Once, it was the home to the witches of Dathomir, otherwise known as the Nightsisters. Tucked away in from the rest of the galaxy in an isolated cluster, the Nightsisters were able to draw energy from the planet itself, and pursued a type of ritualistic magic. They ruled over the population of Zabrak—Nightbrothers—and used them as a warrior caste to serve their purposes.

Then, the Clone Wars. The Nightsisters were pulled into the conflict due to the machinations of Mother Talzin and her rival Darth Sidious. This ultimately led to the eradication of the Dathomirians and their settlements. The desolation was claimed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems after the last Nightsister fell.

Now, the planet known as Dathomir is a haunted skeleton of its former greatness. A perpetual crimson glow coats the planet. The bleak world has become an amalgamation of ruined forest, decrepit swamp lands, and withered mountains worn to the sands of time.

In the desolate swamps, faint echoes haunt the graves of the long-dead witches, infusing the green fog that spreads above the damp ground. Dreadful whispers rumoured to be lingering incantations defend the world from intruders. Tall tales and rumors of zombies and ritual sacrifice alluding to grisly flashes of imagery.

The trees, large and misshapen, promise misery to those who touch their tortured bark and open themselves to the memories of the place. Eerie as the voices over the wind, the water beneath the fog appears red and bubbling, as if the land itself were pockmarked in cauldrons of blood to keep the incantations alive.

Creatures unaffected by the purge of the Nightsisters still remain. Snakes, reptiles and insects of varying lethality wander the wasteland. Reports have even said that rancor still roam freely.

This is Dathomir.

The green fog curled around the base of the Onyx, the engines of the Firespray cooling from its descent through the turbulent upper atmosphere of Dathomir. Already, the planet sought to claim the newest visitor as part of itself. The landing ramp descended, the bottom not visible as it touched the ground beneath the ever present swamp mist.

A Kaleesh and a Sith descended from the vessel, an argument well underway.

"I still don't understand why the Consul would send you with me to this Force forsaken planet. It's not like I can't handle myself. I've proven that time and again," the Sith spat into the mist as he reached the base of the ship. He turned to glare at the Kaleesh behind him, as if daring the Augur to say anything to the contrary.

"If you think it was my choice to be stuck babysitting you on a simple errand, then you are mistaken," Tra'an replied laconically. The former Quaestor set the security to active for the Firespray, and then finished walking down the ramp. "We were sent here for a perfectly valid reason, that will become clear to you shortly," he continued. Consulting a datapad, he oriented himself and began walking into the swamp without another word.

"Where are we going?" Thanadd asked, slightly peeved at being treated like a child, only fit to be given pieces of information as necessary.

"Some place, special. It will be worth the small efforts, I promise," replied the Augur, as they emerged from between the trees, and into what appeared to be a fog filled clearing, with a lone dilapidated structure off to one side. Tra'an only slowed when he reached the center of the clearing, lowering his hood and closing his eyes to reach out with the Force, to feel the malevolence that remained in this hallowed ground.

Eyes narrowed, Thanadd couldn't help but scoff. "This doesn't look like anything special." He was met first by silence, then by a sigh, as the Kaleesh withdrew his Lightsaber and thumbed the activation switch, the copper blade shimmering to life in swirls of green fog. The eerie glow was cast upon Tra'an Reith did nothing to minimize the look of distaste upon his face.

"Thanadd Mawgath, it is by the Consul's instructions that you are here today to duel for your life. Reach for your blade, or perish." The words were almost a whisper, and yet easily heard amidst the silence in the deserted Nightbrother Village, its remains now nothing more than another ruin.

At first Thanadd snorted, then he laughed. "You really think that you can best me? I'm the best there's ever been. It seems like I'll be wearing a new set of snakeskin boots before long!" he taunted, even as the claret colored Lightsaber also bloomed into existence. The lanky Pau'an seemed to hesitate for a moment, before striding forward cautiously, his body assuming a stance very familiar to the Kaleesh, whose eyes narrowed further in recognition. The ground squelched beneath them as their heavy stances settled in and readied for combat.

Thanadd closed the distance and struck first, both hands leveraging the swing for additional force, only to meet with empty air as the Augur parried and side stepped, before the ground gave way and his right leg sank in the muck up to the ankle. In the effort to extract it, he missed the opportunity for a follow up strike, and was knocked off balance as the Pau'an pivoted and struck again.

Rolling away, Tra'an came up and launched himself backwards, stowing his lightsaber as he landed, without getting stuck again. Thanadd paused before snarling, "Bring your blade back and fight you coward! You're just afraid to stand against me!"

The Kaleesh snorted in derision.

"You aren't paying attention. Let's see if you can figure it out." The Auror withdrew his Thermal Imploder and activated the timer.