Power Groups, part 2
Pantheon
The origins of the elite group known as the Pantheon are said to lie in the country of Sri Lanka. Scant days after the first appearance of the elite phenomenon by the man that would be known as Miracle, an earthquake shook the countryside in the island nation, causing great damage to a small village at its epicenter. As the quake subsided, an amorphous form made of stone and earth rose from the ground, taking the shape of a human woman. The stone woman surveyed the damage to the area, and with but a wave of her hand, repaired much of the damage to the village. Grateful villagers surrounded her in awe. In a deep, gravelly voice, she told them her name was Gaia, goddess of the earth.
Or so the stories told by Pantheon missionaries claim. Pantheon is a group of like-minded elites, who believe that they are the gods of old, returned to the mortal realm to rule once more. They see themselves as above reproach; such concerns as mortal law and morality are beneath them. They do as they will, for the good of both themselves and their worshipers.
The Pantheon announced their existence to the world by answering the prayer of a girl who claimed her father was a political prisoner held by the United States. Three Pantheon members assaulted the prison holding the girl’s father. After a brief, bloody battle the Pantheon reunited the girl with her father. The Pantheon broadcasted the girl’s prayer with video footage of the rescue along with a simple message: “Worship us and your prayers will be answered.” The response was immediate; people around the world downloaded the video despite the U.S. attempts to suppress it. Soon the prayers began to arrive.
People who wish to beseech the Pantheon have several options. First, they can call the Pantheon’s prayer hotline. Operators are there to take down the callers’ personal information and record their prayers. The Pantheon can also be reached through their church website. Finally a few churches have been built by the Pantheon and they have sent missionaries out to spread the word and to take down prayers.
The Pantheon receives millions of prayers. They have acknowledged the impossibility of answering them all. They offer results, not omnipotence. Once a prayer is chosen the supplicant is contacted. The god answering the prayer demands sacrifice. Often this involves a tribute of money — the Pantheon members live expensive lifestyles that must be supported. However, the Pantheon has been known to ask for other sacrifices, such as servitude for a year and a day. The Pantheon’s website and prayer hotline are run by the faithful paying off their sacrifice. A few gods have asked for first-born children, which has led to the rumor that the Pantheon eat babies.
The Pantheon has made many enemies. Followers of established religions are offended by the Pantheon’s claims of godhood and the crass nature of the bartering for and with believers. The Pantheon does not acknowledge national borders and the concentration of a number of elites make nations nervous — especially after the attack on the U.S. prison.
A small, 500 square mile island called Hearthstone serves as the Pantheon base of operation. The island is located just south of Sri Lanka in international waters. Hearthstone serves as a display of the Pantheon’s power. The group raised the island from the ocean floor slowly over the course of several days, terraforming it into the lush paradise it is today. The island’s rise caused tidal waves to wreak havoc on nearby coastlines.
All elites are welcome to visit Hearthstone regardless of their allegiance, but normal humans are forbidden from doing so, with the exception of the faithful taken into servitude as part of their tribute.
The most notable members of Pantheon are Gaia, Amun-Ra, Ares, Jade Emperor, Goibniu and Valkyrie*, though a fair deal more elites reside at Hearthstone.
*Yep, that's who it sounds like, so I lied. But hey, she's not a student at the Institute, right? S'all good.
Then again I'm basing that mostly off Mark and he came from an environment where he had few chances to cultivate ordinary person skills aside from figuring out where to meet his dealer.
