1423 (Tiberium Rising Supplement)
The Calm Before the Storm[edit]
The Church and Empire rebuild the world with new technology from the Tacitus. Meanwhile, the Nod remains isolated in Czechoslovakia, preparing their final gambit in the pursuit of Ascenscion.
The Tacitus' Impact[edit]
While the Church of Saint Cuthbert had triumphed in the war, they had inherited a world ravaged by Tiberium. According to Mark Coolidge, Vasuda's premier Tiberium researcher, the world would be overcome by Tiberium in a matter of years. The Church needed a solution immediately, before they lost contact with the Divine forever. Finally, they turned to the Tacitus. While they kept it from the Nod to keep them from learning more about Tiberium, the Church decided that maybe knowledge of the enemy would help them defeat it (the first piece of the Tacitus was believed to have been destroyed, but the Brotherhood was using it in Czechoslovakia). With help from the Empire of Lenin, the artifact was partially decoded. Cambridge scientists discovered that a specific sonic frequency, while harmless to most materials, was capable of swiftly destroying Tiberium.
Within a matter of months, the Church and Empire had established a network of CCMCDs using a modified Shout spell to contain, and eventually reverse the growth of Tiberium. Despite periodic Forgotten and wild animal attacks, the plan went along perfectly. Soon, large portions of land were reclaimed, and non-mutants could again live there without fear of latent radiation exposure. The crops of Rome began having their best years yet. The Church of Saint Cuthbert was viewed as having saved the world, and people's faith increased in spades. New cathedrals were built throughout Remia, and families considered it an honor to have a relative in the Knights' Templar.
Meanwhile, the Empire was given the Tacitus for research. The gap between their research and that of the Nod was quickly closed. It was discovered that using a mixture of salt, Tiberium Algae and water produced a combustible liquid. Thus, the first combustion engines were developed. The structural differences between the different strains of Tiberium was better understood, allowing a subtler reworking of the material to take place in Tiberium forges, which in turn allowed the production of better quality goods. Perhaps the biggest discovery was the Radiation Sink, a liquid mixture of salts, ammonia and other alchemical substances which depleted the radiation in Tiberium crystals. The product was an extremely dense and non-radioactive crystal, which came in demand by the Templar for weaponry and hardened armor.
An invention that would prove most important in the coming war, though, was the Ion Cannon. By directing a raw surge of magical energy through a lens of volatile Ionic Tiberium, a devastating blast of energy was created. In conjunction with Jess' Twin Portals, the Templar had a powerful weapon to deploy against any threats too powerful for normal forces to deal with. Only one Ion Cannon was made, as a precaution against attacks by mutants.
This era was truly a golden age, at least compared to previous ages. While the population had dramatically fallen, those who lived were offered education by the Empire, religious training by the Church, and a nearly unlimited supply of goods.
The Scorpion Prepares[edit]
However, times were tough for the Nod. The survivors of KT-NW II either had to renounce the Brotherhood, or go into hiding. The Church began public executions of those who had "wronged" sentient life, and imprisoned those not worthy of being killed. The Brotherhood was almost universally shunned, partly due to the Firestorm Crisis. The few who were sympathetic to the cause of "Ascension" directed the brothers in hiding towards Czechoslovakia. There, the Inner Circle had begun to prepare to enact the Final Prophecy of Kane. This prophecy was only to be read if the Brotherhood was either on the verge of complete annihilation or victory.
In the Prophecy, Kane laid out a plan to strike an amount of Liquid Tiberium with a beam of energy enhanced by Ionic Tiberium. This, the Prophet promised, would bring about the final Ascension. When the Brotherhood learned that the Templar had created such an Ionic weapon, they worked to create Liquid Tiberium. Meanwhile, Anton Slavic planned a final invasion. His, of course, wasn't the last . . .
DM'S Notes[edit]
1. It wouldn't be the Final Invasion?
- Read "heavy-handed foreshadowing". Keep reading the History, you're almost done!
2. Low Population?
- Remember, the world has been through Tiberium infestation, a World War and the Firestorm Crisis. Since the population wasn't that high in the first place, these all worked to dramatically lower the population of Vasuda. How dramatically? I leave that for you to decide.
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