The aftermath of the first Tiberium War afforded the Prophet ample time for reflection. Again and again, Kane relived his defeat at the hands of GDI, alternately searching for weaknesses in his plan and pondering the truth of his greater vision. Ultimately, he concluded, the same emotions that drew the citizenry to rise up against their oppressors and join the Brotherhood had been the instrument of their undoing. Anger, fear, love, joy – even amongst the most hardened of the Nod religious zealots, there was always emotion, and with emotion, the choice to betray the Brotherhood. In order to reclaim Nod’s rightful place in the world, he would require an army devoid of any semblance of humanity.
Deep within the remote hinterlands of Russia and China , Kane’s new vision began to take form. Corpses of the fallen members of the Brotherhood were transported to dark laboratories, deep beneath the surface of the earth. The sound of machinery hummed ceaselessly in the dim lighting as fanatical techno-fetishists moved silently from corpse to corpse, molding flesh and metal into the perfect soldier. Kane realized that the horrific rituals involved, and the very idea of a soulless army, may cause dissention amongst the ranks of the Brotherhood, and thus the project was known to few outside of the Prophet’s most trusted scientific advisors.
As the second Tiberium War drew to a close, the cybernetic enhancement project was nearing completion. Dubbed the Marked of Kane, the newly-awakened cybernetic warriors would bring the word of Kane to the people without error. With Nod forces preoccupied with GDI involvement, however, and running out of time and resources, the Marked were never aroused from their slumber.
In the gloom of the bunkers, deep beneath the surface of Asia, machinery still hums without end, as the Marked of Kane await ascension.
The Awakened
The Awakened are the scientific endpoint to the cybernetic enhancements made to Nod troops during the Second Tiberium War. Cyborg Infantry and the Commando utilized certain early aspects of Nod cybernetic technology, but ultimately suffered from fundamental design flaws. After further research, Nod scientists have gained the ability to reanimate even the most basic of Nod infantry, allowing Nod to mold the militant population into an army of devoted cybernetic warriors. In addition, enhanced cyber-neurological technology has enhanced command and control over the cyborgs. Implants are connected to a global control node network, allowing regional commanders to retain complete control over the cybernetic armies.
Combat Chain Role:The Awakened are available exclusively to the Marked of Kane subfaction. Awakened are immediately available when a barracks is produced and take the place of the militant squad for this faction. Due to significant cybernetic enhancement, the awakened is a more powerful and durable infantry squad when compared with other tier 1 equivalents. The Awakened utilize an arm-mounted anti-infantry machinegun to carve through infantry regiments, while the other arm houses the powerful EMP cannon. The EMP Blast ability makes the Awakened a powerful early-game anti-vehicle strategic unit, and works equally well for base defenses.
The Enlightened
Combat Chain Role:The Enlightened are available exclusively to the Marked of Kane subfaction at tier 1 when a Secret Shrine is present. The Enlightened fits a new role for Nod: tier 1.5 heavy anti-vehicle infantry. With heavy cyborg armor, the Enlightened cannot be crushed and can take a significant amount of damage. The right arm of the Enlightened has been replaced with a powerful Tiberium-based beam weapon, which can cut through vehicle armor and heavily damage structures. In addition, the beam weapon can be supercharged with deadly, unstable ionic Tiberium. The left arm houses an EMP cannon, similar to that gifted to the Awakened, but with significantly increased blast radius. When augmented with Cybernetic Legs, the Enlightened can effectively chase down, disable, and destroy most vehicles.
