NILF

NILF (the Nation Independence Liberation Front) was an anti-High King organization that sought to remove the High King of the Riverlands, DaviDustin, from power. The organization began as a joke between Turtle and Crystal, but it soon spiraled into a plot to assassinate the High King. The precise date of its founding is unclear, however, NILF's first public act took place on 12/20/2022, with the hanging of posters inciting others to join their rebellion. The movement was short-lived, by 1/25/2023 it had all but disbanded. Following the death of Lord Erebus Ignis of Laputria, which upended the group's plans and was cause for great concern internally, members and supporters of the organization abandoned it.

## Members

Turtle\_Titan\_YT (Founder) | Code Name: Kingfisher

Crystal\_K\_ (Founder) | Code Name: Inca

cc4020 | Code Name: Sparrow

PretentiousGhost | Code Name: Scrub Jay

I\_am\_Tilly | Code Name: Gyr

Ace\_of\_Julian | Code Name: Starling

N00dle\_Senpai | Code Name: Cassowary

JesterInBlack | Code Name: Gull

Mafia\_Cheezstick

IllumniEclipse (Left NILF)

Valentinert (Left NILF)

I\_am\_Thermo

Erebus\_Ignis

Mon\_key

## Foundation of NILF

NILF began as a joke between Turtle\_Titan\_YT and Crystal\_K\_. Turtle had often found himself in opposition to the High King, and he made his opinions known to Crystal. The Kitrovian was upset with the economy of the Riverlands and found comfort in the comedy of Turtle. What began as jokes slowly became the foundations of a plan. Crystal was not fully aware of Turtle’s past, only knowing that he was familiar with plotting against the High King. While they had no intention starting a rebellion by airing their dissatisfaction with the economy, Turtle had convinced them that David was a cruel individual.

Crystal and Turtle met again and began discussing a plot in the first meeting of NILF, though at this point the organization had yet to be named. Crystal recruited their fellow Kitrovians PretentiousGhost and cc4020, who shared Crystal’s sentiment on the economy and were willing to support their friend. The three had reservations about including their Lord N00dle\_Senpai, as the man was a member of the Knights of the Withered Rose and they believed him to be unwavering, so they decided to keep NILF a secret from him. Together with Turtle, the three began to post advertisements throughout the Riverlands. It is unclear how effective these posters were at driving recruitment, but they did make the Knights aware of NILF. However, at the time, the Knights were burdened with more pressing issues, so they simply took the posters down and did not pursue the matter further.

## Key Players Enter

At some point prior to 1/11, I\_am\_Tilly was approached by both Turtle and Crystal at New Harbor, and they pitched joining NILF to Tilly. Tilly declared his full support for the movement and joined. While an exact date is lost to time, it is certain that Tilly joined NILF before 1/11, as that is when Crystal recruited the next member of NILF: Ace\_of\_Julian

Crystal had been present for Thermo’s recovery from a mysterious illness, as were David and Julian. David and Julian had a brief back-and-forth while Crystal observed and saw Julian’s frustration with David. Crystal, being a member of the Drevhall Science Division, had also witnessed David’s attempt to get the DSD to distribute the Elixir of All for free as opposed to helping supply materials for the miracle cure. Using these two things in their argument, Crystal pitched NILF to Julian. The nomad was skeptical, announcing such and doubling down on his skepticism when he learned both Turtle and Tilly were members of the organizations. However, he decided to join but kept his true reasons to himself.

The two discussed NILF further, and Julian told Crystal that he would ask others to join, namely Mads657, TheClassyBritish, DubstepKittenYT of Uzacan, and Erebus\_Ignis of Laputria. Julian would not be included in conversations with NILF until later, which caused this information to never reach the organization, unbeknownst to him. During this time, Tilly began to assume a leadership position within NILF. He tipped Mason off that his citizens were all in NILF, and after meeting with his nation members, Mason decided to join the organization. Mason later met with Julian to discuss NILF moving forward while Ghost and Crystal were present.

## Plans and Dysfunction

Tilly continued to take control of NILF by scheduling a meeting between the council of his nation of Aquos and the nation of Veteres to discuss, among other things, supporting the plot to kill the High King. During the meeting, Tilly boldly outed himself as a member of NILF and asked both nations to lend their support to the cause. Seeing an opportunity, Aquos and Veteres both declared they would support NILF **if** Tilly could convince Laputria to join. Later that day, Tilly approached Thermo and convinced him to join. However, the mayor of Dunwall decided to keep his allegiance a secret from all but Tilly and Laputria. Mon\_key overheard their discussion and also joined, and the leader of Laputria, Erebus, was made aware of the plot soon afterward. In a short span of time, NILF had gone from the seeds of a dream to a coalition of some of the most influential figures in Drevhall.

Meanwhile, Julian fulfilled his promise to Crystal and discussed the prospect of joining NILF with Mads, Classy, and Dub. Mads wished to remain peaceful, Classy likewise wanted to remain completely neutral, and Dub had no time to help supply the organization. None of them wanted to join, but they also agreed that they would keep the organization a secret. Julian informed Crystal of the outcome of these talks, who would not inform the rest of NILF of these conclusions.

Shortly after concluding his recruitment efforts, Julian learned that NILF had been keeping secrets from him, including coming up with a nearly complete plan to kill the High King. The exclusion of certain members from certain conversations sowed division within NILF.

## The Plot to Assassinate the High King

Long before NILF's formation, the Knights of the Withered Rose had launched an investigation of Jester of Aquos. Mason had been put in charge of the investigation, and he had prepared multiple charges to bring against the Bogwater Baron in court, including: undercutting High King David’s shop with his iron cart in the Commercium, failure to properly inform the Knights of the Frostlands’ attempted assassination of the Chapter Master and successful murder of Mason despite knowing the plan in full, being responsible for the initial outbreak of Sculk and causing distress and death to all of Drevhall, indirectly damaging the economy of Drevhall with his habit of hoarding rubies and refusing to spend them, his settlement in between Thornor and Laputria upon his arrivals despite not joining either nation and building large crossbows that pointed at both Wacked Castle and Laputria, seemingly as a threat to both locations.

The plan seemed simple enough: Jester would be summoned to court under the investigation that Mason had done. Julian would act as a lawyer, carry out the trial to its completion, and give a signal at the end of it that would have NILF attack David. Mason would be stationed by the ender chest to ensure nobody except NILF had items, and everyone else in NILF was given roles for the fight. Later, the assassination of NCArchie would be added to the plan, due to his alleged corruption from the Hammer of the Realm and loyalty to the High King. Once the assassination was complete, Erebus would take the position of High King. When in power, Erebus would announce the formation of a council amongst the rulers in the Riverlands to replace the High Kingship, before stepping down as High King and becoming a councilman himself.

On 1/18, Julian met with Tilly and Crystal and discuss his feelings of being excluded and scapegoated. The three would have an argument that would not be resolved until the next day when the three would apologize and calmly clear up miscommunication. Julian had also been informed by Classy about a meeting she had with David, leaving both with a better understanding of David’s thoughts and feelings. Julian would try to sway NILF to not assassinate the High King, and it sparked discussion in the organization about whether or not it was truly necessary for the High King to die. While some did try to push the group to a more peaceful outcome, others saw the death of the High King as a necessary act. Cracks began to form in the organization and communication between people would slow, however, the plan did not change. It seemed like everything was set for David’s assassination; all that was left to do was for Mason to reveal his investigation to the Knights and have Jester taken to trial. However, that day would never come...

## The Mark of the Red Hand

On 1/23, news rang out of the death of Erebus Ignis of Laputria. Everyone in Drevhall was stunned, NILF included. Tilly immediately blamed David, but as more evidence came to light, it cast doubt on that conclusion.

Later that day, a red handprint was placed on Julian's house by agents unknown. Julian shared this development with NILF, and the Kitrovians hoped for his safety and encouraged caution. One person, however, saw this as a cue to leave. IllumniEclipse of Veteres had initially joined due to the opportunity NILF presented. Illu additionally supported NILF due to the idea that David could potentially be corrupted by the Crimson Crown. However, he saw NILF as a liability and the possibility of his or Val’s death caused him to formally pull his support for NILF. Val would soon follow, and seeing the organization fragment, Julian nearly did the same. However, Jester convinced him to stay, albeit through unorthodox reasoning. Turtle also silently pulled out of NILF, leaving Crystal as the only founder. Crystal then announced that NILF’s plans would be put on hold for the time being, as the arrival of Nashar's Legion in Drevhall once again made it a poor time for the people of Drevhall to fight among themselves.

Julian was assassinated on 1/27. Following his death, NILF disbanded. However, fate was not finished with them.

## Caging the Birds

David turned his attention towards NILF. Tilly had been working to double-cross NILF for his own ends for quite some time, assassinating their members based on the power and the importance they held to Drevhall. Tilly, wanting to tell someone about his plan, decided to inform Turtle about it. He knew Turtle had left NILF, so he figured he could trust Turtle with the information. He explained his entire plan to Turtle, including how he had gotten David in on this plot, but the pirate didn’t account for Turtle being unable to keep quiet.

Turtle asked Thermo to meet up with him to talk. Thermo, knowing about all of Turtle’s past, asked Retro to accompany him in secret. Retro would remain invisible and spectate the meeting with Turtle and Thermo, in which the former revealed everything that Tilly had told him. Both Thermo and Retro immediately informed David of the information they gathered, and this caught the Chapter Master’s curiosity. David asked Turtle to meet at Wacked Castle to talk about what he had told Thermo. Turtle was hesitant to give information to David, but he knew that little good would come of him staying quiet. So, with the company of Classy, Nami, and Crystal, Turtle went to Wacked Castle. His party was told to stay outside as Turtle was granted entry. Unbeknownst to the Knights, Crystal would use invisibility potions to allow themself and Nami to eavesdrop on the conversation.

What Turtle expected to be an interrogation was in actuality a calm conversation. David asked Turtle questions about NILF and the information Turtle began to spill, while useful, did not directly help David catch the perpetrators of NILF. The conversation was soon interrupted by the screeches of phantoms. David thought nothing of them at first, but he soon noticed that they were not attracted to anyone within the castle. They circled the skies, almost as though he had the scent of their target but not their location. David immediately dispatched the knights to go after the eavesdropper, knowing that they must be nearby. After a few minutes of searching, David himself caught Crystal, as their invisibility had worn off and the phantoms circling them revealed their position. Nami meanwhile avoided capture. Crystal would be brought to the interrogation, and they would listen as Turtle was asked once again who was a part of NILF. Crystal would interrupt the questioning multiple times, arguing with the Chapter Master and urging Turtle to keep quiet. Angered by Crystal’s interruptions and previous snooping, David pulled out the Crimson Sword and threatened them. At that moment, Turtle felt the pulse of an old wound that he hadn’t paid any mind to up to that point. The crimson blade seemed to trigger the wound to flare up, or perhaps Turtle’s mind suddenly connected a piece to a puzzle the man didn’t know was being built.

Turtle, petrified of the sword that David possessed which had claimed one of his past lives, announced that Crystal was one of the founders of NILF. David nearly killed them at that moment but was persuaded against it by Thermo. Turtle then went on to rattle off the names of people within NILF: Tilly, Mason, Ghost, Moon, Jester, and Mafia. He also told David that both Erebus and Julian were involved in NILF, of Veteres’ involvement and resignation, and even hinted at Thermo being involved. David, satisfied with Turtle’s compliance, dispatched the knights to round up the members of NILF, and bring them to him alive. It took a bit of time, but eventually, the six people he mentioned by name that remained in NILF after Turtle's departure from the organization were brought to the dungeon and kept in one cell of the prison, while Turtle was put in an adjacent cell for his own safety. The Knights anticipated that he would be an assassination target due to him selling out NILF, and decided to keep him in the dungeon of Wacked Castle as they believed it to be the safest place for him. Turtle argued against it, wishing to stay as far away from “that sword” as possible, his wound constantly agitated while David was near him. The knights agreed to transport Turtle all the way back to Galinor and place him under house arrest in the castle of Galinor, where no one would be able to get him. Turtle was encouraged to stay safe before the Knights returned to Wacked Castle to guard the prisoners. The six remaining NILF members shared a cell in Wakked Castle's dungeon for a few days, left with nothing but themselves and their thoughts as they awaited trial.

## Bloody Wednesday

On 2/1, the prisoners awaited transport to a holding cell in the Thoronor courthouse as their trial approached. The courthouse possessed a specially designed cell where the six would stay until that weekend when they were to be tried for their crimes. Late the night before, however, a visitor made his way into the dungeon. Jester of Aquos had been up at night, contemplating his next move, when he saw Terebus standing in front of him on the opposite sides of the bars. The two had a cordial conversation as the others slept, where Terebus revealed that he had purloined a pair of cuffs from the knights. No one else was aware of this conversation, but when they woke that morning they realized Jester had somehow managed to escape the cell, despite promising he would not use magic to teleport himself out of his cell. True to the letter of his word, Jester had in fact been teleported out of the cell by Picksellaxe, and Jester used his and his contacts' knowledge of blood magic as a smokescreen in an attempt to pin the blame for his escape on Nashar’s Legion and Terebus. Jester then snuck into the overworld outpost of Solakyr, with the aim of being detected there by the Knights and casting suspicion on Solakyr. Jester and Pick opposed Solakyr's proposed netherite mining ban, and aimed to use these antics to strain Solakyr's relationships and trust with other nations and cause them to lose some support before the conference to decide the issue. However, there would be no investigation, as the Knights had little interest in how Jester had escaped, only that he had done so.

That morning, Thermo had been stationed to guard the prisoners. The transfer of the prisoners was made public, so a cluster of people gathered to watch them be escorted to Thoronor. Thermo could hear the conversations being held, listening in as he watched the prisoners. Suddenly, the conversation shifted to a mysterious figure lurking around the castle, with the idea of them being connected to Nashar being presented. Thermo rushed to lock up the castle doors to prevent anyone from entering Wacked Castle. Now completely unguarded, Tilly stood up and muttered something under his breath. Suddenly, a cloaked figure appeared in the cell. Without hesitation, the mysterious figure began to slaughter the prisoners. Thermo had just finished locking up the castle when he heard the screams of the prisoners. He rushed to the cell, but he showed up too late. He arrived to find all of the prisoners dead sans one. Tilly wore a smirk on his face as he stood with content and watched his former allies bleed out. The figure looked at the pirate for a moment before handing him a book. Confused, Tilly took the small notebook and opened it. The smug look Tilly wore faded, as did the color on his face. He read the note, which Thermo would later retrieve: “You have compromised the Hand. You have compromised yourself. You have been marked by the Hand of Blood. Your lore death is imminent…” Tilly slowly looked back up at the figure, both in disbelief but also in strange acceptance as he too was then swiftly murdered alongside his allies. The figure would look to Thermo, who now stood stunned, before disappearing in front of his very eyes. In a matter of seconds, all that remained of NILF was Jester.

## Aftermath

Following Bloody Wednesday, the Knights of the Withered Rose would gather and collect the evidence of the massacre. A warrant would be put out for Jester’s death because of his escape from the prison, and the Knights would announce the news of the murders to the rest of Drevhall. Capaz540 of Laputria took on the responsibility of creating a memorial for the lost lives of Kitrov. Meanwhile, the Knights would slowly begin to handle the corpses in the dungeon. They had left the bodies there for a bit of time, seeing them as secure while they made proper preparations and informed the public of what had happened. When it came time to remove them, the Knights found none of the corpses’ heads, but they continued removing the bodies. Mafia was sent off on a raft towards Bogwater, but Jester was not there to receive his fellow councilman’s body, so the raft managed to sail to Plantatia. Tilly’s body was burned, his hat blowing away and becoming lost to the wind. The remaining bodies were the four Kitrovians, who were brought to the main portal of the nation. The coffins still sit there to this day.

Multiple attempts were made on Jester's life, his requests to be retried and have the death warrant on him rescinded were unsuccessful, so he decided to retaliate by placing a bounty on David's head. This got him a 40 ruby bounty on his own head, which he paid off. David distributed the proceeds to all nations of the Riverlands. Jester then left hiding, only to find a red hand on Bogwater’s Gates, marking him for death. He returned to hiding.

Turtle likewise faced an attempt on his life, though these assassins had no connection to the Red Hand. They had been hired by Jester as retribution for implicating him. He managed to survive, narrowly. He plead for protection from the Riverlands, however, because of his past refusal to allow the Knights jurisdiction in Galinor, as well as his insistence on staying in Galinor as opposed to Wacked Castle and his defiance of David's clear instructions to remain in his castle to ensure his safety, he received no protection.

Out of all deceased NILF members, only two members reincarnated. Julian appeared a few days after the massacre without any recollection of his death, the items he remembered having before he woke up at spawn, or most of his key memories. It would take a few days before he would learn about his past life through a book that his past self–who he dubs “Old Julian,”–had written.

Moon would find himself reincarnated sometime after Julian, with organs and skin replaced with mushrooms. While Julian would face permanent memory loss, Moon had temporary amnesia. All he remembered upon his revival was basic information about himself, but a few details have begun to wade through the darkness, although everything is quite foggy for him.

The rest of NILF that had passed have not reincarnated as themselves, if at all. The Nation of Kitrov was no more, as most of their citizens along with their leader, Mason, were all assassinated in the cells of Wacked Castle - leaving only one resident behind: TheKittenGamer.

While this episode is surely a black mark in the history of the Riverlands, there was no time to grieve. The imminent arrival and beginning of the Second Nashar Invasion forced the Riverlands to begin preparations for what was expected to be a large war.

## Trivia

* NILF members had code names for themselves, each being connected to a species of bird. This theme was chosen because the organization’s goal was freedom, much like a caged bird being able to fly.