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The Crawler Nod

  • Designation: MCV Mk. VII
  • Affiliation: Nod
  • Role: Mobile Construction Vehicle
  • Launch date: 2075
  • Class: Attack, Defence and Support
  • Armament: Variable
  • Type: Offensive Crawler
  • Speed: Variable

Background

Originating from the First Tiberium War, Mobile Construction Vehicles have been the cornerstone of every battle throughout the 21st century. The Brotherhood of Nod, often requiring a mobile base to evade GDI detection, has adopted the VCM for both its humanitarian and military missions. From Europe to the Americas via Australia, the Brotherhood has capitalised on the MCV’s ability to rapidly produce prefabricated structures, ranging from shelters for the homeless to state-of-the-art military installations.

Recently, the TCN conflict has forced Nod to fundamentally change its military strategy, refocusing it on isolated TCN nodes scattered across the globe. The global nature of the TCN network made it difficult to defend, even for the Nod/GDI alliance, but the advent of the Crawlers changed the face of warfare. Like the nuclear weapons of the Cold War era, the Crawlers have become a symbol of a faction’s power, and Kane, despite his alliance with the GDI, had no intention of falling behind them in terms of military strength. After the end of the GDI/Nod conflict, Kane decreed that the Brotherhood of Nod must adapt to a new era of warfare and commissioned a series of Nod Crawlers to assist the GDI in defending the TCNs.

The first Nod Crawlers were introduced in 2075, and their trials were led by Brother Alphus, a promising young Nod Commander. This proved to be a grave mistake; a few days after their first deployment, Alphus’s entire detachment severed all contact with Nod’s central command and vanished into the Tiberium wastelands, leaving in their wake the hastily executed bodies of the overseers chosen by Kane. Coalition surveyors quickly concluded that Alphus was a sleeper agent for the anti-Kane separatist movement. Alphus’s betrayal took a heavy toll on the Brotherhood: the dismantling of their standing forces, the tarnishing of their public image, and the considerable weakening of their already faltering coalition with the GDI. Ultimately, however, it was the GDI that paid the heaviest price for Alphus’s duplicity, when Gideon – the charismatic leader of the Nod separatist movement – used his newly acquired forces to launch a Desolator attack on the GDI’s 1st Fleet, the first salvo in what would later become the Incursion War.

Battlefield Specifications

In accordance with Kane’s wishes, the Brotherhood’s combat forces were restructured into attack, defence and support units, mirroring the GDI’s military organisation. However, as Nod’s Crawlers do not have access to the atmospheric modules used by the GDI, Nod and its scientists chose to turn to an older, tried-and-tested technology: underground networks. The introduction of the Tiberium Control Network has removed a large portion of the underground Tiberium, creating a vast Tunnel Network and caverns beneath the planet’s surface. Nod’s Crawlers use ‘burrowing’ technology to navigate this maze of tunnels and emerge directly onto the battlefield, allowing the Crawlers to be deployed discreetly and covertly anywhere in the world. Furthermore, each Crawler is equipped with Nano Tech repair systems, developed exclusively by Nod’s scientists using the Tacitus. Nod’s Crawlers are typically deployed in their basic form, without upgrades or hardpoints, to reduce weight and journey time. Once in the field, Crawlers can use their construction capabilities to upgrade themselves with weapons and other modules.

Offensive Crawler Based on the VCM design from the Third Tiberium War, the Offensive Crawler is a colossal walker designed to bring the fight to the enemy. The Crawler’s initial configuration can only build simple units such as Attack Cycles, but upgraded Crawlers have the ability to build more powerful units such as the Nod Combat Warmech. Upgrading its construction capabilities also unlocks the Crawler’s ability to upgrade using Obelisks of Light and the experimental ‘Firebomb Launcher’ device. True to their secretive nature, Nod commanders frequently equip their Offensive Crawlers with stealth generators, giving them the ability to move invisibly across the map.Defensive Crawler The Brotherhood has always been feared for its powerful defences, and the Defensive Crawler has been designed to reinforce that fear. The Crawler is capable of constructing a variety of defensive structures, including the infamous Obelisk of Light, and can be upgraded with additional weapons and specialised shield generators. For mobile defence, Nod relies almost exclusively on cybernetic armies. Kane and his most experienced commanders call upon the services of the Black Hand’s elite troops. Furthermore, the most loyal commanders are granted access to Artillery vehicles, and those who have proven their abilities may construct the Sacred Temple of Nod to destroy their enemies.Support Crawler

Nod has significantly expanded its aerial arsenal since the Third Tiberium War and has developed a Crawler specialising in the deployment of aircraft. With the ability to build a wide variety of aircraft, from Venoms to Vertigo Bombers, Support-class commanders are the masters of the skies, capable of destroying enemy air forces or raining death from above. In addition to their aircraft, Support-class commanders have access to Nod’s more experimental units and capabilities, including the powerful Leviathan craft. The Support Crawler itself can be equipped with turrets for defence, but the most useful upgrade is the stealth generator.