You have always had your own ambitions. You still have them.
--Darth Maladi to Darth Nihl; Legacy #15


The reemergence of the Sith in the Legacy comics era represents a sharp break from the well-known Rule of Two: rather than the traditional Sith Order of one master and one apprentice, Darth Krayt reformed the Order so that its principles are now embodied in the Rule of One: the Sith Order itself. The new Sith are obedient to a fault. This is also contrasted with Lord Kaan's Rule of the Strong, in which all Sith were equals. Here, Sith are not equals--there is a clear hierarchy, with Darth Krayt at the top. And because of this, the Sith are asked to be selfless. They must sacrifice for the good of the Order--the good of the Dark Side, perhaps--rather than relying solely on their personal ambition.

Yet Darth Bane doubts this new order. Via Holocron, he announces to Darth Krayt in Legacy #5, "You delude yourself, pretender -- Your order will yet turn on itself and you." Krayt does not believe this; he has built a cult of personality around himself such that his orders are taken as the embodiment of the Dark Side itself. Yet his grip on the Sith is not absolute. Cracks appear. And there is one Sith Lord who embodies these cracks more than any other: Darth Nihl.

Darth Nihl is an extremely accomplished Sith Lord. He spends time as both Darth Krayt's Fist, and later, as one of his two Hands. And this is not to be taken lightly--as Wookieepedia explains, to be a Hand is to be one of Krayt's "most loyal and deadliest followers." Darth Nihl ranks up there with the best of the Sith.

Yet Nihl at times expresses his frustrations at being made to bow down to the will of Krayt. In Legacy #15, when he is left outside of Darth Krayt's interactions with Cade Skywalker, he is clearly agitated with this treatment, even saying, "I have proven my loyalty and my worth countless times." And he is even more clearly frustrated when he is replaced as a Hand in Legacy #28, exclaiming, "My Lord, I earned my place as your Hand! I deserve better than this!"

The ghost of Darth Bane is smiling.

Darth Maladi seems to believe that Nihl's lack of obedience is because he was born and raised on Nagi, rather than among the Sith. Indeed, his temperament seems to contrast greatly with that of Darth Talon, Krayt's other Hand. When Talon is asked if she respects and cares for her master, Darth Ruyn, she replies with an emphatic yes. Yet when Darth Krayt immediately orders her to kill her master, Talon does so without hesitation. Indeed, Ruyn appears to be obedient to a fault, as well. Reflecting back on this moment in Legacy #17, Talon expresses her belief that Ruyn would have blocked her attack had he considered her not ready to become Krayt's Hand. In allowing Talon to strike, Ruyn demonstrates that his obedience, too, is to Darth Krayt and the One Sith, obedience even to the point of death.

Yet is this truly a make-or-break factor separating Darth Nihl from all other Sith? Had Darth Krayt only trained his Sith from their births, would his Order have remained pure in its loyalty to him? Evidence seems to say otherwise.

In Darth Nihl's conversation with Darth Maladi in Legacy #15, the latter admits, "Our Lord keeps his own secrets, and we, as loyal Sith, are bound to obey without question. Still, one cannot help but wonder at any mystery." So perhaps Nihl's seeds of dissent have been sown among other Sith as well.

Of all the Legacy-era Sith, Darth Nihl is the one to keep an eye on. With Darth Krayt's death, the One Sith are likely on a course towards instability as it is--the death of the figurehead in a cult of personality will inevitably do that. Yet it is Nihl who has most clearly expressed his misgivings with the Sith's current modus operandi. And it is Nihl who most seems to embody the Sith's earliest teachings, taken up by Darth Bane, that a Sith's guiding principle should be ambition.

I predict Darth Nihl will be a major player in the future of the Sith Order.


Other "Anatomy of a Sith Lord" entries:
Darth Tyranus
Darth Maul