Terror Counter Force

## Summary

The Terror Counter Force, abbreviated as TCF, was an international security organization consisting of a scientific and technological research institution with a paramilitary branch to support their goals of global security. Founded in 2045 in the wake of World War III, the TCF was organized to protect the victorious allied countries of any potential threats. The use of catastrophic biological agents used during the war sparked a massive global fear of a sort of biological Holocaust, and this led to the formation of the Terror Counter Force.

TCF was founded with a distinct purpose: to identify, research, detain, and eliminate all potential and active global “terrors” through military intelligence and technology. The TCF defined "terrors" as "individuals, groups of individuals, objects, ideologies or conspiracies deemed as potential threats to the human race.” The TCF operated beyond any single government or political body and effectively replaced the United Nations. The primary allied nations, Dmakov, Makesh, Whistania, Kopreau, and the U.T.L. held a majority of power and all contributed heavily to TCF's funding, resources, and manpower. TCF quickly became the largest military force on the planet, and became an extremely effective tool for eliminating potential threats.

However, some of the actions taken by TCF in the following decades were heavily criticized. Several civilian rebellions were brutally shut down, and Shannad's capitol city was essentially reduced to rubble after a local dictator incited public violence against TCF as a whole. Many began to question whether TCF had grown too powerful and corrupt, and several petitions to renegotiate terms or disband the organization entirely were proposed. Despite these efforts, TCF continued to grow, amassing tens of thousands of research personnel and millions of military personnel. At this time, many considered the TCF as the most elite military operation in the world, with armor, equipment and resources unmatched by any other force.

When the outbreak struck, TCF immediately the primary resistance force. Despite heavy fortifications and extreme security, nearly 90% of TCF bases were compromised within a month of the outbreak. Additionally, powerful slagic fields began to disrupt communication, which led to even further destruction and disarray in the following months.

Notably, U.T.L. president Morgan Owens survived the first months of the outbreak by withdrawing into fortified TCF facility Epsilon. During this time she promoted the young but prominent engineer and virologist Dr. Overbeck to the position of Unnatural Entity Research Director. Although both President Owens and Director Overbeck died when a security breach at Epsilon caused the garrison to be overrun by slag, the notes and classified documents recovered by Keonic forces decades later written by Overbeck and his team became the basis for modern Slagology as we know it. While Overbeck had never explicitly classified "slag" in his research, several recovered documents made it clear that this was how he casually referred to it.

Following the fall of Epsilon, TCF lost any semblance of leadership or coordination to continue their resistance movement and became unofficially defunct, with many more bases being overrun or abandoned in the following years. Nevertheless, a handful of strongholds around the world - underarmed, undermanned, and rapidly running out of resources - continued to fight and act as sanctuaries for stray survivors, lifted up from the ashes of crumpled cities and lifeless countrysides. The most famous TCF base was Banebryter, a small outpost in southern Rostafel which operated until 2133 as a community of both survivors and former TCF soldiers (though by then the only connection remaining to the original TCF was the weathered paint markings on their worn armor). It was at that time they joined forces with Keo and became his first organized military unit, setting the ground work for what would later expand into the Unum Vires.

### Additional Notable Members

#### Captain Scout

Roy Scout was born in the U.T.L in the year 2084. His father left the family before he was born, and when his mother died in an air travel incident in 2101 he decided to enlist with the T.C.F.

During his time with the T.C.F, Scout was not particularly noteworthy. His skills as a soldier were fairly average, and his superiors reported that he had low motivation and suffered from mood swings. When the Outbreak of 2107 occurred, Scout was on active duty in the country of Makesh. As the cataclysmic event unfolded, he found himself in a difficult position: his superiors had called all T.C.F forces to retreat to a bunker that would be closed off from Makeshen civilians, despite harboring enough room and resources for dozens of additional bodies.

When push came to shove, Scout stole some T.C.F weaponry and abandoned his post to help a Makeshen family he had befriended flee the city. They were joined by several other survivors, and with the local's knowledge of the area and Scout's tactical training they were able to find a remote and long-abandoned factory to hunker down in. They were able to survive in the area for a full year, after which rumors of Keo eventually reached them. While they were hesitant at first, intel that Keo's forces were entering the family's home city finally convinced them to take a risk and try to join forces.

Having married the oldest daughter of the family he saved, Scout led his team of survivors back to the city. It was there they finally met Keo and his forces, which had barely exceeded a couple thousand by this point. Many years later, in the year 2133, Scout helped establish the very first regulated fighting force under Keo's banner. He was ranked as Captain and became well known for his acts of courage and generosity. In 2174, the first Unum Vires Military Academy was named after him.