1437 - 1456 KTR (Tiberium Rising Supplement)
The End[edit]
The Nod's attempt to bring about "Ascension" instead causes an alien inavasion. For years, life on the planet is systematically exterminated by a highly advanced species, which seems fundamentally tied to Tiberium. Don't worry, it has a happy ending!
DM's Micro-Note
Beyond this point, the campaign took some radical transformations, which I will detail sometime later. As a result, this is the end of recorded history.
Before the Attack[edit]
By 1435, the Nod were but a distant memory. The Church was once again the dominant force of the planet, with the Empire trailing behind. While the Empire of Lenin had yet to regain the glory it had under Emperor Lenin Trotsky, it was again the dominant trading group of Vasuda. Meanwhile, Tiberium was completely eradicated on Remia. However, the Church allowed Tiberium to remain on the Island of Madagai. Dozens of mutants went into self-imposed exile on Madagai, vowing only to return when the world would truly accept them, not merely "tolerate" them.
The Scorpion Strikes[edit]
After preparing for over a decade, the Nod's Inner Circle was ready to carry out the Final Prophecy. They managed to create a small amount of Liquid Tiberium, but wasn't confident in their ability to also create an Ion weapon of sufficient power without being detected. Instead, they decided to use the Templar's own weapon against the Church. They infiltrated various parts of the rebuilt Empire, and prepared ships to sail from the western tip of Czechoslovakia to the Desert of Nod. The ultimate plan was to lure the Templar into using the Ion Cannon on the Liquid Tiberium the Brotherhood had stockpiled.
Over the course of the next few months, a bloody battle waged across Vasuda. As the death toll approached that of the Second War, Nod operatives convinced the Templar that the entire Inner Circle had made its headquarters in a temple rebuilt some distance south of the ruins of Cairo. As planned, the Templar saw an opportunity to end the Third War in one fell swoop. They mustered a powerful force, then moved towards New Cairo. The Nod moved some of its forces from the Templar's path, assuring the assault would reach its destination. The Templar encountered a heavily fortified compound. Rather than risk lives trying to overpower the defenses, or allow the chance of the Inner Circle members escaping, they used the Ion Cannon against the base.
When the Ion Cannon struck the Liquid Tiberium, a catastrophic chain reaction resulted, destroying nearly everything in the Desert of Nod, an area of thousands of square miles. The resulting radiation reversed much of the Church's work in recovering land for people to live in, creating numerous yellow and red zones.
Here is a cutscene from Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, showing the devastating blast from the reaction (Note: GDI = Knights' Templar, for those who haven't played the game, or are a little slow on the pick-up): GDI Campaign Movie #10
Disillusionment and Falling Stars[edit]
In the aftermath of the blast, the Brotherhood was shaken to its core. How could this be Ascension? Perhaps the Prophet Kane was a madman? The Nod surrendered, though the Inner Circle remained fugitives (More as a survival method than actual conviction in Kane's teachings; the Church was fond of executions). The Church, in an uncharacteristic display of compassion for a religion of retribution, absolved the lower ranking members from any punishment, feeling they had been duped into worshipping a false prophet. Officers and confessors, on the other hand, were punished.
While the blast had destroyed significant portions of the Templar and Nod, the overall destruction was minimal. Since few had lived in the Desert, there wasn't much in the way of collateral damage, and thanks to the Sonic Network, the release of radiation and Tiberium could be contained and stopped in a few months time. In less than six months time, the worst of the damage had been repaired.
Then, astronomers of the Empire spotted an unusual star. It was moving, and far too bright. Within days, the "star" was closing in on Vasuda. Fearful, the Templar deployed the Ion cannon in a hope to stop, or at least slow the colossal object. The first blast had no effect, but the Templar tried again and again.
The Scrin[edit]
What are the Scrin? They are an alien species, incredibly advanced and capable of traversing the depths of the Deep Ethereal Sea. They live for Tiberium, and some theorize they are a stage of Tiberium Evolution. The Scrin are healed, not harmed, by the substance, and incorporate it in many parts of their technology. They harvest it, and many theorize that these visitors had seeded the planet with the crystal.
Whatever else may be said about the creatures or their motivations, it is clear they are not friendly. They swiftly overwhelmed the defenses of Vasuda. The following is a short video of the invasion in C&C3: Tiberium Wars: Scrin Invasion. The Vasudans, armed with comparatively primitive pitals and CCMCD weapons, were no match for the invaders.
For the next 20 years, the Scrin remained the undisputed rulers of Vasuda. No attempts at communication were made by either side. Fortunately, the Scrin seemed to dismiss the indigenous life forms, and never made an active effort to exterminate life. However, they increased the spread of Tiberium by several hundred times, making military extermination almost redundant. Within the span of a few years, the entire organic population of Vasuda was dead or mutated. The Scrin constructed two massive towers, one in the Jungle Heart of Madagai and another in the Myrich Fields of Remia. These were the aliens bases of operation. While some aliens did patrol throughout Vasuda, most of the Scrin were concentrated near those two towers.
The Uprising[edit]
Many sentients hid in the ruins of cities, or in tunnel networks of the primitive subways. There, many were content to stay put, and not incite the wrath of the Invaders. However, in 1455, three mutants took up arms and decided to overthrow the Scrin. In the course of a trek throughout Remia, they learned that the Scrin maintained but one ship in space. Cambridge astronomers believed this was some sort of command node, and if destroyed, would cripple the aliens. However, the aliens were entrenched near the Ion Cannon, the only weapon powerful enough to reach into the sky. The Three (as they would come to be known) realized they would need help.
They traveled to Parsé, seeking the Templar. After proving themselves capable fighters (Rescuing captives of the Scrin, returning holy documents, etc.), the Templar trusted the Three enough to take the Ion Cannon. Before the attack was to begin, the Three decided they would need the help of the Brotherhood. After all, no one else had the same innate understanding of Tiberium and the Tacitus. Over the course of a few months, they made their way to Czechoslovakia, and one of the last operating Temples. There, the Three learned that the Nod had in fact salvaged Cabal's core. They had reworked the core of Cabal, and created "Cable", an equally intelligent yet far mor tolerant construct. The Brotherhood had designed it to translate the Tacitus, a task for which Cable was excellently suited.
The Three theorized that the Tacitus was of Scrin origin. Perhaps Cable could communicate with the Scrin, and trick them into moving their forces? The Nod agreed to the plan, and began to make their way to Remia. After four months, the Templar were ready to reclaim the Ion Cannon, and the Nod were prepared to lure the Scrin away. The battle was fierce, but the Ion cannon was activated and fired at the alien "mothership". For the first few minutes, the Scrin merely intensefied their attack, and the hopes of Vasuda seemed lost. Then, at almost the exact same time, the aliens froze. Later, historians would speculate that the ground forces were drones, being controlled by some sort of hivemind aboard the ship.
Aftermath[edit]
There was a silver lining to the Scrin Invasion. Much of their technology had been left intact, and Cambridge scientists were confident they could make use of it
However, the future was not clear. Scrin influence had converted almost everwhere into Red Zones. All Vasudans were mutated, and there was little hope for the Church to regain contact with the Divine. Most life had been anihilated, and those who were left had lived like hunted animals for two decades. Could civilization be rebuilt, or was the world doomed to the same chaos prior the arrival of Saint Cuthbert's Emmisarry? This, my diligent reader, is for you to decide.
DM's Note[edit]
What now?
- This is where I assume some of you will take over. Maybe your players will emerge in the wasteland, and either help or hinder the reconstruction of society. Perhaps pockets of Scrin are still functional, and must be eliminated. Also, what are the Scrin's Towers? Are they gateways to other worlds? What of the Tacitus? The Nod felt that if both pieces were united, the restored Tacitus would reveal unbelievable amounts of information, maybe even information about the Scrin. From here, there is an incredible amount that you can do.
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