TRYKS
Classification: Vampire race
Location/Base of Operations: Presumably their lairs all over Earth-616
Known Members: Cilla, Ghost Blade (Sanjay), Rowkis, many unnamed members
Affiliations: Rosa Belinski, Blade (both were tricked into helping them)
Enemies: Blade (Eric Brooks), Captain America (Steve Rogers), the Seven
Aliases: Vapor Vultur Vampyrus, V3s, Veethra
First Appearance: Blade II#1 (May, 2002)
Powers/Abilities: Tryks were a race of vampires that went through three stages of symbiosis process. The first stage was a gas (left image) that left the corpse of an infected vampire and searched instinctively for an adult human male, usually a man living or working alone. After entering the host (the Seven only called them Produce) through mouth and nose the gas began to transform into stage two, the Gutsucker (right image). It was a solid creature that ejected tentacles to feed on the bloodstream and major organs of the victim, who began to rot within 24 hours. After this time the Gutsucker dissolved and the victim was transformed into the final stage, a Tryk (see above).
All Tryks possessed superhuman strength far above the level of normal vampires and could regenerate spontaneously from most injuries. They were immune to garlic, silver and other usual poisons against vampires. They were even able to survive sunlight.
Additionally male Tryks possessed retractable claws embedded int the males' palms. They were mostly used as weapons. Another anomaly was a poisonous spike normally hidden beneath the chin and released at will. The poison secreted from this spike rendered victims unconscious and prevented dead vampires from disintegrating. It seemingly also infected other vampires with the substance (maybe the poison itself) that transformed into a Stage 1 (left image) Tryk.
All female Tryks were Queens. They secreted powerful pheromones that made them so attractive that Tryk males fought among each other to become their king. After a queen was impregnated by her chosen king she killed and consumed him as special nourishment for the fetus, which was always female. Tryk Queens possessed removable wings that gave her the ability of flight. At the tip of the wings where small claws similar to those of the males. They also had the ability to transform themselves into different forms. They seemingly could also infect vampires somehow to create a Stage 1 Tryk (or else a new clan couldn't be created).
Traits: Tryks are a matriarchal race as all colonies are led by a queen. Tryks preyed mainly on other races of vampires.
History:
(Blade II#2 (fb) - BTS) - In ancient times Tryks and other supernatural
creatures waged war against humanity.
The Seven became their mortal enemies, but at some point the Seven began to operate in secret and just kept Tryk population small to ensure that they couldn't wipe out the other vampire races.
(Blade II#3 (fb) - BTS) - In the 16th century a Tryk Queen was drawn. The painting came into possession of the Seven.
One of the few fully-grown Tryks the Seven ever managed to kill became a part of their collection of weapons and other souvenirs.
(Blade II#4 (fb) - BTS) - At some point the Tryks thought that their ancient foes the Seven were gone.
(Blade II#1 (fb) - BTS) - Seven member Kwate and his partner came too late to prevent the birth of a new Tryk and Kwate's partner was killed by the newborn Tryk.
(Blade II#4 (fb) - BTS) - Cilla became the Queen of her own colony. At some point Tryk male Rowkis became Cilla's lover, but she didn't make him her king after learning from an old prophecy that the male offspring of a Tryk Queen and a Daywalker would become Zukajaa, the ruler of the world.
(Blade II#1) - Tryk Queen Cilla posed as a human and was attacked by vampires. Her lover Rowkis took them apart and infected one vampire. Later on the first stage gas left the dead vampire and searched for a host. It found an elderly men sleeping in his bed and went into his body through his nostrils and mouth. Inside the old man it began to grow and transform him into a Tryk. Seven operatives Kwate and Couleur were informed about the victim and electrocuted him to force the second-stage Tryk out of the old man. After the second-stage Tryk had left the body it was killed by Kwate with a biogenic poison and put into his suitcase. Somewhere else Rowkis watched Blade.
(Blade II#2) - Rowkis saved Blade by killing some Uukog and left before Blade could attack him. A vampire picked up the scent of the Tryks, but he was captured by them near their lair's main entrance. Queen Cilla cut open his throat and her guards brought the vampire to the Waters of Luthuk after removing his fangs (for Cilla's collection). Cilla and Rowkis talked about her plans with Blade. Cilla became Susan again and went to Fofo's shop where she met Blade again who taught her how to shoot.
(Blade II#3 (fb) - BTS) - Rowkis told the Uukog or Valencia where they could find Blade's weaponsmaker Fofo.
(Blade II#3) - Cilla had dinner with Blade and he told her the story about Yathalea's death. When she asked him to come up to her apartment Blade got a call and had to leave.
(Blade II#4) - Rowkis caught Seven member Kwate and his partner Couleur and beat Blade into unconsciousness. Afterwards Rowkis took Kwate and Couleur and brought them to Cilla. Queen Cilla took a bath and talked to a painting of her mother about making the Tryks rulers of the twin realms again by giving birth to the prophesized boy-king. A guard entered her room and told her that Rowkis demanded to see her. She was angered by Rowkis behaviour and that he didn't take his job to protect Blade serious. She berated him and told him once more why she needed Blade. After he showed her the Seven's sign on Kwate's belly. Surprised that the Seven still existed she ordered to bring their foes to the Waters of Luthuk before interrogating them.
(Blade II#5) - Cilla arranged her own kidnapping by Rowkis and called Blade so that he learned about it over the phone. Blade found Cilla as Susan in her lair and tried to bring her to safety. She showed him the Waters of Luthuk and asked him to save the captured Seven members to trick him into the waters. Together with Blade she bathed in the waters and explained to Blade how it worked. Cilla became irresistible for Blade and he impregnated her. After it was over Rowkis came to Cilla's aid and after explaining their scheme they tried to kill Blade. It didn't work and Cilla had to flee. Several Tryk guards were slaughtered by Blade. He freed Kwate and Couleur and then killed the returning Rowkis as well. Blade went upstairs to get Cilla. The guard of the lair's remote hatch was killed too, but Cilla was too fast and flew away with Blade's child growing inside her.
(Death of Dracula#1) - Some Tryks participated in a once-a-century vampire clan meeting on an abandoned Greek Island.
After Xarus had slain his father Dracula to become Lord of Vampires the Tryks decided to not side with anybody and wait it out.
(Captain America: Unforgiven#1 (fb) - BTS) - Disillusioned after the death of the Forgiven's leader Raizo Kodo, Ghost Blade joined a Tryk queen's hive because it was a system he understood. He didn't care that he could possibly end up being consumed.
(Captain America: Unforgiven#1) - Captain America fought a Tryk queen to save Ghost Blade from her hive in Cap's quest to bring the Forgiven back together.
Comments: Created by Christopher Hinz & Steve Pugh.
Blade II was the title published under the MAX imprint. So, don't buy it for your kids.
Like in so many cases I'd really like to know something about their origin. Who? When? How? We will never know!
The MAX title wasn't the only Blade project for Marvel in 2002. There was also the adaptation of the second Blade movie in April. I believe Hinz was influenced by the movie's story while writing the MAX title as the movie also included a vampire sub-species which preyed on other vampires.
In Blade III#12 a prophecy was fulfilled that brought back all vampires that ever died. This most likely included all slain Tryks as well. We'll have to wait if they resurface.
--Markus Raymond
Ghost Blade is a member of Raizo Kodo's heroic group of vampires known as the Forgiven. He first appeared in Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula#1 (September, 2011) and was revealed as a Tryk in Spider-Man: Unforgiven#1 (May, 2023).
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Tryks have no known connections to
It was a Tryk Queen's personal bath. Vampire corpses conserved by Tryk venom were stored in running water and the drainage from their corpses created a powerful sex hormone. A queen that showered in the Waters of Luthuk was made irresistible by the combination of her own hormones and the ones from the water. It was also needed to chemically synchronize glandular systems of a Daywalker to guarantee pregnancy of the Tryk Queen (The Tryks had a solution for such a rare case? Very ahead-thinking!).
--(mentioned) Blade II#2; (seen) Blade II#4 (Blade II#2 - BTS, Blade II#4-5
Zukajaa, the Seventh Lord of Duske was the prophesized son of a Tryk Queen and a Daywalker. As the prophecy goes he would bring the Tryks to their rightful place as the rulers of the twin realms. They would rule the world and Zukajaa would be their king.
--Blade II#4 (mentioned only)
The story of Zukajaa was just a legend and although Cilla was pregnant from Blade it doesn't necessarily mean that the child was a boy as this was AFAIK impossible. If it really was a boy the world could be in trouble as suggested by the reaction of reigning Seven leader Tomothy.
images:
(without ads)
Blade II#5, p15, pan3 (main image)
Blade II#1, p12, pan3 (vapor)
Blade II#1, p20, pan6 (Gutsucker)
Blade II#1, p22, pan5 (Gutsucker destroyed)
Blade II#2, p13, pan2 (Tryk guards)
Blade II#3, p11, pan3 (Tryk head shot)
Blade II#5, p8, pan2 (Waters of Luthuk)
Appearances:
Blade II#1-5 (May-September, 2002) - Chrisopher Hinz (writer), Steve
Pugh (artist), Bronwyn Taggart (editor)
Death of Dracula#1 (August, 2010) - Victor Gischler (writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils), Onofrio Catacchio (inks), Axel Alonso (editor)
Captain America: Unforgiven#1 (June, 2023) - Tim Seeley (writer), Sid Kotian (artist), Annalise Bissa (editor)
First Posted: 06/09/2006
Last updated: 08/20/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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