Crawler

Master Crawler

Master Crawler
A Conscript's frantic sketch of a strange clockwork moving fortress
Faction	Order of the Talon
Unit Type	Superheavy Construction Vehicle
Designation	All-in-one Mobile Base
Prerequisites	None
Secondary Ability	Deploy/Pack Up File:AbilityTalonDeploy.pngFile:AbilityTalonPackUp.png
Cost	N/A
Production Time	-
Veterancy Upgrade(s)	Unknown
Dev. Status	Conceptual

Country of Origin	Palestine
Forged by	Aperta Scriptum Holy Forges
Key Features	» 4 inch Talon Steel armour  » Superheavy-duty treads (x4)  » Massive carrying capacity (for supplies)  » Accomodations for up to several hundred personnel  » Douay-Rheims Bible

"His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron."

- Job 40:18

History

When Aperta Scriptum presented his sketches to the leaders of the Order, the largest discussions were, fittingly, about the largest design, a moving castle capable of supporting an entire army, wielding on its hull enough firepower to fight with any army and armour plating that was that thick it was presumed that if the apocalypse ever occurred, these castles would be the only things that would survive it intact. After Aperta Scriptum persuaded the high officials to support his proposal, he and many Forgemasters and craftsmen moved to Palestine, where they founded the Aperta Scriptum Holy Forges, from which the creation of all the walkers seen in the Order's service began.

Aperta Scriptum's original idea was to have three "classes" of Crawler, each suited for a unique purpose. "Offense" Crawlers would carry and construct battle locomotives and combat walkers straight into battle on giant legs, supporting them with their own weapons. Enormous wood and steel wheels would carry "Defence" Crawlers loaded with men, artillery, and prefabricated structures, ready to take and hold ground. Most audacious of all were the "Support" Crawlers, giant steam filled airships that would loom over the battlefield. These behemoth airships could actually land on the ground to release support vehicles to assist front line forces.

Following intense debate within the Order, Aperta Scriptum's original idea would give way to a single, immense Master Crawler. Aperta Scriptum wanted to put the Master Crawler on legs like those of the "Offense" Crawler, but during the thirty years of long production, it was proved that even the most massive legs could not carry that heavy and monstrous chassis. This did not stop production, and the legs were removed and made into the gates to the Holy Forges. Eventually, it was decided to use continuous tracks in lieu of the legs, thus solving the problem of movement. The Holy Forges forged the tracks for the Crawler, ultimately making them the biggest tracks ever made. Finally, in 1917, the Master Crawler Michael, named after the archangel, was completed. It is said that Aperta Scriptum, now an old man, relying on clockwork mechanisms to walk on his own, laid his hand on his greatest creation and said, "At last, it is complete," before collapsing on the spot, dead.

Life in a Crawler

"In the past, we had to wait for the enemy to come to our castles. Now, our castles can come to the enemy."

- Aperta Scriptum, 1885

The Order of the Talon's military personnel can be divided into two categories: those who like serving in Crawlers, and everybody else. Of course, everyone has their reasons. Most of the time, of course, no one actually lives on board a Master Crawler; typically, the massive machines are kept stored away in the Talon's secret bases, kept in operational condition by Talon Craftsmen.

A good portion of a Master Crawler's space is given over to weapons, equipment, vehicle parts, food, water, fuel and all the other logistics needed to support a military force, with hundreds of tonnes of food, equipment, and other supplies carried in the Crawler's holds. Other portions are given over to the machinery of the Crawler itself; the huge steam boilers that keep the Crawler moving, the analytical engines that perform calculations, not to mention all sorts of other components.

Theoretically, a Master Crawler could sustain up to a maximum of three hundred personnel with enough food and water to last three months, though the living conditions would be extremely cramped; with less people, the conditions would be more comfortable, and more equipment can be carried, since less food supplies are needed.

For those onboard a Crawler with a full complement of personnel, there would be little to no privacy, and one must share the relatively small dorms with up to five other people; everyone is treated the same where it comes to living quarters, regardless of seniority or position in the Order. Only the commander is accorded the luxury of their own private chamber, for security reasons more than anything else, and even then the accomodations accorded are far from luxurious. Boredom can be a problem for soldiers aboard a Master Crawler, since there is so little for them to do, though the Talon does try to provide some niceties to compensate. As a result, most spend good portions of their time maintaining their equipment and brushing up their skills.

On the plus side, Master Crawlers typically deploy with far less personnel than the maximum, which makes the living conditions far more bearable; the food is decent and the portions ample, for the Talon does not wish for its soldiers to starve, and one can expect hot water and warm beds thanks to a system of pipes that run throughout the Crawler.

In battle, the Crawler itself is less crowded, with people fighting or otherwise attending to other tasks, though it is typically a beehive of activity. Craftsmen assemble vehicles from parts broken down for transport, soldiers ready their weapons and equipment, and everywhere people are rushing to and fro, performing one task or another.

But all those little moments and nuances disappear from your mind as soon as you don your armour, jump into your track, and join the fight for the Eternal Crusade.

Crawler Cells

Michael Crawler Cell
	Founded	1917
	Crusader	Arianna Martella
	Status	Active
	Stationed

First Crawler Cell.

Gabriel Crawler Cell
	Founded	1924
	Crusader	Albin Canavan
	Status	Active
	Stationed

Second Crawler Cell.

Raphael Crawler Cell
	Founded
	Crusader	Saint Varitan
	Status	Active
	Stationed

Uriel Crawler Cell
	Founded
	Crusader
	Status	Active
	Stationed

Uriel was heavily damaged and nearly destroyed by Chinese war walkers in Burma. The Talon were forced to abandon it, although a later operation was able to recover and refurbish the Crawler. It has now been restored to full operational status.

Sariel Crawler Cell
	Founded
	Crusader	Sir Harold G. Moore
	Status	Active
	Stationed

Remiel Crawler Cell
	Founded
	Crusader	Cebin Mandel
	Status	Destroyed
	Stationed

The only Crawler Cell that was totally destroyed, it was lost to "unknown robot forces". The sole survivor was executed for heresy.

Metatron Crawler Cell
	Founded	1956
	Crusader	Lady Maria, Claude Lalande
	Status	Active
	Stationed	Temple Mount, Jerusalem

Lady Maria’s Crawler and the newest Crawler Cell.

Crawler Annexes

Generic

These are immediately available from the Crawler :

Production
Temple	Tribunal	Reliquary
Hawk	Footman	Fanatic
Craftsman	Clockroach	Charger Assault Transport
Cuirassier	Barracuda	Master Crawler Promotions

Defences

Production
Flame Turret	Machine-Gun Turret	Cannon Turret
Lance Turret	Shield Turret	Hypnosis Turret
Mirror Tower	None	None
None	None	None

Crusaders

These require the deployment of the Crusader's Temple:

Production
Knight-Errant	Chevalier	Champion
Templar Lord	Dragoon Battle Armour	Cleric Track
Jager Walker	Cataphract Land Ironclad	Lazarus Air Dreadnought
Ophan Gun Platform	Bishop Ironclad	Temple Promotions

Inquisitors

These require the deployment of the Inquisition Tribunal:

Production
Priest of Judas	Crimson Cardinal	Hospitaller
Hussar Trike	Archangel Anti-Air Track	Lucifer Track
Zealot Torpedo Boat	Jericho Cannon	Metatron Gunboat
Tempest Torpedo Ram	Samael Assault Plane	Tribunal Promotions

Evangelicals

These require the deployment of the Evangelical Reliquary:

Production
Alchemist	Rogue	Jairus Recovery Vehicle
Sanctuary Cart	Calliope Track	Wraith Mortar Track
Emissary Track	Altar of Light	Consecrator Track
Pilate Submersible	Apostle Bombard Ship	Reliquary Promotions

Special

These units require the deployment of the Temple, Tribunal, and Reliquary:

Production
Lady Maria	Forge Crawler	None

Crusader Temple

Temple Crawler
Faction	Order of the Talon
Unit Type	Superheavy Walker
Designation	Mobile Tech Structure/Refinery
Prerequisites	None
Secondary Ability	Deploy/Pack Up File:AbilityTalonDeploy.pngFile:AbilityTalonPackUp.png
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	-
Veterancy Upgrade(s)	Unknown
Dev. Status	Conceptual

Country of Origin	Palestine
Forged by	Aperta Scriptum Holy Forges
Key Features	» Clockwork collectors gather ore  » 3.5 inch Talon Steel armour  » Armoury stocked w/ suits of armour  » Salvaged Black Hole generator  » Stained-glass windows (armoured)

"The Shield of the Lord."

- Templar Claude Lalande

History

During the First World War, as the Master Crawler Michael neared completion, its designers, watching the developments of the raging war, came to the conclusion that the Crawler they had designed--with the conditions of battlefields from thirty years ago in mind--was not suitable for supporting a modern force. The battlefields of World War I were quite different from the battlefields of previous wars, with new and hitherto unheard of innovations like airplanes and tanks. Michael was too near to completion and too expensive an investment for it to be scrapped at the last moment.

Looking for a suitable compromise, the Forgemasters eventually came to the idea of creating several "Auxiliary Crawlers" to supplement the Master Crawler, in order to fill in for the Master Crawler's gaps in capability. Further discussion led the Forgemasters to the decision that four of the lesser Crawlers would be needed to support the Master Crawler, each with its own specialisation.

Of these four Crawlers, the Temple Crawler is the most geared towards defensive actions. This can be seen in how it is exceedingly durable, being protected by layers of the precious Talon Steel, as well as some of the more recent additions to the various Temple Crawlers, namely the mounting of salvaged Black Hole generators, intended to draw fire away from less protected forces. Its internal armoury is stocked with plate armour and chainmail made of the same metal, lending them an unsurpassed degree of durability. It also houses many weapons, from single shot rifles and swords to the massive and powerful L-25 themobaric cannons, along with the ammunition needed for such weapons. Parts and components for mighty walkers and heavily armoured tanks are stored inside, with a small forge where new components can be created to replenish the existing supply. There are also rooms for training and honing skills, from fighting with swords to marksmanship. All of this preparation for the fight against the Talon's eternal enemy is overseen by a Templar Master, who guarantees that things are held together.

Inquisition Tribunal

Tribunal Crawler
Faction	Order of the Talon
Unit Type	Superheavy Vehicle
Designation	Mobile Tech Structure/Refinery
Prerequisites	None
Secondary Ability	Deploy/Pack Up File:AbilityTalonDeploy.pngFile:AbilityTalonPackUp.png
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	-
Veterancy Upgrade(s)	Unknown
Dev. Status	Conceptual

Country of Origin	Palestine
Forged by	Aperta Scriptum Holy Forges
Key Features	» Clockwork collectors gather ore  » "Mercy" phosphorus torch system  » Extremely well stocked arsenal  » Durable Talon Steel legs (x4)  » Interrogation chambers

"The Sword of God."

- Inquistor Blas Altimari

History

I don't remember THAT on the list! This article (Crawler), or a section of this article, is not considered canon until Team Paradox has considered it so. It may or may not be part of Paradox, in either the game or the Lore. Usually, its status will be debated in the the discussion page of the appropriate article.

It's known that overzealous people overlook collateral damage, sometimes even if it entails actions such as killing themselves in the process. And the Inquisition is in that category. Their objective is dealing damage, and their tools are flame and steel. The cost of this is that compared to the other factions within the Talon, they are a bit lacking on defense. Their units have abilities that include getting rid of function as basic as movement to increase firepower or simply ram other people. For that, they should be assisted by stronger more solid Crusaders, or watched by patient support units.. They would probably then attack the craftsmen and ask them if they collaborate with the Black Hand, but don't mind and keep cool. Some people even in the inner order despise the methods of the Inquisitor, and the way they train Iscariot. But they recognize the efficiency of their troops on the field. The one that survive, of course.

The place is made as any other tech refineries of the Order, only with much more crosses on the wall. People wearing red are all over the place, but it's not as mad as some Crusader say. There are several occasions in which you could be called in the Tribunal ; if you're part of the crew, you will just demand something special to the Craftsmen to increase the Inquisition armament. It could be because you've been accused of heresy, or someone denounced you, in which case you will experience the joy of a small wet cell. Or it could be because you're a Black Hand or Legionnaire, in which case you won't enjoy anything.

Evangelical Reliquary

Reliquary Crawler
Faction	Order of the Talon
Unit Type	Superheavy Aircraft
Designation	Mobile Tech Structure/Refinery
Prerequisites	None
Secondary Ability	Deploy/Pack Up File:AbilityTalonDeploy.pngFile:AbilityTalonPackUp.png
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	-
Veterancy Upgrade(s)	Unknown
Dev. Status	Conceptual

Country of Origin	Palestine
Forged by	Aperta Scriptum Holy Forges
Key Features	» Clockwork collectors gather ore  » Steam filled gasbags provide lift  » Workshop for conducting repairs  » Infirmary for treating wounded  » Shrine for relics (guarded)

"The Heart of the Order."

- Masoko Okamura, somewhat sarcastically

History

As one would expect from its monstrous size, the Master Crawler is capable transporting massive amounts of logistics, and this is exactly what it does, supporting Order campaigns and supplying Talon soldiers with important supplies. However, even with the Crawler's immense carrying capacity, it cannot support an entire army by itself. While it can take care of vital supplies like food, water and fuel, more specialised logistics must instead be handled by the smaller Auxiliary Crawlers.

Each Auxiliary Crawler is part refinery and part logistics vehicle, and indeed the Auxiliary Crawlers all possess impressive carrying capacity, though nowhere near that of the Master Crawler itself. An integrated forge and complement of automated ore collectors makes it possible for the Auxiliary Crawlers to process ore and churn out parts, ammunition, weapons and various other supplies required to sustain the Talon's war machines. What supplies are being produced and carried depends on the Auxiliary Crawler in question, as they are specifically geared towards particular tasks.

In the case of Reliquary Crawlers, this amounts to spare parts and medical supplies. Held aloft the battlefield by steam filled gasbags, the Reliquary also serves as a mobile hospital and repair shop of sorts. It carries the repair tools and skilled mechanics needed to conduct repairs on vehicles, and also boasts an onboard infirmary where trained medical personnel can tend to and treat wounded members of the Order. Additionally, Reliquaries are also stocked up on parts and blueprints for Evangelical units, making it key to deploying these units in the field.

Forge Crawler

Forge Crawler
Faction	Order of the Talon
Unit Type	Superheavy Vehicle
Designation	Veterancy Boosting/Support
Prerequisites	Temple, Tribunal, Reliquary
Secondary Ability	Deploy/Pack Up File:AbilityTalonDeploy.pngFile:AbilityTalonPackUp.png
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	-
Veterancy Upgrade(s)	Unknown
Dev. Status	Conceptual

Country of Origin	Palestine
Forged by	Aperta Scriptum Holy Forges
Key Features	» Ancient training scrolls  » Blueprints for secret weapons  » Teams of experiencd forgemasters  » Representatives of the three chambers  » Mobile gymnasium

History

No other army in the world knows the value of experience better than the Order of the Talon. While the military forces of the Allies, Soviets, Empire, Americans, and Syndicate all merely give their best troops better weapons or equipment, the veterans of the Order are nearly revered as though they were nobility. The act of surviving the eternal fight against the forces of darkness for so many years and battles is seen as a sign from God that a particular man, woman, machine, or crew is destined for greatness. As such, they are given the best and most powerful of the Order's weaponry, training, and equipment. The Talon's veterans are more powerful and more effective than any individual soldier in the world. The higher-ups in the Order realise the effectiveness to both morale and combat performance the experienced soldiers of the Order bring, and do every thing in their power to encourage their commanders to keep their troops alive.

On the battlefield, the Forge Crawler achieves this purpose by equipping all of the Talon's militants with the weapons and training usually reserved for the more experienced fighters. Of course, the forging techniques of the Templars, the powerful weapons of the Inquistion, and the alchemical tools of the Evangelicals are all closely-guarded secrets, and there is also the logistical support that a Forge Crawler requires--Talon Steel must be smelted from something, after all, and flamethrowers need fuel to work. As such, Forge Crawlers are only deployed once there is a Temple, Tribunal, and Reliquary already in the field, and a high-ranking member of each chamber is aboard the Forge Crawler to make sure things go smoothly.

Behind the Scenes

• The Crawler is based on Crawlers from Command & Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight.
• Aperta Scriptum, which means Open Book in English, is a reference to the leader of the Paradox mod, Open sketchbook.
• The Forge Crawler is an accepted suggestion by Endless Twilight.