Witches of the Mist

"The path to evil may bring great power, but not loyalty."

- Jedi Fortune Cookie

"Witches of the Mist" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It is the fifty-eighth episode of the series overall. It was released on January 21, 2011 on Cartoon Network.

Synopsis
The bodies of the Jedi Halsey and Knox are brought back to the temple to be examined for the cause of their deaths. After examining them, Obi-Wan determines the work to be that of a "reckless, impulsive animal". The Jedi are at first confused, since only Ventress would have been capable of something like this, but she was presumed dead after the Battle of Sullust. However, the council recovers surveillance footage of the Massacre on Devaron, revealing Savage Opress as the perpetrator. Obi-Wan at first thinks Savage is Darth Maul and is shocked, but it is just one of Maul's kinsmen. The Council pinpoints Dathomir as the two Nightbrothers' home planet, even though Obi-Wan originally thought it was Irodinia. Obi-Wan and Anakin then head off to Dathomir to search for Opress. The two Jedi land near Savage's Nightbrother village, where they are immediately surrounded by the hostile Nightbrothers. Though Obi-Wan wants the negotiations to go smoothly, Anakin is forced to use "aggressive negotiations" by taking Viscus, the village head, hostage. The Nightbrothers tell the Jedi about how the Nightsisters took Opress, and so the Jedi thank them and head to the Nightsisters. At the Nightsister camp, the Jedi are once again surrounded, and are brought to Mother Talzin. Talzin tries to play dumb, but the Jedi are not fooled, and Talzin reveals Opress' name and location. Afterwards, not wanting the Jedi to interfere, Talzin contacts Ventress, telling her the time to assassinate Dooku is now.

Meanwhile, Dooku trains Savage Opress in lightsaber contact. However, Opress finds himself inept at dueling Dooku, and though Dooku is disappointed in his apprentice, he still believes that Opress has potential. Dooku then takes Opress outside, and tells him to lift the pillars with the Force. Savage finds himself unable to do it, so Dooku tortures him with Force Lightning. Savage, while under Dooku's lightning, summons enough anger to lift all the pillars, pleasing Dooku. Later, Dooku gives Savage his first assignment: capture King Katuunko and bring him back alive. Savage lands on Toydaria, immediately kiling the Toydarian guards headed for him. Katuunko is immediately alerted, but the king refuses to back down. Savage breaks into the palace, kills all the guards, and heads for Katuunko. Katuunko refuses to be intimidated, even when Savage easily severs his dagger. At that moment, Anakin and Obi-Wan enter the palace, ready to take on Savage. The Jedi then take on the Sith Apprentice, and Katuunko tries to fly away during the duel. Savage, keeping one eye on Katuunko, force-chokes the king to keep him bound. However, Savage inadverdently kills Katuunko, and the Sith Apprentice quickly defeats Obi-Wan and Anakin, pinning them to the ground with a hovering platform. Savage runs back to his ship with Katuunko's body, pushing the Jedi's ship off the platform in the process. Later, Anakin and Obi-Wan manage to get up and race to the docking platform, where they find the remains of their ship. Not deterred, the Jedi borrow a ship from the Toydarians and continue their hunt. Savage boards Dooku's cruiser out in the Toydarian system, where infuriated Dooku tortures him with lightning for failing to bring Katuunko back alive. Suddenly, the door to the room enters, and Ventress steps in. Dooku tells Savage that he can redeem his failure by killing Ventress; however, Ventress just laughs and taps Savage's forehead, bringing his true allegiance back. Ventress and Savage then attack Dooku together; Ventress with her acrobatics and Savage with his brute strength. The two manage to disarm Dooku, but Dooku manages to dodge Ventress' strikes while keeping Savage pinned down with lightning. Even after getting his lightsaber back, Dooku keeps blasting Savage every time the Zabrak gets up, until Savage can take it no more. Ventress yells at Savage to get up and keep fighting, but the combination of her words and Dooku's lightning causes Opress to snap and force-choke both of them. A free-for-all battle ensues, with each combatant attacking the other two. Eventually, Dooku flees down a hatch, with Ventress following suit. Savage tries to go through the hatch as well, but Ventress closes it. Savage prepares to cut it open, but at that moment Anakin and Obi-Wan enter the room.

Savage charges at the Jedi, sending them crashing into the hallway. In the hall, a fierce battle ensues, going all the way to the hangar. There, the battle droids, having received orders from Dooku to kill Opress, see the Zabrak and open fire. Savage deflects the bolts fired at him, but soon finds himself surrounded and overwhelmed. An angry and exhausted Opress summons his rage and pushes the droids away, and he races into his Solar Sailer, where he departs. The remaining droids then confront Obi-Wan and Anakin, who realize that they shouldn't be here anymore and escape on their ship. Meanwhile, Ventress drops down behind Dooku in the escape pod bay. Dooku tells her that she is no match for him without Savage, but Ventress refuses to back down. Dooku and Ventress duel, but Ventress fails to get the upper hand. Eventually Dooku pushes Ventress against the wall and tortures her with Force Lightning. As Dooku prepares to kill Ventress, the former Sith apprentice breaks a vent, stunning Dooku long enough for her to leap into an escape pod and jettison it. Dooku looks on as Ventress drifts down to the planet below.

Meanwhile, the injured Savage returns to Dathomir, where he seeks the guidance of Mother Talzin on what to do now. Mother Talzin reveals that Savage still has one living brother left: Darth Maul, who had been living in exile after being defeated 12 years ago. Talzin gives Savage a talisman containing Maul's blood which will help him to find the fallen Sith warrior. Savage looks at Maul's cracked face in the orb, as he prepares to look for his brother.

Cast
Starring
 * Corey Burton as Count Dooku
 * Clancy Brown as Savage Opress
 * Nika Futterman as Ventress
 * Barbara Goodson as Mother Talzin
 * James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi / Plo Koon
 * Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker
 * Stephen Stanton as Brother Viscus / Toydarian Guard #2
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Clone Troopers / Toydarian Guard #1
 * Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia / Talia
 * Terrence Carson as Mace Windu
 * Brian George as King Katuunko
 * Tom Kane as Narrator / Yoda
 * Matthew Wood as Battle Droids

Crew
Created and Executive Produced by
 * George Lucas

Supervising Director
 * Dave Filoni

Produced by
 * Cary Silver

Directed by
 * Giancarlo Volpe

Written by
 * Katie Lucas

Score by
 * Kevin Kiner

Original Star Wars Themes and Score by
 * John Williams

Characters

 * Dooku
 * Feral Indirect mention only
 * Adi Gallia
 * Halsey Appears in flashback and in hologram
 * Katuunko
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Knox
 * Plo Koon
 * Darth Maul
 * Savage Opress
 * Boss
 * Fixer
 * Sev
 * Scorch
 * Anakin Skywalker
 * Talia
 * Talzin
 * Saesee Tiin
 * Asajj Ventress
 * Viscus
 * Mace Windu
 * Yoda

Locations

 * Coruscant
 * Dathomir
 * Serenno
 * Toydaria
 * Sullust
 * Devaron

Events

 * Clone Wars
 * Battle of Sullust
 * Battle at the Temple of Eedit
 * Showdown over Toydaria