The purple-bladed lightsaber of Vernestra Rwoh, which is also referred to as Vernestra Rwoh's lightsaber, or simply Vernestra's lightsaber, was a lightsaber with a purple blade used by Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh during the era of the High Republic. Initially a standard single-bladed weapon, Rwoh modified the weapon so that it could alternate between a typical lightsaber and a [lightwhip](/article/lightwhip], after the design came to her in a dream. She kept the modification a secret for several weeks, practicing with the lightwhip privately. She revealed the modification after she and several others became stranded on the jungle moon Wevo, in order to clear brush to escape acid rain. The transition between blade modes was achieved by rotating a ring situated just under the blade emitter.
Vernestra Rwoh's purple-bladed lightsaber, also called Vernestra Rwoh's lightsaber, or Vernestra's lightsaber, was a single-bladed weapon with a cylindrical hilt wielded by the Mirialan Vernestra Rwoh. A kyber crystal powered the purple blade. Rwoh modified what was originally a standard lightsaber to include a lightwhip setting. This was activated by twisting the first ring on the hilt, after receiving instructions in a dream. When in whip mode, the blade was flexible and longer than in saber mode.
Long before she was a Jedi Knight, Vernestra Rwoh constructed her lightsaber and wielded it as the Padawan of Jedi Master Stellan Gios. At the age of fifteen, she became a Knight, making her the youngest of her generation. After her promotion, she was stationed at the Port Haileap outpost, under the watch of marshal and Jedi Master Douglas Sunvale. Her first assignment was to supervise Avon Starros, an aspiring inventor whose mother, Senator Ghirra Starros, had sent her away from Coruscant to prevent her from getting into trouble.
One week after arriving at Port Haileap, Vernestra had a Force vision that showed her how to redesign her lightsaber to incorporate a lightwhip mode. She stayed awake until the design was complete. However, unsure of how the modification would be received, she kept the whip a secret, not telling Masters Sunvale or Gios. For several weeks, she practiced with the whip in secret, learning that she had to be aware of the tendrils' positions to avoid accidentally losing a limb. Vernestra and Avon were later asked to join a delegation traveling to the Starlight Beacon space station on the cruiser Steady Wing. Sunvale hoped that Avon would become friends with Honesty Weft, who was the son of the Dalnan ambassador. However, the starship was bombed on route, leaving Vernestra, Avon, Sunvale's Padawan Imri Cantaros, Honesty, and Avon's protocol droid J-6 stranded on the jungle moon Wevo after they escaped in a shuttle.
The group was forced to quickly find shelter on the moon because of acid rain. Scout droid SD-7 was sent to find a cave. Vernestra decided to reveal her lightsaber's whip mode to Imri, as she and Imri were growing tired and had moved ahead of the children and J-6, who were sheltering under a force field umbrella. The whip mode would allow her to clear brush faster. Imri observed that lightwhips were used by the Nightsisters, but Vernestra defensively responded that the Jedi had also used them during the Sith Wars, and that the Force had guided her to the design. Using the whip allowed the two Jedi to make it through the brush much faster, before opening up the cave SD-7 had discovered so the group could take shelter.
Vernestra used her lightsaber's whip mode to kill an Umbramoth during a rescue mission on the planet Khofar in 132 BBY.
Vernestra Rwoh's lightsaber first appeared in the novel The High Republic: A Test of Courage, which was written by Justina Ireland. The author created the weapon's unique lightwhip mode to show the hidden depths of Vernestra's character, as she seems to be a fairly conventional Jedi on the surface.