The first thing to understand about the Pantheon is that it is mostly a myth. That’s wrong, of course, but its much closer to right than the impressions that immediately arise within your mind when you think of the organization.
Think of World War 2. It was fought between ‘The Axis’, and ‘The Allies’. These terms described things, but they weren’t exactly things. ‘Axis’ troops were Japanese, or Italian, or German. If you expected them to behave similarly your expectations would betray you.
The Pantheon is less real even than those old notions. Broadly speaking, it encompasses, everywhere that isn’t in the Union or the Regime. Put like that, its laughable, right? No one could possibly treat this as a real thing. And yet, ‘the Allies’ won WWII.
The Pantheon is a loose patchwork confederation of feuding Ultra fiefdoms. Strongwoman terrorizing a few cities here, gang of raiders harassing Union concerns there. There is a certain organization at the top level, but its all ad hoc, all put together by charismatic or powerful Ultras on the spot.
The Pantheon that fights the Regime in old Mexico shares virtually nothing with the Pantheon that fights the Union in central Eurasia. Neither of them have anything in common with the Council that makes pronouncements from the Pantheon’s supposed Capital in Australia.
Here are some unifying principles that are, generally, true of the entire Pantheon:
- They pay lip service obedience to the ‘Leadership Council’. If Zeus and Company show up and crack the whip any given cell will obey them.
- They are Ultra supremacists, similarly to the Regime. The religious slant that the Pantheon is infamous for doesn’t hold true everywhere, but even if the Ultras aren’t considered Gods they are generally in charge.
- Violence is accepted and expected. All of the grubby little kingdoms and principalities are basically dark age concerns. The powers that be maintain their status by preserving a reputation for being ‘harder’ than the next city’s tough gals, and so on.
- Ultras are ubiquitous. The Company operates throughout the Pantheon, and Prevailer has given it none of the restrictions that govern its operation within the Union. People show up to be Processed at rates unknown in the Regime or Union.
The Pantheon is a generally unstable patchwork. It would be no surprise if the whole thing fragmented or fell apart in a few years. Of course, that has been the case for a long time now. Perhaps there are hidden factors stabilizing it.