Nihlus Kryik
The Spectre of Eden Prime
Nihlus Kryik was a turian Spectre of the Citadel Council and the agent who nominated Commander Shepard for the order. He died on Eden Prime, shot in the back by his former mentor Saren Arterius.
Nihlus Kryik was a turian agent of the Spectres, the operatives who answered directly to the Citadel Council. A protégé of Saren Arterius, it was he who personally nominated Commander Shepard as the first human candidate for the order. He died on the human colony of Eden Prime, killed by Saren at the outset of the campaign against the Reapers. (Mass Effect)
Saren's protégé#
Nihlus was mentored by Saren Arterius, a fellow turian and one of the Council's most capable Spectres. Saren later spoke of himself as Nihlus's mentor, and the relationship was close enough that Nihlus still trusted him completely years later. (Mass Effect)
Where the two parted ways was humanity. Saren's hatred of humans was well known, but Nihlus was willing to back a human for the Spectres, and it was his nomination that put Shepard forward as the order's first human candidate. (Mass Effect)
Eden Prime#
As a representative of the Council, Nihlus accompanied the Normandy on its shakedown run. The crew regarded him with suspicion, doubting the Council would send a Spectre merely to inspect the ship's stealth systems, and they were correct: Nihlus was aboard to recover a Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime and to assess Commander Shepard as a candidate for the Spectres. He had personally nominated Shepard, and the Eden Prime mission was meant to be the first of several assignments on which he would judge the Commander's fitness for the order. (Mass Effect)
On Eden Prime, Nihlus went ahead of Shepard's team to scout and instead ran into Saren. Surprised but grateful to see his old mentor amid the fighting against the geth, he lowered his guard, and Saren shot him in the back of the head. A human dockworker named Powell, hidden nearby, witnessed the killing, overheard Saren's name, and later relayed everything to Shepard. By Saren's own account, Nihlus's personal files passed to him upon his death, which may have given Saren valuable insight from Shepard's record and helped him evade capture. (Mass Effect)
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Nihlus Kryik?
- Nihlus Kryik was a turian agent of the Spectres, the operatives who answered directly to the Citadel Council. He personally nominated Commander Shepard as the first human candidate for the order.
- How did Nihlus Kryik become a Spectre?
- The games say little about how he joined. Mass Effect establishes that Saren Arterius, a fellow turian Spectre, was his mentor, and Saren claimed that Nihlus's personal files passed to him on his death as a result.
- How did Nihlus Kryik die?
- On Eden Prime, Nihlus went ahead of Shepard's team to scout and ran into his old mentor Saren. He lowered his guard, grateful to see Saren amid the fighting against the geth, and Saren shot him in the back of the head.
- Why was Nihlus Kryik aboard the Normandy?
- Nihlus accompanied the Normandy on its shakedown run to recover a Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime and to assess Commander Shepard as a candidate for the Spectres. He had personally nominated Shepard and intended to accompany the Commander on several assignments.
- How did Nihlus Kryik differ from Saren Arterius?
- Saren made no secret of his hatred of humanity, while Nihlus backed Shepard as the first human candidate for the Spectres. He trusted his old mentor to the end, lowering his guard on Eden Prime moments before Saren shot him.
Gallery
Images via Mass Effect Wiki
Sources
- GameMass Effect, BioWare, 2007
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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