Nihlus Kryik

"There is no redemption in idleness..."Nihlus Arterius Kryianus Strabinus (High Cipirtine: [ˈniːlʊs ˈkrae̯.ɪkʰ]) is a former Council Spectre hailing from the planet Vatar inside the Terminus Systems. He is best remembered as being the closest ally of Spectre-Agent Desolas Arterius II in his war against the Reapers, having personally trained the younger turian as his protégé. In addition to being his mentor, Nihlus is also Desolas' bondmate and husband. The pair have four children together - Janus, Sarena, Cassian, and Alasius - all of whom were artificially conceived and grown in vitro. As his bondmate, Nihlus is utterly devoted to Desolas, albeit often to his detriment.
Once one of the most decorated turian Spectres of his time, Nihlus fought numerous campaigns throughout the Attican Traverse against illegal pirate bands and slaving rings. The body count he left behind after his twenty-five-year career has made him infamous out in the Terminus, earning him the title of the "Attican Scourge". After his husband succeeded Adrien Victus as Primarch of Palaven in 2219 CE, Nihlus became the first ever Conjux Dominus of a male primarch in turian history. He held the title for 8 years until he and Desolas were illegally deposed and exiled by Antraxes Mehrkuri, in 2227 CE. 
== Biography ==
=== Birth and childhood ===
==== Son of a Pirate Lord ====
Nihlus is the son and heir of reviled pirate lord Aeson Kryik and his favourite slave, Lucilla Strabo. While his father no doubt sired many illegitimate children, Nihlus was the only one Aeson ever chose to acknowledge as his son. Aeson terrorised his Nihlus for the first sixteen years of his life, controlling the boy with threats of violence towards his mother. These were never idle threats; Aeson would physically and sexually abuse Lucilla whenever Nihlus disobeyed or disappointed him, often in front of his son, while purposefully gaslighting him to make him believe that his mother's suffering was solely his fault. Wanting nothing more than to protect his mother, Nihlus begrudgingly surrendered to his father's will, allowing Aeson to mould him into a ruthless weapon to be wielded against the innocent denizens of the Terminus Systems. In his son, Aeson saw the means to cut a bloody swathe across the Terminus Systems and cement his legacy as one of history's most feared and vicious pirate lords. 
==== Betrayal ====
==== Vatarian Massacre ====
==== Familial rejection ====
==== Induction into the turian military ====
As a soldier, Nihlus' skills were unquestionable. His attitude, however, often got him in trouble. On several occasions, he disobeyed direct orders to do what he thought was best. Although his instincts were usually proven right, his notoriety grew. Even when he single-handedly routed an enemy patrol, and saved his squad from ambush, his commanding officers berated him for his recklessness. His military career seemed to stall before it even began.
After being reassigned to a new squad for the third time, Nihlus was introduced to Saren Arterius, a fellow turian and a Spectre. Saren was impressed with the young soldier. He befriended Nihlus and offered to mentor him. Within a year of meeting Saren, Nihlus was asked to join the Spectres.
=== Joining the Spectres ===
==== Spectre training ====
Cool under pressure, Nihlus had an uncanny ability to find an enemy's weakness and exploit it. Though his methods weren't as brutal as Saren's, he still never hesitated to efficiently and thoroughly eradicate anything or anyone that stood in his way. He also did not share Saren's grudge against humanity, instead seeing their potential.
==== Spectre induction ====
==== Attican Campaign ====
Free from the restrictions of military procedure, Nihlus excelled in his new role. He quickly stepped from his mentor's shadow and established himself as one of the Council's top agents. Wanting to use his new extrajudicial powers to atone for the atrocities he had committed under his father, he launched an audacious one-man-campaign against the Terminus pirate bands that operated out in the Attican Traverse, ruthlessly dispatching any would-be pirate or slaver that dared to threaten the the territorial integrity of Council Space and the freedom of its citizens. He eventually became so infamous among the Terminus' criminal elite - his father's former peers - that they dubbed him "The Attican Scourge". They attempted to have Nihlus neutralised, several times, but each attempt ended in failure, with Nihlus using his insider knowledge of their tactics against them. 
The only exception that Nihlus ever made was for Aria T'Loak, the Pirate Queen of Omega, whom he always gave a wide berth. His reasons for doing so were two fold: firstly, he feared the dangerous power vacuum that her death would have created and its ramifications for galactic stability; secondly, he still owed her for allowing him to leave for Council Space rather than outright executing him, as she had been within her rights to do. That said, he would still always sabotage her operations whenever he came across them, leaving his initials behind so that she would know he was responsible. Aria would ultimately develop begrudging respect for Nihlus, finding humour in the irony that Aeson's heir was now a staunch Council-boy who fought to erase any evidence of his former life. She would later remark, during the Reaper War, that Nihlus was "...the most powerful and baffling being [she'd] ever encountered..." and "...a truly dangerous person." 
=== The Eden Prime War ===
==== Underhanded deal with humanity ====
==== Hunt for Saren ====
==== Bonding with Desolas ====
==== Discovery of Ilos ====
==== Battle of the Citadel ====
==== Destruction of the Normandy SR-1 ====
=== Mourning ===
==== Sworn to House Arterius ====
Following Desolas' death, Nihlus travelled to Palaven to inform his mate's mother, Maea Abrudas, of his fate in person. Maea initially reacted to the news with hostility, demanding to know why he - a decorated Spectre and Desolas' mentor - had failed to protect him. Nihlus explained how he physically could not have saved Desolas due to being locked inside of an escape pod. However, he did mention that Joker Moreau, the pilot of the Normandy, was the reason he and Desolas had been placed in danger in the first place, as he had defied the order to abandon ship. Maea scoffed and remarked that a turian vessel would never have allowed such insubordination. She then broke down, cursing the Alliance for taking her son from her, after having already taken the life of her husband.
Feeling her grief as keenly as his own, Nihlus knelt at Maea's feet and drew his blade, offering it up to her as he swore an oath to recover the body of her son for burial. His unprompted display of loyalty towards Desolas moved Maea greatly, warming her to the Spectre. True to his word, Nihlus would spend the next two years of his life hunting for Desolas' body, combing the surface of the planet Alchera for any sign of him. Unbeknownst to him, whilst he had been looking in the right place, the Shadow Broker had already recovered Desolas' body, which he intended to hand over to the Collectors.
=== Terminus Campaign ===
==== Reuniting with Desolas ====
==== Rogue Spectre ====
==== Edam Zurhess ====
==== Return to Vatar ====
==== Suicide Mission ====
==== Destruction of the Alpha Relay ====
=== Taking the fall ===
==== Imprisonment ====
==== Alpha Relay trial ====
==== Maitrum ====
=== The Reaper War ===
==== Reuniting with Desolas ====
==== Curing the Genophage ====
==== Battle for Rannoch ====
==== Battle for Omega ====
==== Reclaiming Aeson's Legacy ====
==== Battle of Taetrus ====
==== Vigil for Desolas ====
==== Reconstruction efforts ====
==== Ka'hairal Balak ====
=== Retirement ===
==== CAT-6 ====
=== Life with Desolas ===
==== Marriage ====
Nihlus married Desolas in the summer of 2188 CE, two years after the conclusion of the Reaper War. They were wed in Vallum, the capital of Taetrus, the colony where Desolas had spent most of his life. The ceremony was a private affair, attended by their close friends and a few members of Desolas' family. The pair then honeymooned on Epyrus, spending a few weeks away from the galactic limelight for some much needed alone time together. 
Eager to remove the stain of the Kryik legacy from his identity, Nihlus took Desolas' surname as his own. Now a member of House Arterius, Nihlus was free to style himself as 'Nihlus Arterius' on all legal documentation and start his life over. Even after his divorce, Nihlus would continue to style himself as Nihlus Arterius; Desolas granted him the permission to continue doing so as part of their legal proceedings, both out of love for his mate and the guilt he felt for hurting him. 
==== Fatherhood ====
===== Janus =====
The couple's long-awaited first child was a boy, who was born at Huerta Memorial Hospital on the Citadel. Desolas, wanting to name him in memory of his deceased former lover, Jane Shepard, settled on its closest turian equivalent: Janus, which roughly translated from High Cipritine as "new journey/gateway to the future". Janus largely took after Desolas in appearance but did inherit a few features from Nihlus, most noticeably the russet colouration of his dermal plating and the shape of his nose and brow plates. Nihlus and Desolas both doted upon their newborn son, as did the boy's paternal grandmother, Maea Arterius, and cousin, Gaius Abrudas. 
Janus' birth was a changing point for Nihlus, in multiple respects. Perhaps most importantly, it sparked the beginning of his lengthy ingratiation with Desolas' mother, who had previously considered her son's choice of life partner to be inappropriate, on the grounds it served no political purpose. However, her mood shifted following Janus' birth; by giving Desolas a son, Nihlus had singlehandedly ensured House Arterius' continued survival and justified all the pain and personal sacrifices Maea had endured to bring her own son safely into the world. Nihlus and Maea would eventually learn to respect one another, putting aside their differences for the sake of Desolas and the children. 
Janus proved to be a gifted child who excelled in his schooling and partook in several extracurricular activities, chief of which was learning to play the piano. Nihlus and Desolas made the joint decision to enrol him in a multicultural school on the Citadel, wanting their son to develop a healthy understanding of alien cultures.
====== A controversy of nomenclature ======
Ten days after his birth, Nihlus and Desolas registered Janus' official name as Janus Arterius Strabinus. While he was technically not a Strabo himself, Nihlus' maternal family name was something which he had desperately wanted to pass down to his future children, both in memory of his mother and to erase the stain of the Kryik legacy from their lives. But when his estranged grandfather, Isaeus, learned of this, he once again summoned Nihlus to court to answer for his illegal use of the Strabo name. Despite putting up a valiant defence, Nihlus ultimately lost the case; the court ordered him to change Janus' name from Janus Arterius Strabinus to Janus Arterius Kryinus with immediate effect and stipulated that any future children were likewise legally obligated to take the Kryik name, on pain of exile. The decision to obey the court order for the sake of his children's futures profoundly damaged Nihlus, planting within him a visceral fear of the day when they would inevitably uncover his true identity, leaving him terrified of a reality where the truth of his past life would push them away. 
===== Sarena =====
===== Cassian =====
====== Manifestation of biotic power ======
==== Divorce ====
==== Remarriage ====
=== Desolas' clone ===
==== Assassination attempt ====
==== Aftermath ====
=== Conjux Dominus of Palaven ===
==== Anointing ====
Upon Desolas' anointing as Primarch of Palaven, Nihlus automatically assumed the mantle of Conjux Dominus of Palaven. In this role, he acted as both Desolas' unofficial advisor and spymaster. As a former Spectre, Nihlus had eyes and ears everywhere; he began to utilise this extensive network of contacts and resources to neutralise any threat to Desolas and their family, often with extreme prejudice. While Desolas' primary weapon of choice was diplomacy, using his words hold together the delicate alliances he had forged during the Reaper War, Nihlus' was a bloodied blade in the shadows, covertly consolidating his husband's power whenever diplomacy failed. 
Nihlus' actions inevitably ruffled the feathers of the turian Blackwatch, whose agents became frustrated with what they perceived as meddling in the affairs of state security, matters which typically fell under their jurisdiction. The then-incumbent Ferrum Primum, Gnaeus Fimbria, harboured a particular disdain for Nihlus and his level of influence over the primarch - influence which the head of Blackwatch had traditionally enjoyed. More often than not, Desolas would buck tradition by deferring to Nihlus' judgement over that of his most senior agent, which only fed the rumours that the retired Spectre would soon be promoted as his replacement. Antraxes capitalised on this paranoia to further estrange the Blackwatch from Desolas' regime, enabling him to turn his former colleagues in favour of his wife, Primarch Astraea Mehrkuri of Digeris, who was already plotting to have Desolas' removed from power. 
==== Liberation of the Cabals ====
===== Civil unrest =====
==== Mehrkurian Coup ====
===== Night of Martyrs =====
==== The Leviathan War ====
===== Death of Sarena =====
==== Failing health ====
===== Epyrus =====
===== Death pact =====
==== Deposition ====
===== Arrest =====
===== Trial =====
===== Exile =====
=== Living in exile ===
==== Life as a political fugitive ====
==== Cania Torquatus ====
==== Andromeda Initiative asylum deal ====
=== Andromeda ===
==== Abduction ====
===== A deal with the devil =====
==== Alasius ====
== Load-out ==
* Health: 750
* Shields: 1125 (2325 when Stimulant Pack is active)
* Primary weapon: X-76f Revenant (automatic assault rifle, Elanus Risk Control Services)
* Secondary weapon: X-77f Paladin (semi-automatic pistol, unknown prototype)
* Armour: Terminus Armour (Turian, heavy, unknown protype)
* Omni-tool: Serrice Council's Savant model (military grade)
* Melee weapon: Akhar'aa (Batarian combat knife, Batarian State Arms)
=== X-76f Revenant ===
Nihlus' primary weapon of choice is the M-76 Revenant light machine gun. Manufactured by the batarian corporation Batarian State Arms (BSA), this close-quarters weapon has low accuracy but a high heat sink capacity, and is capable of unleashing a storm of deadly high-velocity slugs at the pull of a trigger - a terrifying 525 rounds per minute, on average. The gun features patented technology and is protected against replication by sophisticated Fabrication Rights Management (FRM) technology. As such, only the richest and most powerful warlords in the galaxy can afford the Revenant. In the Terminus Systems especially, owning a Revenant is seen as a deliberate display of one's absolute brutality and unrivalled success as a hard-line criminal.
Nihlus' Revenant is the same gun that his father, Aeson Kryik, once used to slaughter his way to the top of the Omega Nebula's food chain, facilitating his rise to the rank of Pirate Lord. Since inheriting the weapon several decades ago, Nihlus has extensively modified and retrofitted it by hand, utilising prototype ballistics technology and ammunition modifications (some of which are technically illegal in Council Space), upgrading it to an X-f class weapon. 
* Tungsten Jacketing - The weapon's internal ammunition block is composed of high purity tungsten, resulting in improved penetration of heavily armoured targets. Weapons fitted with this type of module are legally required to display the letter designation prefix of S, rather than the standard M.
* Targeting VI - A smart targeting module that calculates and compensates for minute barrel movements, weather, and the environment, making it easier for the marksman to aim. Weapons fitted with this type of module are legally required to display the letter designation prefix of X, rather than the standard M.
* Ultralight Materials - Superior lightweight alloys replace the weapon's external casing, stock, and trigger mechanism. This makes the weapon less obtrusive, lighter, and easier to handle.
* Kinetic Pulsar - Overclocked electromagnetic pulsar technology that strengthens the weapon's mass effect field generator, increasing the velocity of each slug fired and resulting in higher damage over time. For each damage threshold upgrade, a letter designation (A through F) is added to the name of the weapon. Nihlus' Revenant is an F class weapon, the most powerful damage category of submachine gun commercially available.
* Kinetic Stability Damper - Distributes recoil using a sliding system of counterweights, compatible with a weapon's kinetic coil generators. This reduces weapon kickback, making it easier for the marksman to aim while sustaining fire.
* Frictionless Materials - Superior barrel rifling gives slugs more power at impact while minimising the heat buildup generated by the weapon's firing mechanism. This allows the marksman to fire more rounds per second before the weapon overheats and the internal heat sink requires venting.
* Phasic Enveloping - The weapon's onboard computer manufactures an artificial phasic envelope around each slug before it is fired at a target. This disrupts any mass effect field protecting the target, resulting in better penetration of shields and biotic barriers.
* Radioactive Rounds - The weapon's internal ammunition block is laced with seams of radioactive materials. Each slug sliced from the block by the weapon's projectile shavers contains just enough polonium to induce low levels of radiation sickness in targets. This sickness makes it more difficult for biotics to deploy their natural telekinetic abilities. It additionally prevents rapid cellular regeneration in enraged Krogan and Vorcha.
=== X-77f Paladin ===
Nihlus' secondary weapon of choice is the M-77 Paladin heavy pistol. Developed by ERCS as a part of their lethal weapons programme, the Paladin is a prototype variant of ERCS' commercially available M-6 Carnifex. Trading the Carnifex's increased heat sink capacity for greater stopping power and range, the Paladin is a lethal three-shot hand cannon capable of ripping through armour, barriers and shields with ease. The Paladin is not currently available for purchase by the galactic public, the design still awaiting the legal permits required for sale in Council Space. This doesn't stop Council Spectres from making underhanded deals with ERCS to "test" these prototypes in the field, however. 
Nihlus' Paladin is the original prototype. It was given to him by his mentor, Saren Arterius, upon completion of his Spectre training. Saren owned the weapon for many years prior, having acquired it from ERCS in exchange for detailed reports of the weapon's performance in live-fire exercises. While originally not as developed as later models, Nihlus has extensively modified and retrofitted his Paladin by hand, utilising prototype ballistics technology and ammunition modifications (some of which are technically illegal in Council Space), upgrading it to X-f classification. In its current state, it is arguably more advanced than ERCS' subsequent improvements to their design.
* Smart Rounds - Prototype modification of traditional smart-targeting module commonly incorporated into high-end weaponry, adapted to slightly deflect rounds to strike a more vital part of an enemy.
* Titan Pulsar - Overclocked electromagnetic pulsar technology that strengthens the weapon's mass effect field generator, increasing the mass and acceleration of each round fired.
* Ultralight Materials - Superior lightweight alloys replace the weapon's external casing, grip, and trigger mechanism. This makes the weapon lighter, and easier to handle.
* Pistol Scope - 2x optical scope enhances weapon stability while zoomed and increases accuracy while moving and taking damage.
* Harpoon Rounds - The weapon's internal ammunition block is composed of a material that condenses on impact, penetrating armour, then shredding into shrapnel in the softer medium of flesh. This modified form of ammunition is widely considered to be unethical and is therefore banned in Citadel Space.
=== Terminus Armour ===
* Shield Harmonics
* Microscanner
* Medical VI
* Ablative VI
* Nanocrystal Shield: Modified mass effect field generator that mimics Geth shielding technology.
* Burst Regeneration: Prototype redundant field generator.
=== Savant Omni-Tool ===
* Hydra Module: Disabling most safety protocols and installing an experimental power core improves efficiency but reduces the expected operating lifespan by a factor of 20.
* Multicore Amplifier: By tuning the inputs of the omni-tool to match the specific neural patterns of the user, its responsiveness and power are significantly increased. Once tuned in this manner, the omni-tool is almost unusable by anyone but the wearer, and it must be continuously re-calibrated to account for subtle neural shifts.
* Custom Heuristics: Prototype multiple-operating system that allows the omni-tool to run dozens of configurations at once, with instantaneous swapping as the user switches tasks. This allows the user to switch between the delicate tuning required for precision tasks and the quick release of raw energy needed during combat, without having to swap between omni-tool models that are specifically calibrated to perform one type of task. This also results in better performance for each individual task.
* Cryo Blade: Omni-blade coated in a Bose-Einstein condensate of super-cooled subatomic particles, capable of snap-freezing unprotected targets on hit. Armoured and shielded targets are chilled, slowing their movement speed by 7.5%. Reduces enemy armour by 12.5% for 5 sec.Category:TuriansCategory:Spectres
== Powers ==
* Cryo Blast: Flash-freezes and shatters unprotected enemies. Slows down the rest. Weakens armour. Frozen targets won't regenerate health.
** Recharge Speed: 4 sec
** Radius: 2 m
** Freeze Duration: 5.60 sec
** Enemy Movement Speed: -15%
** Enemy Armour Reduction: -25%
** Damage Bonus: +25% increased damage to all chilled and frozen targets
*  Damping: Suppresses the powers of enemy biotics by causing neural damage. Interferes with the tech skills of enemy engineers by making them backfire. 
**  Recharge Speed: 15 sec
**  Hack Duration: 10 sec
**  Radius: 2 m
**  Neural scarring: 600
**  Backfire: 600
*  Overload: Overloads electronics and electrocutes enemies. Effective against shields, barriers, and synthetics.
**  Recharge Speed: 6.40 sec
**  Damage: 330
**  Damage Bonus: +100% damage to barriers and shields
**  Incapacitates unprotected organic enemies for a short duration
*  Sabotage: Sabotage enemy weapons and onboard computers. Affected weapons overheat.
**  Recharge Speed: 8 sec
**  Hack Duration: 12 sec
**  Radius: 3.25 m
**  Backfire: 400
*  Stimulant Packs: A specially designed operations survival pack that temporarily increases survivability and all damage output.
**  Max Shields: 1200
**  Damage: 30%
**  Duration: 15 sec
*  Tactical Cloak: Become invisible. Gain a massive damage bonus when breaking from cloak to attack.
**  Recharge Speed: 8 sec
**  Duration: 10.40 sec
**  Damage Bonus: 120%
*  Cryo Grenades:
**  Cryo-upgraded grenades containing a Bose-Einstein condensate of super-cooled subatomic particles. When detonated, they are capable of snap-freezing unprotected targets. Armoured and shielded targets are chilled, slowing their movement speed by 30%. Reduces enemy armour by 50% for 10 sec.
*  Cloak Evasion:
**  When evading incoming damage, a brief cloak activates to break enemy line of sight.
*  Battlefield Awareness:
**  An augmented reality display highlights nearby enemies through walls and cover. Cloaked targets are also visible.
== Trivia ==
* Nihlus' favourite alcoholic drink is Epyran Rum. He enjoys drinking it mixed with Drossix Blue and lima juice.
* Nihlus' favourite music artist is Comaduster.
* Nihlus drives a Mark II 2187 Blackout skycar.
=== Character colour palette ===
* Plate colour: Mule Fawn (#8C472F)
* Skin colour: Roman Coffee (#835C4D)
* Eye colour: Leafy Green (#5FB83B)
* Markings colour: Moon Mist (#DCDDCC) (originally White, faded with age)
=== Claims ===
==== Voice claim ====
Alastair Duncan
==== Theme claim ====
Frigid Tomb + Lament - Michael Sechrist, Skye Lewin, Michael Salvatori; remixed by Constellar Nova (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID4ApoT3G0g)
Category:CharactersCategory:House ArteriusCategory:House KryikCategory:Male
Category:Imperial Family of Desolas Arterius II
Category:Bostrans
Category:Quattuor nomina
Category:Initiative Members