Temple of Nod
From Command and Conquer Wiki
| Temple of Nod | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Function | Command Center and Launching Facility |
| Armour | Heavy |
| Faction | Nod |
The Temple of Nod is the heart of the Brotherhood - it acts as their communications hub and Command Center, housing the computer core. It is also Kane's residence, where he commands the Brotherhood with an iron hand, surrounded by elite zealots and templars devoted to his cause.
The Temple serves another purpose too - it is the Brotherhood's advanced research lab, allowing construction of advanced units. Additionally, during the First and Third Tiberium Wars, it housed Nod's Nuclear Missile silo, allowing Brotherhood's commanders precision attack capabilities paralleled only by GDI's Ion Cannon Satellite.
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[edit] Construction
[edit] First Tiberium War
During the First Tiberium War, the Temple of Nod was a massive, cathedral-like building, resembling a scorpion. Its architecture was neo-gothic, mixing heavily decorated metal frames with red and black stained glass windows. Several flying buttress extended from it sidewards, resembling scorpion's "legs" and a tail-like protrusion extended from the segment of the temple containing the nuclear missile silo.
[edit] Sarajevo
The Temple of Nod in Sarajevo was the headquarters for all Nod forces, as well as the temple where Kane stayed. It was invaded by GDI forces towards the end of the First Tiberium War. Eventually, a team led by General Solomon battled Kane's elite Black Hand troops for 72 hours before it was decided that the team would pull out and an Ion Cannon would annihilate the base.
The Sarajevo Temple had an elevator that provided direct access from the underground command center to the main hall. There were such elevators in the Cairo Temple, but these were severely damaged in the Ion Cannon Strike that hit the Temple thanks to Captain Nick Parker (Havoc).
[edit] Cairo
The Temple erected by the Brotherhood in Cairo was the one infiltrated by Captain Nick Parker in an effort to rescue Dr. Sydney Mobius. It differed from the Sarajevo headquarters in appearance mainly in that it didn't have an archway over the entrance. Otherwise, however, it was exactly same as the Sarajevo Temple, though the first two levels sustained significant damage and even had large holes in the floor.
It was comprised of an above ground structure and three underground levels housing the main facilities. An additional underground level was claimed to have been found by Parker, but his claims couldn't be verified, as the temple was destroyed.
Allegedly, the Temple was built over the site of the original Brotherhood temple from ancient times. The Cairo Temple also housed Project ReGenesis' main research facility, and Templars, superior results of the project's augmentation procedures, were inhabiting the facility in great numbers.
[edit] Ground level
The structure extending above ground housed the main hall - a long, wide hallway, ending in a row of screens showing various videos, images and TV programs from around the world. The ceiling was composed of red stained glass panels adorned with the Brotherhood's insignia. In the part towards the back, the top level of the nuclear missile silo was accessible through a pair of blast doors.
The construction of this level was strong enough to withstand a direct Ion Cannon hit and remain standing, despite massive damage. However, it did not protect anyone standing in the hallway from the blast itself, as experienced by Kane, who arrived in a similar hall from the depths of the Sarajevo temple just prior to the Ion Cannon strike, ordered by General Solomon of GDI.
[edit] Underground level 1
The level just below was where Kane's Netrunners worked - three virtual reality machines tapped into the net were housed behind a sliding video screen wall. They acted as interfaces for the hackers, who almost managed to obtain full access to the Global Defense Initiative's Orbital Defense Matrix.
As with the above-ground levels, part of the missile silo went through this level.
[edit] Underground level 2
The second level was the place where the main war room of the facility was located - it consisted of a large situation table and several wall video screens, presenting the current world-wide situation. As with all other levels, the back housed a part of the nuclear missile silo.
Also, it should be noted that just below the concrete floor, a massive vein of Tiberium was located.
This facility bears much resemblance to the room in the Sarajevo temple, where Kane was last seen by his officers just prior to the Ion Cannon blast.
[edit] Underground level 3
The deepest part of the facility was its largest level, where all the main facilities were located.
The first room that was entered from the second level was Brotherhood's museum, where several artifacts are located, apparently of meaning to the Nod members, including a piece of rock with authentic ancient cave art depicting Abel's murder (the entire rock face with it was excavated by Nod). It was connected to a large walkway over the level's central dining hall and lounge. Several rooms were connected to the lounge, most notable of which were Kane's office and living quarters. Kane's office is composed of a large desk, a black and red scorpion's tail sculpture and a wall screen, which provided background for Kane's mission briefings during the Nod campaign of the First Tiberium War. Adjacent to the office was his bedroom, entirely made of expensive ornaments and furniture bearing the Brotherhood's insignia. For protection, his bedroom was equipped with twin Volt ceiling turrets.
On the same level Seth's, Kane's right hand, living quarters and office were located. After he attempted to circumvent his superior's authority, he was executed during a mission briefing by the man he tried to overthrow, and his body was preserved in a large tube, which Kane kept as a trophy. Another room accessible was the bluescreen recording studio, where Kane recorded manipulated news reports with Greg Burdette, designed to place blame for civilian slaughter in Białystok on GDI. These reports were moderately successful, creating a world-wide scandal with GDI as its victim. The last accessible room was the Temple's control room, through which access is available to the Temple's inhabitants living quarters. The living quarters section was intended for Kane's most faithful "brothers". It was interconnected with the main experimentation lab and the Temple's power core.
The experimentation lab was the place where the perfected Project ReGenesis augmentation process took place, resulting in creation of Templars from volunteers. They would later be kept in stasis in specially designed tubes, to be released in the case the Temple came under attack, or Kane's life was threatened, as it was when Captain Parker infiltrated the level and had to face several Templars at the same time. It was also here, that the base of the nuclear missile silo was located and the Temple's power core could be accessed. In the power core, the main ReGenesis evolution lab was located - here, the most advanced mutation processes were monitored and set in motion. The most advanced specimen that was created here was the mutated Elena Petrova, who possessed superhuman speed, agility and stamina, able to withstand massive weapon punishment and able to make several meter long jumps, covering opposite platforms of the core.
[edit] Underground ancient tomb
The perhaps most mysterious element of the Temple was supposedly accessed from an elevator located in the main experimentation lab. It was a fairly simple maze, filled with green gas, ultimately ending in a large, circular room, in the center of which a large sarcophagus is located.
It is implied, that entombed within the sarcophagus are the remains of Abel, the first victim of murder and Cain's brother, which seems to support rumors of Kane's immortality.
Beyond the sarcophagus, a large wall sculpture is located, depicting a man killing another. The murderer bears striking similarity to Kane himself, lending credibility to the theory that he is, in fact, Cain.
Notably, this green gas appears to be Tiberium vapour, although it has no effect on the player. Also, in the tomb, two large Tiberium crystals were visible, but these would not harm the player. The area connects to the Temple power core and the last part of the missile silo, through a directly accessible paasage.
[edit] Second Tiberium War
During the events of the Second Tiberium War, in 2030, a second Temple of Nod was constructed, in Cairo, where one of the first Temples stood. Adjacent to it was a Nod Pyramid, which housed Kane's world altering missile.
Not much is known about the Temple's interior. What is known is that the Temple still houses advanced research labs, acting as a prerequisite for advanced units such as the Cyborg Commando or Mutant Hijacker. The Temple did not house the main superweapons of Nod, but controlled them and similarly to it's predecessor, housed advanced research laboratories allowing Nod to field Cyborg Commandos, hire Mutant Hijackers and deploy Hunter-Seeker drones. It was also rumoured that some Temples were equipped with technology that allowed calling down Tiberium meteorite strikes, but these claims were never substantiated.
Its design differs drastically from the previous Temple - it is streamlined and resembles an encroached scorpion. Stained glass panels are almost non-existent, replaced by sleek concrete and steel surfaces.
After GDI victory, the primary Nod Temple, alongside the Nod Pyramid, was seized by GDI and extensively excavated by its forces. However, the security around the site was lax, allowing a small Black Hand force to infiltrate the perimiter and recover the fragmented CABAL core.
[edit] Third Tiberium War
Following CABAL's rebellion, Nod upgraded the appearance of the Temple, which now was truly looking similar to a scorpion (see intelligence photo at the headline) and also changed it's role. Due to the large number of roles the Temple had to perform earlier, it allowed GDI to significantly cripple the Nod effort by simply destroying the structure.
The Temple ceased to be an advanced research center and instead was designed from the ground up as a fully fledged command center. The state of the art mainframes it possessed allowed Nod to effectively battle any electronic jamming they might encounter and keep their surveillance and net active at all times, thanks to Master Computer Countermeasures introduced. The Countermeasure system used the Temple's backup generators to return power to a base. Additionally, the Temple once again served as a nuclear missile silo, with its facilities now located under a blast door in the temple courtyard.
The Black Hand can also deploy a decoy Temple of Nod, tricking the enemy into believing they have access to nuclear arsenal early, or fool them regarding it's location.
[edit] Temple Prime
Kane has also erected a new Temple at the site of the one destroyed in Sarajevo. Dubbed Temple Prime, it is a massive structure spreading both over and under the ground level, beyond a dry moat that once was the river running in front of the original Temple.
Transmissions from within Temple Prime have shown that it contains the traditional red stained glass windows, and also metalwork depicting Tiberium in plant-like ways. It also contained bizarre mechanisms which look like red Tiberium crystals with screens covered in scrolling jargon, but have no discernible purpose.
It was a fortress, with monumental towers overlooking the battlefield located on thick, titanium walls with ground carved in stone on which Nod facilities were located. Three Ion Disruption installations were located at key points around the temple to prevent the Ion Cannon from striking against Kane. His headquarters, housing the mainframes and the command center was a large circular chapel with towering red stained buildings and two adjacent crescent-shaped towers enclosing the chapel between them. Underground, a large cavern filled with liquid tiberium was located along with Kane's device.
The first GDI attempt to besiege Temple Prime, before the liquid tiberium bomb could be fully assembled, failed. A Nod Commander managed to successfully guide the needed components around the GDI base and then fortify the temple. After a skirmish, Nod reinforcements arrived and finished off the GDI presence. However, these forces soon turned out to be a renegade faction, ordering the surrender of Temple Prime. The Commander managed to destroy these renegades before being sent to Australia.
Following a second, successful GDI siege by their own brilliant commander, one that culminated in the destruction of the Ion Disruptors, Temple Prime was obliterated by an Ion Cannon strike ordered by Redmond Boyle, which set off a chain reaction that destroyed much of the region, turned the area into a Red Zone and drew the Scrin to Earth.
[edit] Fate
The Temples in Cairo and Sarajevo were both heavily damaged and much of them destroyed in the First Tiberium War, both by Ion Cannon strikes, the one in Sarajevo according to General Solomon's order and the Cairo site by General Locke, as Captain Nick Parker helped to accurately target the orbital cannon. While the latter survived the blast intact, the former, after being heavily damaged by Global Defence Initiative forces, has mostly crumbled under the blast, burying the underground facilities under tons of rubble.
The Sarajevo site was declared secure territory by GDI and excavation efforts were made, however, they progressed slowly, as in 2030 they were still unearthing the facilities containing the Tacitus. Due to this, Nod forces attacked the GDI base in this region, shutting down the excavation operations and regaining control of Kane's former command center.
The Second Tiberium War Temple, along with the adjacent Pyramid of Nod, survived the GDI victory, and was also secured by the victors. However, the security was lax, allowing a small Black Hand commando squad to infiltrate the site and regain the three core elements of CABAL, aiding in the Brotherhood's rebirth, but also almost destroying humanity in the long run.
The Third Tiberium War Temple Prime in Sarajevo was obliterated by the liquid Tiberium deposit detonation. In a transmission to the Nod commander shortly before his evacuation, Kane stated he was "...taking only the essential icons necessary to build a great temple, in the great beyond", showing that the building itself was not as important as the knowledge and items within its walls.
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