Darth Nihl

"My Master will not make Palpatine's mistake. All Jedi must die."

- Darth Nihl

Darth Nihl was one of Darth Krayt's Sith warriors c. 130 ABY. A former Nagai warlord, Nihl had spent years as a feared scourge of the Unknown Regions until he was discovered and recruited into the fledgling new Sith Order by Darth Krayt.

Casting aside his former personal ambitions, Nihl embraced the Sith cause. He was intended to become the Order's Fist, but instead became the first of Krayt's two Hands when his predecessor died during the Massacre at Ossus,, secretly carrying out his Master's will both outside and inside the Sith ranks. He was one of only a few Sith in the order not to bear the iconic red and black tattoos, with one other notable example being Darth Krayt himself. Instead, Darth Nihl made use of his naturally white skin tone to mix with black tattoos.

Pre-Sith Life
"You were not born Sith."

- Darth Maladi

Nihl was once a warlord on a backwater planet. He joined the New Sith Order and in some point in time, he was introduced to the Embrace of Pain. It pooled so much anger and pain that he slew an entire village.

Nihl was meant to be Krayt's Fist but it was because his predecessor died "prematurely" that instead, he became Darth Krayt's Hand instead.

Massacre at Ossus and aftermath
"I earned my place as a Hand. I slew many Jedi that day, including Kol Skywalker."

- Darth Nihl

In 130 ABY, Nihl and his Sith warriors led an assault against the Jedi Praxeum on Ossus. During the massacre, Nihl bested and took the right arm of Wolf Sazen in single combat. After being wounded by Kol Skywalker, he killed him by unleashing Force lightning at him from behind. He later accompanied his Master to Coruscant, where Krayt became the Emperor of his Sith Empire.

Confrontation on Vendaxa
"You should have stayed dead on Ossus, one-arm! I dislike having to kill my opponents twice."

- Darth Nihl to Wolf Sazen

Darth Nihl was ordered to help Darth Talon in her mission to kill Roan Fel and his allies on Vendaxa. Talon ordered Nihl to wait until the time was right to make a swift kill on their prey. But the Sith were surprised to see the Imperial Knights arriving to save Princess Marasiah Fel. Much to his dislike, he had to fight, once again, Master Wolf Sazen in a death duel.



Later, Cade Skywalker attacked him, revealing that he had seen Nihl kill his father during the Massacre at Ossus. Nihl then said that he slew many Jedi that day, and that one of them could have been his father. Cade began to use his anger while fighting Nihl, and Sazen told him that he would not defeat Nihl with his anger. However, Cade didn't listen and continued the attack.

Jariah Syn later attacked Nihl with his blaster, but was Force-pushed away. Cade ended the duel by kicking the Sith Lord over a cliff. Nihl recovered from the fall, and he reminded Darth Talon of her failure, saying he would once again be the only Hand after Darth Krayt executed her. Unfortunately for Nihl, Krayt spared her life after finding out she had battled a Skywalker and sent her on a mission to bring Cade before him alive. Nihl would have to continue putting up with Talon.

Capturing Cade Skywalker
"His father's son&hellip;weak and so easily defeated by darkness."

- Darth Nihl on Cade Skywalker

When Cade Skywalker arrived on Coruscant to rescue Hosk Trey'lis from the Temple of the Sith, he was stopped first by Talon and then Nihl who intervened by unleashing a Force choke on Cade, rendering him unconscious. Talon's mission was to deliver him to Krayt alive to use his healing powers.

Later on, Nihl confronted Darth Wyyrlok over guarding Cade, and showed resentment about the treatment Talon received from Krayt(she had been invited into his private chambers), as Nihl felt he was more deserving of special attention from him. Darth Maladi reminded Nihl that, unlike Talon, he had not been born a Sith. When Nihl mentioned that she was born a Sith and not invited into the chamber, Maladi said she did not question Krayt's decisions, except why he was keeping Cade Skywalker alive. He later revealed to Maladi that he feared that if Krayt couldn't be saved from death, he would make Skywalker his heir.

Fighting another Skywalker
"Slay the one who killed your father! Destroy Nihl&mdash;take your revenge!"

- Darth Krayt to Cade Skywalker



Following his imprisonment within the Embrace of Pain, Cade Skywalker made an attempt to escape the Temple of the Sith, but was soon apprehended. Skywalker was brought before Krayt, along with Talon, Nihl and Trey'lis; and told that if he did not kill Trey'lis, he would be killed himself. Skywalker refused, and Krayt executed the Jedi himself. Enraged, Skywalker broke the transparisteel casing around his father's lightsaber and used the weapon to impale Darth Talon. He then engaged Darth Nihl in a lightsaber duel.

During the duel, Cade's eyes changed to blood red, signifying his use of anger. He bested Nihl by severing his arm and throwing the weakened Nagai Sith Lord into a wall, apparently knocking him unconscious, and then grabbed Nihl by the neck and used Force lightning on him. Krayt then ordered Cade to kill him so he could become a Sith himself. Cade refused to kill him, saying it was what Krayt wanted, and subsequently began to duel Krayt. Cade then escaped with the help of his mother, Morrigan Corde, and Jariah Syn. Nihl, along with Talon were placed in bacta tanks, in the process of regrowing his arm.

Weapons


Darth Nihl used a lightsaber staff. It was composed of a long staff-like body that was made of a material that appeared less like a metal than a type of coral or wood fiber. A red blade protruded from one end, while the opposite end had a ringed, ovoid protrusion. Nihl was quite possibly the first to use this lightsaber design in over 100 years. He used this lightsaber during the Massacre of Ossus, where he also made use of a wrist blaster built into a gauntlet on his left wrist.

Behind the scenes

 * As with Darth Nihilus, Nihl's name is likely a play on the Latin word "nihil", which literally means "empty" or "nothing". "Nihilism", to which the name also probably refers, is an extreme form of skepticism that finds existence meaningless, or that the fall of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement.


 * There appears to be an inconsistency between the lightsaber cane Nihl uses against the Jedi and the lightsaber he displays on the cover of Star Wars Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy 8: Allies
 * Star Wars Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 6: Broken, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 7: Broken, Part 6
 * Star Wars Legacy 14: Claws of the Dragon, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 15: Claws of the Dragon, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 16: Claws of the Dragon, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 17: Claws of the Dragon, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 18: Claws of the Dragon, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 19: Claws of the Dragon, Part 6
 * Star Wars Legacy 23: Loyalties, Part 1

Notes and references
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