| “ | Brotherhood. Unity. Peace. - Nod motto |
” |
The Brotherhood of Nod, often shortened to Nod or the Brotherhood, was an organization with the characteristics of a religious movement, a multinational corporation, and a nation-state. It was classified as a terrorist group by the Global Defense Initiative.[4]
The origin of Nod is shrouded in mystery, with the group itself claiming that it existed since before 1800 BC.[1][5] It rose to prominence in 1995, when a meteororite carrying Tiberium landed near Tiber river in Italy.[6] During this period, Nod launched a series of terrorist attacks all over the world. In response, the United Nations founded the Global Defense Initiative, a multinational military alliance with the goal of eliminating multinational terrorism.[7][8]
The conflict between Nod and GDI escalated into a world war in 1997, and would later be known as the First Tiberium War.[9] Though Nod was defeated during the war, it returned time and time again in the decades that followed, leading to the Second and Third Tiberium War. Finally, at the end of the Fourth Tiberium War in 2077, the entire Brotherhood of Nod and Kane achieved Ascension through Threshold 19, leaving Earth behind and putting an end to the conflicts between Nod and GDI for good.[2][3]
The central tenets of Nod's beliefs included the worship of Tiberium, which they saw as the catalyst for the next stage of human evolution;[10][11] the worship of Kane, Nod's charismatic leader, believed to be immortal by many within the Brotherhood;[9] and the Ascension prophecy, a mythological reward promised to Nod's followers by Kane.[12]
In addtion, Nod consistently presented itself as the voice of the oppressed masses, and worked to unite the downtrodden and the disenfranchised against the GDI, which it painted as a fascist group subservient to the wealthy western nations and global elites.[1][13][5][14]
History
Early History
| “ | Our relationship with Tiberium has always been greatly misunderstood. Most people do not realize that the roots of our faith extend back several millennia, long before the emergence of the green crystal on Earth in 1995... an event prophesized by our great leader, Kane. - Nod orientation briefing |
” |
An ancient tomb with Nod symbols in Africa
The Brotherhood's exact origin is unknown. According to the Brotherhood itself, it originated millennias ago.[5] While GDI dismissed this claim as exaggerated,[1] it did recognize that the Brotherhood was "an ancient and secret society".[7]
There were several pieces of evidence that seem to support Nod's claim of an ancient origin. During his mission to rescue Dr. Ignatio Mobius from a Nod research facility, GDI commando Nick Seymour Parker discovered an ancient tomb decorated with statues of scorpions.[15] Several ancient artifacts apparently depicting the killing of Abel by Cain were also seen in Nod temples, seemingly lending credence to the Nod belief that Kane was, in fact, the Biblical Cain.[16]
In 1995, a Tiberium meteor crashed near Tiber river in Italy, bringing the alien substance to Earth. According to Nod, this event was prophesized by Kane.[5] Kane himself claimed that Nod was responsible for the discovery of Tiberium, and that he personally named it after the Roman emperor Tiberius.[17] Whether or not these statements were true is unclear, but Nod did pioneer advanced Tiberium harvesting techniques. As Tiberium became a precious commodity, Nod quickly dominated the global Tiberium market, granting it significant economic power.[18]
First Tiberium War
In response to a series of terrorist attacks orchestrated by Nod, including at least 17 urban bombings,[18] the United Nations passed the United Nations Global Defense Act (UNGDA) on October 12, 1995, forming the Global Defense Initiative,[1] a global peacekeeping force with the goal of eliminating multinational terrorism.[7][9]
Beliefs
On Tiberium
| “ | GDI and the Brotherhood view the benefits... and the threats of Tiberium differently. They see a scientific anomaly, a curiosity. I see the future. - Kane |
” |
The Brotherhood of Nod viewed Tiberium as the single most powerful substance on the planet and the future of mankind. Though the Brotherhood acknowledged Tiberium was a dangerou substance, it belived its benefits outweighed any risks.[19] A core belief within the Brotherhood was that as Tiberium transformed the planet, humanity would be transformed into a new race capable of surviving in the new world, as demonstrated by the Nod prayer: "Let the earth be transformed, let those who believe in the power of Tiberium be transformed with it."[20]
During the Second Tiberium War, Nod began experimenting with a process called Divination, which apparently involved controlled injection of Tiberium into the bloodstream, to accelerate the emergence of this supposed new race.[21][22] Ironically, Nod did not consider the Forgotten, humans who were mutated by Tiberium and were immune to Tiberium poisoning as a result, to be divine. Instead, they viwed the Forgotten as little more than pawns to be manipulated and frequently kidnapped them to be used as components for cyborgs and test subjects for Divination.[23][22] Kane seemed to imply that the new race he envisioned, unliked the Forgotten, would be unrecognizable as humans.[22]
Because of their belief in the power of Tiberium, Nod was far more willing than GDI to exploit Tiberium, both for funding and as weapons and tools. Thanks to Tiberium mining, Nod grew from a collection of impoverished people from Third World countries to an economic power house.[9] It also developed a range of Tiberium-based weapons throughout its history, from the chemical warriors' Tiberium-based chemical spray to the liquid Tiberium bomb.
On Kane
As the leader of the Brotherhood, Kane was worshipped as the Prophet, with the Brotherhood claiming that he prophesized the arrival of Tiberium on Earth.
Another common belief among the Brotherhood was that Kane was immortal, with many believing that he was the Biblical Cain, a belief that Kane himself saw no need to dispel. This belief was only strengthened by Kane's uncanny ability to cheat death. Former InOps officer Lia Suskind speculated that Nod members wanted to believe that Kane was immortal, as this belief implied they could become immortal as well.
Nod as liberators
Internal power structure
| “ | ...Power shifts quickly in the Brotherhood... - Seth |
” |
Throughout its different iterations, the Brotherhood's hierarchy shifted many times. However, a theme that remained consistent was in-fighting among the various leaders to further their own interest. While this encouraged Nod leaders to become more cunning and ruthless, it also gave the Brotherhood a tendency to splinter in Kane's absence, due to the lack of a powerful leader capable of unifying the entire organization.
Very little is known about the Brotherhood hierarchy during the First Tiberium War, other than that Kane served as the supreme leader, with Seth serving as his right hand man. Following Kane's apparent death at the end of the war, the Brotherhood was led by Hassan, a puppet installed by GDI, who kept the rest of the Brotherhood complacent using media propaganda while he framed those who were still loyal to Kane, such as Anton Slavik, as traitors and executed them. However, prior to the start of the Second Tiberium War, Hassan was overthrown by Slavik. At his execution, Kane revealed himself to the Brotherhood and resumed the leadership role.
After Kane was apparently killed at the Cairo Nod Pyramid, Slavik struggled for power with the Inner Circle, a group of five Nod generals. (It is unclear whether the Inner Circle existed during the Second Tiberium War or if they were only founded after Kane's apparent death.)
Nod military doctrine
| “ | ...Nod operational doctrine states that commanders should control the tempo of combat operations, avoiding direct contact with the enemy until the time and place are just right. Stealth, speed, mobility, force composition, and operational flexibility are the key to success... - Excerpt from the Brotherhood Combat Operations Manual |
” |
Technological level
Nod pioneered Tiberium harvesting technology
In various ways, the Brotherhood of Nod has always been technologically superior to GDI, an organization backed by and effectively operated on behalf of the United Nations, and, more specifically, economically and technologically developed nations. It is not fully known how Nod achieved such a state of unique technological superiority, though it is often linked to their access to and study of allegedly alien technology, and their monopoly on Tiberium, which provided them with vast amounts of wealth, both financially and scientifically. The Brotherhood has constructed, owned, and operated many state-of-the-art research institutes, and hired out research teams globally. Oftentimes, these institutes and related facilities were kept highly secret, and hidden from academia and especially from national and international bio-ethics committees.
A contributing factor for Nod's lead in Tiberium research is that, in general contrast to GDI, whose research tends to focus on removing Tiberium from Earth or safely using it as a resource, Nod puts an emphasis on using Tiberium to improve humans biologically and technologically as much as possible, whether it is for military or industrial use. The general prevailing belief in Nod is that Tiberium exists as an extraordinary tool, not GDI's view that it is a biohazard and plague to Earth's ecosystem that threatens natural life. This is evidenced by technologies Nod developed such as a program to forcibly evolve humans using Tiberium, an attempt to launch a missile that could potentially cover Earth's surface in Tiberium, and a Tiberium-based bomb that killed billions, as well as being used to draw the Scrin to Earth prematurely.
First Tiberium War
- Laser technology: Nod used laser technology in large defense systems referred to as Obelisks of Light in major bases. Miniaturized laser rifles such as the Firefly laser rifle and the laser chaingun were also observed among Black Hand elite troopers.
- Stealth technology: Nod successfully developed a technology that would render a vehicle invisible to the naked eye, deployed in stealth tanks (codenamed "Ezekiel's Wheel") and stealth soldiers.
- Artificial intelligence: a primitive predecessor to the Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform (CABAL) was under development, but damaged due to incursions by GDI commando Nick "Havoc" Parker.
- Chemical: Nod widely used chemical warriors.
- Nuclear weaponry: although rarely used, Nod held considerable amounts of nuclear warheads.
- Tiberium research: apart from researching the very essence of Tiberium for scientific, economical, and even philosophical reasons, Nod weaponized it as early as the First Tiberium War. Several commonly seen rifles used Tiberium weaponry. In addition, Nod experimented with infusing humans with Tiberium to create loyal mutants as part of Project ReGenesis.
Second Tiberium War and Firestorm Conflict
- Artificial intelligence: CABAL was fully developed and activated, and became Nod's equivalent of a GDI Electronic Video Agent. It was sentient, but went rogue during the Firestorm Conflict, which forced Nod to steal a GDI EVA unit until CABAL was defeated and a proper replacement was found.
- Laser technology: Nod improved upon laser technology seen in Obelisks of Light and widely deployed self-powered laser turrets. Lasers were also used as defensive barriers.
- Stealth technology: a new generation of stealth tanks entered service, as well as static stealth generators. Spies used stealthed suits to infiltrate GDI bases. By the time of the Firestorm Conflict, mobile stealth generators entered production.
- Cybernetics: among the mainstays of Nod forces during the Second Tiberium War were cyborgs and cyborg commandos. After the war, Cyborg Reapers were deployed. However, all cyborgs were connected to CABAL, who went rogue during the Firestorm Conflict, taking over complete control over all cyborgs during the conflict, which caused Nod to deactivate and hide all remaining cyborgs that were active or in development after CABAL was defeated.
- Tiberium weaponry: Tiberium waste facilities developed and housed chemical missiles which were fueled by materials found on Tiberium veins. In addition, the launch of the World Altering Missile was Kane's ultimate goal during the Second Tiberium War, but GDI destroyed it before it could be used.
- Subterranean technology: when not using already an already established tunnel network (which was, among else, used by the Montauk), Nod drilled new pathways underground using Devil's Tongue subterranean flame tanks and subterranean APCs.
- Tacitus-based technology: Nod possessed an alien artifact known as the Tacitus for a long while. Upon inspection, Nod attempted to replicate technologies described therein, resulting in Banshee fighters and a replica of a Scrin ship.
Interbellum and Third Tiberium War
- Stealth technology: having reclaimed their stealth technology data from the Steel Talons, who had captured it after the Second Tiberium War, Nod made extensive use of stealth generators, to conceal everything from individual units to a collection of structures; the new technology thwarts all but the newest and most capable GDI sensors. Nod also fielded systems that are able to spoof GDI sensors, creating duplicate radar images and visual mirages that fool the eye. The Black Hand rejected the use of stealth, however, due to religious reasons.
- Artificial intelligence: LEGION, the replacement for CABAL, served under Kane after Nod splintered following the Firestorm Conflict. Near the end of the Third Tiberium War, however, it was injected with malicious software by Abbess Alexa Kovacs, due to her paranoia over the possibility of LEGION becoming the next CABAL. LEGION eventually managed to repair itself, and reawakened after the end of the war. On a smaller scale, the Black Hand used Mantes as their anti-air drones.
- Tiberium weaponry: exotic Tiberium weapons have always been a Nod strength. Before the Third Tiberium War, Nod engineers and scientists worked on Catalyst missiles that detonate existing Tiberium fields with terrible force, Tiberium seeding bombs that create new Tiberium fields, Tiberium-based toxins, and even a liquid Tiberium bomb capable of luring the Scrin to Earth.
- Mechanized walkers: while GDI began retiring walkers, Nod developed their own designs, solving many of the problems present in GDI walkers. It is rumored that Nod stole the original walker technology from GDI, then took advantage of research in other areas to accelerate the development of new walkers. These include Purifiers, Avatars, and Redeemers.
- Energy weapons: while GDI works to incrementally perfect the Ion Cannon technology, Nod has focused on weaponry that can be deployed on mobile platforms, including lasers and particle beams. Immediately prior to TW3, Nod has fielded powerful beam cannons on a six-wheeled chassis that are highly mobile and yet lethal at long distances; they can also work together by combining beams and striking over-the-horizon targets with a single coordinated blast of energy.
- Laser technology: laser weapons saw extensive use both in both offensive and defensive roles. A new hub-based laser turret is used as anti-vehicle defense. and the new Obelisk of Light is capable of obliterating vehicles with charged shots or incinerating infantry squads with a sweeping laser. Laser fencing was used to protect vital structures. Certain Nod vehicles can be upgraded with Spitfire laser capacitors, while Nod's walkers come standard with laser weapons.
- Psychological warfare: a relatively new field of technology, Nod Confessors carried hallucinogenic grenade, which can cause enemy infantry to attack each other. The Purifier is equipped with a subliminal projection device that inspires nearby allies, and the Redeemer's rage generator, based on the same technology, can drive enemy units berserk temporarily via subliminal brainwave modification.
- Cybernetics: although Nod shied away from using cyborgs in their armies after the CABAL incident, after Nod was severely weakened after the Third Tiberium War, LEGION activated the Marked of Kane, an army made up of fallen Nod soldiers reanimated using cybernetics. also implanted these cyborgs and even some human infantry with upgraded cybernetic legs.
Fourth Tiberium War
- Stealth technology: Nod used stealth generators in the fourth generation of stealth tanks, disruption towers, stealth fields, stealth generator and mobile stealth generator upgrades for Offense Crawlers, second-generation Specters, and cyborg commandos with infiltration modules. Alternate applications of the technology included signature generators, cloaking fields and decoy armies. The second-generation Vertigoes were no longer stealthed by default, but could be upgraded with cloak modules along with Cobras.
- Artificial intelligence: LEGION was still operational at the time of the Fourth Tiberium War, and certain Nod units, such as the Basilisk warship, were controlled by AIs.
- Tiberium weaponry: despite working with GDI to contain Tiberium on Earth, Nod could detonate Tiberium veins, place Tiberium catalyst shells into Specters, and infuse their units with Tiberium.
- Mechanized walkers: Nod fielded redesigned Avatars and Centurions as their mechanized walkers.
- Laser technology: laser weaponry in Spider tanks, Scorpion tanks, Obelisks of Light, Tyrants, and Basilisks was used during these conflicts.
- Subterranean technology: the Tiberium Control Network removed much of the underground Tiberium from the planet, creating an extensive network of tunnels and caves underground. This allowed certain Nod vehicles, such as the new Scorpion tank, to burrow underground in order to avoid enemy fire, set up ambushes, or retreat safely. Nod's Crawlers also used this network of tunnels to travel across the globe.
- Cybernetics: the base design of the Reaper was restored and improved. Other cyborgs of the period include Devouts, the Ascended, and the Enlightened.
Notable Brotherhood members
- Kane
- Nadia Zelenkov
- Seth
- Elena Petrova
- Anton Slavik
- Hassan
- Oxanna Kristos
- CABAL
- Cesar Vega
- The Inner Circle
- Kilian Qatar
- Ajay
- Nod Commander (Tiberium Wars)
- Marcion
- Alexa Kovacs
- LEGION
- Jade Liang
Units of Nod
Gallery
Symbols of the Brotherhood
The symbol of the organization is a black-rimmed red chamfered triangle enclosing a black curved scorpion's tail. In the Third Tiberium War, protruding spikes were added to the design and the scorpion tail and triangle were given a white outline.
![Nod flag in TW1[24]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIABAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAEALAAAAAABAAEAQAICTAEAOw%3D%3D)
Nod flag in TW1[24]
Alternate version (Renegade)
TW1 logo, remastered
TW2 flag
TW2 insignia as partially used in the Third Tiberium War
TW3 flag (as flown on mosques in north Africa)
TW3 emblem
Used on the GUI in Tiberium Wars and Kane's Wrath
Used in Command & Conquer: Rivals
![Nod flag in TW1[24]](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/cnc_gamepedia_en/images/f/f7/CNCTD_Nod_Flag.png/revision/latest?cb=20221116120520)
Loading Screens
Loading screen in Tiberian Sun and Firestorm
Loading screen in Tiberian Sun and Firestorm
Mission loading screen in Tiberium Wars
Mission loading screen in Kane's Wrath
Skirmish loading screen in Kane's Wrath
References
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