Nod Crawler Profile

==Crawler==
* Designation: MCV Mk. VII
* Affiliation: Nod
* Role: Mobile Construction Vehicle
* Introduced: 2075
* Class: Offense, Defense, Support
* Armament: Varies
* Type: Crawler
* Speed: Varies
==Background==
Tracing its lineage back to the First Tiberium War, the Mobile Construction Vehicle has been the cornerstone of every battle fought throughout the century. The Brotherhood of Nod, frequently requiring a mobile base of operations to evade the eyes of GDI, adopted the MCV for use in its civilian relief efforts and military operations. From Europe to the Americas to Australia, the Brotherhood has taken advantage of the MCV's ability to quickly produce prefabricated structures, whether to erect shelters for the homeless or spearhead operations for war.
Recently, the TCN Conflict has forced a fundamental shift in military strategy, focused around the isolated TCN nodes scattered across the planet. The TCN's global nature has made it difficult to defend for even the Nod / GDI alliance, but the advent of the Crawler MCV has changed the face of warfare. Like the nuclear weapons of the Cold War era, Crawlers became the measure of a faction's power, and Kane, despite his alliance with GDI, had no intention of falling behind them in military strength. After the end of the TCN Conflict, Kane decreed that the Brotherhood must adapt to a new era of warfare and commissioned a series of Nod Crawlers to help GDI defend the TCN.
The first Nod Crawlers were introduced in 2075, with the initial field tests assigned to one Brother Alphus, a promising young Nod battlefield commander. This proved to be a grave mistake; within days of their first deployment, Alphus' entire detachment cut off all contact with Nod central command and disappeared into the Tiberian wastelands, leaving the hastily executed bodies of Kane's handpicked overseers in their wake. Coalition investigators soon revealed Alphus to be a long dormant sleeper agent for the anti-Kane, anti-coalition Nod Separatist movement. Alphus' betrayal came at a heavy cost to the Brotherhood, gutting their standing forces, damaging their public image and significantly weakening their already shaky coalition with GDI. In the end, however, it was GDI who paid the greatest price for Alphus' duplicity, when Gideon - charismatic leader of the Nod Separatist movement - used his newly acquired forces to launch a devastating attack against the unsuspecting GDI First Fleet; the first salvo in what would come to be known as the Incursion War.
==Battlefield Specifications==
Following Kane's mandate, the Brotherhood's combat forces have been restructured into Offense, Defense, and Support branches, emulating the GDI military. However, Nod Crawlers do not have access to the atmospheric drop pods used by GDI, and Nod science ministers chose to turn to an older, but more familiar technology: Burrowing. Since the Tiberium Control Network removed much of the underground Tiberium from the planet, an extensive network of tunnels and caves were created under the planet's surface. Nod Crawlers utilize burrowing technology to navigate through this maze of tunnels and emerge directly onto the battlefield, allowing Crawlers to be discreetly and secretly deployed to any location in the world. Additionally, every Crawler is outfitted with nanotech repair systems, exclusively developed by Nod science ministers from the Tacitus. Nod Crawlers are typically deployed in their base form with limited loadouts and no weaponry to reduce weight and travel time. Once on the field, the Crawler can use its construction capabilities to upgrade itself with weapons and other modules.
===Offense Crawler===
Based on the design of the MCV from the Third Tiberium War, the Offense Crawler is a colossal walker designed to take the fight to the enemy. Basically an expansion of Fist of Nod, the Crawler's initial loadout can only build simple units such as the Attack Bike, but highly upgraded Crawlers have the ability to construct more powerful Nod units such as the redesigned Avatar Warmech. Improved construction capabilities also unlock the Crawler's ability to upgrade itself with Obelisks of Light and the experimental Firebomb Launcher. True to their secretive nature, Nod commanders frequently equip their Offense Crawler with stealth generators, giving them the ability to move about the map unseen.
===Defense Crawler===
The Brotherhood has always been feared for its powerful defenses, and the Nod Defense Crawler was designed to reinforce that fear. The Crawler, essentially a MCV revamp with barrack upgrade, is capable of constructing a variety of defensive structures including the infamous Obelisk of Light, and can upgrade itself with additional weaponry and specialized shield generators. For mobile defense, Nod almost exclusively employs the cybernetic armies of Kane with more experienced Nod commanders calling upon the services of the elite Black Hand and High Confessors. Additionally, the most loyal commanders are granted access to Nod's artillery vehicles and those who have demonstrated their worthiness may construct the sacred Temple of Nod to cleanse their enemies.
===Support Crawler===
Nod has significantly expanded their arsenal of aircraft since the Third Tiberium War and have developed a Crawler specialized in their deployment. Projected to be a mobile airbase, it was designed with the ability to construct a wide variety of aircraft, from Venom rocket ships to Vertigo bombers, Support commanders are masters of the skies, able to clear out enemy air forces or rain death from above. In addition to their aircraft wings, Support commanders have access to the more experimental units and abilities Nod has to offer, including the powerful Leviathan capital ship. The Support Crawler itself can be outfitted with rocket turrets for defense, but it's most useful upgrade is the onboard stealth generator, allowing Nod to deploy its aircraft from seemingly thin air.
==See also==
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