Brendok coven

No one is safe from the truth.

Warning! This page contains spoilers from the episode "Choice" of The Acolyte. Caution is advised.

The Brendok coven^[5] was a coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya operated on the planet Brendok during the High Republic Era.^[1]

History[]

Aniseya's coven possessed a power considered by some to be dark, which eventually led to the coven being forced into hiding on Brendok^[3] by 148 BBY.^[4]

In the same year, twin sisters Verosha and Mae-ho Aniseya were to partake in a ritual called the Rite of Ascension, which had not been performed since the coven's exile. The ritual was interrupted when four Jedi arrived at the coven's fortress, concerned that the witches were training children. Initially, the coven attempted to hide the twins, and claimed they had no children with them. However, the Jedi soon learned of the two young girls, prompting one of the witches to attack the Jedi, until a truce was agreed to. Verosha expressed interest in becoming a Jedi, much to her sibling's disgust, who then requested to test the twins.^[3]

The coven agreed that the girls should purposefully fail the Jedi's test. When the Jedi saw through this plan, Verosha was convinced to tell the truth and take the test honestly. This frustrated Mae-ho, leading to her stealing her sister's journal and setting fire to it. The fire soon grew in size, and began burning the doorway to Verosha's room. After escaping through a hatch, she came to a large room with a generator, which soon exploded.^[3] When Sol and Torbin were faced with a squad of witches, tensions rose. As both sides raised their weapons, Aniseya used a Thread power, which Sol mistook for an attack, prompting him to use his saber on the leader of the witches. Combat ensued, where the witches were forced to flee. They pooled their power to dominate Kelnacca and made him try to slay the other Jedi, until Master Indara suppressed the witchcraft, freeing the enthralled Jedi.^[6] Verosha then found herself confronted by a screaming Mae-ho on a broken bridge. The bridge collapsed, but Jedi Master Sol caught Verosha as she fell. As the two exited the fortress, the bodies of several witches, including Mother Aniseya herself, were strewn across the floor.^[3] They had died from the backlash of their shattered mind-control Force power they had used to impel a Wookiee to try to kill other Jedi.^[6]

Religion and philosophy[]

"All living things are connected by the same Thread. A Thread woven through all of existence. Some call it a Force and claim to use it. But we know the Thread is not a power you wield."

―Mother Aniseya^[3]

Aniseya's coven had a distinct view of the Force, which they referred to as "the Thread." According to Aniseya, The Thread was not something to be used or wielded. Rather, it served as a connection between all living things, and as something that tied one to their destiny. The Thread was called upon by the coven during the Rite of Ascension.^[3] Sol found their ways, including the lack of care he felt they showed to their children, to be disturbing. While mistaken as a possible splinter group using dark magic such as the Nightsisters, a difference between them and the Nightsisters of their era was that the Nightsisters did not train younglings.^[6]

The Thread was depicted as a cooperative and additive power, with more users working together being capable of stronger feats, such as a pair of witches being able to actively resist a telekinetic push that knocked away a single one. They admitted that their powers were classed as dark side and one of their powers was to break the mind and hold a Force-user helpless and on the edge of insanity.^[3] Another power that their leaders used was to turn into a black mist and disappeared and the coven by combining their powers could take control over some Jedi and force said Jedi to try to kill his allies.^[6]