Jarvashqiine (priests)

The Jarvashqiine were a group of shaman-like priests who were able to use abilities granted by the Force and adhered to its dark side. They were worshipped by a religion of the same name and believed that only the use of elaborate blood rituals allowed the dark side to manifest itself; in truth, the absence of such rituals could render a Jarvashqiine priest unable to access the Force at all.

In 990 BBY, Chief Librarian Restelly Quist of the Jedi Order mentioned the Jarvashqiine in the Jedi trainee guidebook The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, describing the rituals used by the priests as "atavistic." At some point after the foundation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, Galactic Emperor and Sith Lord Palpatine studied the shamanism of the Jarvashqiine in an attempt to attain complete mastery over the Force and its dark side.

Text and facts from the “Jarvashqiine (priests)” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.