Trope Pantheons/Council of Shadows

The Council of Shadows

How about I just quote their last meeting: "(I'm not sure which one...): Yes, we know what you're planning. We planned what you ate for breakfast this morning."

They meet beneath the Mentalism council chamber. It's a small room with a circular table. (Yes, there's a One-Way Video/Two-Way Voice crystal ball in the table's center.)

Every meeting, there's an envelope there for each person gathered-and only that many. They talk lightly, but their words carry meaning even I could not fully comprehend. It's impossible to understand them unless you already know what they're talking about.

They can only guess what the others' identities are-they hide their faces in shadow after all-but they probably already knew who everyone else was before they first met. They are all-knowing and sparse-speaking.

All of them deny being the one to form the Council of Shadows. Maybe it's true and someone else planned them. Maybe not.

I don't know what they're planning, but their fingers are everywhere. It is they who plan the great initiatives, and are behind many attempts at overthrowing gods and preventing such from occurring, sometimes manipulating both the assassin and the defender who stops him into place. At present, they are involved with an attempt at conquering the pantheon by a brigade of pirates, although if they are responsible for luring the pirates, aiding those stopping them, or both is unknown and perhaps unknowable.

There are those who theorize that the majority of them aren't planning anything at all; like Tzeentch, they spend much of their time in a darkened council chamber making cryptic comments simply because their nature as dramatically inclined schemers and manipulators compels them to do so. And then, of course, there are those who joined simply to keep an eye on their rivals in the Council...

Don't let the lesser status of some of them fool you; they don't need brute strength. Below is the entire list of members...I think:

Tzeentch, God of Change, Hope, Ambition, Manipulation, Scheming and Sorcery (Changer of Ways, the Architect of Fate, the Weaver of Destiny, the Grand Schemer, the Great Conspirator)
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: The number 9
 * Alignment: Chaotic Evil
 * Portfolio: Magnificent Bastards, Manipulative Bastards, Psychic Powers, Xanatos Roulettes, Xanatos Gambits, More Than Mind Control, Eldritch Abomination, Gambit Pileup
 * Domains: Change, Hope, Ambition, Manipulation, Scheming and Sorcery
 * The undisputed Head of the Mentalism Pantheon, Tzeentch has his hand in everything, from who gets greenlit into the pantheon to what kind of cereal you eat in the morning. There have been countless attempts by his rivals and underlings to usurp his position, but he has so far thwarted them all, because he has a plan for everything. Everything.
 * (insert obligatory Batman joke here)
 * As much a liability to the Council as he is an asset. Because he has his hand in everything, he's simultaneously behind the Council's schemes and the schemes of those working against them. Tzeentch claims this is just as planned, but one gets the feeling he's just playing around.
 * The irony of ironies is that, being a creature of primordial Chaos, Tzeentch does not have an ineffable plan or master scheme to work towards, and instead manipulates others for the sheer joy of it. The fact that it appears that he has an agenda beyond this is testament to his terrifying talent.
 * Or there is a plan, it's just so convoluted that no one but Tzeentch could possibly understand it, along with the possibly seeming randomness being just another part of the plan. Such is life with The Great Schemer.
 * Unless, of course, he just wants you to think that for some inscrutable reason. Or he wants you to think that he wants you to think- you get the picture.
 * Do not mention Gunner Jurgen, The Doom Marine, the Angry Marines, or Squirrel Girl around him.
 * What about that little girl and her dog that solved his impossible maze?

Light Yagami, God of Strategy (Kira)
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: A Black Notebook
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil
 * Portfolio: Well Intentioned Villainy (especially Knights Templar), Jumping Off the Slippery Slope, Justice, Foreign Sounding Names, Disproportionately Dramatic Moments, Xanatos Roulettes, Ominous Latin Chanting, Victims Of Foe Yay, Magnificent Bastards, Visions For a Better World, God Complexes
 * Domains: Deathbound, Destruction, Evil, Inquisition, Planning, Retribution
 * Dominic Deegan is plotting for his spot, but Light already has plans for him in case he does (especially for Lelouch Lamperouge and Dominic Deegan). Has allied with Dethklok, officially to kill off opponents during their concerts, but has gotten used to their music. (Under their earthly avatar "Bloody Valentine.")
 * Zhuge Liang, the Sleeping Dragon, is merely biding his time...
 * Recently manipulated Ichigo and Ryuk into representing different views of the afterlife (or lack of). The fear of death can be used to change society; and it's the unknown of death that causes the fear. If even the gods can't agree...
 * Virtuous has countered this plan by beginning to work more openly, thus serving as living proof of the existence of an afterlife. The cycle of reincarnation wouldn't need someone to oversee it if it didn't exist, now would it? However, since operating so openly limits her ability to keep secrets, Light counts this as a partial victory.
 * Was very close to usurping the Main House, but an oversight regarding important documents had turned his latest pawn into an ineffective fool, and the whole uprising was stopped before it started. Now considers the Council's "Dynamic Duo" a threat on par with Xanatos himself,
 * Disgruntled at Popeye for only selling spinach, not potato chips that he can eat epically. And that he can't write his name on the Death Note because the power of Death Note is compelled with the power of spinach (he tried once).
 * Hatched a plan to twist the look of Simon Belmont. It succeeded, now Simon looked like him and Light hoped to use him as a necessary scapegoat whenever necessary. It turns out that he is trying to remove all traces of all Castlevania good guys from the Pantheon, citing them as one of the main obstacles of his plans.
 * Has joined forces with Emperor Palpatine and is helping him with his secret plans to stage a coup d'état against the Main House as his new apprentice, Darth Kira. Those aware of this are secretly amused, and are counting the days until Palpatine recruits a new apprentice, and the old one dies. Again.

Kane, God of Magnificent Bastards, Evil Prophets, Doomsday Cults, Ambiguous Evil and Contractual Immortality (The Prophet, The Messiah, Cain, The Granddaddy Of Them All).
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: The flag of Nod
 * Alignment: Ambiguous Evil
 * Portofolio: Bald of Evil, Beard of Evil, Magnificent Bastard, Contractual Immortality, Mission From God, to name just a few...
 * Domains: Evil Cults, Yellow Zones, Advanced Technology, Tiberium, etc
 * Followers: The Brotherhood of Nod, as an organizerd lot, and roughly 50% of his world's population in total. Non-Entity General
 * Known for orchestrating world wars, pulling off Xanatos Gambits of unlikely complexity, and quickly recovering from Villainous Breakdowns.
 * Mentioned here because, if there isn't a war on that he has somehow started, then he is certainly planning to make one happen... Might secretly be plotting to use everyone on this page as Unwitting Pawns, as well.

David Xanatos, God of Backup Plans (The Fallen, The Once and Future King)
 * Fallen Lesser God
 * Symbol: A castle atop a tower
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil
 * Portfolio: Magnificent Bastards, Manipulative Bastards, Corrupt Corporate Executives, Ridiculously Circuitous Plans
 * Domains: Evil, Law, Planning, Tyranny
 * Followers: Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
 * He may be fallen now, but this is all part of his plan to one day usurp the throne of O-Haruhi-sama. Phase one is complete.
 * "And lo, when the Blue Dragon was laid low by the frost and flame, did Overlord Xanatos steeple his fingers and smirk." Xanatos 3:16. Phase two is complete.
 * Nerissa has been dethroned. Phase three is complete.
 * Has joined forces with Palpatine. Phase four is complete.

Azula, (Former) Goddess of Manipulation (The Magnificent, Manipulative Bastard)
 * Fallen Lesser Goddess
 * Symbol: A Pair of Scissors
 * Alignment: Neutral Evil
 * Portfolio: Magnificent Bastards, Manipulative Bastards, Psychotic Smirks, Being Suspiciously Saucy For A Fourteen-Year-Old Mental Breakdowns, Nationalism, Parental Abandonment.
 * Domains: Evil, Fire, Nobility, Trickery, Madness
 * Followers: Lady MacBeth
 * Overthrew her predecessor and former master, Xanatos, by turning his priesthood against him. She may or may not realize that this plays into His plans, but just in case, she plans to pin the blame on Ocelot (below).
 * Azula lost her status due to a Cherry pit in a bowl of cherries, this tiny step was the last push needed to send her over the edge. She assumed it was an attempt on her life and became more and more paranoid over the following day, finally attempting to kill most of the Council assuming they were all plotting against her.
 * Recently overthrown herself by Ocelot's machinations, and cast down into the halls of The Fallen as Goddess of Villainous Breakdown.

Ganondorf, God of Villainous Scheme Hi-jacking (Ganon, the King of Darkness/Evil.)
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: His part of the Triforce. Alternatively, a flaming effigy of his head
 * Alignment: Neutral Evil
 * Portfolio: Sorcererous Evil Overlords, Declaring Himself a God, Conquering Hyrule, Reviving From the Dead, Revealing himself to be the true Big Bad (over and over... and over)
 * Followers: Dr. Wily and Sigma
 * Allies: Dracula, Xehanort
 * Enemies: Link
 * He and Link have done battle many, many times. However, no matter how many times Link kills him, Ganondorf continues to return to oppose him. Though some have speculated it has to do with Time Travel and his standing as Link's archnemesis, no one knows how he does this. He's gotten smarter in later years and has fought Link through a network of allies and minions to conceal the fact he's still alive, but it hasn't resulted in much more success than when he did it himself.
 * Some have prophesied that when the final battle of Good and Evil is almost done, Ganondorf will rise over Melkor's ashes and proclaim he was the controlling force of the House of Evil all along. Though few pay this theory any mind, Link fully expects it.

Revolver Ocelot, God of Treacherous Advisors And All Things Magnificent Bastard (Adam, Liquid Ocelot)
 * Demigod
 * Symbol: A revolver
 * Alignment: Chaotic Evil
 * Portfolio: Evil Chancellors, Cool Old Guys, Double Agents, Gunslingers, Evil Hands
 * Domain: Wrath, Darkness, Army
 * Formerly the High Priest of Xanatos and Patron Saint of Assassins, he attained divinity by betraying him to Azula. Plans to betray Azula right back when the opportunity arises.
 * Is a lot more powerful than he lets on.
 * Once entered a contest Aizen over who is a better strategist. It is still ongoing after 200 rounds.

Batman, God of Preparations (The Dark Knight, The Goddamn Batman)
 * Intermediate God
 * Symbol: The Bat Signal
 * Alignment: Neutral Good
 * Portfolio: Technical Pacifists, Badass Normals, Rich "Idiots" With No Day Job, Parental Abandonment (more specifically, Those Whose PARENTS ARE DEAD!)
 * Domain: City, Darkness, Night, Planning
 * Followers: Brian Van Hoose
 * Keeps a special notebook he wrote that describes in detail how to take down every other god and goddess in the pantheon should they ever become Fallen. He's impossible to defeat as Batman can figure out how to destroy any being in the universe as long as he has time to prepare... except for Fred Rogers. Spends his not-preparing-time mentoring Shikamaru Nara, and as a result has gained the names and faces of all those members of the Council of Shadows.
 * Is rather pleased he no longer has to play Bat-Mailman since his latest charge ascended, but still must deal with Temari sometimes to get said charge motivated. If there was a woman that ever did fit "troublesome"...

, God of Mind Control (Captain Superman, Evil Superman, Captain Broken, )
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: An Arrancar mask fragment
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil
 * Portfolio: Xanatos Roulettes, Mind Control, Dissonant Serenity, God Complexes, Really overpowered abilities
 * Domain: Death, Mentalism, Mind, Trickery
 * The only member of the Council who, instead of having his face shadowed, has it covered by a spoiler tag.
 * Is powerful enough to get a handful of Intermediate and Lesser Gods to do his bidding. The only being able to resist his mind control is The Brain (being an anthropomorphic mouse). And technically Toph, as she can't see him.

Terumi Yuuki, God of Trolling and Absolute Immorality (Hazama)
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: The Ouroboros symbol with a fedora above its head, surrounded by two butterfly knives.
 * Alignment: Chaotic Evil (As Hazama, disguised as Lawful Evil)
 * Portfolio: Complete Monster, Pimpin' Outfits, Green Hair, Trolling, Assassinating God, Hating Goddamn Shitty Vampires, Insanity, Eyes Always Shut, Being a Dick, Plans That Always Has Him Come Out On Top, Making People Play Him Straight Into His Hands
 * Domain: Mentalism, Evil, Knowledge
 * Followers: Kaitou/Kamen Rider Diend (only for the Trolling part. Not so sure about the 'Absoulte Immorality' part), Beatrice the Golden Witch.
 * Allies (Possibly): A few of the Magnificent Bastard gods.  Aizen, however, is very fond of him, as he reminds him of Gin somewhat. Also Relius Clover, and to some extent, Precia Testarossa and Izaya Orihara
 * Opposed by: The rest of the Pantheon (except some female gods, who find him very appealing in his more lucid moments, but especially I-No),.
 * It's not so strange that he has amassed so many enemies, considering the fact that he might be planning on killing all the other gods... How he hypothetically might intend to go about with this, he'll probably announce when it's too late to do anything about it.
 * Recently, quiet rumors started going that he had founded a Super Secret Counsil Of Shadows.  This, however, doesn't have to mean he that hasn't founded a Super Secret Counsil Of Shadows.

Havelock Vetinari, God of Politicians (Lord Vetinari, The Patrician, Thinking Tyrant)
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: Black coat-of-arms on black background.
 * Allignment: True Neutral
 * Portfolio: Xanatos Gambits, The Vetinari Job Security, Chessmasters, Magnificent Bastards, The Arched Eyebrow
 * Domain: Law, City, Tyranny, Planning, Trickery
 * Master strategist and manipulator with an eye for details, expert politician. Knows the nature of anyone he observes for more than a few minutes.
 * The others have tried to oust him from his seat numerous times for one reason or another, but his "replacements" never quite seem to get the hang of things, meaning he's always back before the day is done. This is not so much due to a lack of qualified successors as it is the result of Vetinari's plots: he has arranged for things to simply be better for everyone so long as he's in power.
 * Rather unusually for this House, Vetinari does not appear to be ambitious; on several occasions he has refused to take steps to add to his domain. This could, of course, simply be because at the moment, seizing more power would interfere with future plans.
 * He is a relatively benevolent tyrant. His people can do as they wish, as long as it's also what he wants them to do. Involved in a - well, not quite a friendship, not exactly a rivalry, certainly not a relationship, but whatever it is it's extremely polite - with Grand Admiral Thrawn, who is a little too focused on open warfare to belong to the Council of Shadows.

Lelouch vi Britannia, God of Rebellion (Lelouch Lamperouge, Zero)
 * Intermediate God
 * Symbol: The Geass symbol (a stylized "V")
 * Alignment: Impossible to pinpoint.
 * Portfolio: Sister Complexes, Martyr Complexes, Magnificent Bastards, Chessmasters, Evil Eyes, Mind Control, Always Staying Two Steps Ahead (sometimes more, without his memory), Resistance Leaders, Large Hams, Byronic Hero, Manipulative Bastard
 * Domains: City, Corruption, Knowledge, Pain, Retribution, Trickery
 * Followers: The Order Of Black Knights.  Kallen Kouzuki, daughter of Domon Kasshu, depending on how badly he's teased her recently. UFN Chairwoman Kaguya, ruler of half the known world. Probably the reason why his public appearances are heralded by busty Japanese and Chinese girls throwing black rose petals in his path. His little sister, Nunnally, ruler of the OTHER half of the known world.
 * When not plotting ways to overthrow evil empires, Lelouch engages in the game of kings: chess. Few people who have played him have asked for a rematch. He is one of the few who could challenge Light Yagami-one of his greatest nemeses-without using any form of magic.
 * As of this day, Lelouch is taking care of the rebellion of HIS OWN PEOPLE against him. Some say his mortal brother Schneizel is behind this, but Lelouch already suspects Light to be behind Schneizel.
 * He sees Isara Gunther as someone he'd like to protect, as she reminds him of his mortal sister Nunnally Lamperouge. However, Isara is very much abhorred with him. Upon investigation, Lelouch found out that when she was mortal, she was by someone who acted and sounded like him: Emperor Maxmillian. This hardens Lelouch's ambition to topple him, alongside the God he worshipped: Palpatine.
 * There are cults dedicated to an older god who held this post, whose name has been lost, but whose epithets "The Prince of Revolution" and "The Steel General" remain; there are prophecies that he will return to reclaim on his eight-legged horse of steel and diamond one day, to reclaim his position. Only fitting, considering the nature of the position.
 * May or may not have implanted commands into the minds of the Gods - or their followers - that he doesn't get along with. And maybe some that he pretends to get along with.
 * Actually every bit as dangerous without his mind control powers as with. May or may not secretly be a Kamen Rider knockoff, or have the power to summon Giant Mecha with his eyes. Or both.
 * Likes wearing masks. As in, literally. And capes.
 * Due to eyeing the position, has taken mesures to stop himself being influenced by the God of Mind Control.
 * Mentioning something like wanting to stop the march of time is one way to piss him off. Its also a way to find yourself running off cliffs for eternity, and thats on an uncreative day.

Nerissa, Goddess of The Fallen Ones (Former Guardian Of Quintessence, Sorceress)
 * Intermediate Goddess
 * Symbol: The Seal of Nerissa
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil
 * Portfolio: Chessmasters, Mind Control, Vanity, the Fifth Element, Universal Takeover Plans Fifteen Years In The Making, Treasonous Magical Girl, Being Seductive Despite Looking 100 Years Old
 * Domains: Quintessence, Retribution, Justice, Planning, Trickery, Sorcery
 * Won Azula's spot on the council after manipulating her friends Mai and Ty Lee into betraying her. Pushed Azula over the edge by glamouring herself into Ursa and appearing as a hallucination in her mirror.  Nerissa seeks to gain control over all words in the universe by manipulating their leaders into giving up their Hearts and thus, control of the magical power on those worlds.
 * Nerissa has been overthrown by Xanatos. Fooling her into accepting a "gift" from his servant Puck, Nerissa wished for all reality to bend to her will so that she may rule supreme. Unfortuently, all of Puck's gifts come with a price and thus Nerissa is now ruling as queen alongside her husband and son...in her own mind, hoplessly out of touch with reality.

Slade, God of Hidden Agendas
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: His mask
 * Alignment: Neutral Evil
 * Portfolio: Alternate Continuity Equivalents, Ambiguous Motivations, Badass Normals, Badasses out of Hell, Decoy Getaways, Faceless, Never Saying Die, Robot Doubles, Warrior Therapy
 * Domains: Army, Evil, Knowledge, Mentalism, Trickery, Tyranny, War
 * Once sought to manipulate Robin of the Heroes and Villains House into becoming his apprentice, but has since lost interest.
 * Nobody in the entire universe can be said to know Slade's true identity. Some suspect him to be an alter ego or alternate aspect of Batman, but that'd just be crazy, wouldn't it?

Scorponok, God of Usurpers (Zarak, MegaZarak, BlackZarak, Emperor of Destruction)
 * Lesser (possibly Much Lesser) God
 * Symbol: Decepticon sigil
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil
 * Portfolio Destroyed Planets, Shadowey Orders, Giant Secondary Bodies, Sneakiness
 * Domains: Destruction, Usurpers, Headmasters, Technology, Slavedriving, Mysteries and Secret Plans, Opportunism
 * Tricked Starscream into making a suicide attack on Megatron. Megatron's death allowed Scorponok to take his place as Emperor of Destruction, but unfortunately for him, Starscream turned out to be immortal. Currently trying to work out how to use Starscream to eliminate Dream.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter, God of Serial Killers (The Cannibal, The Cemetary Mink)
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: The Duomo, seen from the Belvedere
 * Alignment: Chaotic Evil
 * Portfolio: Cannibalism, Scheming, Magnificence, Being Delightfully Nuts, Hannibal Lectures, Sinister Intellectuals
 * Domain: Trickery, Planning, Manipulation, Evil, Intelligence, Hunger
 * Followers: Sylar, Dexter Morgan, Patrick Bateman
 * Engaged in an epic battle of slightly off-rocker wits with Johan. Somehow this ended with a trip to a fancy restaurant for some martinis, wherein they slaughtered every last person for shits and giggles.

Xellos, God of Lovable Traitors (The Mysterious Priest, The Trickster Priest, The Dragon Slayer)
 * Intermediate God
 * Symbol: His staff
 * Alignment: Always Chaotic Evil
 * Portfolio: Lovable Traitors, Tricksters, Clever Manipulation, Ever-Shifting Loyalties, Secrets, Deceiving Without Ever Technically Lying, Obfuscating Stupidity, Sudden Appearances And Exits, Being Incongruously Polite, Surprisingly Pleasant Villains
 * Domains: Chaos, Corruption, Destruction, Evil, Knowledge, Manipulation, Trickery
 * Allies: ? (Subject to such constant revision that Pantheon archivists no longer bother to keep track)
 * Enemies: ? (See above, re: allies)
 * No one is entirely sure exactly when or how Xellos ascended. He just showed up in the pantheon one day without warning, acting as if he'd always been there. He's been friendly and polite to everyone thus far, but his true intentions are...
 * People often assume that he and Nagi are allies because of their overlapping portfolios. When pressed on the matter, Xellos just smiles and shrugs.
 * Is the only member of the Council to know exactly what every other member is planning. Amuses himself by dropping vague and misleading yet completely true hints as to what those plans actually are in the presence of interested parties. (This may also advance his own agenda, but it's impossible to tell, as he is also the only Council member whose plans are completely unknown to anyone other than himself.) Attempts to get more concrete info out of him are, of course, met with his infamous catch phrase.
 * No one knows what Xellos' true goals are, so it's impossible to say who he really supports, if anyone. He's been allied at some point to nearly every deity in the pantheon, but every single one of them has also been betrayed, double-crossed, moled, reverse moled, abandoned, and/or tricked into advancing their enemies' schemes. Sometimes all at once, and often multiple times in the span of five minutes. They put up with Xellos nonetheless because a) he's impossible to get rid of anyway, and b) his services, while they last, are just that valuable.

Yue Ayase, Goddess of Intelligent Magical Strategy (Philosophastra Illustrans)
 * Lesser Goddess
 * Symbol: Juice Box
 * Alignment: Lawful Good
 * Portfolio: Great Big Book of Everything, Badass Bookworm, The Philosopher, Shorter Means Smarter
 * Domains: Libraries of any shape or size.
 * Followers: Miyazaki Nodoka
 * Yue often spends time in Yomiko's Library, it has plenty of books that interest her and aren't connected to her Orbis Sensualium Pictus. She often brings food to Yomiko, who otherwise tends to forget to eat.
 * Yue one day walked into to the Council room without any warning of her arrival, everyone but Batman, Xellos, and Xanatos were quite shocked - well, they blinked, which was unusual - by some strange short girl's arrival. Apparently her book had a map to the place. This both concerned and intrigued EVERYONE. So she was allowed to stay. Currently each member of the council has an eye on her hoping she remains as uninterested in the council as she currently is. Most believe her book is a key to taking over the entire Pantheon.
 * The rest of the Council is trying to figure out who put the map into her book, as that sort of event is not an accident, however the usual suspect list is quite a long one.
 * She is currently the only member of the council to never have her face engulfed in shadow, in large part due to the reflective qualities of her tremendous forehead.

Virtuous, Goddess of Reverse Reapers (Master of Life, Layna the Firebrand, Layna the Venerable)
 * Greater Goddess
 * Symbol: Her staff
 * Alignment: Neutral Good
 * Portfolio:Reincarnation, Souls, The Lifestream, Wise Old Mentors, Not-So-Demonic Possession, Benevolent Users of Xanatos Gambits
 * Domain: Afterlife, Healing, Knowledge, Life, Planning, Renewal
 * Virtuous is to Gig,, and Ichigo what Doctor Black Jack is to Alta Ã¯r. While they are responsible for helping the dead cross over, she determines where, when, and to whom mortal souls are born when they're reincarnated. Because of this, she has considerable influence among the various pantheons; she effectively controls where all the most powerful mortal souls end up, and whether or not they remember their previous lives. Any deities who wish to incarnate themselves as a mortal must likewise go through her.
 * Ever since her machinations resulted in the complete destruction of an Overdeity and two Greater Gods, even Tzeentch has learned to tread lightly around her.

Shikamaru Nara, God of Shadows (Shika, The Boy With Cloud Envy)
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: A deer-shaped cloud
 * Alignment: Neutral Good
 * Portfolio: Power Over Shadows, Plans That Get What You Want, Having An Enormous IQ Before You Can Drink but Trying to do as Little As Possible With It
 * Domain: Shadows, Plans, Sloth
 * Ascended through stopping a plot by Light and Pandemonium Warden by merely making a few changes to the scrolls of Square Enix for the annual ritual of Sept'Em'Ber Up'Date, effectively locking PW from shape-shifting into Mr. Rodgers or any highly-powerful deity, and reducing his, uh, stamina. Now has a seat in the Council of Shadows, despite not wanting anything else to do with the Pantheons.
 * Constantly says he and Temari are Just Friends. Even with her agreement on this, not many gods think this is true(It doesn't help matters when their actions resemble his sensei's).
 * Never really wants to do any real work, and never puts any real stipulations on his followers. It's less troublesome that way.
 * Shikamaru only shows up for about half the meetings, and that's only when Batman can drag him there. Usually he'll simply fall asleep listening to the talk, but when he's awake he'll savagely deconstruct almost any plan he hears; only Batman and Yue have ever managed to impress him (Okay, so Tzeentch came close once, but... things happened).
 * Thanks to his power over shadow, he does know all the members in the council, but is too lazy to do anything about it. He's passed the info on to Batman and called it a day.
 * Once dozed off, then woke up to find everyone looking noticeably uncomfortable and bits of metal and flesh scattered around the place. He didn't ask what was going on, partly because it'd be troublesome to know and partly because it was freakin' disgusting.

Desty Nova, God of Karma
 * Demigod
 * Symbol: A plate of flan
 * Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
 * Portfolio: Nanomachines, Uncannily Admirable Villainy, KYA HA HA HA HA HA, Mad Scientists, Technical Immortality
 * Domains: Madness, Freedom, Mentalism
 * Followers: Eelai
 * Allies: None. In terms of Karmatron Dynamics, the concept of an ally has no meaning.
 * Opposes: None. While many may dislike him, in terms of Karmatron Dynamics, the concept of an enemy has no meaning.
 * Discoverer and foremost (albeit only) expert on Karmatron Dynamics, the science of karma. On a micro scale, it allows encoding information in even seemingly random molecular motion (order in entropy) and nullification of teleportation's Alias problem. On a macro scale, it is nothing less than the methodical study and control of destiny itself.
 * Technically has not ascended, but through his advanced nanomachines and grasp of Karmatron Dynamics, has become the closest thing to immortal that a human can attain.
 * Has many sides to his personality. The other gods tend to steer clear of him, as he can be alternately introspective, frothingly insane, and amusingly quirky, sometimes one right after the other or all at once. Most often, though, he is deviously dangerous, more so than most because so few people have any clue what he's up to.
 * Somehow managed to swap Shikamaru (sleeping at the time) with a grotesquely-constructed cyborg doll programmed to show a video message proclaiming his intent: regardless of what the Council is planning, he wants in. Their actions and plans show every sign of leading to a dynamic exchange of karmatrons on an unprecedented scale, bringing the future of the Pantheons to a boiling uncertainty. He even maintained that his own status - even his own existence - hardly mattered next to something like that. The Council agreed to let him in on the condition that he not send any more freakin' dripping, misshapen scrums of flesh and metal to deliver a message and then bloodily explode as he's cackling about it. Shikamaru (still sleeping) was returned to his seat by Nova's assistant, Eelai, before she took her leave.

Palpatine, God of The Empire (Darth Sidious)
 * Greater God
 * Symbol: the Sith insignia
 * Alignment: Neutral Evil
 * Portfolio: The Emperor, Galactic Conqueror, The Man Behind the Man, The Dark Side, Magnificent Bastards, Xanatos Roulettes, Evil Chancellors, The Chessmaster, Having Planets Destroyed.
 * Domains: Evil, Darkness, Politics, Tyranny, Corruption, Manipulation.
 * Allies: Darth Vader, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Death Star, Imperial Missile Boat, Sauron, Tzeentch, Big Brother, Red Skull, Lord Voldemort, Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz, Light Yagami, Sosuke Aizen, Kefka, M. Bison, Megatron and the Dark Kingdom.
 * Opposed by: Lelouch vi Britannia, Havelock Vetinari, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Captain America, Batman, Optimus Prime, Josiah Bartlet, Guy Shishioh, Kamina, Char Aznable, Ryouma Nagare, Robin Hood, The Doctor.
 * Followers: Charles di Britannia (Code Geass)
 * Upon his ascension, his former minions, Vader, Thrawn, Death Star and Imperial Missile Boat flocked to his side and once again swore their undying loyalty to him and his goals. This is source of alarm to many members of the Pantheon, since not not only does Palpatine have control over two super weapons but also of Vader's 501st Legion which gives him the resources to stage his own possible revolution against the Pantheon.
 * Is currently trying to get all the evil alignment Pantheon members to join him in support his eventual coup d'état of the Main House. So far he's been successful......

Demon Wall, God of Advancing Walls of Doom
 * Demigod
 * Symbol: A wall with a demonc body imprinted in it
 * Alignment: Chaotic Evil
 * Portfolio: Lethal Trap Walls, Bosses That Make You Break Things, Archaic Security Measures, Suddenly Locked Doors
 * Domains: Evil, Chaos, Artifice, Destruction
 * The door to the Council of Shadows meeting room is guarded by the Demon Wall. Whenever someone touches the doorknob without first saying the passwords, the door locks, and the Demon Wall appears behind them and begins advancing. To date, no one has ever infiltrated a council meeting. They consider this worth the cost of cleaning up the red smears that keep covering the door.
 * All other advancing walls and descending ceilings were built from blueprints given to villains by the Demon Wall.

Kurama, God of Plants (Youko Kurama, Shuichi Minamino)
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: A rose
 * Alignment: Chaotic Good
 * Portfolio: Plants, Red Haired Pretty Boys, Batman Gambits, Kitsune, Rose Lovers
 * Domain: Bestial, Plant, Planning, Trickery
 * Followers: Poison Ivy (Batman), Swamp Thing, Marluxia (Kingdom Hearts)
 * Chance the Gardener can often be seen tending to Kurama's temple, sometimes with the aid of Swarm.
 * In his previous life as Youko Kurama, and before his acencsion, the council offered him support in taking over Makai. Naturally this was a ruse to make Youko do the dirty work and naturally Youko knew this and refused it. However, he now knew of the Council's existence and interest in Makai, and sharpened his skills to make sure it didn't intefer with his plans. Xanatos was pleased. It made him a better candidate for membership.
 * He took his seat in the council after trapping its former occupant in a Sining Tree.

Gendo Ikari, God of World-Destroying Betrayals
 * Intermediate God
 * Symbol: His Scary Shiny Glasses
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil/Lawful Neutral
 * Portfolio: Manipulative Bastards, Glaring Menacingly, Zen Survivors, Dooming The World For Love, Hands Folded Neatly At The Chin, "Well Done, Son" Guy
 * Allies: Kane, Xanatos, Slade
 * Domains: Evil, Knowledge, Mentalism, Trickery

Lord Nemesis, God of Evil Plots
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: Brass plate of his face.
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil
 * Portfolio: Nemesis Plots, Xanatos Roulette, Steampunk, Outdated Attitudes
 * Domains: Evil, Technology
 * Enemies: Batman and Superman- no matter the dimension, superheroes keep in touch. Agatha Heterodyne
 * May also be known as, undoubtedly as part of a plot.
 * Disavows any knowledge that David Xanatos taught him everything he knows. To his enemies, everything is a Nemesis plot.
 * Not always liked by the rest of the Pantheon but they invite him anyway, since if they don't he tends to crash the party with a small army and at least one meddling hero or villain in pursuit.
 * Disrespected Agatha's achievements because of her gender. She responded by... well, let's just say all those backup bodies came in handy. Now the two are sworn enemies.

'''Kurt Godel, God of... we're not entirely sure...''' (The Governor-General)
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: His Sneer
 * Alignment: No one really knows, but it's definitely Chaotic. Er, probably Chaotic. Might be?
 * Portfolio Manipulation, Consummate Liar, Taunting, Morally Ambiguous Chancellors, Conspiracies, Smugness.
 * Domains: Deception, Falsehood, Ambiguity
 * Enemies: He identifies most major nations and organizations as his enemies, although he's probably exaggerating.
 * None of the other Council members are sure how he found them, and tried to have him escorted out, at which point the guards learned the hard way that he's a very good swordsman. He's remained a member ever since.
 * Every member of the Council is wary of him, and although they have no proof, they are all suspicious that he is dealing under the table with other Council members and Pantheons.
 * One of the theories concerning his goals is that he wants to use the Council to take over the Main House. Another leading theory is that he's trying to destroy the Council of Shadows from the inside. A third is that he's trying to use the Council of Shadows to better arrange for the downfall of the GUAE. All of these theories are equally well supported, that is to say that they're pure speculation and his real goal might be something else entirely.
 * While he's an expert at digging up information and manipulating people, he tends to fail due to unforeseen circumstances. Maybe. The rest of council is unsure of whether he's mostly harmless or pulling Xanatos Gambit.

Jupiter, Maiden of Secrets
 * Greater Goddess
 * Symbol: A green astrological sign of Jupiter
 * Alignment: Neutral Good
 * Portfolio: The Three Five Faces Of Eve, Fate, Stars, Necessity, Inscrutable Plans, Koans, Secrets, Truth and Lies, Revealed Truths, Conspiracies, Planning and Manipulation
 * Domains: Balance, Destiny, Fate, Good, Knowledge, Mind, Oracle, Patience, Planning, Trickery
 * Allies: The Unconquered Sun, Luna, the other Maidens
 * Followers: The Sidereal Exalted, particularly the Chosen of Secrets
 * The moment the Celestial Incarnae entered the Pantheon, a seat on the Council of Shadows was ready and waiting for the Maiden of Secrets. This isn't because of some mystical imperative, or a display of power on her part. It's just that the Council realized that trying to keep a goddess of everything secret and hidden out of their affairs was an exercise in futility, and she probably already knew everything they were up to anyway, so...

Hari Seldon, God of Mathematics
 * Greater God
 * Alignment: Omniscient Morality License
 * Symbol: Time Vault
 * Portfolio: Ancient Conspiracy, The Chessmaster, Omniscient Morality License
 * Domain: Science, Math, Prediction
 * Followers: the Foundations, Aeolia Schenberg
 * Hari Seldon has actually been dead for thousands of years, but actively participates in the Council of Shadows withsufficiently shadowed prerecorded hologram messages.
 * Hari Seldon predicted this "secret" council knowing the "mysterious" purpose and "anonymous" membership thousands of years before there was ever a Council of Shadows...
 * Considering how often The Tape Knew You Would Say That Hari Seldon apparently deduced exactly the events of every meeting of the Council of Shadows thousands of years in advance...
 * Posthumous prerecorded holograms of Hari Seldon still converse as if Azula was still on the council. Somehow this inaccuracy has yet to significantly affect his participation in the meetings...so far.
 * As a series of recorded messages Hari Seldon is entirely immune from several other council member’s advantages including Light Yagami’s Death Note, Lelouch vi Britannia’s Geass, and ’s Mind Control.

Iago, God of Manipulative Wordplay, Ambiguous Foe Yay, Jealousy, Magnificent Bastardry, Casual Racism and Misogyny, and Unspecified Motives (Honest Iago)
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: A handkerchief, embroided with strawberries
 * Allignment: Neutral Evil
 * Portfolio: Planning and Manipulation, Interesting Subtexts, Unclear Motives, Magnificent Bastard, Politically-Incorrect Villain, Xanatos Gambit
 * Domains: Evil, Politically Incorrect Villainy, Jealousy, Manipulation, Planning, Trickery
 * Followers: Roderigo (periodically loses faith, usually as he notices the emptiness of his wallet, but is inevitably talked back into worship by Iago), Othello (unaware of his nature), Pretty much everyone who isn't himself.
 * Currently attempting to plant the seeds of jealousy in the minds of the WALL-E and EVE and implicate Zapp Brannigan in an affair, in order to destroy their entire relationship for his amusement.

Professor James Moriarty, God of Criminal Masterminds (The Napoleon of Crime, Jim)
 * Demigod
 * Symbols: His dark brow and enormous forehead
 * Alignment: Lawful Evil
 * Portfolio: Evil Counterpart, Deductive Reasoning, Consulting Criminal, Forehead of Doom, Breakout Villain
 * Domain: Crime, Knowledge, Secrets, Persecution
 * Allies: An untold number of villains and underlings owe a debt of gratitude to Moriarty's machinations, but he'd never let you trace them back to him.
 * Followers: See Allies.
 * Enemies: Sherlock Holmes, Sam Vimes, Hercule Poirot, and other crime-solvers
 * Moriarty was sponsored by someone on the Council Of Shadows long before his inclusion the conspiracy’s inner circle.

Nemesis the Warlock, God of Using Lesser Species As Pawns (The One Who Waits At The Edge Of Your Dreams, The Lord Of The Flies, The Holder Of The Sword Sinister, The Shape Of The Things To Come, The Death Bringer, He Who Is These Things And Many More, )
 * Lesser God
 * Symbol: His head with words "CREDO!" written over it.
 * Alignment: Chaotic Evil
 * Portofolio: Anti-Hero, Magnificent Bastard, Manipulative Bastard, The Chessmaster holding back and looking for a challenge, Master of Illusion, making deals and then screwing over those he make them with, while holding to Exact Words, or at least his interpretation of them, Xanatos and Batman Gambits, thinking of humans as no better than thermites.
 * Domain: Magic, Mentalism, Philosophy, Chaos
 * Allies: Xellos, Terumi Yuuki,.
 * Enemies: Tomas de Torquemada, Immortal God Emperor
 * Followers: Deadlock
 * Upon discovering that Torquemada had ascended, Nemesis appealed to the Main House, advocating that his crimes against humanity are so great he deserved the godhood. Despite few gods appealing that humans in his world deserved that, he managed to win and enter the house of Philosophy.
 * Only few managed to earn his respect and most of those were among Council's members, the others he disregards as pawns he can use however it pleases him.
 * Nemesis claims to serve mysterious diety known as Khaos. Nobody knows about such diety, but many are suspecting it to be one of greater chaotic gods, most popular candidates involve Haruhi, Lucifer and Tzeentch.
 * Nemesis claims to serve mysterious diety known as Khaos. Nobody knows about such diety, but many are suspecting it to be one of greater chaotic gods, most popular candidates involve Haruhi, Lucifer and Tzeentch.