Games - Tiberium

	Games - Tiberium

In the computer game series Command & Conquer, Tiberium is the name given to an outcropping of (typically) green crystals, named after its discovery on the Tiber River in Italy in the late 20th Century where a meteor carrying the alien compound crashed, though according to some sources it was originally named after the Roman Emperor Tiberius (whose name derived from the Tiber River). It leeches metals out of the soil, concentrating them in crystals which can easily be collected and processed. The leeching process leaves the landscape depleted, however, leaving the ground underneath effectively useless for agriculture.

In-game, it is treated as a valuable resource.

Tiberium Growth

Tiberium first appears as manhole-sized lumps of rock or soil. As these lumps expand, the top of the lump pulls away, to reveal immature crystal formations. As the patch of Tiberium grows, both the lump of rock and crystal grow rapidly. The typical Tiberium crystal is roughly 1 to 2 meters tall.

The color of the crystals is dependant on the amount and concentration of minerals that the Tiberium has leeched from the soil.

Tiberium Proliferation

Tiberium first reached Earth during a meteor shower in the 1990's. The first patch was discovered by Dr. Ignatio Mobius (although some would argue that it was actually Kane) by the Tiber river in Italy and has since spread all over the planet.

Tiberium can spread almost anywhere, with the rate of spread being influenced by soil density and ambient temperature. Only the polar caps show low levels of Tiberium infestation. Tiberium spreads through a variety of methods, depending on the local environment.

No matter how small, an isolated patch of Tiberium can spread to cover acres. The process is not entirely understood, but it is believed that underneath the surface, the rock lump shoots out tendrils in all directions, which grow into new rock lumps.

A more disturbing method of Tiberium growth is witnessed when the area Tiberium is in has any sort of foliage, such as trees or bushes. Through an unknown evolutionary process, Tiberium mutates these trees into "Blossom Trees", or Tiberium Ripariuses. These 'trees' are fleshy stalks with a large bulb at the top. The bulb regularly contracts and relaxes, releasing microscopic Tiberium crystals into the atmosphere. As long as there is a Blossom Tree in an area, Tiberium will constantly regrow around the tree. Most attempts at injuring or removing Blossom trees have been ineffective.

Tiberium Vinifera, the volatile blue-colored Tiberium variant, has its own specific form of spread. If a large enough patch of Vinifera grows to maturity, the rockish lumps surrounding the crystals will fall away, and the crystals will meld together into a massive blue crystal, roughly 10 meters high. These large Vinifera masses will inexplicably grow new Vinifera outcroppings, although much slower than a Blossom Tree.

Destroying a massive Vinifera outcropping is not recommended, as the destruction of the large crystal will simply cause it to shatter explosively. This explosive aspect will throw Vinifera deposits over the area.

Health Risks of Tiberium Exposure

Outcroppings of Tiberium release odorless gasses as they appear. While Tiberium was originally considered harmless (and perhaps even beautiful due to its shimmering sparkles), these fumes will poison any human that ventures through it.

Long-term low-level exposure to Tiberium causes illness of various systems among both humans and animals. As the exact means by which Tiberium affects terrestrial biology are largely unknown, treatment is generally restricted to alleviating the symptoms rather than curing the cause. Unfortunately, this means that victims of Tiberium poisoning almost uniformly experience a gradual decline over a number of years until eventually succumbing to the effects. A research study funded by GDI that was conducted mid First Tiberian War produced the following statistics.

Respiratory ailments:

Human: 2,447,392

Livestock: 9,442,661

Reproductive ailments:

Human: 1,446,294

Livestock: 12,443,761

Immune system ailments:

Human: 14,681,994

Livestock: 29,337,224

Tiberium related deaths:

Human: 4,286,334

Livestock: 11,223,994

Long-term mid- to high-level exposure to Tiberium can result in effects that reveal an alarming aspect of the mineral/life-form: Tiberium is a mutagen. Humans and animals that have been exposed to Tiberium at these levels have experienced genetic mutation, involving physiological modification in a number of ways. These include the growth of Tiberium crystals on the skin of the individual, immunity from the effects of Tiberium poisoning and even (ironically) the ability to rapidly accelerate cellular regeneration when in the presence of Tiberium Riparius and Vinifera. The Forgotten (or Shiners) are a group of such 'mutants'.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Tiberium ]

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