Dinner Confession

The Dumenor Dinner Confession is an event that occurred on the 28th of June, Fifth Year of the First Era. The event was organized by then High King David, inviting everyone in Drevhall to attend a grand feast at the Dumenor Dining Hall. The main purpose of the feast was to get as many people as possible in close proximity and "get a few things off the chest" - High King David was ready to confess to the NILF murders and the events that lead up to the Wacked Massacre / Bloody Wednesday.

### Prologue

#### The Ghosts of Wacked Dungeon

With the High King re-election, the foundation of ECOF, and the completion of the Mushway project, High King David has been more than preoccupied as of late. Of course, he was finally able to finish his long overdue projects mainly thanks to the reduced pressure from the Nashar legion, or more accurately, the complete absence of it. So much so that he doesn’t quite remember the last time he even visited Wacked Castle, and donned his knightly armour.

Nevertheless, as chapter master, it was his duty to take care of the castle, as well as his knights. And so, he put on his elytra and flew towards Wakkland, straight into the chapter masters quarters through a small opening in his window. He put away his crown and tunic, and wore his chapter master armour.

   The day was gloomy, dark and soggy. Thunder began from the moment he left Thoronor. He felt the need to check up on the reliquary and make sure everything is in place, as well as check up on some documents in the evidence room that were brought by Retro from his travels down south. While he knew that he was alone in the castle, an eerie and uneasy feeling engulfed the Chapter Master. He could hear the strong winds travelling through and whistling in the corridors of the castle. Memories of the Wacked Massacre grew more ominous. The castle felt cold, haunting almost. The lower down the floors of the castle he went, the stronger the feeling grew. He could not even come down to the dungeon, as he almost felt as if he would see the ghosts of those murdered there staring right into his soul. He couldn’t even read the first page of the documents that Retro brought, putting away his chapter master armour and returning to Thoronor, hiding away in the brothel and drowning his uncomfortable feeling in fine beer and loud tavern music, waiting out the storm that almost seemed never ending…

#### Anniversary of the Drevhall Auction

It was that time again. With the announcement of the auction anniversary and its return to Aquos, High King David couldn’t miss the opportunity to make some more pocket change. Rummaging through his chests, he came across a certain, peculiar looking box. He remembered that this was the exact box where he stuffed all the things that he wanted to get rid of for quite some time - things that had too much sentimental value that he simply couldn’t burn - things that bring too much emotional distress to keep. And so, he grabbed the box and carried it with him while he went to the Thoronor Museum to place a new item on display.

It was another rainy day. Seems like there are quite a lot of those in recent times. The same haunting feeling that David experienced in Wacked Castle followed him to the Thoronor Museum. He started hearing things - things that shouldn’t be heard where he was. Sounds of an end portal being lit up right beside him started to drive him mad. He quickly made his way to the lava baptism pond and dunked himself in it, staying submerged until dawn. Only it never came.

What was rain turned to thunder. David understood that he couldn’t just stay under lava forever, emerging from it to write the TOTEMS Inc. bill of sale. “Hopefully the lava will protect me” he mumbled to himself. It did, to a degree. He still heard the same chilling howling sounds in his bed chambers as he did in Wacked Castle, only these weren’t as loud and prominent. He tried to ignore them and continue to write the bill of sale. Once he was done, he made his way to the Swaggering Spade where he would submit his items. As he dropped off the mysterious box of items, the rain stopped. The strange noises stopped. He felt as if a massive weight was taken off his shoulders and he could finally breathe in peace.

“Could it be possible for inanimate objects to be haunted?” he thought to himself. Whether his thoughts are correct, or it’s simply his own guilt haunting him, he wished he never has to see that box ever again. And while the “haunting” stopped, he was still hesitant to return to Wacked Castle, afraid that the haunting would return…

What was in that box however? See, when prisoners are admitted to the Wacked Dungeon, they are stripped of their belongings - with their belongings being placed in chests or.... boxes.... These were the personal belongings of those that were murdered in cold blood on Bloody Wednesday. High King David tried selling these off before during one of the previous Drevhall Auctions, however it was met with such disdain from the general public - Classy in particular - that the box was taken off the auction. Classy called David "inhumane" for trying to sell that which belonged to those that were murdered in cold blood, something that will later end up costing Classy her own life.

This time around however, Classy was no more, and there was no one to judge him or insult him for what he's doing. To take it a step further and guarantee his success in finally getting rid of this damn box, High King David presented it as a "Mystery Box" - an item that is submitted to the auction without letting anyone know the contents of said box prior to its acquisition. And to his great relief, the box was sold; for quite a hefty sum as well. He was finally free from the ghosts that were haunting him all these years... Or so he thought...

#### Crippling Guilt, Escape and Return to the Roots

The deed was done. The box was sold. The auction was over. He hoped that this would be the end of it. He hoped that the haunting would finally stop.

High King David followed through with his daily tasks, finding ways to distract himself from that thought. He is the leader of a continent after all, he has a lot on his plate, with plenty of things to take care of, plenty of people to attend to. So what possible task could have brought him back to Wacked Castle? Was it the evidence documents that Retro brought, which he still did not get a chance to have a proper look at? Or was it his own curiosity, making sure that he can finally go down to the dungeon without feeling like his soul is tearing itself apart from the inside?

Whatever the reason was, he did not know it. He found himself at the doorstep of Wacked Castle, overwhelmed by the absence of memory as to how he got there, or why.

And as he walked through the gates, his heart sunk. He never felt this way before, ever. Not a single close call with death in the past, made him feel this way. This awful dread. He felt as if his heart stopped beating. He mindlessly walked the halls of the castle, stopped by his chapter master quarters, and then left through the nether portal. It all felt…. Robotic, as if it wasn’t him. He was not present there. Muscle memory…. that’s what it felt like.

He returned back to his home, frantically searching through all his chests, looking for something else that could be causing him this distress. “I thought the box was it!! How???! Why??!! What is wrong with me?!!? Why is this happening to me??!!!!”

He kneeled in his storage room with his head leaning on one of the chests. If the tear ducts weren’t burned through during the withering stages, he would cry. Deep down, he knows why this is happening and he knows what he needs to do. He is just doing everything in his power to contain it, and push it as far back as possible. But you can’t suppress your subconscious mind forever…

He asked for help. He couldn’t do it on his own anymore. The help that came was not helpful. It made him even more upset and fearful of that dreaded place which caused him so much distress. He ran. He ran as far away as he could, to a place where he felt at peace. Long abandoned lands which held a fortress where he could reside - The KOTWR Tenebris Outpost. An escape, far away from the Riverlands, far away from the duties of Chapter Master and High King. Somewhere where he could go back to his roots, surviving off the land - becoming human once more. This was what finally helped - to an extent. He was finally able to take his mind off of things, prevent it from racing and delving back into his subconscious which kept haunting him all these years. He felt at peace, or at least, he believed he did. His heart was still heavy, but the calm scenery and simple life grounded him and made him feel better. His friend Thermo found him, as this was the place where he also frequented whenever he needed a break from things. Together they went on a mining expedition, looking for iron to craft - AN ANVIL! Risking their lives in old and broken gear they found in caves, all for an anvil because the fortress was missing one. While such a mundane task, this made David feel at home. It made him feel whole. And that’s when he opened up to Thermo.

Before leaving the Riverlands, Retro gave him a hint that perhaps it is his guilt that is haunting him, and he hinted to Thermo what he felt guilty about. That’s when his heart finally felt peace. A weight lifted off his shoulders. He knew he had to write it down before his thoughts evade him - and he confessed to everything, in his journal, which he made Thermo read.

Confused, afraid, distressed, Thermo called Retro to come for aid. He did not know how to react. David simply spilled his guts. He explained everything, from the beginning till the end. He no longer felt the guilt, he no longer felt haunted. It felt good, coming clean. He mentioned this to both his brothers in arms, and in his journal, that this information may get his titles of Chapter Master and High King stripped away from him, or worse, it would cost him his life. But he did not care. He did not fear the consequences because he knew that he will accomplish what he wanted - accepting whatever outcome with a clear conscience. He knew what he needed to do now…

### The Dinner Confession

Right after confessing everything to Thermo and Retro, High King David returned to the Riverlands, to his home nation of Thoronor, and made an announcement. He announced the public invitation to all who see it, to come to the Dumenor Dining Hall and take part in a grand feast, a ceremony unlike no other which will occur in two days time. He employed the services of John Pork I and Magnus to take care of the culinary arrangements, providing everyone with exquisite cuisine and fine drinks. No one knew about the true nature of this dinner, besides the aforementioned Thermo and Retro of course. Retro understood wholeheartedly, and did not blame David one bit. "They were bad guys and they got dealt with", said Retro. "You did what you were supposed to do, what you were forced to do." Thermo however, was not of the same mindset. While a part of him understood and wanted to be on David's side, he was conflicted. Not only was he forced to watch the events of Bloody Wednesday unfold right before his very eyes, helpless and unable to do anything about it, but amongst those that were killed in the NILF murders were those that he desperately looked up to - like Erebus. Thermo warned his Laputrian brethren of the situation at hand, and briefly told them what the true purpose of the dinner will be. Laputria came armed to the teeth, unsure and still conflicted as to what they will be using their force for - protecting their High King from those who wish to cause him harm upon learning of his evil doings - or act as the necessary punishers of evil doers. And with the masses slowly filling up the Dumenor Dining Hall, the feast was set to begin.

    After about half an hour of sharing pleasantries, bottle clanging and plate emptying, it was time for a toast. A toast from the High King himself. High King David called for everyone's attention as he had something important to say, and as everyone quieted down, he began his confession by saying:

"The best way to catch everyone's attention is by giving a great hook, and my hook is this - I killed 8 people. I killed Erebus. I killed Julian. I killed Mason, Moon, Ghost, Crystal and Mafia. I killed Jester."

#### NILF - The True Story

David went on to explain his personal involvement in the NILF matter, saying how he knew pretty much everything there was to know about NILF almost from the start - all thanks to Captain Tilly. Tilly came to David shortly after NILF was founded, when talks of David's assassination began to circulate amongst the organization. Tilly brought the entirety of NILF to David on a silver platter, listing every single member involved and unveiling their entire plan on how they wish to see David assassinated. Upon seeing the names of those he considered his best friends, such as Erebus, Mason, Julian, right there on the list of NILF members, David was overwhelmed with rage. Those that he considered his closest friends, would much rather involve themselves in a conspiracy to get him killed rather than simply talk with him. Thoughts of revenge clouded his better judgement, and as he said so himself - "revenge is a dish best served cold. They wish to betray me, stab me in the back? They will all die, one by one, murdered in cold blood."

He ordered Tilly to come in contact with a few confidants to take care of the matter, those that later went on to form, or more accurately, revive the assassin's guild in Drevhall - The Hand of Blood. With Tilly in charge of destroying NILF on David's orders, Tilly would present specific targets to David, in a strategic order, to make NILF implode from within. David would confirm and Tilly would contact the Hand of Blood and place the hit. With Erebus dead, there is no figure head to replace David after his assassination. Then with Julian dead, NILF loses its main spokesperson. First, NILF lost its face, and then, lost its voice. Members of NILF began to turn on each other in a feat of panic. They disbanded the organization right after Julian's murder. However, killing NILF as an idea wasn't enough for David. "They will all die, one by one, murdered in cold blood." - That was his goal.

Next up were the Kitrovians and the Aquosis. Luckily for David and the Hand of Blood, Turtle - one of the founders of NILF that decided to pull out of it and betray them - decided to spill his guts to David and tell him everything about NILF in front of the KOTWR. Since conspiracy to kill the High King of the Riverlands is one of the gravest offences in the Riverlands, directly breaking rule 7 of the Riverlands, it was their duty as Knights of the Withered Rose to capture all remaining members of NILF - as per Turtle's list. Unfortunately, Tilly was also on that list, and as a matter of hiding in plain sight, David and Tilly agreed to make Tilly stay in prison together with the rest of NILF. The face value idea was that once everyone is captured, they would be transferred to a designated cell at the Royal Thoronor Courthouse where they would all face trial for grand treason. But in reality, they were never meant to make it to the courthouse. The plan was that Tilly would allow a Hand of Blood assassin to summon himself to him, inside the jailcell at Wacked Dungeon, and proceed to slaughter everyone in it, sparing Tilly and helping him to escape. The key to the cell would conveniently be missing as to not allow any Knights to intervene. Jester, the Judge Magister of Aquos, saw this coming, and escaped a day prior to Bloody Wednesday, getting a whopping 40 Ruby bounty placed on his head by the Knights of the Withered Rose for jailbreaking. Unfortunately, something went wrong with Tilly. It is uncertain what exactly happened, but the jailcell at Wacked Dungeon ended up being his final resting place too, as upon murdering the rest of the prisoners, the assassin notified Tilly of him compromising the Hand, and proceeded to slaughter him too.

    When the deed was done, and David finally descended to the dungeon, he realized the gravity of what he had done. Regardless of their motives, these were HIS people. These were HIS friends laying massacred on the cold stone floor right at his feet. Mason - his best friend who simply wanted to protect his nation's citizens, Tilly - who orchestrated this whole thing, confided in David and got murdered for it, Thermo - sitting there traumatized, having had to watch this all unfold in front of his very eyes while utterly helpless and unable to do anything about it. Revenge clouded his eyes no more and he finally saw the fault in his ways. He failed as a High King, but most importantly, he failed as a friend. He took off his crown and placed it by his painting at the Hall of Characters in the Thoronor Library. He then proceeded to make his way to his Nether Fortress that he constructed during the events of the Sculk Epidemic. With a large pool of lava sitting between himself and the Fortress, he muttered a prayer to Sol and Gamagin, urging them to open his eyes and protect him, keeping him unscathed by the self sacrifice that he would partake in. He plunged into lava, and emerged unharmed - protected by both Sol and Gamagin, letting him know that while he may no longer have the favor of the people, he still has the favor of the Gods.

There was still one more culprit at large - Jester. Jester played it smart, and paid off his bounty, which David proceeded to distribute amongst the nations of the Riverlands. Unfortunately for Jester, all it took was one mistake, one action that High King David saw as disrespectful, earning the Baron of Bogwater another spot on the death list. With the assassins still on his tail, Jester had a close call with them in Aquos, on board of the AWS Pride. Due to such dangerous circumstances, Jester raised security measures drastically. It was at that same moment when High King David wanted to meet with one of Jester's sub servants, and upon getting summoned, they trapped High King David in a cell block deep within the ship. The experience proved to be belittling and humiliating in the eyes of David, something that he wasn't so quick to forget.

He confessed to having hired Jester's second in command, a mercenary that was offering his "quick death" services to others for a quick ruby. Threatening the mercenary with his own life, Jester was shoved into a corner from which he saw no way of escaping - succumbing to the mercenary voluntarily.

#### Aftermath of the Confession

While there was one very loud and vocal presence at the dinner that expressed their disgust with David's past actions - a person David has not seen before but heard of bickering quite often in the Echo Book, the Count of Crassus - no one raised an arm or said anything. People were either too shocked at the revelation that they did not know how to react, agreed and defended David's actions or simply did not care. Jester's cousin, Jester II was present and was visibly upset, but took the confession as a public apology and said that it will take more than that to mend relationships. Julian himself was there too, and once the dinner was over, met up with David and told him that everything he did was justifiable, and that he would have done the same thing. He understood. However, David didn't. David did not understand the response from the people - HIS people. He was sure that the Knights would at the very least arrest him and have a court trial prepared for him. He expected punishment - punishment which didn't come for nearly 2 years. After the dinner was over, David retreated to the Tenebris Outpost once more and stayed there, hoping that the Riverlands people will come up with something to do with him, as he was ready to accept all consequences and all forms of punishment.

A third of a year since his departure, the leaders of the Riverlands' nations came together and voted for David's return to the throne. They all agreed that no good will come from the leader staying far away from his home, and no ill will come from him simply continuing to do his job. David did not have the time to ponder about this situation any further, as his duties as the High King came crashing down on him, requiring him to take action in the face of a new drug epidemic that sparked during his absence. It was the usual "back to work", and everyone left this matter in the distant past.... well, almost everyone...

### The Conglomerate Uprising

The aforementioned Count of Crassus, who was the only one that was very vocal in his displeasure with High King David's actions that were outlined during his confession, didn't forget about the coveted dinner and David's wrongful past. For some reason, he made it his number one goal in life to be the one to punish David for everything he had ever done, and for the next two years, while the world was drugged and ahppy, he was cooking up a master plan to not only kill David, but forcefully grasp the seat of power and take over the world.