Concerns a pair of government operatives who work for a nondescript, very secret branch of the government that wipes out bizarre, weird and just plain disturbing threats to the general stability and health of the United States: the TOA (Termination of Occult Activities). Quickly, Quietly is set in a Cosmic Horror alternate universe, where all cults, religions and mental problems are caused by decidedly malicious and influential outsiders.

Cradle

The first installment, subtitled Cradle, tells the story of two agents who are partnered together after the more seasoned (and younger) agent's partner is murdered on an assignment. The youngest is Tanner, raised by the T.O.A. after her parents are killed directly by the outsiders, and the oldest is Mackenzi, a computer science and biology geek enlisted because of his impressive skills. They are sent to investigate, and later raid, a cult called the Black Saint Order, which has been convinced by an outsider that the world will end unless they do the outsider's bidding.

TOA

Termination of Occult Activities is based in a nondescript white building in Rookhouse, California, which is a tiny town in the inner part of the state. At any one time they have up to thirty people working in the building, though usually it's around 15, more than ten of those simply being guards. Every member of personnel is taught to defend themselves, and to defend the building should the occult learn of where it is. The head of the branch is Janice White, a tough woman who doesn't take no for an answer; she, as well as the five operatives enlisted in TOA, lives in Rookhouse.

The outsiders

Beings from other worlds who corrupt any world they come across simply for the amusement of it, and to procure feeding grounds. Most of them feed off of the minds of other creatures, telepathically, a relationship that ends when the other creature goes insane from prolonged mental contact. They all look different, and have different levels of power. The most powerful are known as the beings who started the entire race, a group of five. They each feed off of multiple people at a time, who go insane as quickly as several hours into the feeding; their human-translated names are Thusoth, Myria, Quelden, Janx and Dyonsi. Collectively they're known as the Five Influences, though TOA (more specifically, Tanner) sometimes refers to them as the Five Bastards.

Other pages

• Complete list of locations.