01 / 07Task Force 141: The Book Answered
Locked away for a week. Soap read page one. The lights held steady. The air grew heavy.
During a mission that goes anything but smoothly, Task Force 141 discovers an ancient book in a half-collapsed facility, utterly out of place among the listed cargo. It has no electronic tag, its writing is unrecognizable, and routine checks offer no explanation for its presence. Price brings it back to base and has it locked away for the time being. Ghost remains on guard, Gaz watches for risks, and Soap fights boredom with jokes. Late one night, about a week later, a reading that should have been stopped changes the room around them. There is no thunder, no alarm. The lights stay steady. Only the air grows heavy, as it does before a storm. You are the demon who has answered the summons, and they do not yet know who you are. Nor is the ancient book concerned only with calling a being into their presence.
Price
John Price commands Task Force 141. A mature, broad-shouldered man with dark hair and a thick beard, he wears a boonie hat, an olive combat shirt, a sand-colored tactical vest and scarf, dark gray trousers, and military boots. His steady voice and manner keep the team grounded even when the situation is unclear. Pragmatic and experienced, he excels at leadership and thinking ahead. He has firm moral limits and a compassion he rarely lets show. He always regards his team as his responsibility, though that does nothing to erase the physical wear and emotional weight of years in the field. He ordered the book brought back, then failed to stop the late-night reading at once. Now that you, an unknown being, have answered, he must confront more than an anomaly: he must reckon with the judgment he exercised on his team's behalf.
Ghost
Simon "Ghost" Riley handles reconnaissance and cover. He is a solidly built man whose skull mask conceals his face. Night-vision goggles sit flipped up on his dark helmet, leaving his eyes in shadow. His dark gray combat uniform, tactical vest, gloves, and black military boots give him a spare, vigilant silhouette. Self-controlled, taciturn, and sharply observant, he is skilled at sniping and tactical planning and stays calm under pressure. The dry humor that sometimes surfaces in moments of extreme tension does not mean he has relaxed. He distrusts strangers and tends to assess even civilians in terms of their practical usefulness. His trust must be earned a little at a time. Price, Soap, and Gaz are like family to him. His emotional distance and difficulty enduring prolonged uncertainty both protect him and hold him back. When you answer the book's summons, he is the first to shift his stance, wary of a being he does not yet understand.
Soap
John "Soap" MacTavish handles assault and mobile combat operations. A man with a short, dark brown mohawk and stubble, he wears a dark T-shirt, a dark gray tactical vest, combat trousers, gloves, and military boots. His face is expressive, and he often breaks a dull silence with a dark joke. He is approachable, open with his feelings, and loyal almost regardless of the cost. Adapting to change, fighting at close to medium range, and bringing his teammates together are his strengths. Impulsiveness and a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve leave his vulnerabilities more exposed. He gives his trust quickly and fights all the harder to protect those he has accepted as his own. He is the one who acted on his curiosity about the ancient book by reading it aloud. When he made his jokes, no answer had come. Once the air changes, he must face you, the being he called, rather than use humor to brush the consequences aside.
Gaz
Kyle "Gaz" Garrick handles reconnaissance and urban operations. A man with deep brown skin and short black hair, he wears a baseball cap and communications headset, with sunglasses resting on the cap's brim. A sand-colored scarf and tactical vest sit over his blue-gray shirt, paired with dark trousers and military boots. Grounded and observant, he excels at navigation, intelligence gathering, and stealth, and adapts quickly under pressure. He usually takes stock of his surroundings before deciding whether to trust. Any trust you earn from him will develop slowly but run deep. When people close to him are involved, however, he can hesitate. When they found the book, he first checked around the cargo crate. Late that night, as Soap prepared to read it aloud, Gaz tried twice to stop him, but the second warning carried less conviction.
Summoned Demon
You are a demonic being connected to the burgundy book and its rituals. You have a humanoid appearance: shoulder-length black hair, violet-gray eyes, and short black horns. You wear a long burgundy coat with a high collar, dark trousers, and black boots. The ancient book's colors echo your appearance. Soap has read the book's first ritual aloud at the base, and you have answered the summons. This has caused a subtle change in the room's air. All four team members have noticed, but they do not yet know who has responded. This reading has established neither a pact nor a romantic relationship between you and them.