanied Marda to the compound where the Elders were guiding people to shelter above ground. However, Marda discovered that members of a Kessarine family, who were part of the Path and had several newborn children, were trapped in the caves below. Zink and Marda ventured through the cave system to find them, but Zink sensed a dark side presence within the caves. He held back the flood waters while Marda rescued the family, an act that made her uneasy. Three days later, after the Path members were compelled to sleep together in a storage barn, they held a grand harvest feast to boost morale, which included a harvest dance performed by the Elders.
Meanwhile, Yana Ro resolved to leave the Path and Dalna, planning to elope with her girlfriend, Kor Plouth, the daughter of the Herald. The Council of Elders and the Mother were displeased by her decision but did not attempt to prevent her departure. The Mother only requested that she complete one final mission with the Children before leaving. The Herald informed Marda Ro of Yana's declaration to the Council, which deeply upset her. She confronted Yana, attempting to convince her that Dalna and the Path were their home and that she was making a mistake by leaving. However, Yana asserted that the Path's ideology was flawed and that the Force was indifferent to them, stating that she had made up her mind.
Marda Ro and Kevmo Zink grew increasingly close, developing romantic feelings for each other. Marda was particularly captivated by his tales of Jedha and their Convocation of the Force, a council where members of various Force religions debated matters of the Force. Marda decided that the Path should have representation on the council, and that she should be the one to represent it. Having learned of Yana's plans to leave, she also hoped that her cousin would accompany her, believing that leaving Dalna would be sufficient to satisfy her desire to depart from the Path. She envisioned that she and Yana could leave with Zink and his master for Port Haileap, from where they could travel to Jedha. During one of their conversations, she inadvertently revealed that the Children had visited Hynestia, where the Rod of Seasons had been stolen. However, Zink's master, Macri, witnessed them kissing and reminded her Padawan of the Jedi's rules regarding attachments.
Marda Ro presented her idea of representing the Path on Jedha to the Council of Elders, the Herald, and the Mother, even suggesting that it would be a way for Yana to remain with the Path. During the meeting, the Mother cradled the egg, which the others perceived as merely a jewel in a pillow on her lap, and stroked it ominously. The Council and the Mother rejected Marda's proposal, explaining that Jedha would be a distraction from the Path. One Council member also expressed concern that two [Evereni](/article/evereni], such as Marda and Yana, a species with a notorious reputation in the galaxy, would attract unwanted attention in a place like Jedha. Despite the Herald's support for the idea and Ro's insistence that she could guide the Path on Jedha despite distractions, The Mother declared that they did not want any Path presence on Jedha, and her decision was final. However, Marda suspected that the Mother was acting on her own desires, rather than those of the Force or the Path, but she attempted to rationalize it as simply a misspoken word.
The Mother's decision was likely influenced by her clandestine activities through her thieves and other minor agents on Jedha. Later, Yana Ro and the other Children were assigned a new mission, which would be Yana's last. The Mother dispatched them to the planet Thelj to retrieve an artifact called Jedi Tears from the Graf family compound on the planet, with Sunshine Dobbs piloting them there in his ship. However, The Mother had alerted the Grafs of the Children's arrival, intending for the clan to kill them. The Children were ambushed, and all but Yana were killed by the Graf forces and security. Yana, now having lost her girlfriend Kor Plouth, who was among the Children killed, confronted Dobbs. He agreed to return Ro to the Path compound on Dalna so that she could meet with The Mother about the incident.
Marda and Zink eventually agreed to remain friends due to the Jedi's prohibition of attachments, and they bid each other farewell when Marda revealed that she had not been permitted to leave yet. He lamented the fact that he had never had the opportunity to meet the Mother, but Marda suggested that the Force had kept them apart. After she departed, Master Macri and Zink staked out the ship port to observe whether the Path and the Mother were smuggling items into Dalna. However, when they only witnessed Yana and Dobbs returning to the ship dock from their mission, the two Jedi decided to infiltrate the Path compound and search the caves that night.
Marda encountered Yana before she could reach the Mother or the Elders, curious about the mission's outcome. Yana explained that the Mother had betrayed her and the Children and had gotten Kor killed to acquire new Children who would not question her. She insisted that the Mother was a grifter and a liar who was not truly following the Force. Marda helped Yana wash up, but refused to believe Yana and maintained her faith in the Mother and in the Force. However, Yana managed to convince her to leave with her after she confronted the Mother, despite Marda's unwavering faith.
When Yana descended into the caves to speak with the Mother, she discovered Jedi Master Macri and Padawan Zink inside the Mother's listening room, with Macri holding the Rod of Seasons. Macri inquired about other stolen artifacts, but Yana insisted that they were trespassing and needed to leave. The Mother then arrived, echoing Yana's sentiment, and declared that they had liberated the artifact while warning that their 'abuses' of the Force would lead to a reckoning. Macri announced that they were taking all of the artifacts and apprehending the Mother, but she refused and picked up her 'jewel'. The Herald and his retainers then arrived and attacked the Jedi. Macri and Zink swiftly gained the upper hand, Macri disarming most of them, until the Mother screamed and dropped the egg, which burst open and released a newborn member of the Nameless species, whom the Mother would name the Leveler. The creature lunged at Macri and latched onto her arm, turning her into a stone-like husk, killing her. The Leveler then reached for Zink, briefly grabbing his leg before he kicked it off and fled the chamber. The Mother proclaimed that the Force had bestowed a gift upon them and had protected them, while Yana grabbed the Rod of Seasons in a flurry. The Herald then inquired about her mission, Yana telling him that she hadn't secured the artifact and they needed to talk.
Marda prepared to leave Dalna behind and travel the galaxy with Yana, bidding farewell to the Kessarine family that she had befriended, saying she might be back. While she did however, she heard a strange scraping sound that she followed into the tunnels until she found an injured Kevmo Zink, who keeled over and could barely speak. He managed to tell her that what was happening to him was related to the Force and that the Mother had done it, before his body turned into the same stone-like husk that his master had been turned into. Marda took his lightsaber and descended deeper into the Path's caves, her heart broken.
Meanwhile, Yana revealed to the Herald that the Mother had conspired with Sunshine Dobbs and had killed his daughter, Kor. She suggested they kill the Mother before the creature grew stronger and more Jedi arrived, warning them that they would since Zink had run off and her creature couldn't stop the entire Jedi Order. The Mother agreed with Yana that they could not protect themselves there on Dalna, and decided that it was time that they go to the Gaze Electric and leave the planet. The Elders then arrived, having heard much noise, and the Mother told them that the Leveler was a miracle the Force had given them that she had seen in a vision. Sunshine Dobbs told them that he could get many more of the creatures from a planet in Wild Space and raise an army of them for the Path. The Herald also told the Elders that they were going to begin their transition to the Gaze Electric immediately, adding that the Leveler needed time to grow away from enemies and then it could be a match for the Jedi and the Path would carry on.
All of this overwhelmed Yana, who was shocked that the Herald did not care more about his daughter's death, and that he and the Mother seemed to be in some sort of struggle for power over the Path. She started to leave, but the Leveler followed after her attracted to the Rod of Seasons that she held. She quickly hid the rod and the others did not realize that she had it, so when it followed her, the Herald declared her its champion. Yana accepted the duty and said that the Force had chosen her, hoping that she would eventually get to see the Mother's death. Marda then arrived and saw the scene, including the calcified Master Macri. The Mother told her that their use of the Force had brought the Jedi's death and claimed the Leveler was an agent of the Force. Marda believed her and said that they needed to stop all that abused the Force. She also told her that they would be taking to the Gaze Electric, the Mother deciding that Marda would be the Path's Guide, and Marda realizing they needed to go to Jedha.
Later, on the Gaze Electric somewhere in space, the Mother asked Dobbs about there being another rod like the Rod of Seasons, and he confirmed that the Rod of Daybreak was on Jedha but was in a vault controlled by the Jedi and very inaccessible. The Mother suggested that they could do anything with the Leveler and told Dobbs to go to Jedha an prepare for their arrival by telling everyone who they were and alerting them they would not be stopped.
Meanwhile, Yana spoke with the Herald and the two mourned Kor together. They both decided that they needed to avenge her by biding their time until they could take the Mother down and make her pay, refusing to accept her exploitation of the Force for her personal gain. He also told her to corral her cousin, since her belief and guidance was so strong that the entire Path would follow her. Yana then later saw Marda, who the Mother had been allowing to have more leadership. She had changed her face paint to no longer be three wavy blue lines across her forehead, but three lines down her face and over her eyes. She explained that she no longer wore them as gentle symbol but as one that cut through her eyes and illuminated the truth of the Force. Marda said that it was new day for the Path because they were in the stars and because of the Leveler, and that she would not be caught unaware again, resolving to serve the Force and make it free.
Following the Mother's covert orchestration of the Battle of Jedha to undermine the peace between Eiram and E'ronoh, the Path exploited the ensuing conflict on Jedha to validate its beliefs: Path members asserted that the Jedi Order's utilization of the Force had been offset by the resurgence of war. The Path also unleashed the Leveler upon the streets of Jedha. In the wake of the battle, the Path retreated to Dalna, where they prepared for an imminent battle rather than resuming their agrarian lifestyle. Consequently, crops were left to decay in the fields. The Jedi linked the violence on Jedha to the Path, with news of the Path's involvement rapidly spreading across the galaxy. The Mother responded by placing the blame solely on the Herald. The incident also reignited the war between Eiram and E'ronoh, as the Mother had intended. By failing to end the war, the Jedi and the Republic had seemingly only exacerbated the strife, while the conflict generated chaos that the Path could exploit for its own advantage. While Marda Ro personally encountered significant anti-Path sentiment due to the violence on Jedha, the cult still maintained allies on Dalna.
During the Battle of Dalna, the Path, now reorganized as the Path of the Closed Fist, engaged in warfare with Jedi and anti-Path Dalnans. The Path was bolstered by enforcer droids and Nameless creatures gathered from Marda Ro and Dobbs's mission to Planet X. However, the Nameless preyed upon both Jedi and Force-sensitive Path members, even those who were unaware of their connection to the Force or, according to their beliefs, refused to use it. Upon discovering the petrified remains of Path members, Marda initially attempted to convince herself that they were active Force-sensitives hiding in plain sight who deserved their fate, even as she was secretly horrified by what she had unleashed. Meanwhile, the Mother dispatched Littles Boolan and Utalir with thermal detonators under the guise of dropping rocks on the Jedi, but her true intention was to destroy the Path itself. In doing so, she would create an apparent disturbance caused by the Jedi and become a tragic figure. When Marda learned of the Mother's actions from Yana and Boolan, who fled into the night reciting the Path mantra, Marda officially turned against the woman she had once idolized.
The enforcer droids eventually began slaughtering Path members and Jedi alike, while the Elders abandoned the Closed Fist in favor of the Path of the Open Hand. Marda, meanwhile, killed a Nameless that nearly devoured Utalir and, with the Herald, attacked the Mother. The Mother killed the Herald but was subsequently captured by the Jedi. Marda then annihilated the Nameless using the Mother's explosives, but the Leveler managed to survive. The battle concluded with the arrival of the combined militaries of Eiram and E'ronoh, who suppressed the Path's remaining forces, and the explosion detonated by Marda, which inadvertently collapsed the entire cave network. After the battle, Marda executed the Mother for her lies and manipulation of the Force by unleashing the Leveler upon her. She managed to escape Dalna with the Leveler and the Rod of Seasons aboard the Gaze Electric, from which she began formulating a new plan to liberate the Force. Meanwhile, Yana escaped with the Rod of Daybreak, which she kept hidden from Marda upon realizing her cousin would not abandon the Path's ways.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Dalna, remembered by the Dalnans as the Night of Sorrow, intelligence gathered by Jedi Master Silandra Sho confirmed that the Path had been dissolved. According to Sho's findings, the Path remnants who were not taken into custody by the Jedi Order returned to the Gaze Electric, which then vanished into hyperspace. Fel Ix, who had been on a mission for the Mother before being held prisoner by the Jedi Padawan Rooper Nitani, Sky Graf, and Dass Leffbruk, reunited with his family on Batuu. The family then intended to travel to Atalia, where Fel Ix resided before joining the Path.
Over time, the Path of the Open Hand fragmented into numerous descendant groups, one of which was the Elders of the Path. This group shared the Path's belief that using the Force was wrong, and they resided on Trymant IV in 232 BBY. Tromak, who had been one of the Path of the Open Hand's littles in 382 BBY, was a member of the Elders of the Path's Council of Elders around 232 BBY. According to members of the Elders' order, the Nihil marauder group had evolved from their order before being expelled. Indeed, the Nihil were led by members of the Ro family, descendants of Marda Ro. Several former Path of the Open Hand members, such as Alirya, also joined Marda's efforts. Marda emphasized that her new organization was not intended to be a religion.
When Kufa, a member of the Ro family, reunited with her cousin, the Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro, on Rystan in 231 BBY, she remarked that he was returning to "the Path" by meeting with her. Her ship that she had arrived in shared a name with the cult, being named the Open Hand. He was there with the hope of retrieving the Great Leveler, which was now frozen in the ice in the The Shrine beneath Golamaran, having been brought there by their ancestors long ago. When he asked, she said that there weren't many of "the faithful" left, which she said was apparent due to the prominence and strength of the Jedi. She reaffirmed the belief of her and the faithful that the Jedi were guiding them to destruction, telling him that they had known it on Jedha and on Dalna, but also admitted defeat and said the Jedi could no longer be stopped. She asked if he was there to bring them hope and 'reopen the Hand' by delivering the message. He insisted that he was not a prophet, but she said that the best prophets found the Path by being lost. The fallen Jedi Azlin Rell believed that the Path of the Open Hand lived on, though was just called the Nihil instead, and referred to the Nihil as the Path. The Jedi Knight Reath Silas was unsure if it was an affectation or if it was some deep insight that Rell had.
The Path of the Open Hand cult was conceived for Phase II of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project. The cult made its debut in the 2022 young-adult novel The High Republic: Path of Deceit but was initially referenced in the 2021 novel The High Republic: The Rising Storm as "the faithful" and simply "The Path." Artist Grant Griffin created multiple iterations of artwork for the "Force cult" characters.