Gargleblasted Application
OOC:
Name: Greer
Are you over 16?: Yup
Personal LJ: badumtish
Email: kukuhead@live.com
Timezone: Central
Other contact: plurk: zhopa aim: hurghleburlebutz
Characters already in the game: n/a
How did you find us?: Your Commander Shepard tagged me and it was fun.
IC:
Character name: Nihlus Kryik
Fandom: Mass Effect
Timeline: After he's dead. So like, 20 minutes into the game.
Age: Canon doesn't give him one, but I assume he's around late twenties early-thirties.
~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths: Besides maintaining skills in the fields of Being Dead and Being Badass (but Dead), Nihlus (along with every other character in Mass Effect, like seriously), would probably have an Omni-Tool.
Omni-Tools are weird holographic tools that are normally "worn" on the arm of the user. They have the ability to hack, repair, and decrypt things and are primarily used in battle. They can also be used to assess the capabilities and whatnot of armor and weaponry from a distance.
All earlier joking aside, Nihlus is an extremely skilled soldier. Exact details on his strengths in battle are unknown but it's presumed that he was fairly well-rounded because of his Spectre status. Bioware states that perhaps his best ability in battle was the "uncanny ability to find an enemy's weakness and exploit it".
How would they use their abilities?: He'd use the Omni-Tool to assess potential threats or help repair miscellaneous objects if the desire came over him. He'll mostly use it to analyze potential threats or people of interest.
In terms of his combat ability, he'd probably just use that for... combat.
Appearance: Nihlus, despite being modeled after birds of prey, really looks more like an insect, bird and reptile had a freaky lovechild who then flew into a window and became eternally flat-faced. On his freakish mandible'd face are white tribal markings, referencing the unnamed tribe he is from. His... skin/scales are a dark brown which goes nicely with his red-and-black armor.
In terms of Turian physical features, Nihlus has the typical skinny-bitch body of an average Turian. Also weird hips that are pointy and rectangular. And long dog-legs. He has three digits: two fingers and one opposable thumb. All three have talons because remember! part-bird lovechild. Also because Turians are meant to be highly militaristic and fierce bitches. They also have a weird carapace hump on their back so maybe they're part turtle too.
Background/Personality:
First off I'd like to state that Mass Effect and Bioware offer very little information about Nihlus since he does only appear for like... 20 minutes. What little information is known about him will be covered here.
Also for the sake of keeping a "flow" to this section, I'm going to provide explanations of need-to-know words and phrases.
Turians: An alien race known for their military culture. They're the military powerhouse of the Council and normally live on either their homeworld of Palaven or outlying colonies.
The Citadel Council: The governing body of the Citadel and Citadel space which is most of space, to be honest. The act as the judges of skirmishes between plants, say who violates what law, and control the Spectres among other things.
Spectres: An abbreviated form of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, the Spectres are an elite group of secret space agents. They're essentially above the law and only report to the Citadel Council for missions and punishment and whatnot. Other than that they have free reign to do whatever.
Protheans (and their beacons): Protheans are an extinct alien race that provided most of the technology found in Mass Effect! They had an empire but then died and left all their sweet tech behind. One piece of this sweet tech was the Prothean Beacons which served as intergalactic instantaneous communication devices that communicated through the brain instead of communication through voice or video. Kind of like a telepathic link sort of thing.
Asari: The hot blue babe aliens of Mass Effect. Thought to be the most powerful and respected race in the galaxy. All of them are chicks.
Justicar: An Asari who has essentially given up their life for a specifc (and very strict) Code of Justice. They're kind of like the ultimate warrior monks except less monk-y and more... kill-y. So I guess they're really more like Samurai or something.
Geth: A techno-organic alien race that are all linked to each other so they're all basically one being. Except the ones Nihlus sees are rougue ones so they're not linked up to the others anymore.
Now on to the actual history:
Nihlus was born in a mercenary outpost outside Turian space. Clearly, being surrounded by mercenaries and other less-than-favorable sorts is not an ideal place for a youngster to be raised and Nihlus quickly learned how to fend for himself and survive. This would probably mean he was put in situations where he had to fight in order to get what he wanted or needed (Bioware also reinforces this point!). To make matters worse, when Nihlus was 16 his father died.
Afterwards his mother, in what I assume was a method to 1) get him away from the bad influences of the mercenary outpost 2) introduce him more formally into Turian culture and 3) obey the Turian social standard, forced Nihlus to attend what is essentially Turian boot camp. Having grown up on an outpost and not a Turian colony or the homeworld, Nihlus was seen as an outsider and as such never truly fit in either with his teachers or his peers. Additionally, he was fairly resistant to authority and often did things he saw were best. Though his decisions mostly leant themselves to being the best options, the fact that he constantly ignored orders quickly became troublesome. He became notorious for his so-called "recklessness".
Following the initial year of boot camp, Nihlus was moved from squad to squad until he was placed in a squad with the turian Spectre Saren Arterius. Impressed by Nihlus, Saren befriended him and eventually became his mentor. Within a year of this happening, Nihlus was invited to become a Spectre.
As a Spectre Nihlus' "recklessness" was applauded, as it often got the job done efficiently and effectively. In time he became one of the top Spectre agents.
In a specific conversation between Samara and Shepard in Mass Effect 2 Samara details a time when she ran into Nihlus. Nihlus had been sent to (most likely) a colony for a mission when he ran into Samara. While canon doesn't explain what the mission is, it is stated that Nihlus killed an unarmed civilian. Samara, an Asari Justicar (Asari are the attractive blue babes of Mass Effect and a Justicar is like a Spectre who lives by a code that forces them to obey strict laws of Justice) witnessed this and attacked him, as the killing had violated the Justicar Code. Nihlus and Samara then engaged in a two-week long game of "cat and mouse", which finally ended when Nihlus forced Samara to make a choice: capture him or let another civilian die (because he had them at gunpoint). Samara chose to let the civilian live, allowing Nihlus to escape.
This event displays Nihlus' willingness to do anything he feels necessary in order to achieve his goals. He's not against killing or sacrificing people in order to accomplish his mission. Additionally, he does not regret the majority of his decisions after making them. Surely there were at least a couple which he regretted, but even then he didn't dwell on it. After all Turians are known for "owning" their decisions, so while he might (rarely) regret what he's done, he would still stand by it and accept responsibility.
Mass Effect (1) starts off after these events on a spaceship called the Normandy. On the spaceship is a certain Commander Shepard who is the star of Mass Effect but isn't Nihlus so whatever. The Normandy is headed for this special secret mission to an Earth colony on a planet called Eden Prime. The mission is to retrieve a Prothean Beacon (an ancient civilization's instantaneous communication device) that was discovered in the Earth colony. Nihlus is on the mission in order to both retrieve the beacon and mentor Shepard, who is a candidate for the Spectres.
Unfortunately, the mission goes awry with the arrival of Geth (a race of AI techno-organic aliens). Nihlus, who went ahead of Shepard's group as a scout runs into his old mentor, Saren. Stupidly believing that Saren was sent as back-up, Nihlus turns his back to Saren and ends up getting shot in the head.
Turns out Saren was the one who led the Geth there to steal the beacon in the first place, whoops.
So yeah Nihlus is dead and that's the end of that.
In terms of personality, Nihlus is pretty much the definition of "cool and calm". When talking with Shepard, he verbally displays years of experience in that nothing seems to really concern him. In fact the only thing that really throws this "cool and collected" front off is when he finds Saren on Eden Prime. At this point there is evident surprise and he begins to speak more casually, as is to be expected in a relationship such as theirs. Still, it becomes evident that Nihlus lets down his guard for those that he considers a friend.
When considering his past, I think it is safe to say that Nihlus tends to prefer professional, discardable relationships as opposed to having many people he feels close to. While most would be lonely in relationships like these, it doesn't seem like Nihlus really minds having only one friend. It probably doesn't seem abnormal to him, considering his childhood.
When on a mission, Nihlus tends to follow his instincts rather than protocol or rules. This was called recklessness by his commanding officers, and in some cases it probably was. Still, according to Bioware's mini-bio on him it more often than not led to successful missions and smart decisions.
Additionally, when in the field Nihlus seems to lean more towards the "lone ranger" type than the "team player". This is evidenced on Eden Prime when he goes ahead of Shepard saying things like "I move faster on my own". While it also shows that he is confident in his own abilities, it also suggests at least a small amount of overconfidence generated from long-term experience. And also the lone ranger thing.
One of the more notable aspects of Nihlus' personality is how he, unlike many other Turian, doesn't hold prejudice. This is seen when talking to Shepard on the Normandy. Nihlus states "I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job." While he is directly addressing humans, it's easy to assume that he would share this philosophy when it comes to other races as well. So long as they're capable and useful, he's willing to give them a fair chance.
Lastly, based on all the traits presented I think it's safe to say that Nihlus likes to have control of his actions and his life. Part of the reason he struggled in the normal Turian military was probably due to the lack of control they gave him in the field, while his success with the Spectres was probably due to the freedom he had to do whatever he wanted.
In conclusion, Nihlus is almost all about business with little room for personal life. He takes his work very seriously and won't let anything get in the way of it.
Have you read up on how the game works?: Si. Flaming Ferrets, maid dress missions to move up in the world, smooch and flatter people to move up otherwise. Sounds like hollywood and/or being an artist.
1st person sample:
This is Nihlus Kryik of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance for the Citadel Council. I don't expect many of you to be familiar with me. There's enough evidence here to suggest that. Not enough bureaucracy for one.
[He shifts, crossing his arms.]
If I didn't know any better, I'd ask to be returned to my previous state. But I'm sure we all know this place is above individual desires. And while I'm interested in the current state of this vessel, that's not the reason I'm here.
I've looked through this "guide" of yours and some... unexpected names have cropped up. Turians, Justicars, Salarians. Starting to look like this place is collecting races. It seems like more of you will recognize me than I originally thought.
[And, almost as an afterthought.]
And Commander Shepard, if you're done purifying water, I'd like to have a word.
3rd person sample:
It had been a long time since Nihlus had had a “world”. Palaven had never been his and neither had the colony he had been sent to. The closest “home” he had ever really had was the outpost, but even that felt more like a “training” place than an actual home. It didn’t hurt him to hear it was gone. He mourned the losses, of course, just in his own way. And his way called for him to move on, figure out his new setting, think of anything but what was lurking at the back of his mind.
It felt strange to grip his gun. The material felt new; unexplored, inexperienced despite all the times he had held it. He ran his hand over it, clutched the grip and let it go. Holstered it and clenched his fingers, working out the kinks.
When he had arrived his body felt sore and stiff, as if unused for a long period of time. He hadn’t had time to explore it then, too busy being shuffled to the next station for more paperwork, learning about his surroundings. It wasn’t hard to grasp that he was in a new setting, a place far removed from the universe he had known. The thought should have concerned him more than it did but it didn’t register.
He was too preoccupied, to be honest. His body didn’t feel like his own anymore. It felt borrowed and being in it was similar to being in a new suit of armor. He had to work out the kinks.
Which led him to his room, sitting on the bed provided for him, flexing his various limbs and trying to make himself familiar. It was odd, he thought, how he had to familiarize himself with his own body. It was clearly his, it should clearly respond to him. There was a disconnect that he had to overcome. As if his body knew the truth he didn’t want to admit quite yet. Yet something told him that he had to acknowledge it in order to overcome the bizarre sensation. No, not just to overcome, but to function as well.
He raised his hand to touch the back of his head, expecting to draw back his hand and see blue. It perturbed him to see his hands clean. It was as if his mistakes were erased, as if someone was telling him it was okay. “We’ll give you another chance”.
He moved to feel the back of his head once more but stopped himself. What he was doing was irrational. He was alive. That much was plain to see. He was letting the situation get to him in a new setting where he needed to be on his guard. He didn’t have time to afford to discomfort or irritation.
He was alive. That was it.
A pensive silence filled the room as he mulled over the thought. Minutes passed and he remained still until finally, he took the guide in hand.
“This is Nihlus Kryik of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance…”
Questions?: Nada
Did you put your characters name and fandom in the subject: Sure.
Name: Greer
Are you over 16?: Yup
Personal LJ: badumtish
Email: kukuhead@live.com
Timezone: Central
Other contact: plurk: zhopa aim: hurghleburlebutz
Characters already in the game: n/a
How did you find us?: Your Commander Shepard tagged me and it was fun.
IC:
Character name: Nihlus Kryik
Fandom: Mass Effect
Timeline: After he's dead. So like, 20 minutes into the game.
Age: Canon doesn't give him one, but I assume he's around late twenties early-thirties.
~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths: Besides maintaining skills in the fields of Being Dead and Being Badass (but Dead), Nihlus (along with every other character in Mass Effect, like seriously), would probably have an Omni-Tool.
Omni-Tools are weird holographic tools that are normally "worn" on the arm of the user. They have the ability to hack, repair, and decrypt things and are primarily used in battle. They can also be used to assess the capabilities and whatnot of armor and weaponry from a distance.
All earlier joking aside, Nihlus is an extremely skilled soldier. Exact details on his strengths in battle are unknown but it's presumed that he was fairly well-rounded because of his Spectre status. Bioware states that perhaps his best ability in battle was the "uncanny ability to find an enemy's weakness and exploit it".
How would they use their abilities?: He'd use the Omni-Tool to assess potential threats or help repair miscellaneous objects if the desire came over him. He'll mostly use it to analyze potential threats or people of interest.
In terms of his combat ability, he'd probably just use that for... combat.
Appearance: Nihlus, despite being modeled after birds of prey, really looks more like an insect, bird and reptile had a freaky lovechild who then flew into a window and became eternally flat-faced. On his freakish mandible'd face are white tribal markings, referencing the unnamed tribe he is from. His... skin/scales are a dark brown which goes nicely with his red-and-black armor.
In terms of Turian physical features, Nihlus has the typical skinny-bitch body of an average Turian. Also weird hips that are pointy and rectangular. And long dog-legs. He has three digits: two fingers and one opposable thumb. All three have talons because remember! part-bird lovechild. Also because Turians are meant to be highly militaristic and fierce bitches. They also have a weird carapace hump on their back so maybe they're part turtle too.
Background/Personality:
First off I'd like to state that Mass Effect and Bioware offer very little information about Nihlus since he does only appear for like... 20 minutes. What little information is known about him will be covered here.
Also for the sake of keeping a "flow" to this section, I'm going to provide explanations of need-to-know words and phrases.
Turians: An alien race known for their military culture. They're the military powerhouse of the Council and normally live on either their homeworld of Palaven or outlying colonies.
The Citadel Council: The governing body of the Citadel and Citadel space which is most of space, to be honest. The act as the judges of skirmishes between plants, say who violates what law, and control the Spectres among other things.
Spectres: An abbreviated form of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, the Spectres are an elite group of secret space agents. They're essentially above the law and only report to the Citadel Council for missions and punishment and whatnot. Other than that they have free reign to do whatever.
Protheans (and their beacons): Protheans are an extinct alien race that provided most of the technology found in Mass Effect! They had an empire but then died and left all their sweet tech behind. One piece of this sweet tech was the Prothean Beacons which served as intergalactic instantaneous communication devices that communicated through the brain instead of communication through voice or video. Kind of like a telepathic link sort of thing.
Asari: The hot blue babe aliens of Mass Effect. Thought to be the most powerful and respected race in the galaxy. All of them are chicks.
Justicar: An Asari who has essentially given up their life for a specifc (and very strict) Code of Justice. They're kind of like the ultimate warrior monks except less monk-y and more... kill-y. So I guess they're really more like Samurai or something.
Geth: A techno-organic alien race that are all linked to each other so they're all basically one being. Except the ones Nihlus sees are rougue ones so they're not linked up to the others anymore.
Now on to the actual history:
Nihlus was born in a mercenary outpost outside Turian space. Clearly, being surrounded by mercenaries and other less-than-favorable sorts is not an ideal place for a youngster to be raised and Nihlus quickly learned how to fend for himself and survive. This would probably mean he was put in situations where he had to fight in order to get what he wanted or needed (Bioware also reinforces this point!). To make matters worse, when Nihlus was 16 his father died.
Afterwards his mother, in what I assume was a method to 1) get him away from the bad influences of the mercenary outpost 2) introduce him more formally into Turian culture and 3) obey the Turian social standard, forced Nihlus to attend what is essentially Turian boot camp. Having grown up on an outpost and not a Turian colony or the homeworld, Nihlus was seen as an outsider and as such never truly fit in either with his teachers or his peers. Additionally, he was fairly resistant to authority and often did things he saw were best. Though his decisions mostly leant themselves to being the best options, the fact that he constantly ignored orders quickly became troublesome. He became notorious for his so-called "recklessness".
Following the initial year of boot camp, Nihlus was moved from squad to squad until he was placed in a squad with the turian Spectre Saren Arterius. Impressed by Nihlus, Saren befriended him and eventually became his mentor. Within a year of this happening, Nihlus was invited to become a Spectre.
As a Spectre Nihlus' "recklessness" was applauded, as it often got the job done efficiently and effectively. In time he became one of the top Spectre agents.
In a specific conversation between Samara and Shepard in Mass Effect 2 Samara details a time when she ran into Nihlus. Nihlus had been sent to (most likely) a colony for a mission when he ran into Samara. While canon doesn't explain what the mission is, it is stated that Nihlus killed an unarmed civilian. Samara, an Asari Justicar (Asari are the attractive blue babes of Mass Effect and a Justicar is like a Spectre who lives by a code that forces them to obey strict laws of Justice) witnessed this and attacked him, as the killing had violated the Justicar Code. Nihlus and Samara then engaged in a two-week long game of "cat and mouse", which finally ended when Nihlus forced Samara to make a choice: capture him or let another civilian die (because he had them at gunpoint). Samara chose to let the civilian live, allowing Nihlus to escape.
This event displays Nihlus' willingness to do anything he feels necessary in order to achieve his goals. He's not against killing or sacrificing people in order to accomplish his mission. Additionally, he does not regret the majority of his decisions after making them. Surely there were at least a couple which he regretted, but even then he didn't dwell on it. After all Turians are known for "owning" their decisions, so while he might (rarely) regret what he's done, he would still stand by it and accept responsibility.
Mass Effect (1) starts off after these events on a spaceship called the Normandy. On the spaceship is a certain Commander Shepard who is the star of Mass Effect but isn't Nihlus so whatever. The Normandy is headed for this special secret mission to an Earth colony on a planet called Eden Prime. The mission is to retrieve a Prothean Beacon (an ancient civilization's instantaneous communication device) that was discovered in the Earth colony. Nihlus is on the mission in order to both retrieve the beacon and mentor Shepard, who is a candidate for the Spectres.
Unfortunately, the mission goes awry with the arrival of Geth (a race of AI techno-organic aliens). Nihlus, who went ahead of Shepard's group as a scout runs into his old mentor, Saren. Stupidly believing that Saren was sent as back-up, Nihlus turns his back to Saren and ends up getting shot in the head.
Turns out Saren was the one who led the Geth there to steal the beacon in the first place, whoops.
So yeah Nihlus is dead and that's the end of that.
In terms of personality, Nihlus is pretty much the definition of "cool and calm". When talking with Shepard, he verbally displays years of experience in that nothing seems to really concern him. In fact the only thing that really throws this "cool and collected" front off is when he finds Saren on Eden Prime. At this point there is evident surprise and he begins to speak more casually, as is to be expected in a relationship such as theirs. Still, it becomes evident that Nihlus lets down his guard for those that he considers a friend.
When considering his past, I think it is safe to say that Nihlus tends to prefer professional, discardable relationships as opposed to having many people he feels close to. While most would be lonely in relationships like these, it doesn't seem like Nihlus really minds having only one friend. It probably doesn't seem abnormal to him, considering his childhood.
When on a mission, Nihlus tends to follow his instincts rather than protocol or rules. This was called recklessness by his commanding officers, and in some cases it probably was. Still, according to Bioware's mini-bio on him it more often than not led to successful missions and smart decisions.
Additionally, when in the field Nihlus seems to lean more towards the "lone ranger" type than the "team player". This is evidenced on Eden Prime when he goes ahead of Shepard saying things like "I move faster on my own". While it also shows that he is confident in his own abilities, it also suggests at least a small amount of overconfidence generated from long-term experience. And also the lone ranger thing.
One of the more notable aspects of Nihlus' personality is how he, unlike many other Turian, doesn't hold prejudice. This is seen when talking to Shepard on the Normandy. Nihlus states "I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job." While he is directly addressing humans, it's easy to assume that he would share this philosophy when it comes to other races as well. So long as they're capable and useful, he's willing to give them a fair chance.
Lastly, based on all the traits presented I think it's safe to say that Nihlus likes to have control of his actions and his life. Part of the reason he struggled in the normal Turian military was probably due to the lack of control they gave him in the field, while his success with the Spectres was probably due to the freedom he had to do whatever he wanted.
In conclusion, Nihlus is almost all about business with little room for personal life. He takes his work very seriously and won't let anything get in the way of it.
Have you read up on how the game works?: Si. Flaming Ferrets, maid dress missions to move up in the world, smooch and flatter people to move up otherwise. Sounds like hollywood and/or being an artist.
1st person sample:
This is Nihlus Kryik of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance for the Citadel Council. I don't expect many of you to be familiar with me. There's enough evidence here to suggest that. Not enough bureaucracy for one.
[He shifts, crossing his arms.]
If I didn't know any better, I'd ask to be returned to my previous state. But I'm sure we all know this place is above individual desires. And while I'm interested in the current state of this vessel, that's not the reason I'm here.
I've looked through this "guide" of yours and some... unexpected names have cropped up. Turians, Justicars, Salarians. Starting to look like this place is collecting races. It seems like more of you will recognize me than I originally thought.
[And, almost as an afterthought.]
And Commander Shepard, if you're done purifying water, I'd like to have a word.
3rd person sample:
It had been a long time since Nihlus had had a “world”. Palaven had never been his and neither had the colony he had been sent to. The closest “home” he had ever really had was the outpost, but even that felt more like a “training” place than an actual home. It didn’t hurt him to hear it was gone. He mourned the losses, of course, just in his own way. And his way called for him to move on, figure out his new setting, think of anything but what was lurking at the back of his mind.
It felt strange to grip his gun. The material felt new; unexplored, inexperienced despite all the times he had held it. He ran his hand over it, clutched the grip and let it go. Holstered it and clenched his fingers, working out the kinks.
When he had arrived his body felt sore and stiff, as if unused for a long period of time. He hadn’t had time to explore it then, too busy being shuffled to the next station for more paperwork, learning about his surroundings. It wasn’t hard to grasp that he was in a new setting, a place far removed from the universe he had known. The thought should have concerned him more than it did but it didn’t register.
He was too preoccupied, to be honest. His body didn’t feel like his own anymore. It felt borrowed and being in it was similar to being in a new suit of armor. He had to work out the kinks.
Which led him to his room, sitting on the bed provided for him, flexing his various limbs and trying to make himself familiar. It was odd, he thought, how he had to familiarize himself with his own body. It was clearly his, it should clearly respond to him. There was a disconnect that he had to overcome. As if his body knew the truth he didn’t want to admit quite yet. Yet something told him that he had to acknowledge it in order to overcome the bizarre sensation. No, not just to overcome, but to function as well.
He raised his hand to touch the back of his head, expecting to draw back his hand and see blue. It perturbed him to see his hands clean. It was as if his mistakes were erased, as if someone was telling him it was okay. “We’ll give you another chance”.
He moved to feel the back of his head once more but stopped himself. What he was doing was irrational. He was alive. That much was plain to see. He was letting the situation get to him in a new setting where he needed to be on his guard. He didn’t have time to afford to discomfort or irritation.
He was alive. That was it.
A pensive silence filled the room as he mulled over the thought. Minutes passed and he remained still until finally, he took the guide in hand.
“This is Nihlus Kryik of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance…”
Questions?: Nada
Did you put your characters name and fandom in the subject: Sure.