History Characters / StarWarsPathOfTheOpenHand

* AntiMagicalFaction: Subverted. They acknowledge the Force and appreciate it, but only from a distance. This puts them at odds with religious groups who fully interact with and make use of it, such as the Jedi. Unfortunately, Force-sensitives who are born in the Path have to suppress themselves under fear of persecution [[spoiler:and being fed to the Great Leveler]].

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Their practices and ways of gaining followers bring to mind many real world (and highly controversial) religious cults and extremists.

* EvilIsNotAToy: The Mother has led the Path to believe that the Great Leveler was brought to them by the Force to bring judgement upon those who abuse it. However, what they don't realize is that they are just ravenous beasts that feed on the living Force. When the crew of the ''Bonecrusher'' (having been separated from the rest of Sunshine's expedition on the return trip) try to bring a batch of Nameless eggs back to Dalna from Planet X and their ship is shot down, some of the eggs hatch prematurely. Without any of the control rods around, the newly-hatched Nameless attack the crew members, as even though most of the Path aren't Force-users, the Force stills flows from life itself, and the Nameless are ''[[HorrorHunger very]]'' hungry.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: At first, they seem to be little more than a small, but very influential anti-Force user cult based on an agricultural planet. Once they have access to [[MageHuntingMonster the Nameless]], they prove to be a major threat to the Jedi Order. The Path also has a few planetary leaders ingratiated to them by simply providing them relief without asking for anything in return.

* ImprovisedTraining: Their life as farmers who [[EvilLuddite eschew modern harvesting technology]] isn't just a philosophical choice or a front to cover up the fact they are surprisingly well-armed. It also physically toughens up their bodies so they can challenge Jedi Knights in melee combat, and many of the cultists are well-toned.

* NGOSuperpower: On the surface, they just seem to be a minor cult based on a backwater agricultural world that uses little high-tech. However, thanks to the Mother getting in the good graces of a number of wealthy figures (including planetary leaders) throughout the galaxy and implicitly selling some of the Force artifacts the Children stole on the black market, the Path has enough money that, as Matthea Cathley puts it, "the Hutts would kill for" (money that she donates [[spoiler:to the rebuilding of Jedha City to divert suspicion from the Path's role in the battle)]]. They've also got a stockpile of missile launchers and enforcer droids, and a laboratory for producing an ecosystem-destroying chemical weapon.

* PredecessorVillain: They serve as one to the Nihil, as not only were two of Marchion Ro's ancestors, Marda and Yana part of this group, some of their assets belonged to them too. The Nihil are explicitly confirmed to be a RenegadeSplinterFaction of the Path [[spoiler:started by Marda in the wake of its fragmentation]] and some of the longer-lived cult members later worked with the Nihil in some capacity (with Boolan becoming Marchion's Minister of Advancement and Vol Garat being hired as a mercenary).

* VillainHasAPoint: While their arguments about using the Force doing harm to it are dubious at best, they aren't entirely wrong about certain Force groups truly abusing it to oppress those who can't use it, such as fallen Jedi or Sith. Where their arguments fall flat are that not only do some of these groups genuinely use the Force for good (like the Jedi, who they are trying to pit the galaxy against), [[{{Hypocrite}} their leader is a Force user who is doing so to prop herself up as a prophet]] and is secretly using the cult for her own personal gain, the very thing the cult preaches against.

!All spoilers regarding the Skywalker Saga and ''The Clone Wars'' are unmarked. Examples relating to Disney's EU and the new movies can be spoiler-tagged if deemed necessary.

** Force-users who are born in the Path have to hide that they are such lest they be persecuted [[spoiler:and fed to the Great Leveler]]. One can easily draw comparisons to religious homophobia.
* ElderAbuse: [[spoiler:During the Night of Sorrows, a number of bed-ridden elderly Path members are put in a number of huts right outside the Path compound, with the intent of [[HumanShield being caught in the crossfire]] to further discredit the Jedi. Disturbingly, said elders are perfectly fine with this, since it furthers the Path's agenda.]]

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[spoiler:One of the keys to the Path's downfall is that despite believing that the Jedi are evil and trying their best to implicate them in front of the whole galaxy, the Path's efforts end up only ''reinforcing'' why people look up to the Jedi. In fact, some Path members begin to reevaluate when some Jedi risk their lives to help them in the face of their insufferable zealotry.]]

* EvilLuddite: Subverted. They present themselves as eschewing low-tech, being based on an agricultural planet, having buildings made from stones and wood, and refusing to use droids for their farming due to viewing them as an aberration to the Force. However, they still use some technology, such as ships for offworld travel and blasters for combat, [[spoiler:and their low-tech image is actually a front to disguise that they are much better equipped for war with the Jedi than they make themselves out to be, having a stockpile of rocket launchers and enforcer droids, and a lab for manufacturing the ecosystem-killing bioweapon Klytobacter for reheating the ForeverWar between Eiram and E'ronoh]].

* ImprovisedTraining: Their life as farmers who [[EvilLuddite eschew modern harvesting technology]] isn't just a philosophical choice or a front [[spoiler:to cover up the fact they are surprisingly well-armed]]. It also physically toughens up their bodies so they can challenge Jedi Knights in melee combat, and many of the cultists are well-toned.

* KnightTemplar: At worst, many of the cult's members are fanatically devoted to the Mother and have an intense hatred of Force users, blaming them for the galaxy's or their own problems. [[spoiler:This flavor of cultist is what makes up the ranks of the Path of the Closed Fist during the Night of Sorrow.]]

* NGOSuperpower: On the surface, they just seem to be a minor cult based on a backwater agricultural world that uses little high-tech. However, thanks to the Mother getting in the good graces of a number of wealthy figures (including planetary leaders) throughout the galaxy and implicitly selling some of the Force artifacts the Children stole on the black market, the Path has enough money that, as Matthea Cathley puts it, "the Hutts would kill for" (money that she donates [[spoiler:to the rebuilding of Jedha City to divert suspicion from the Path's role in the battle)]]. [[spoiler:They've also got a stockpile of missile launchers and enforcer droids, and a laboratory for producing an ecosystem-destroying chemical weapon.]]
* NoOSHACompliance: Their compound on Dalna is made up of a series of manually dug up underground tunnels. This becomes a problem when faced with strong rainstorms, as the tunnels would have gotten flooded one time had it not been for Kevmo Zink using the Force to hold the floodwater back, nor do they have energy shields to protect from this sort of thing as part of maintaining a [[EvilLuddite low-tech front]] (having doors only made of wood or stone). [[spoiler:With the no Jedi to bail them out and the Mother plotting to weaponize this in a trap against them, the tunnels get flooded for real during the Night of Sorrow.]]

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Path has as many followers as it has because it has given people who have been displaced a home, especially those who resent the Jedi for whatever reason. After an accident on Jedha in which Nadi released some vicious, Force-sensitive Wargarans into the city, the Path gains even more followers by stopping the Wargarans. [[spoiler:However, this ends up being short-lived, as their attempts to [[HeroWithBadPublicity undermine the Jedi's image]] end up only resonating with a small subset of people who already resented Jedi, the Jedi otherwise maintain their good image by helping Jedha's residents and minimizing loss of life during the Battle of Jedha, and the Path's reputation ends up getting tarnished when the Herald is captured after being caught inciting riots.]]

* AdmiringTheAbomination: She is absolutely enamored with the Leveler and how she can use it against the Jedi in spite of the fact that this creature [[spoiler:is slowly killing her by just constantly being around her]].

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Being feasted on by a Nameless is [[CruelAndUnusualDeath a horrific way to die]] for any Force user. However, the Mother holds the unique distinction of being one of the few Force users to have earned such a fate, as not only had she already killed several Force users through control of the Nameless, she also had a huge role in keeping the [[ForeverWar Eiram-E'ronoh war]] going as a way to gain more followers.]]
* BadBoss: Despite her nurturing facade, she's perfectly willing to discard even her most loyal followers the moment they become inconvenient to her. [[spoiler:During the Night of Sorrow, she lets the newly-hatched Nameless off the leash, and they not only attack Jedi, but an unknown number of Force-sensitive Path members too, whether they were aware of it or not.]]

** Following the Battle of Jedha, she suffers serious health problems, has seizures, and suddenly looks decades older. She and [[ProfessionalButtkisser the Elders]] claim that this is how she's getting messages from the Force, but this is actually a sign that [[spoiler:the Leveler is slowly killing her and she's trying to hide the fact that's she a Force-user herself]].
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:Even without it directly harming her (at first), the Leveler's mere presence eventually takes its toll on the Mother's health. Aside from suffering Force seizures, she looks like she's aged up by decades and she has partially calcified skin underneath her wrappings.]]

* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:During the Night of Sorrow, many of the more level-headed Path members learn how much of a hypocrite and fraud that she was and denounce her.]]
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:She's the sister of Jedi Knight Oliviah Zeveron. Before becoming the Mother, Elecia sought out Oliviah for years with apparent intent to kill her out of jealousy.]]
* CharmPerson: It's suggested that she can manipulate and influence other people, like Sunshine Dobbs, who immediately becomes enamored and completely loyal to her within minutes of entering her presence without understanding why. Not everyone in the Path is affected like this, like the [[TheStarscream Herald]] and [[OnlySaneWoman Yana]]. [[spoiler:Unsurprisingly, she's a Force user that's had a proficiency for mental manipulation since she was a child.]]

* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler:As shown during the Battle of Jedha and Dalna, when things go wrong for her, she will flee and leave even some of her most loyal followers to die.]]
* DrivenByEnvy: [[spoiler:Her violent vendetta against Force users ultimately stems from petty jealousy over the Jedi Order picking Oliviah -- who exhibited [[MindOverMatter great telekinetic power]] while Elecia only had [[CharmPerson power over minds]] -- for training over her.]]
* EngineeredHeroics: A subverted example with having the Path stop some Wargarans rampaging through Jedha City, as the Wargaran attack was actually an accident on the part of Nadi (one of the Path's littles) not realizing that the Wargarans are vicious wild animals. The Mother simply decided to capitalize on the accident. Played straight overall, however, with her secretly instigating the Battle of Jedha via a chain of proxies to [[HeroWithBadPublicity make the Jedi look bad]] and have the Path come in to save lives. [[spoiler:However, this ends up backfiring, as she and her followers end up getting caught in the crossfire too, the Jedi salvage their reputation by quelling the conflict with as little bloodshed as possible, and the Path takes a hit to its good publicity with the arrest of the Herald for inciting riots.]]

* {{Foil}}: To Chancellor Kyong Greylark, who both serve as mother figures to Axel Greylark in some way. Kyong is Axel's biological mother, but has become distant from him as a result of putting her image as a Chancellor first. Meanwhile, Elecia is a cult leader that puts on a front of acting like a nurturing mother figure to those who feel they have been displaced, including Axel. [[spoiler:However, they are also opposites when it comes to their true natures. When Kyong contacts Axel and the Mother with the notion of negotiating with the Path, she also announces that she's relinquishing her political power so she can focus on being a better mother to Axel. In contrast, Elecia lashes out and finally reveals that she saw Axel as nothing more than a political pawn that she can no longer use.]]
* FreudianExcuseDenial: [[spoiler:When Marda learns of Elecia's relationship to Oliviah, she initially presumes that the Mother is motivated by an inferiority complex over being viewed as second-best to her sister, much like she feels in her relationship with Yana. The Mother [[MotiveMisidentification immediately shoots those notions down]] in her MotiveRant, claiming that not only does she not actually love Oliviah, the Jedi should have picked her for training over her and not the other way around.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:Starting off as a low-level Force user that was rejected for Jedi training before turning to thieving, Elecia used her ability to prop herself up as a prophet, climb up the Path's leadership ladder, build an army of fanatics, gain control of major political figures, influence a ForeverWar older than her, and gain control of eldritch creatures that prey on Force users. Suffice to say, this otherwise unremarkable Force adept managed to become a serious threat to the Jedi Order.]]

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:She is not only killed by one of the very creatures she had used against the Jedi Order, it is also done at the beck and call of one of her most fervent former believers, whom she had personally conditioned to believe Force users were evil. Marda came to the conclusion that the Mother was the very evil she was taught to oppose.]]
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:After the Herald is scapegoated on Jedha, she willfully neglects Opari's medical needs, all while she [[DespairEventHorizon despairs]] over losing both her daughter and husband. It was treating Opari's illness that bought the Plouth family's loyalty to her, but since both Kor and Werth are no longer part of the Path, Opari is just dead weight to Elecia.]]

* MysteriousPast: What she did before joining the Path and where she came from is unknown, with several members of the organization who distrust her planning on digging into it. Zallah and Kevmo are also suspicious of her avoiding meeting them, wondering if she fears the Jedi would recognize her, but when they do finally see her, they don't. However, the fact that she shares her surname with another Jedi implies she has a connection to them. [[spoiler:It turns she's the sister of said Jedi, and she was passed over for Oliviah when the Seeker came to them as children.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:She hires Tilson Graf to instigate the Battle of Jedha, discredit the Jedi (as they unwittingly brought the Eiram-E'ronoh War to Jedha) and prop up the Path of the Open Hand. Unfortunately for her, the chaos it causes ends up endangering her and her followers, gets her severely injured, nearly loses her the Leveler, causes some of her followers to question her, exposes some of them for inciting the violence in the streets, hurts the Path's allegedly benevolent image, and any attempts to undermine the Jedi's reputation are rather minimal and overall make them look better in the end due to them prioritizing saving lives (and minimizing casualties while stopping the conflict).]]
* NonActionBigBad: To maintain her positive image, the Mother ''rarely'' gets her own hands dirty. Instead, she uses her mental manipulation abilities and charisma to have her followers do her dirty work ''without even asking''. [[spoiler:When she gets into a fair fight with her sister Oliviah, she loses with little effort the moment that Oliviah's no longer hindered by the Rod of Power and she trips over the Herald's corpse. Before that, the only people she killed directly as the Mother were Tilson Graf (a non-combatant) and the Herald (who came close to killing her until she caught him off-guard with Zallah's lightsaber).]]
* NormalFishInATinyPond: [[spoiler:Among Force users, Elecia is rather unremarkable, as her ability to influence minds is one of the most basic Force powers around. However, when she used that power to worm her way into becoming leader of an anti-Force user cult, she was worshipped as a messianic figure.]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: She claims that she wants to liberate the Force by stealing artifacts from other Force-based faiths and publicly tries to claim that the Path is on a mission of peace, but it becomes apparent by the end of ''Path of Deceit'' that she's only using the cult and stealing artifacts to build power for herself, and she's using her own Force powers to prop herself up as a prophet. [[spoiler:''Path of Vengeance'' reveals that she also rose up the ranks of the Path and declared borderline-genocidal intentions against Force users to get revenge on the Jedi for not accepting her into the Order.]]

* PsychopathicWomanchild: [[spoiler:The root cause of her grudge against Force users is the Jedi picking her sister Oliviah for membership in the Order over her, and she never really grew up beyond this incident. When her origins are revealed to Marda, her MotiveRant comes off as more of a temper tantrum about someone telling her "no" for the first time in her life (when she was [[SpoiledBrat used to getting what she wants]] due to her CharmPerson abilities).]]

* SanitySlippage: Following the Battle of Jedha, her motherly facade starts to crack and she starts to be hostile towards even her most loyal followers. It's unknown how much of this is a result of seeing her plans fall apart [[spoiler:or the [[BrownNoteBeing Leveler's constant presence]] taking its toll on her]].
* SecretlyDying: After the Battle of Jedha, she covers up more of her own body [[spoiler:to hide her partially calcified skin as a result of prolonged exposure to the Leveler, a sign that she's a Force-user herself.]]

* SmugSnake: She thinks of herself as a master manipulator, but that's actually a result of her using Force powers to influence people's minds. [[spoiler:The moment her plans start to fall apart, she loses her cool. During her MotiveRant, she insists that the Jedi should have chosen her and not her sister Oliviah, even though it's apparent that she's a one-trick pony when it comes to Force abilities. In a fight with a more disciplined Force user (like Oliviah) who isn't being crippled by the Nameless or their control rods, she is defeated fairly easily.]]

* TakenForGranite: [[spoiler:Much like the Jedi and other Force users she had fed to it, all that's left of Elecia Zeveron after Marda unleashes the Leveler on her is a petrified husk with a look of terror on her face.]]
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Her surname was first mentioned in her character video, while most stories themselves didn't mention it [[spoiler:until the end of ''Path of Vengeance''. What the trailer didn't reveal was ''how'' she was related to Oliviah.]]

** [[spoiler:Following the Battle of Jedha, where she gets severely injured and the Path's supposedly benevolent image starts to fall apart at the seams, so does her kind, motherly image. When her followers try to help her, she starts becoming outwardly dismissive of them.]]
** [[spoiler:Her kind, motherly image and any pretense of caring for Axel Greylark breaks when Kyong announces that she's coming to Dalna to negotiate with the Path, but ''after'' having relinquished her position as Chancellor, meaning that she won't be able to use Axel as her political puppet.]]
* VillainousRROD: During the second half of Phase II, she becomes increasingly frail, to the point of looking like she's aging faster and having seizures. [[spoiler:This is because the Leveler has been passively feeding on her.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler:After she's defeated by Oliviah and taken prisoner during the Night of Sorrows, Marda comes into the tent where she's recovering with the Rod of Seasons in hand and the Leveler at her side. When Oliviah is brought to her knees by the Leveler's presence, Elecia tries to cater to Marda's previous religious conditioning by convincing her to rebuild the Path with her and feed Oliviah to the Leveler. Unfortunately for her, Marda's come to see Elecia as the very type of Force abuser that she's preached against.]]

** [[spoiler:After the Path returns from Jedha, she has a number of Ferdan residents poisoned through a Path soup kitchen. One of the casualties is a child.]]
** [[spoiler:During the Night of Sorrows, she had the Littles plant thermal detonators around the Path compound as part of a trap against the Jedi, potentially putting them in danger and an unknowingly Force-sensitive one in the crosshairs of an off-the-leash Nameless. [[FriendToAllChildren Marda]] doesn't take it well when she learns of this.]]
* YoungerThanTheyLook: By the later half Phase II novels, she's described in a way that would make you think she's an old woman (in contrast to her official artwork). [[spoiler:Not only is she within Oliviah's age range, almost non-stop exposure to the Leveler has been causing her to age faster.]]

** [[spoiler:During the Night of Sorrows, he eventually finds himself teaming up with the Jedi in spite of his strong beliefs after not only learning of her hypocrisy and manipulations, but her making the littles plant bombs. He uses his last moments to attack the Mother while she's trying to subdue the Jedi with the Rod of Power, which gives Marda the time to get it away from the Jedi.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite his overall zealotry and [[spoiler:dropping his vendetta against the Mother just for a chance at power again, he is appalled to learn that not only was she [[WouldHurtAChild having the Littles plant bombs]] around the compound, that [[{{Hypocrite}} she is one of the very same Force abusers]] she preached against, and [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist she had been manipulating the Path for her own personal gain]], he turns on her once more.]]

* GoodScarsEvilScars: One of the most notable aspects of his appearance is that all of his [[AlienHair head tentacles]] have been cropped, and he's a leader of an incredibly shady cult.
* HazyFeelTurn: While he seeks to overthrow the Mother after Kor's death, he still remains a fervent believer in the Path's teachings. [[spoiler:When he and Yana make it back to Dalna, and the Path of the Open Hand is rebranded the Path of the Closed Fist, he immediately turns on Yana and joins up with the Mother again. It's not until he learns how much of a fraud and monster the Mother is that he turns on her for good.]]
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: After the Mother makes him a scapegoat for the Path's atrocities on Jedha, he more actively works alongside Yana to take the Mother down. [[spoiler:The moment they make it back into the Path compound and confront the Mother with Marda by her side, the Herald turns on Yana and sides with the Mother again for another chance at power. After being taken prisoner by the Jedi during the Night of Sorrow, he turns on the Mother one last time when he learns that not only was she willing to command children to plant bombs, she herself had been using the Force to manipulate the cult to her own ends.]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:The Mother runs him through with Zallah Macri's lightsaber when he tries to strangle her after learning what she truly is.]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[Spoiler:He murders Archivist Feric Ornalli after the latter helped him get out of the Guardians' custody and gave him the Rod of Daybreak. Given that Ornalli willingly sold out information on Jedha's artifacts for the Children to steal (which led to his predecessor Zumeg getting killed), Werth notes how he's gotten his [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves well-deserved]] reward.]]

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:After Marda comes back from Planet X with a batch of Nameless eggs and becomes drunk with power with the Rod of Power, she cuts off Yana's right hand using Kevmo's lightsaber.]]
* BigSisterInstinct: Well, older cousin in this case. As the cynical and more combat-trained of the two, she tries to watch Marda's back, especially since Evereni are persecuted by the galaxy at large because of their ancestors' actions. [[spoiler:Even as they grow more distant due to Marda's increased fanaticism, she still looks out for her, even after Marda cuts her hand off.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:During the Night of Sorrow, she knocks Sunshine out as payback for setting her and the Children up to die on Thelj. Unfortunately, when she tries to escape from Dalna, she remembers that she doesn't know how to fly a ship and there aren't any other pilots around, forcing her to stay longer. This is especially ironic considering that this is exactly why she didn't kill Sunshine back on Thelj.]]

** [[spoiler: In ''Path of Vengeance'', she is utterly appalled that the Mother starts neglecting [[IllGirl Opari]] the moment her family members are no longer around to manipulate. She is also disgusted by the Mother having ''children'' plant bombs around the compound.]]
* HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler:Despite losing a hand, she still has a steady aim with a blaster during the Battle of Dalna.]]

* TheKidWithTheRemoteControl: After the Leveler is born and kills the Jedi investigating the Path, Yana becomes its first champion while holding the Rod of Seasons and it follows her around like a lost cat. She plans to weaponize the Leveler against the Mother at some point. [[spoiler:After the Battle of Jedha and initially failing to get the Rod of Daybreak, she is forced to relinquish the Rod to the Mother.]]

** She also seems to be one of the only members of the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Ro family]] to have their head on straight. Her cousin Marda, while otherwise well-meaning, is very naive and [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity easily-swayed into religious zealotry]] [[spoiler:and would start the family tradition of being caretakers for an AnimalisticAbomination after several [[CrisisOfFaith Crises of Faith]]]]. Among the later-generation Ros, Shalla is an Evereni supremacist that would turn [[spoiler:Marda's band of raiders]] into the Nihil, Asgar is the same on top of abusing his own son and murdering his own mother, and Marchion is [[TheSociopath a bloodthirsty sociopath]]. While Yana herself is prepared to give in to her species' stereotype for ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, it's only out of self-preservation, because she's aware that her species is widely-persecuted [[SinsOfTheFather due to their ancestors' crimes]].
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:While she seems more interested in survival during the Night of Sorrow, she not only wakes Marda up to the truth and aids the Jedi, she also rescues Opari despite her husband throwing Yana under the bus for a chance at power again.]]

* TookALevelInIdealism: [[spoiler:She starts out looking out only for number one and Marda's well-being, whereas Marda is approachable but very naïve. By the end of Phase II, their positions have been reversed. Yana starts to look out for others while Marda further sinks into the depths of religious fanaticism and becomes a caretaker for a [[HorrorHunger perpetually hungry]] Great Leveler.]]
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: For most of her life, Yana's main goal was to simply survive. [[spoiler:While she is tempted to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run away]] from the Battle of Dana when things get bad, her warmer nature comes to show when she learns that the Mother had been making children plant bombs, convinces Marda to turn against the Mother, and even helps the Jedi in tunnels fight off the Nameless.]]
* WouldntHurtAChild: [[spoiler:When she catches one of the Littles, Boolan, with a bag of thermal detonators, she works only to disarm him. When Marda is prepared to kill Yana thinking [[WouldHurtAChild the opposite]] at first, Yana has Boolan tell her the truth.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: They do not participate in the mission to Thelj, as Radicaz "Sunshine" Dobbs takes their role as pilot instead. After the other Children sans Yana are killed during that mission, Cincey is unaccounted for. In the prologue of ''Path of Vengeance'', Yana recalls how all four of members of her team were sold out, implying that Cincey may have been KilledOffscreen, an implication also fueled by one of the new Children, Shea Ganandra, having some of the same skillsets as Cincey. [[spoiler:They are mentioned at the end of the novel, with Yana noting that they can't hear her anymore before giving their hoverchair to Opari Plouth.]]

* DramaticIrony: After escaping from Planet X, she swears revenge for Geth's apparent death during the escape. As shown in ''The Nameless Terror'', Geth and the ''Bonecrusher'' escaped from Planet X, only to be forced to crashland on a planet other than Dalna. [[spoiler:And Geth ends up being the SoleSurvivor of the crew when the Jedi save him from the very creatures he was transporting.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:Her witnessing [[CruelAndUnusualDeath how the Nameless kill their prey]] is enough to disturb her and prompt her to leave the Path on the Night of Sorrow.]]

* OnlySaneWoman: After Yana is left behind on Jedha, she becomes the most level-headed member of the Path between the Mother becoming more blatantly unhinged, the Elders' continued sycophancy towards her in spite of it, and Marda Ro's BlackAndWhiteInsanity. [[spoiler:After the Path is disbanded on the Night of Sorrows, she and Yana wander the galaxy together with the newly-widowed Opari Plouth by their side.]]
* PregnantBadass: [[spoiler:It's revealed at the end of ''Path of Vengeance'' that she was pregnant with Geth's child during the Night of Sorrow. She plans to name this child "[[CallForward Mari]]" if it's a daughter, implying that this is Mari San Tekka.]]
* SuperIntelligence: During the expedition to Planet X, she starts to passively exhibit enhanced acuity while repairing the ''Silverstreak''. [[spoiler:This is due to [[PlaceOfPower Planet X]] bringing out her unrealized Force potential.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:After witnessing the Nameless indiscriminately attacking ''anyone'' who was Force-sensitive - whether they be Jedi or even repressed Path members - and being disturbed by how they kill their victims, she decides to pack her bags and leave the Path. Given that she learned that she was Force-sensitive while on [[PlaceOfPower Planet X]], she had every reason to bail.]]

* AffablyEvil: She's one of the more personable members of the Path, but unlike [[FauxAffablyEvil the Mother]], she genuinely believes in the Path's teachings of not touching the Force and demonizes those who would supposedly "abuse" it. [[spoiler:Even after leaving the Path behind, becoming more cynical and continuing to feed Force users to the Leveler, she still cares for her crew.]]

* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: As someone who was raised in the Path at a very young and impressionable age, she is a fervent believer in the Path's teachings, thinks anyone who uses the Force must be wicked, and that [[BitchInSheepsClothing the Mother]] is nothing but good. When Kevmo Zink -- the one Jedi she developed any liking towards -- is killed by the Leveler, her belief that the Jedi are evil is only reinforced with further manipulation by the Mother by convincing Marda that [[BlamingTheVictim Kevmo died as a consequence of using the Force to save everyone from the flood]], and not the fact that she unleashed the Leveler on him. [[spoiler:When she witnesses the Nameless killing other Path members during the Night of Sorrow, she briefly rationalizes this as the victims secretly being "Force abusers", and thus deserving their fate. She slightly eases out of this mindset by the end of ''Path of Vengeance'', after she witnesses a Nameless attack [[ChildrenAreInnocent Utalir]] despite her not having once used the Force, realizing that a connection to the Force is not something that can be controlled. While she still seeks to punish those who misuse the Force, she's a little more selective about what qualifies as an "abuser" after seeing the Mother's true colors.]]

* CrisisOfFaith: She is initially at odds with Kevmo for how he uses the Force, but when he uses the Force to save her and some of her people from a flood on Dalna, she starts to have some second thoughts. By the end of ''Path of Deceit'', her original belief that the Force should not be touched is only reinforced with some manipulation by the Mother after Kevmo is killed by the Leveler. [[spoiler:When she joins Sunshine's expedition to [[EldritchLocation Planet X]], several Path members have the Force awakened in them and use their newfound abilities like they've always had them, including Bokana, who she had fallen in love with. This causes her to initially condemn them, but once Bokana sacrifices himself to fend off the Protector, she becomes increasingly confused. Once she witnesses one of the Nameless attack [[ChildrenAreInnocent Utalir]] for no apparent reason during the Night of Sorrow, Yana immediately spells it out to her that not only are the Nameless indiscriminate in who they attack, being connected to the Force is not [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster something one can simply control]], no matter how much one holds it back.]]
* CuteAndPsycho: Most of the time, she's a kind girl. However, she's been raised in a cult with a vitriolic hatred for Force users and becomes increasingly zealous as time goes on. [[spoiler:Even after leaving the Path, she goes around baiting solitary Jedi so she can feed them to the Leveler.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:After years of manipulation by the Mother, Marda turns on her after learning how she's used the Path for her own selfish ends.]]

* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler:After killing the Mother and leaving Dalna in the ''Gaze Electric'', she vows to never let anyone tell her what to do again. From her perspective, this is her saying not to let anyone take advantage of her again. Her great-grandson [[Characters/StarWarsTheNihil Marchion]] also lives by these words, but twists them to mean [[ItsAllAboutMe he is superior to everyone else]].]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:Even after creating her own band of raiders, she draws the line at taking slaves. If her asking a Jedi she kidnapped (before feeding him to the Leveler) if he had a Padawan was any indication, she has a problem orphaning apprentices after what happened with Kevmo.]]
* FriendToAllChildren: She gets along really well with the children of Dalna and even gives flowers to them. The Mother takes advantage of this by using her to bring more children into her cult. Meanwhile, she serves as a caretaker for the Path's "littles", with her frequently taking care of the Kessarines' nest. [[spoiler:It's this aspect of her that ultimately gets her to see the Mother for who she truly is, as she is appalled to learn that not only was the Mother having the Littles set bombs around the Path compound, she witnesses one of the Nameless attack a child who hasn't even realized she's Force-sensitive.]]
* HazyFeelTurn: [[spoiler:She remains a believer in the Path's teachings of punishing those who would misuse the Force at the end of ''Path of Vengeance''. After learning how far the Mother was willing to manipulate her followers (and using the Force to do so) and realizing what the Nameless do to Jedi is exactly what happened to Kevmo, her definition of what truly qualifies as a "Force abuser" shifts a bit and turns on the Mother, being willing to even ''help'' the Jedi afterward and sparing them when she kills the Mother. However, this doesn't mean her opinion on the Jedi has changed much, as she's become a caretaker for the Great Leveler and is still targeting Force users to keep it satiated, and she would eventually go on to found the Nihil.]]
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:The moment she sees the Littles being put in harm's way during the Night of Sorrow is the moment she realizes that the Mother has been taking advantage of her.]]

* MamaBear: [[spoiler:The moment she learns the Littles are being put in harm's way during the Night of Sorrow - whether it be the Mother having them plant bombs around the Path compound and she witnesses one of them gettting attacked by the Nameless despite not showing any other signs of Force-sensitivity - any loyalty she had to the Mother evaporates and she kills the Nameless threatening Utalir.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Evereni have a notorious reputation for ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, and she and her cousin Yana are looked at with suspicion even among the ranks of the Path. While Yana is prepared to give in to this stereotype to protect herself and her cousin, Marda is a lot more innocent and accepting as a result of not knowing her people's history. [[spoiler:While seeking out other Evereni following the Path's fragmentation, she starts developing some of their more toxic traits after meeting a few of them.]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:She has the Leveler feast on the Mother, realizing that she herself was the type of Force abuser she preached against.]]

* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:After making a speech about punishing those who abuse the Force, making the Mother think she was preparing to feed Oliviah Zeveron to the Leveler, she makes it clear she was actually referring to the Mother before feeding her to the Leveler.]]

'''Marda Ro:''' [[spoiler:I wasn't talking to your sister, Elecia. [Looks to the Mother] I was talking to ''you''.]]

* TokenGoodTeammate: As one of those who grew up in the cult, Marda seems to be one of the only people in the Path who actually believes in its teachings without slipping into the [[KnightTemplar worst excesses of fundamentalist zealotry]] and is willing to give even Jedi a chance to open up to it. Unfortunately, her belief that the Jedi are evil only deepens after the Mother manipulates her into believing that [[BlamingTheVictim it was the Jedi Order that was responsible for Kevmo's death]] due to their teachings and not the Mother, who unleashed the Leveler on him. [[spoiler:While she does unravel the Mother's lies and turns on her at the end of ''Path of Vengeance'', she remains committed to punishing those who would actually abuse the Force.]]
* TragicKeepsake: After Kevmo's death, she keeps his lightsaber as a reminder of the sorrow she felt and her anger towards the Jedi. While she is [[TheseHandsHaveKilled shaken]] for some time after killing a rioter in defense on Jedha, [[spoiler:the saber gets damaged to the point of being inoperable after using it to save Utalir from a hungry Nameless.]]
* TragicVillain: She was initially a kind-hearted young girl who was only opposed to the Jedi on the grounds of being indoctrinated by a cult [[JoinsToFitIn so she could fit in]] with her peers in the face of [[FantasticRacism anti-Evereni speciesism]]. [[spoiler:After realizing the Mother was a fraud and manipulating her for her own ends, she only remains an enemy of the Jedi because that's all she's known her whole life and she's appointed herself as a caretaker for [[AnimalisticAbomination the Great Leveler]], whom she's developed a sense of kinship with because she thinks herself a monster too after what she was complicit in, [[IveComeTooFar she's come too far to change]], and owes the creature for taking it from its homeworld. Unfortunately, her descendants would lack her more tragic traits and exhibit only the toxic ones she developed after meeting other Evereni outside her family, and the raiders she created would become little more than self-indulgent brigands.]]

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:When the Mother and Herald fight each other, Marda gets control of one of the Nameless control rods. While she sees what may an opportunity to finally deliver judgement upon all those who would abuse the Force, she sees the Jedi suffering the same way she saw Kevmo. Instead, she decides to leave with the Rod in hand, let the Jedi deal with Elecia, and even saves Matthea from the Nameless in the compound catacombs.]]
* WhiteSheep: In contrast with most of her descendants that formed the Nihil, Marda is a genuinely good-natured person all around, albeit one that is incredibly naïve and can be easily roped into nefarious causes, as being one of the Path's most devout followers can attest to. [[spoiler:After she's free of the Path of the Open Hand, she decides to never let anyone tell her what to do again. However, her quest to find other Evereni causes her to develop some of their more toxic cultural traits, which would eventually become the basis for the Nihil. In contrast, her cousin Yana would [[TookALevelInIdealism take a level in idealism]].]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:He does not take it well when he learns that the Mother has been using the Force to influence his mind.]]

** [[spoiler:After he realizes that the Mother's been using the Force to influence him, he tries to convince Yana to flee with him when she catches him trying to steal back some of the stolen Force artifacts. Yana pays him back for setting her and the Children up to die on Thelj by knocking him out and trapping him in a room.]]

* TurnToReligion: At first, Sunshine is just brokering information and collecting artifacts for the Path for credits, and had a strained relationship with his family on Eriadu. After a few more jobs, he finds himself hooked by the Mother and her cult. [[spoiler:However, this turn isn't genuine, as the Mother had been using the Force to influence his mind.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:He's last seen being incapacitated by Yana and trapped in one of the Path compound's chambers. It's unknown if he got out before the compound was flooded during the Night of Sorrow, but Yana suspects he might be alive. If he is alive, it's unknown he was taken into custody or he escaped.]]

* BadBoss: [[spoiler:After the Path of the Closed Fist is created, he starts to kill Path members who get in his way or show any hesitance to fight.]]

* FalseFriend: It was through him that Axel was ingratiated into the Path as a teenager, taking advantage of his emotionally vulnerable state after his father's death. However, any notions of him being Axel's friend are false, as he's secretly envious of Axel when the Mother suggests that she still sees value in him. [[spoiler:Once Kyong Greylark relinquishes her Chancellorship, he drops all pretenses of being Axel's friend, as he's now become useless as a political puppet for the Path.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Binnot meets his end when Axel makes him hit himself with his own poisoned glove.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}: He's part of a cult that at worst, would like to kill Force users, despite being a repressed Force user himself, and it's implied given his defensive reactions to Gella probing him on it, [[spoiler:that he enjoys using it when the rest of the Path isn't looking, as shown by the enjoyment he has from holding onto Gella's lightsabers]].
* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: [[spoiler:After forming the Path of the Closed Fist, he tries to make Axel prove his allegiance by having him kill a young Path member who is reluctant fight after just losing his mother. This ends up being the final straw for Axel.]]
* ILied: [[spoiler:After poisoning Orin Darhga and offering to give an antidote if Gella surrenders, the latter does so, only for Binnot to let Orin die anyway and mention there never was an antidote (and to add insult to injury, Gella rightly suspected he wouldn't keep his word given the Path's hatred of Jedi.]]
* KnightTemplar: While this trope is to be expected from the Path of the Open Hand, Binnot takes it to a whole new level [[spoiler:when the Path of the Closed Fist is formed on the Night of Sorrow. He declares anyone who isn't part of the Path an enemy, not just Force users, and tries to have those unwilling to fight executed.]]
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Mirialans -- even those who aren't fully Force-sensitive -- are typically in touch with the Force as part of their culture. Binnot meanwhile, claims he didn't like being made to feel it, and that's why he's part of an anti-Force user cult. [[spoiler:However, it's implied he secretly enjoys using it. He just doesn't like being told what to do.]]

* BrokenPedestal: Not himself, [[spoiler:but his opinion on the Mother, whom he previously saw as an unquestionable scion of the Force, sours when he learns how much of a hate-peddling hypocrite she was following the Battle of Dalna.]]
* CallToAgriculture: [[spoiler:After the Path is routed on Dalna, Rok Buran helps him reunite with his family (who was living on the ''Gaze Electric''). After that he decides to move with his family to his home planet of Atalia to work on the algae farms.]]
* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:Despite being complicit in sabotaging a communications buoy and trying to take a Jedi prisoner, Rooper and Silandra let him off easy for his role in saving the ''Brightbird'''s crew and repairing the buoys over Dalna. He's only held in custody until Rok Buran can reunite him with his family. After that, the family simply retires to Atalia.]]

* PunchClockVillain: While he believes in the Path's teachings of abstaining from the Force, he doesn't exhibit any extreme dogma or bear any personal hostility towards Force users unlike many of the Path's other members. He's mainly in the Path because Ferize is in it. His work sabotaging communication buoys and attacking a Jedi is solely on the Mother's orders. After he is taken prisoner by the crew of the ''Brightbird'', he works alongside even Jedi Padawan Rooper Natani to not only help keep the crew alive, [[spoiler:but also repair the communication buoys orbiting Dalna]], if only because he desires to reunite with his family. [[spoiler:After the Path is defeated at the Battle of Dalna, the Jedi are lenient with him and help him to reunite with his family.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: Similar to his friend, Marda, he is one of the few Path members who doesn't despise the Jedi with a burning passion. [[spoiler:Unlike Marda, however, he doesn't come to view the Jedi as enemies at all despite his beliefs of abstaining from Force usage, whereas Marda only reevaluates her dogma the moment she realizes just how much the Mother has been manipulating her.]]

* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:After spending several issues of the comic trash-talking the Jedi and blaming them for every misfortune in the galaxy (even after being buried alive in the collapsed almshouse, which was a result of a conflict [[DramaticIrony that the Mother secretly instigated]]), she starts to beg the Force to help her and the others trapped in the almshouse after spending enough time being buried alive.]]

* GoodScarsEvilScars: One of his notable features is a broken chin tusk. [[spoiler:The tusk regrows almost instantly when he's on Planet X.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:He gives his life tackling the Protector off the escaping ''Silverstreak''.]]
* InterspeciesRomance: During Sunshine's egg-collecting expedition to Planet X, he finds himself in a romantic relationship with Marda (an Evereni). [[spoiler:However, their relationship becomes strained when Marda learns he's been passively tapping into the Force as a result of [[PlaceOfPower Planet X]] bringing out his hidden Force potential, which flies in the face of [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity her beliefs about using the Force]].]]

* CrisisOfFaith: She is initially at odds with Kevmo for how he uses the Force, but when he uses the Force to save her and some of her people from a flood on Dalna, she starts to have some second thoughts. By the end of ''Path of Deceit'', her original belief that the Force should not be touched is only reinforced with some manipulation by the Mother after Kevmo is killed by the Leveler. [[spoiler:When she joins Sunshine's expedition to [[EldritchLocation Planet X]], several Path members have the Force awakened in them and use their newfound abilities like they've always had them, including Bokana, who she had fallen in love with. This causes her to initially to condemn them, but once Bokana sacrifices himself to fend off the Protector, she becomes increasingly confused. Once she witnesses one of the Nameless attack [[ChildrenAreInnocent Utalir]] for no apparent reason during the Night of Sorrow, Yana immediately spells it out to her that not only are the Nameless indiscriminate in who they attack, being connected to the Force is not [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster something one can simply control]], no matter how much one holds it back.]]

* ISeeDeadPeople: In ''Path of Vengeance'', she sees a hallucination of Kor Plouth acting as her subconscience.

** As one of the people tasked with stealing Force artifacts and proselytizing offworlders, Yana is one of the only people in the cult who isn't motivated by ideology and suspects that the Mother's pretense for "liberating" these artifacts is a load of Bantha fodder. As such, she has no interest in staying with the Path forever and plans to leave as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Unfortunately, her being so wary prompts the Mother to send her and the Children of the Path on a mission [[UriahGambit to get them killed]], which ends up vindicating Yana when she's the only survivor.

* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: As someone who was raised in the Path at a very young and impressionable age, she is a fervent believer in the Path's teachings, thinks anyone who uses the Force must be wicked, and that [[BitchInSheepsClothing the Mother]] is nothing but good. When Kevmo -- the one Jedi she developed any liking towards -- is killed by the Leveler, her belief that the Jedi are evil is only reinforced with further manipulation by the Mother by convincing Marda that [[BlamingTheVictim Kevmo died as a consequence of using the Force to save everyone from the flood]], and not the fact that she unleashed the Leveler on him. [[spoiler:When she witnesses the Nameless killing other Path members during the Night of Sorrow, she briefly rationalizes this as the victims secretly being "Force abusers", and thus deserving their fate. She slightly eases out of this mindset by the end of ''Path of Vengeance'', after she witnesses a Nameless attack [[ChildrenAreInnocent Utalir]] despite her not having once used the Force, realizing that a connection to the Force is not something that can be controlled. While she still seeks to punish those who misuse the Force, she's a little more selective about what qualifies as an "abuser" after seeing the Mother's true colors.]]

* CrisisOfFaith: She is initially at odds with Kevmo Zink for how he uses the Force, but when he uses the Force to save her and some of her people from a flood on Dalna, she starts to have some second thoughts. By the end of ''Path of Deceit'', her original belief that the Force should not be touched is only reinforced with some manipulation by the Mother after Kevmo is killed by the Leveler. [[spoiler:When she joins Sunshine's expedition to [[EldritchLocation Planet X]], several Path members have the Force awakened in them and use their newfound abilities like they've always had them, including Bokana, who she had fallen in love with. This causes her to initially to condemn them, but once Bokana sacrifices himself to fend off the Protector, she becomes increasingly confused. Once she witnesses one of the Nameless attack [[ChildrenAreInnocent Utalir]] for no apparent reason during the Night of Sorrow, Yana immediately spells it out to her that not only are the Nameless indiscriminate in who they attack, being connected to the Force is not [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster something one can simply control]], no matter how much one holds it back.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: They do not participate in the mission to Thelj, as Radicaz "Sunshine" Dobbs takes their role as pilot instead. After the other Children sans Yana are killed during that mission, Cincey is unaccounted for. In the prologue of ''Path of Vengeance'', Yana recalls how all four of members of her team were sold out, implying that Cincey may have been KilledOffscreen, an implication also fueled by one of the new Children, Shea Ganandra, having some of the same skillsets as Cincey. [[spoiler:They are mentioned at the end of the novel, with Yana noting that they can't hear her anymore.]]

Marda Ro's older but more cynical cousin and the leader of the Children, a group within the Path of the Open Hand tasked with "liberating" Force artifacts and bringing them back to Dalna.

One of the Children, daughter of the Herald, Werth Plouth, and Yana Ro's girlfriend.

* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: She is mildly Force-sensitive, and is deeply unnerved by the dagger they recover for the Mother from Port Haileap. Later on she senses that there is something odd about the purple jewel that Sunshine Dobbs gave the Mother. What she sensed was that it's actually a [[BrownNoteBeing Nameless]] egg.

** Force-users who are born in the Path have to hide that they are such lest they be persecuted [[spoiler:and fed to the Great Leveler]].

* ForWantOfANail: The core reason they preach not to touch the Force is that taking from it -- even if it is to do good like when Kevmo saves some of the Path members from a flood -- may create a ripple effect and have [[DisasterDominoes disastrous consequences elsewhere]].

* ImprovisedTraining: Their life as farmers who [[EvilLuddite eschew modern harvesting technology]] isn't just a philosophical choice or a front [[spoiler:to cover up the fact they are surprisingly well-armed]]. It also physically toughens up their bodies so they can challenge Jedi Knights in melee combat, and many of these cultists are well-toned.

* NGOSuperpower: On the surface, they just seem to be a minor cult based on an agricultural world that uses little high-tech. However, thanks to the Mother getting in the good graces of a number of wealthy figures (including planetary leaders) throughout the galaxy and implicitly selling some of the Force artifacts the Children stole on the black market, the Path has enough money that, as Matthea Cathley puts it, "the Hutts would kill for" (money that she donates [[spoiler:to the rebuilding of Jedha City to divert suspicion from the Path's role in the battle)]]. [[spoiler:They've also got a stockpile of missile launchers and enforcer droids, and a laboratory for producing an ecosystem-destroying chemical weapon.]]

* PredecessorVillain: They serve as one to the Nihil, as not only were two of Marchion Ro's ancestors, Marda and Yana part of this group, some of their assets belonged to them too. The Nihil are explicitly confirmed to be a RenegadeSplinterFaction of the Path [[spoiler:started by Marda in the wake of its fragmentation]].
* ScamReligion: The Mother turned the Path into one after becoming its prophet, as while she's having them steal Force artifacts under the pretense of trying to liberate the Force, [[spoiler: she's actually selling some of those artifacts on the black market and more interested in building power for herself by pitting the whole galaxy against the Jedi Order]].

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Being feasted on by a Nameless is [[CruelAndUnusualDeath a horrific way to die]] for any Force user. However, the Mother holds the unique distinction of being one of the few Force users to have earned such a fate, as not only she had already killed several Force users through control of the Nameless, she also had a huge role in keeping the [[ForeverWar Eiram-E'ronoh war]] going as a way to gain more followers.]]

** Following the Battle of Jedha, she suffers serious health problems, has seizures, and suddenly looks decades older. She and [[ProfessionalButtkisser the Elders]] claim that this how she's getting messages from the Force, but this is actually a sign that [[spoiler:the Leveler is slowly killing her and she's trying to hide the fact that's she a Force-user herself]].

* DontYouDarePityMe: [[spoiler:When Marda learns of Elecia's relationship to Oliviah, she initially presumes that the Mother is motivated by an inferiority complex over being viewed as second-best to her sister, much like she feels in her relationship with Yana. The Mother [[MotiveMisidentification immediately shoots those notions down]] in her MotiveRant, claiming that not only does she not actually love Oliviah, the Jedi should have picked her for training over her and not the other way around. This is a rare example of when the trope is done to highlight a villain's ego and not garner sympathy.]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: She claims to represent the will of the Force, but one slip of the tongue towards Marda (saying ''she'' -- not the Force -- doesn't need her on Jedha) makes it clear to readers that she is actually using the cult and hoarding Force artifacts for her own personal gain, but Marda personally brushes it off as just a slip of the tongue.

* SmugSnake: She thinks of herself as a master manipulator, but that's actually a result of her using Force powers to influence people's minds. [[spoiler:The moment her plans start to fall apart, she loses her cool. During her MotiveRant, she insists that the Jedi should have chosen her and not her sister Oliviah, even though it's apparent that the extent of her Force abilities is mental manipulation (which is among the most basic Force abilities). In a fight with a more disciplined Force user (like Oliviah) who isn't being crippled by the Nameless or their control rods, she is defeated fairly easily.]]

** [[spoiler:Following the Battle of Jedha, where she gets severely injured it and the Path's supposedly benevolent image starts to fall apart at the seams, so does her kind, motherly image. When her followers try to help her, she starts becoming outwardly dismissive of them.]]

* VillainousRROD: During the second half of Phase, she becomes increasingly frail, to the point of looking like she's aging faster and having seizures. [[spoiler:This is because the Leveler has been passively feeding on her.]]

* CrisisOfFaith: She is initially at odds with Kevmo Zink for how he uses the Force, but when he uses the Force to save her and some of her people from a flood on Dalna, she starts to have some second thoughts. By the end of ''Path of Deceit'', her original belief that the Force should not be touched is only reinforced with some manipulation by the Mother after Kevmo is killed by the Leveler. [[spoiler:When she joins Sunshine's expedition to [[EldritchLocation Planet X]], several Path members have the Force awakened in them and use their newfound abilities like they've always had them, including Bokana, who she had fallen in love. This causes her to initially to condemn them, but once Bokana sacrifices himself to fend off the Protector, she becomes increasingly confused. Once she witnesses one of the Nameless attack [[ChildrenAreInnocent Utalir]] for no apparent reason during the Night of Sorrow, Yana immediately spells it out to her that not only are the Nameless indiscriminate in who they attack, being connected to the Force is not [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster something one can simply control]], no matter how much one holds it back.]]

* HazyFeelTurn: [[spoiler:She remains a believer in the Path's teachings of punishing those who would misuse the Force at the end of ''Path of Vengeance''. After learning how far the Mother was willing manipulate her followers (and using the Force to do so) and realizing what the Nameless do to Jedi is exactly what happened to Kevmo, her definition of what truly qualifies as a "Force abuser" shifts a bit and turns on the Mother, being willing to even ''help'' the Jedi afterward and sparing them when she kills the Mother. However, this doesn't mean her opinion on the Jedi has changed much, as she's become a caretaker for the Great Leveler and is still targeting Force users to keep it satiated, and she would eventually go on to found the Nihil.]]

* BadBoss: [[spoiler:After forming the Path of the Closed Fist, he starts to kill Path members who get in his way or show any hesitance to fight.]]

* DidntSeeThatComing: His plans to frame E'ronoh for being in possession of Klytobacter hit a major stumbling block when his ship is attacked by pirates, many of whom see the reignited war as an opportunity for plundering. This results in him and Goi being held prisoner on Eirie and interrogated by Char-Ryl-Roy and Enya Keen, who learn that they were working with the Path.

* TokenGoodTeammate: Similar to his friend, Marda, he is one of the few Path members who doesn't despise the Jedi with a burning passion. [[spoiler:Unlike Marda, however, he doesn't come to view the Jedi as enemies at all despite his beliefs of abstaining from Force usage, whereas Marda only drops her dogma the moment she realizes just how much the Mother has been manipulating her.]]

* {{Hypocrite}}: He is disdainful of Yana Ro because of the Evereni's reputation for ChronicBackstabbingDisorder. Sunshine isn't any better than Yana in that regard.

The previous leader of the Path of the Open Hand, now sharing his position with the Mother after her arrival.

* TheAtoner: He is said to have had a violent past before joining the Path, hence where the cropped head tendrils come from.

* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: She is mildly Force-sensitive, and can sense that there is something odd about the purple jewel that Sunshine Dobbs gave the Mother. What she sensed was that it's actually a [[BrownNoteBeing Nameless]] egg.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Learning that one of the artifacts they are being sent to steal is a dagger said to be able to cut one off from the Force with a single cut horrifies Kor due to her belief that the Force is part of everything and everyone and that cutting one away from it is wrong.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Her idea of brining the Path to Jedha ends up hurting the cult in the end. The Mother did not want the Path coming to Jedha in the first place because she already had other agents there working to instigate the conflict, with the Mother only going along with it after promoting her to the position of the Guide of the Path. Not only does this decision put the Path in the crossfire of the Mother's own machinations, it starts to expose the Path's true nature to the rest of the galaxy.

A member of the Path of the Open Hand and the great-grandmother to the Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro.

One of the Children.

* ReligiousBrusier: She is the most devout of the Children, as her family have been involved in the Path for a long time, while the others are more pragmatic and not necessarily true believers in the Path.

* AxCrazy: Treze is shown to be a little too sadistic for his own good.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:During the Night of Sorrow, she knocks Sunshine out as payback for sending her and the Children up to die on Thelj. Unfortunately, when she tries to escape from Dalna, she remembers that she doesn't know how to fly a ship and there aren't any other pilots around, forcing to stay longer. This is especially ironic considering that this is exactly why she didn't kill Sunshine back on Thelj.]]

** She also seems to be one of the only members of the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Ro family]] to have their head on straight. Her cousin Marda, while otherwise well-meaning, is very naive and [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity easily-swayed into religious zealotry]] [[spoiler:and would start the family tradition of being caretakers for an EldritchAbomination after several [[CrisisOfFaith Crises of Faith]]]]. Among the later-generation Ros, Shalla is an Evereni supremacist that would turn [[spoiler:Marda's band of raiders]] into the Nihil, Asgar is the same on top of abusing his own son and murdering his own mother, and Marchion is [[TheSociopath a bloodthirsty sociopath]]. While Yana herself is prepared to give in to her species' stereotype for ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, it's only out of self-preservation, because she's aware that her species is widely-persecuted [[SinsOfTheFather due to their ancestors' crimes]].

&& Needs images of: Shea Ganandra, Jaydyn

-->See his entry on the [[CharactersStarWarsReligiousOrganizations Religious Organizations]] page under "Elders of the Path".

->'''Appearances:''' ''[[ComicBook/StarWarsPathOfVengeance Path of Vengeance]]''

!!Children

!!Agents of the Path (unmarked spoilers in folders)

[[folder:"Chaos"]]
!!Axel Greylark
->See his entry on the [[Characters/StarWarsHighRepublicEraGalacticRepublic Galactic Republic - High Republic Era]] page.

[[folder:The Monarch]]
!!Queen Adrialla
->See her entry on the [[Characters/StarWarsDalnanSector Dalnan Sector]] page under Eiram.

[[folder:The Profiteer]]
!!Tilson Graf
->See his entry on the [[Characters/StarWarsSpacers Spacers]] page under the Graf Family.

!!Assets of the Path
[[folder:Great Leveler]]
!!The Great Leveler
->See its entry on [[Characters/StarWarsTheNihil the Nihil]] page.

[[folder:The Nameless]]
!!The Nameless
->See their entry on the [[Characters/StarWarsOtherForceUsersAndBeings Other Force Users and Beings]] page.

%% Needs images of: Radicaz Dobbs