Mortality, Death and The Afterlife

As the House of Life and Death increased, the two contrasting, but connected ideals and concepts ultimately became large enough to encompass a massive influence and according to the two representing Grim Reapers, it was decided that Life and Death be separated from one another and settle down with a singular House to represent the concept of mortality and death. As it is a primordial concept of life, it still manages to maintain being one of the most vital and important Houses in the Pantheon.

The House of Death and Postmortem has a rather ethereal and fantastical look to it, albeit in a very dark and moody atmosphere. The entrance is marked by a gigantic, intimidating gate with spikes and skulls adorned to it, with the same being said about the walls as well. Within the gates, the surroundings are not exactly one that elicits dread, but rather a longing feeling of nostalgia and melancholy. The House is filled lush, beautiful fields of grasslands and trees, though the numerous epitaphs and cemeteries are what create a contrasting tone of sad elegance. There are some Centres on postmortem checkup and analysis for the deceased and prayer buildings and memorial sites where respect to the departed is formally held in events

At the center of the House is a soaring green vortex that seems to pierce the skies. That said, the vortex is a magical gateway that leads to another realm; one that resembles the afterlife. The environmental surroundings and atmosphere is dependant on which direction one decides to take; one is a heavenly paradise where the virtuous, selfless, and kind are welcome at any time and the other is a hellish despot where malicious beings are damned. There is also a middle-spot, which happens to be a giant council for those who are anthropomorphic personifications of Death. Death personifications not native to the House are often invited to discuss the Pantheon and its events, in addition to what they're up to, to various effects.

This House has a lot of connections to others due to how Death is a theme and concept that has a very far stretch. Several other Houses like Religion and Faith and Health and Diseases have a professional association where benevolent members of the former are open to hosting eulogies to pay regards to the dearly departed and the latter would use established centers to examine and inspect corpses for various reasons. The Houses of Slaughter and Undead and Phasmata tend to link themselves as they often need corpses to set up shop for themselves, the former to test out ways to slash up or mutilate bodies and the latter because many of the residents can never get enough out of plucking put bodies of the grave to reanimate under their causes. The Halls of Angels and Demons are connected to the Afterlife side of the House for obvious reasons.

Despite the split, this House is still intrinsically connected to Life and Vitality. Both Houses are needed for a deity to be fully resurrected, however, the process and time it takes for them to be restored to life is dependent on the cause of death and overall damage to the body and soul. It is possible to recreate a soul from scratch, provided that memories are kept intact, but it can take a week to years depending on the established information.

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The Grand Judges of Death

Death (The Seventh Seal)

Death, King of Death Personifications

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7sealdeath.jpg

Greater God
Symbol: A black Queen chess piece
Alignment: True Neutral
Portfolio: Classic representation of death, dropping his duties for a game of chess, polite death-bringer, unconcerned with petty things like social class
Domains: Death, Existentialism, Chess
Allies: Death of the Endless, Decim, Death (Regular Show), the Wolf
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Death (Final Destination)
Rivals: HAL 9000, Sora and Shiro
Enemies: Jigsaw (to a certain extent)
On good terms with: Antonius Block and other Ingmar Bergman deities
Annoyed by: Bill and Ted
Complicated Relations: Billy, Mandy, Grim
On the way home from the Crusades, a knight named Antonius Block came across a ghostly man wearing a black cloak. It was Death, who was coming for him. Being a fairly amiable sort, Death accepted postponing Antonius' fate for a game of chess. Death followed the knight closely as the latter journeyed through his country in upheaval and saw the best and worst of humanity, and kept begging Death for answers to his existential questions, which Death either wouldn't or couldn't provide. In the end, Death, in his unavoidability, took Antonius.
Came up to the Pantheon immediately after Antonius because he was rather annoyed that one of his charges had been restored to life without his consultation. His idea was to drag Antonius right back, instead the Main House was glad to see one of the most influential versions of death come up of his own accord and pleaded for him to stay and represent The Grim Reaper (which was released from Gig after some bureaucratic wrangling). He supposed that was fine as long as it didn't interfere with his job in the mortal world. As for the whole "drag Antonius back to death" thing, he let it be once it was made clear Antonius would never be alive in their universe again. Nothing personal, but if that were the case, Death would have failed his duty.
When it comes to other death personifications, Death is in particularly good terms with Death of the Endless since her pleasant disposition meshes well with his polite and calm demeanor. Since Death is considered the basis for modern portrayals of The Grim Reaper, Death of the Endless likes to call him 'Dad' as a joke. Death likes how she remains professional in regards to her duties in spite of her soft spot for humanity. Death of the Endless, for her part, likes to tell him about how interesting human lives are, which might be inspiring Death to have a less indifferent attitude to the souls he reaps. He's also pursuing friendships with Decim and Lord Death due to them also being relatively sympathetic to humanity and benevolent, which 7S!Death finds he prefers to the nihilism and malevolence of others such as FD!Death. Is also on friendly terms with RS!Death given their predilection for games and the fact that he holds the trope he codified, though 7S!Death doesn't like his personality all that much.
Given the Pantheon actually has no use for death entities due to the meaninglessness of death in here, he spends most of his time humoring deities who think they might have a shot beating him at chess, or who just want to re-enact the Chess with Death scenes. He's also always in the middle of some chess match with Antonius, a habit the two started "for old times' sake". Death has won all games, but given he once felt the need to learn Antonius' tactics, the knight is sure he's not invincible and keeps at it.
Among the deities who want to prove their skill at chess by winning against Death himself, there are gamer siblings Sora and Shiro, who have vowed that they'd never lose a single game. Given Sora and Shiro have done well by that vow, Death figured that the game would just go on forever and after a few days of playing the same match let the siblings win. Neither was fooled, though they've acknowledged that they need to rise to number one in the world of Disboard and probably beat Tet if they want to beat Death himself.
Hearing of HAL 9000 and how it was proficient at chess, Death became interested in seeing how such a human invention stacked up against himself. Death came away from the match with the impression that the machine's patterns are easily figured out and that it's just as prone to mistakes as humans, as expected from a creation of theirs. HAL is mostly infuriated to be bested and looked down upon by a primitive, unharnessable force of nature and is looking to improve its chess playing, so as to prove that something built to be infallible such as itself can overcome that which humans fear most. (HAL probably has a chip in its shoulder because it does have a fear of death.)
He's not as flashy as other personifications of death in the Pantheon, which leads to people thinking he's one of the weaker ones. Given he has no inclination for getting into fights, there's no real way of verifying just how powerful he is in that regard, but he's much harder to beat at games than the Death from Mordecai and Rigby's universe, especially as he doesn't let his opponents get away with cheating.
- Speaking of, RS!Death often invites him to the House of Gaming with a view to expand his repertoire beyond plain old chess. 7S!Death won't turn him down, but still prefers playing chess by far, finding it the more compelling game, and having his matches in the solitude and quiet of his own temple. For someone who's basically a force of nature, even he feels a bit dislocated from the atmosphere of the House of Gaming.
  - He has taken a particular liking to badminton though. Death claims it doesn't do good to one's health to always be sitting hunched over a board game. Antonius wonders if that's really something Death has to worry about.
When he meets a fellow Bergman deity for the first time, his greeting is a friendly chess match where he takes the time to converse with them to get to know them better. While most of his fellow creations don't exactly go out of their way to be with him, given he's Death, he follows their lives in the Pantheon with deep interest. Death of the Endless' influence is at work.
- His greeting didn't go over so well when it came to Agnes' family, because he decided to spice it up when he heard their story. He pretended he was there to reap Agnes' life and made his challenge to Karin and Maria, telling them that if they didn't defeat him, Agnes would be gone for good. He didn't actually mean it, but he was eager to test the two sisters' resolve. To Karin and Maria (yes, the two played together, Sora and Shiro style) it was a highly stressful, sky-high-stakes game, and after fourteen straight hours Death took pity on them, decided he was satisfied and let them win. He has a fairly poor relationship with them as a result, though it's one-sided on their side as he finds them fascinating.
Shakes his head at Grim for his foolishness of agreeing to be a slave to two children after losing a game. Mandy wouldn't mind making a slave out of Death as well since he seems to be more clever than Grim. Death is obviously not keen on the idea and avoids her, lest her diabolical mind come up with a way of ensnaring him. Death also treads lightly around Billy, just in case. Granted, Death'll never admit out loud he actually does have some fear of falling into the same situation as Grim.
Was approached by Bill and Ted, who asked him "How's it hanging, Death?" and that they'll beat his ass at Twister and Clue again any time. Death didn't really know what they were talking about and assumed they confused him for the Death in their world, but at any rate, found them annoying and crude and has no real desire to seek them out and challenge them.

Death of the Endless

Death of the Endless, Goddess of Friendly Grim Reapers (Didi [The name of her human avatar])

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bb4cff8638004b9c9b91d8657ce400a3.jpeg

Overdeity
Symbol: A silver ankh
Theme: DC Showcase: Death
Alignment: True Neutral due to her duties, but leans toward Neutral Good.
Portfolio: Death (obviously), Perky Goths, Personifications of Death, Complete Immortality, Beware the Nice Ones, Nice Anthropomorphic Personification, Don't Fear the Reaper, All of the Death Tropes.
Domain: Darkness, Death, Life, Love
High Priestesses: Mistress Death (her Marvel counterpart), Momo
Followers: George Lass, the unascended Shinigami of Gotei 13, Steve, Gregg the Grim Reaper
Allies: The rest of the Endless (Dream, Destiny, Destruction, Delirium), The Presence, Death the Horseman, Robin the Avatar, Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, the Wolf, The One Above All, Lady Death
- Underlings: Mr. Dead, The Reaper Man, Death from Regular Show, Ichigo Kurosaki, The Undertaker, Ezio Auditore
Targets: Grima, The Lich
Opposed by: Many, but they are all one-sided
Sitcom Arch-Nemesis with: Cthul hu
Odd Relationship with: Thanos, Wade Wilson /Deadpool
Death is a fun girl. She appreciates life, likes sentient people to hang out with, and is actually quite fun to be around. That being said, she's still DEATH, so don't mess with her.
Once, every 100 years, Death Takes a Holiday to both enjoy being mortal for a short while and to remind herself of the gravitas of her duties.
A large part of Deadpool and Thanos' heat with each other is that they are both in love with her. While she is flattered by this, she treats both with as much affection as she does everyone else.
Has a friendship with the Death of the Discworld; he has offered to "lend" her his assistance as the Reaper, along with his assistants, allowing her to take more time off of work than one day a century, which she is grateful for.
Also gets along with Death the Horseman, though he is puzzled by her interest in humanity.
She has an entire army of lesser Grim Reapers, including The Black Racer, George Lass, Psychopomp-style Shinigami, Steve, Gregg, and of course many, many little Deaths.
Is assisting Robin in finding a way to kill Grima off for good.
Will sometimes take members of the Pantheon to the Sunless Lands to say goodbye to those that they have loved, and were unable to make their peace with before their passing.
Nekron is plotting to overthrow her and steal her position. Thanos has sworn to destroy Nekron after discovering this plan; while she thanks him for the thought, she's not that concerned about Nekron. After all, she IS the one who will close up existence when the end comes, and lock up the door on her way out.
Has been asked by Finn and Jake to aid them in killing the Lich and making him stay dead. She has agreed to aid them, on the condition that he must be destroyed/killed again first. She upheld her part of the bargain by allowing an aspect of the Lich to reincarnate as Sweet Pea, who overcame the evil within himself and slew the last evil remnant of the Lich in Ooo.
Gets along well with Paige, due to their dark and gothic styles while still being as friendly and fun as they can afford to be.
Once partnered with John Constantine in order to give a short, informal PSA about safe sex.
Appointed Lady Death as the leader of her Psychopomps retinue as a gesture of mercy towards the innocent woman she once was. In exchange of being able to step out of Hell, Death declared that, if she was to remain undead until all human life is gone from Earth, Hope could at least make herself useful by helping with the passing away of souls for the rest of her undead existence. Lady Death accepted since she is now able to see other things than Hell and demons but warned Death that she just might want to claim her title someday. Death doesn't worry about it because Hope is of human origin and thus cannot really act against her, no matter how powerful she may become.
In wake of a new telling of her tales, she's obtained a avatar for herself. Most people don't seem to mind, except for the god named Simon Laurent who wants nothing to do with her. When he was finally able to calm down, all he could say was that Death reminded too much of an old friend that he never wants to see again.
"Everything ends. That's what makes it so special."

The Maiden in Black

The Maiden in Black, Divine Maiden of Soul Manipulation

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maideninblack.jpg

Greater Goddess with hints of overlapping Overdeity
Symbol: Her right-facing silhouette holding a very long staff, also The Nexus
Theme Song(s): Maiden In Black, (Remastered Ver.)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Portfolios: The strongest demon with the ability to give strength, has a sinister vibe but with no hostile intentions, mysterious in every way from her eyes covered in wax, speaks with a soothing yet confusing accent alongside a Shakespearean dialect, forced to stay in the Nexus for even millennia
Domains: Souls, Demons, Mysterious Women, Immortality, Maidens
Allies: The Slayer of Demons, The Ashen One, The Chosen Undead, The Bearer of the Curse, The Hunter, The God Emperor of Mankind, The Dovahkiin, Yusuke Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, Yoh Asakura, Sir Daniel Fortesque, Edward Elric, the Wolf
- Co-Overseers with: Death (The Seventh Seal)
Common Visitors: The Hollow Knight, Artix von Krieger, The Puella Magi, Dust, Alphonse Elric, Ichigo Kurosaki, most Persona users
Commonality Connection with: The Plain Doll
Rivals: Ryuk, Crowley, Charon, most Grim Reapers (in regards to the domain of souls)
Distrusts: Castiel, Shinobu Sensui
Pities: The Fabrication Machine, Ludwig the Accursed, Artorias the Abysswalker, Slave Knight Gael, Merkava, Red and the Transistor, Yui Ikari
Enemies: King Allant, The Daedric Princes especially Molag Bal, M. Bison, Shang Tsung, Nevermore the Shadow Fiend, Diablo, Father, Ermac, The Chaos Gods, Nagash, Kel'thuzad, Soul Calibur (and by extension Nightmare), Arthas Menethil the Lich King, Gul'dan, Zarok
Opposes: Aldia, possibly Gwyn as well
Before the city, before the vistas, before moments of the Forever War and perhaps the naming of the Pantheon itself, there lies an ancient place buried underneath the lands. It was a mere myth they said, that a place would wield some of the most advanced forms of power, yet no one would believe such malarkey. However, the histories of the Pantheon have only small records of its existence, and for good reason: to prevent the masses of ever knowing such place. An underground cavern came to be discovered on the old times of the Pantheon, and all would link to an unfamiliar sight on the shores the same day it was found.
- On the shores, one of the teams found an unforeseen sight, a woman, clad in black, was found on the shores of the Pantheon, distraught at the sight she has found herself into. After being picked up for identification, the resident archaeologist team found a gigantic place, a place surrounded by arch-stones which lead to different places of a once proud kingdom. While the team were studying, the woman that was rescued disappeared from the recovery team and was found standing in front of the archaeologists, introducing the place they were standing on: the Nexus.
Maiden in Black: "This is the Nexus. It holds together the northern land of Boletaria. Thou canst not exit the Nexus, but each of the five Archstones will connect thee to another node."
- Years after the discovery, the Nexus and its' Maiden were soon forgotten. Gone were the days of the potential findings of the lore of such place, as well as the possible entrance to the once beloved kingdom, as it was replaced by the introduction of numerous soul-based deities as well as the enraging war the Pantheon seeped itself into. And at one point, the entrance to the Nexus was naturally sealed, hoping to wait until one person discovered it once more. That came true when the Chosen Undead and Bearer of the Curse saw a small opening and located the hub world, with the Maiden approaching to them with the intention of their empowerment via the souls the two have gathered.
As soon as the Nexus was rediscovered, the House of Life And Death felt a breeze, with numerous souls in silence. The gods were confused as to what has happened to their vicinity, but very few were aware of what is to come, that the Nexus and it being found once more may reintroduce the Pantheon to the Soul Arts, a very old, if not ancient, power that has existed from the very beginning of humanity's creation. The Maiden's purpose on this case is to be the handler of the Soul Arts and the caretaker of the Nexus as well as the guide to the kingdom her hub world is connected into, where adventurers may setup for the journey they will be headed to and vanquish the demons within.
- However, she is not alone. Deep within the Nexus lies an ancient Old One, a demonic being that consumes the souls through the fog it shrouds kingdoms into. Its power comes from those who practice and utilize the Soul Arts, and when the power was at its peak, the Old One awoke and covered the first kingdom into fog, releasing demons and monsters to feed it. It was this very thing that lead to the First Scourge and also the banishment of the Soul Arts, where it would be awaken again by a melancholic king, beginning the Second Scourge that terrorized Boletaria. One would ask why she would be the caretaker of the Nexus when the Old One is right below it, but in truth, behind her human exterior is perhaps one of the most powerful demons of her kind and the mother to the Old One if theories are to go by.
The very moment her presence was revealed once more, her disappointed feelings came to be after introduction by the Chosen Undead. This attitude of hers comes from the fact that her life has revolved so much on both the Nexus and the Old One that it has rendered her immortal for good, and killing her will only bring her back, hence her disappointment of being alive. This, alongside her otherworldly power, has made her the only source to lull the Old One back to slumber should it awaken, at the cost of the Soul Arts being forgotten forever. It has been the reason for the power's lack of popularity, for when the Soul Arts have been massively used to the point of awakening it, she would come down and make it sleep, stopping the scourge in sacrifice of the Arts.
Being the very first to transfer souls to the person who brought it in, it arguably made her the prototype of the new wave of Fire Keepers, perhaps being even the mother to all of them. This form of empowerment allowed her to become the new maiden for the Chosen Undead, Bearer of the Curse and Ashen One as her soul manipulation allows her to increase their power, making her the substitute for the trio. Eventually the arrival of Solaire of Astora made it four instead, but he often stays in the Nexus more than the others, seeing it as a place they can stay in the case of the loss of bonfires.
- More similarities came in when the Hunter stepped in. She has tried to empower him with her souls but was unable to do so, as the Hunter relies on the echoes of blood that and the fact that the Hunter may even reach Greater God levels thanks to him becoming an eldritch being, seeing him as powerful already to support him. What piqued her interest was the companion he brought in, the Plain Doll, who considers the Maiden to be a long lost relative, in relation to similar themes. Despite this, the Maiden is much more powerful than her and holds more responsibility towards the hub she controls.
Unlike the responses received by most soul-based deities, reception towards her was cold, no one able to recognize her and only seem to dislike her even further following the potential she can do to numerous souls. Her sinister looks does not help the case. Those who stayed in the House of Life And Death saw what she can do and thanks to her connection to the ever-crucial Nexus appointed her to be one of the key members to the status quo of the Pantheon, as her soul manipulation and her neutral stance made her the perfect representative and perhaps, the Overseer of most of the souls bound within the Pantheon.
- This decision was made by one of the few deities who understands her purpose: Death who was one of the few to recognize her powers and her ever-growing maintenance of the Nexus. It was he who allowed her to become attached to the state of the Pantheon regarding life and death and made it so that both are responsible for those within the boundaries of the soul, and her powers fit nicely to such profession. Most grim reaper deities however object this, as they think the Maiden will just steal their jobs (and for some steal their food resource) but then again, when you are immortal for the sake of the maintenance of souls, what choice really is there outside of it?
- Those who oppose it are mostly those who have gotten used to the soul business they have been a part of, whether it be for those who take human souls for their benefit such as Ryuk or those who wants the souls as part of their desire for power such as Crowley. Some however take her presence as sublime, with Charon among those who tolerate her presence. Just a shame that she might take the souls of those who will join Charon's ferry and use those for empowerment to people like the Chosen Undead.
What makes her unique is her unparalleled power of the domain she serves. Being one of the few to empower others through other souls to awaken their inner power, as some may indicate that the world they live in may have an upmost importance on mankind's own soul, as it is the key to their strength. One may also say that the entity that created humanity may also have not trusted their own creations, and as a result, created the Old One that would eventually haunt the very creations it made.
- As a result, her consultation was filled with deities who have experienced anything related to souls, from artifacts to even specific powers. The first to attend outside of the aforementioned four was the Paladin Artix von Krieger. When she saw his soul, she was surprised to see a pure soul alongside a co-existing dark soul, the Champion of Darkness. He came to visit her in regards to Spirit Orbs, and how she can immensely increase its power. When he saw what she can do in her domain, he decided to entrust her with the Spirit Orbs, as while they may be unable to be controlled once freed by him, she has the ability to manipulate it including empowering its user with the souls imbued within it. As a result, she has become one of Artix's personal helpers since she has access to the Spirit Orbs.
- More assistance came in when the Dovahkiin stepped into the Nexus where she saw all the dragon souls he has taken from many dragons, which impressed her and gave him a huge boost from all the souls he gathered. The Hollow Knight also stepped in as, much like the Chosen Undead up to the Ashen One, he is also blessed by the souls he collects, has made her his substitute for powering up which he will need as the Radiance has become a threat once again. Then after those two, came even more visitors, with Dust among those who asked for her guidance on his identity, which she has accepted and visits her from time to time and Sir Daniel Fortesque who also has been told by her that he is a good soul and would like to also help him from Zarok, also known to manipulate souls for his own evil goals.
- This extends to everything soul-related, from Personas to even Grief Seeds. She has the ability to increase its power and/or change the soul entirely, possibly even purifying it from its original state. Such was the interesting case when the Puella Magi visited her for consultation, and Madoka asking about the Grief Seeds' nature. While indeed it is corrupted, she can only say that it is built from the roots of Soul Gems, meaning Soul Gems are bound to become Grief Seeds at a certain point. Hearing this, she has promised to her if she may no longer meddle with such, as to protect the burden of all fallen Magi. She carefully respected this wish and gave back the seeds, declining anyone with Grief Seed requests.
- For all her work unfortunately attracted foes for her to face, and the more observant foes she has been facing were the Daedric Princes, deities with their own domains filled with numerous souls. Some of the princes have admitted that the Maiden might be equal or even more powerful than they expected her to be, but some do not give up, and this was the case with Molag Bal, who considers the Maiden to be the barrier between the souls he can snatch from the Pantheon. He has come to hate her in with passion and unless she disappears in any other way, Molag's days of soul snatching may be halted. And this just doesn't limit to the Princes, this also extends to more powerful beings, from Diablo himself, who considers her a disgrace of a demon, to even the Chaos Gods, as they too have a realm of souls, well formerly a realm of souls until they came and turned whatever the realm is into an unholy nightmarish mesh of all thoughts good and bad and much like the Princes, consider her a rather problematic roadblock for either to take any soul they come across. Does not help that she has become one of the overseers of the Pantheon status quo, making her a prime target for these powerful deities to keep an eye out for.
- As if facing powerful divine entities was not bad enough, her abilities were among those sought out by those who hunger or crave the power of the soul. When Bison and Shang Tsung heard of the Nexus, they stormed inside in an attempt to coerce her to empowering them. She refused, forcing the two to drag her out of the place or die. They did the latter with Bison repeatedly punching her and Shang Tsung sucking her powers dry, until she rose back again thanks to the Nexial Binding. After repeated tries the duo gave up and dragged her outside, until they realized they couldn't even get her out of the Nexus due to her connection with it. At that point, they gave up until the Chosen Undead, Bearer of the Curse, Solaire and the Ashen One were behind them and gave the two a smackdown. Since then, they have been eyeing on her presence and looking for those who are either soul-hungry or filled with numerous souls and this came to fruition when Ermac, Gul'dan and the Shadow Fiend joined in, with the former duo wanting to add her and the souls she harbors to his collection and the latter seeing her to be quite delicious for his soul appetite. Not to mention the latter is known for eating other demons' own souls but there will be a price for that though.
Some deities such as the God Emperor of Mankind and Yoh Asakura have seen immense respect for her, on Emps he believes she can help recover his split souls so that he may finally recover from the Golden Throne, and on Yoh, she can help him maintain his role as the Shaman King. Her opinion on them is surprisingly similar but she's split on Emps as while he is reasonable on his goals, his actions, not so much.
She has an experience when it comes to those who are known to eat souls, as mentioned by her sympathy towards Merkava to her hostile relationships between Diablo, the Shadow Fiend and the Daedric Princes. This is demonstrated to her ability to quell the Old One, also a consumer of souls one albeit eldritch in nature. If she can lull it to sleep, she may be able to do it to those mentioned, but it may cost her. The real confusion starts with those born or created from multiple souls, with Ermac, Soul Calibur and Nightmare being special cases. She may see the souls within but are unable to modify or change it in any way unless they are freed, which is not helped by the fact that the deities mentioned have their identities made by other souls meaning they do not have an original identity.
Several deities who's own souls have been merged are tricky cases. Some may even be unrepairable due to the damage done to it and as a result cannot be returned to its original state. Often times she will decline to help if the damage is too much to bear and worse of the soul is more than what she can normally handle unless it is necessary to do so where she will have to make changes. This was her unfortunate case with both Red and the Transistor and Yui Ikari, as the former went to the Nexus in a desperate bid to bring her beloved back from the sword into his original body, which she cannot as his soul is bound to the Transistor and on Yui's case, it has become more complicated by the fact that she is Evangelion Unit-01 and that her actions of activating Instrumentality forcibly distanced her from whatever requests she has.
- Requests were denied by her when tackling beasts, or more specifically those that have gone mad similar to that of a monster, which she has experienced with three swordsmen Gael, Artorias and Ludwig and one that is an actual monster Merkava. She claims that their souls have irreparable damage and may never be able to recover it back, save for Artorias who has been able to control his abyssal corruption for a certain amount of time. Ludwig's soul has been bound to the Hunters' Nightmare and his body can no longer be turned to its original state, and for Gael, all hands were off the moment she saw the Dark Soul of Man inside him realizing that this is something she cannot handle only by herself. Same could also be said for Merkava, because while he may have self-awareness, his hunger ends up neutering it, rendering all attempts futile.
- Of all those she has denied, she has the most pity towards the Fabrication Machine, a machination whose lack of a soul left it completely omnicidal. Thanks to a few who were able to consult to her about its situation, she is trying to form a new soul that is capable of housing it, however it will take more time as creating an original soul is harder than it sounds, much less when she is known for utilizing other souls as opposed to creating another one.
- And then there is the undead, another case where she has denied any call for as the topic of the undead is a domain she is well outside of. She may handle the souls but when the souls are controlled from a "living" standpoint whilst supposedly deceased, she may or may not have the power to control it. She does however oppose the idea as souls are better off let go rather than being brought up once more. Both Nagash and Arthas has vehemently hated her for her intervention, but for her she has one interest among them, that being Frostmourne, which houses many souls of those lives who have fallen against it.
  - In relation to Arthas however, she was notified when his lieutenant Kel'thuzad owns a city filled with undead souls, all while being revived back and forth used for nefarious purposes. His role as a lich only worsened the ordeal and has been making plans of possibly being able to overpower them. Not on Nagash though as his prolonged history and coupled by his enormous power may make him a much more problematic scenario.
More special cases came in when the Homunculi were introduced. The prospect of having a soul attached to a fake human being has brought her interest, with the first coming to mind being the Elric Brothers. Alphonse in particular asked if she could bring his original body back but that is outside of her domain, what she can do however is increase Ed's alchemy. But the brothers have more pressing matters as Father saw what the Maiden was trying to do and announced her to be an enemy of the High Command, among those within the higher priorities, due to her soul manipulation being a one of the few that can rival his scheming.
Regular humans can only see the Maiden as a human who's rather blind and barefoot, but outside of that lies the power of the Demon Soul, which many cannot see directly, or so it wouldn't be until some members of Soul Society took a gander at her. Ichigo Kurosaki immediately noticed her demonic origin and asked what else she can do outside of soul manipulation, one of which he asked was the retrieval of souls from hollows. Such request was outside of her reach, and has declined it. When he asked for his soul however, she has grown interest in a half-human half-hollow deity, and moreso on his Bankai stating that his soul is not like the others.
- This was also said on Yusuke Urameshi, who believes she and him are very similar that being humans with demonic power inside of them. But while Yusuke is a half-human, half-demon, the Maiden is more of one-fourths human and the rest being demonic, only being human in looks, further said by his compatriot Kazuma who grew some suspicion on her though it all ended when she said she was on the side of good. Though their presence only brought one of their enemies Shinobu to the table, though he has respected thoughts for her, she cannot accept him for his repugnant killing of humans.
One would think Angels in particular would be very helpful, but on Castiel, this was not the case. For all his allegiance to heaven, he may have committed acts of heresy on heaven (by that as in taking over all souls and becoming the ruler of heaven) and was punished for his transgressions. She has been warned not to trust him, as for all she may expect, he'll do the same again though as of late, this may not be the case as his regret has overtaken him not to mention his powers as an angel being stripped for good.
Gwyn's life couldn't be more proud as one of the very few capable barriers against King Allant has reached into the Pantheon once more. She was allies with him back in the past when Allant's attacks against Gwyn were some of the battles that she has spectated but things suddenly changed. What was once a proud and noble king who would do anything to maintain sunlight to the world may have introduced a whole new world where humanity in general was screwed from the ground up, all done by the fact that he created the Darksign, a sign that would force the humans into the dying Age of Fire as the cycle has been disrupted for his unending devotion to it. All while presenting "gifts" such as the Ringed City, his sacrifice for his own children such as Princess Filianore and even banishment of those who would oppose him such as his firstborn son, may have tarnished whatever goodwill image Gwyn had with the Maiden. The final nail in the coffin was the creation of the Lords of Cinder and even an entire amalgamation of it, the Soul of Cinder, changing her mindset towards him.
- After her "reunion" with Gwyn came one of his staunch opponents, who was intrigued by her domain and purpose. This Scholar of the First Sin was an interesting topic she partook upon herself, culminating in her finding out that for all his immortality, he lacked a soul, as he split it away from the curse of the Darksign. This saddened her, as she realizes that Aldia is one of the very few she cannot manipulate nor change in anyway possible.
Aldia: “So, you control the souls of the people. As if they were people in the first place. If only you knew what they have gone through. Perhaps the Darksign would appeal to you, fair maiden.”
While few still understood the Nexus and the Maiden, one king made it his duty to never allow it to remain under power, that being the Fallen King of Boletaria King Allant, who submitted himself to the Old One after having a nihilistic mindset when even gaining souls and power were not even enough. Such is the case with her, as she has remained neutral on the subject. The King has made it clear he will clear the place and bring the witch to her knees, which he obviously cannot as she is immortal for God knows how long. As his statement says to 'never go on', this also extends to her, as he also wants her to never sooth the Old One back to slumber, lest the loss of the Soul Arts and his wish to engulf all into death, and he will make sure she never does.
The Maiden has a spot in the House of Power and Abilities, under Spiritual and Mental Powers
"Soul of the lost, withdrawn from its vessel. Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended. Soul of the lost, withdrawn from its vessel. Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended, so the world might be mended."

The Patron Saints of Mortality

The Little Match Girl

The Little Match Girl, Divine Patron of Death by Being Too Good for the World (Angela, Giselle, Healer)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/little_match_girl.jpg

One of many depictions of the girl, via promotional art for a Theatre Play at the Tabard Theatre.

^Giselle

^{Her SINoALICE Incarnation}

^{Her Nightmare From (SINoALICE)}

Quasideity, Lesser Goddess as Giselle, or in her SINoALICE State, Borderline Greater Goddess in her Nightmare Form
Symbol: A feminine hand holding a lit-up matchstick or a falling star.
Theme Song: Quartet No. 2 in D Major: III. Notturno - Andante
Alignment: Neutral Overall, though there are Arguments for True Neutral or Neutral Good. Her Ascension to Heaven seems to be more in Favor of the Latter. Chaotic Neutral in her SINoALICE State, Chaotic Evil if she Loses Control or in her Nightmare Form.
Portfolio: A Tragic Child who Receives Little to No Love, Bought Up by an Abusive Father, Is from an Impoverished Family and is Forced to Wander Around Barefoot, Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold, Uses her Matches to View her Idealistic Hopes and Dreams, Alone in a Crowd, Street Urchin, Dies of Hypothermia in a Snowy New Years Eve and is Found the Following Day, Dying Alone Whilst Thinking about being Reunited with her Grandmother who Welcomes Her in Heaven, Go Out with a Smile, Died Happily Ever After, Too Good for This Sinful Earth, Is Sometimes Spared and Given a New Home in Some Adaptations
Domains: Children, Tragedy, Death, New Years, Dreams, Innocence, Poverty, Finality
Herald: Her Grandmother
Allies: Death (Discworld), Death of the Endless, Oliver Twist, Anne-Marie, Arnold Shortman, James Henry Trotter, Maisie Farange, Ryuko Matoi, Satsuki Kiryuin, Zuko, Fate Testarossa-Harlaown, Cinder ella, Adora, Catra, Rapunzel, Lillie, Matilda Wormwood, Aladdin, Chuu (LOONA), Geralt of Rivia, Kazuma Kiryu
On Good Terms With: The Blood Team, Shinji Ikari, Chester A. Bum, Halls of Angels and Dreams and Nightmares
Morality Pet To: Carl and Ada Clover, Jason Todd/Red Hood
Opposes: Abusive Parents, especially The Child Abuse Supporters. For Specifics; Relius Clover, Ragyo Kiryuin, Mother Gothel, Darkseid, Kazuya and Heihachi Mishima
Pitied By: House of Family and Relatives
Interests: Ascended Pyromaniacs and the Hall of Fire and Heat^noteAbout her SINoALICE iteration
A little girl died on a freezing New Year's Eve with a peaceful smile on her face. That is all of what is known about her according to most people, they would simply assume that she succumbed to the cold and there wasn't much that she was able to do as her clothing during the time of death was simply not meant for snowy days. All they could do is pay their condolences for having to learn that a soul who still had so much left to learn, experience, and live for, pass away without anyone to be there for company. Undoubtedly, it's the kind of death that strikes a chord whenever a thought is put into it. The Death of a Child is already one of the most harrowing and upsetting things one can think about, let alone witness.
- Almost all the time, the circumstances that an individual may have been going through could make the context much sadder, and it's always something that a deceased child would be associated with. This particular girl is no exception; while many do not know of it, she was from a low-class working family... and her father wasn't exactly a decent person. In fact, their last interaction was him sending the girl out of the house to sell matchsticks for money, or else he'll beat her if she comes back and doesn't do so. Turns out, it happened in the worst weather possible, and the girl lost her slipper. She was unable to sell any matchsticks and unable to come back home, she lit them up to comfort herself with warmth. And in each matchstick used, she saw a vision of a possible life, moment, and opportunities that she always wanted to have; a loving family, a nice house, fresh food, basically anything that a poor person would have wanted. The last matchstick and the last vision she had was of her long-deceased grandmother who met the girl with a hug, which coincided with the girl's death from hypothermia. She died all alone, lonely, and without any care or attention given to her, something that hardly anyone picked up. That said, she maintained a weak smile, which told that at least she was happy in the last few seconds of her life.
Though not much about the girl is known, the story itself managed to make quite the impact. Beyond being a highly melancholic story of someone who doesn't have anything or anyone left with her during death, the fact that it's child furthers the overall impact. To a lot of people it's one of the most tragic tales they've come across, and it's for a good reason. One can note that at least in an attempt to soften the blow, at least the girl reunited with her grandmother, the only other person who ever loved her. This seems to be the case as they're confirmed to be in heaven.
Ascending to the Pantheon meant that the girl had to shed off the potential fact that she might have become an angel upon entering the afterlife. However, in case she did decide to live out a supposedly mortal life again, she would have her grandmother also returned as a herald so that the two of them can remain together and that the grandmother can find a way to support the girl. Many have wanted to pay their condolences to her and wanted to wish them a better life in the Pantheon than they initially did. The grandmother decided to take the offer, whereupon the girl became an approved denizen to a whole new realm. Now with a new opportunity to lead a new life, the girl and the grandmother were given a personal domain to inhabit and the girl was bestowed a status to represent those who were good, but passed on because of the cruelties of the world and society. And in the Pantheon proper, she's identified as the "Match Girl" as nobody really knows her name... supposedly. There's more to that, though only some would know of it.
It is said that when a person dies, the sky is illuminated by a bright star falling as if to symbolize the deceased as having gone up in the skies to find eternal peace and comfort. This just so happens to be the case for the Match Girl, which doubles with the fact that she was innocent and only desired what really anybody would have noted. The House of Time and Temporality certainly took notice of that and in a touching tribute, many of its members decided to create a constellation of the Match Girl and her grandmother, which particularly endeared her. The Match Girl herself was surprised to see how wide and bright the cosmos is and could only imagine how shiny the night sky could get if it was filled up with all sorts of stars and their positionings to create a visualization.
- Beyond that, and considering that she became an angel upon death, the Match Girl is more than welcome to attend the Hall of Angels where nearly everyone treats her with formality and respect and giving her some space where she could do what any child would do, such as running, playing with others and laughing. This is also the Hall where the Match Girl reverts back to her angelic state alongside her grandmother for obvious reasons. That said, while she really does love being in the Hall, the Match Girl also believes that she should try to do the most she can as a normal person as well, hence taking on the guise of her former mortal self outside of the Hall itself, the only difference being that her clothing is a lot cleaner.
- A similar treatment was also presented by the Hall of Dreams, which was a reflection of the Match's Girl's last moments where she struck matches to hallucinate of happier times that she always wanted to have, but was unable to do so due to her devastating circumstances. Much like the House of Time and Space, the Hall of Dreams has the Match Girl established as a patron of sorts where she is always welcome to attend. There, she has the opportunity to think up her dreams and reflect upon them without risk and issue. And the Match Girl has company that would ensure her happiness and desires are fulfilled, alongside her grandmother.
The circumstances of her plight were of concern to a lot of deities, especially those in the House of Family and Relatives, which is justified as her father was physically abusive and threatened her in case she was unable to sell all or some of the matches. As a result, he did play a role in her death, and this was not a thought that lots would like to dwell under. The girl and her grandmother were simply welcomed with utmost grace and appreciation by the House and are treated as special guests. The Child Abuse Supporters, as usual, are apathetic about the Match Girl's suffering and do not care to pay any attention. Then again, they are aware of the fact that trying to attack or emotionally harm the girl would bring them hostile attention, though a few of them couldn't care less about that either.
- Those who were raised in an abusive household were very quick to lend their support towards the Match Girl. Learning of her story did get them to think that it would be best if they could become a lot more proactive in trying to help others, especially considering that one of the mains reason the Match Girl passed away was that no one cared to notice her, let alone buy a matchstick and give her money. While she was young, Maisie Farange felt that the Match Girl deserved far better parents than what she had in her mortal life, given that she has had experience with dealing with abusive parents (although in Maisie's case, it was more to do with her parents neglecting and ignoring her, and wanting ownership of her out of spite against one another). Thankfully, Margo, Lincoln, and Mrs. Wix were warmly open to having the Match Girl spend time with Maisie and the former's grandmother, in turn, appreciated their hospitality.
Her love for her grandmother makes one affirm that the Match Girl would have been better being raised by her instead. This caught the attention of Arnold Shortman, himself having lived most of his life being doted upon by his grandparents. He was a boy who felt inclined to do the right thing, no matter what, and helping out the Match Girl was just one of them, which felt notable as Arnold went through with it before learning of her story. And once he did, Arnold decided that maybe he should do whatever it takes to make her happy and comfortable in the Pantheon, which the Match Girl and her grandmother appreciated. Since then, they've remained good friends and Arnold's grandparents became well-accustomed to the girl's grandmother.
As she was from a poor family and her last moments were spend all alone, some of the deities in the Pantheon who were either poor or were homeless were able to relate with the Match Girl's situation and were saddened to learn of how her life ended, even when she found happiness in reuniting with her grandmother in the afterlife. Chester A. Bum forgoes most of his zaniness and becomes more empathetic towards her. He still acts weird, but having to die just because you couldn't come back home and being poor did strike a nerve to him and he tries to make sure that he can be as affectionate towards the Match Girl as possible.
- Oliver Twist and Anne-Marie were also destitute children who had to go through a lot of turmoil before getting a proper resolution for themselves, more so for the former. They were clearly devastated to learn of the circumstances that happened with the Match Girl and immediately tried to befriend her upon hearing their story. To their joy, the Match Girl accepted the invitation and the three of them often try to make the most of their time playing together and going around the Pantheon for fun, albeit with supervision from some of their older friends. It helps that the Match Girl's grandmother is accepting of her granddaughter having new friends as it's one of those things she desired in her life.d
There are alternate takes to the story where the Match Girl ends up surviving and finds happiness in being granted an opportunity for a future. A version of the Grim Reaper decided to use his power and authority as the Hogfather to grant her the present of a future, despite his original job being to oversee someone's death without interrupting it before taking their souls to the afterlife. Upon learning of this Grim Reaper's kindness, the Match Girl and her grandmother were grateful for what he did, and despite his terrifying looks, he was an honored guest to them. Death tends to keep quiet about the ordeal, but deep down, he wasn't watching the Match Girl die and decided to take matters into his own hands. That, and his job has given him an appreciation towards life.
- Death of the Endless also has a similar task as Discworld!Death did, with the additional favor of also having to live a life as a mortal every 100 years to remind herself and understand just how much her occupation as a Grim Reaper justifies her importance and Death's positive outlook towards life. She was saddened in having to see what the Match Girl went through and regretted that she has to let life and fate run their course. That said, she was surprised and impressed at how Discworld!Death was able to find a way around to allow the Match Girl to live, via using his job as the Hogfather. When they met, the Match Girl took a liking to Death's excitable and fun demeanor and would sometimes ask if they can play, which she reciprocates. A part of why The Endless plays with the Match Girl is, again, because it reminds her of how precious life can be and how much importance it weighs on her as a Grim Reaper.
Contrary to what others think, the Match Girl's real name is known... somewhat. In one world, she goes by Giselle and in another one, she's known as Mary. That said, these versions of the Match Girl, are very different from what was originally established. The most familiar of the named versions goes by Angela, who ended up surviving and being adopted. Unfortunately, not many tend to know of this iteration except for those who either are close friends with the Match Girl or have a lot of familiarity with her. Angela happens to be her preferred given name and one of the ways one recognizes someone as a good friend to the Match Girl is if they refer to her as Angela instead.
- For bonus points, Angela turns out to be a Meaningful Name for the Match Girl as it symbolizes her innocent and kind nature and how she was to find her way to heaven to find comfort and happiness with her grandmother. The Match Girl's friends were able to take notice of that, by which point calling her Angela seems more endearing to them, much to the girl's happiness.
- And speaking of Giselle, she became a guardian to a garden, though she was still tethered to what had happened in the original story. The Match Girl's grandmother was a Forest Witch, whom the garden initially belonged to, and once Giselle died, so did the garden, which withered in response. In this state, Giselle tends to be more combat capable than you'd expect, though she's rather boisterous and temperamental. It's not a side that's seen in the Match Girl on occasion, but her dedication and respect towards the garden were enough to elicit some positive response from the Houses of Nature and Plants.
Due to her tragic life, some deities have proven themselves to be rather very protective about her. Carl Clover was one of them and the fact that the Match Girl had to deal with an abusive drunk who played a part in her death, reminded the boy of his ordeals against his own father, Relius Clover, and quickly took to being sympathetic towards her. And even when Carl went through a period of darkness that he's yet to bounce back out of, the Match Girl remains someone that he's affectionate towards, with the same sentiment also being shares by his automated older sister, Ada.
- Jason Todd, the Red Hood, had his fair share of experience in dealing with abusive parents, so he understood how much the Match Girl suffered. Additionally, Jason had been a Street Urchin in his youth as well, and with the Match Girl being one as well, the two found a few more similarities that they could share. Whenever they meet, Jason is at his kindest and considerate when around her, knowing the pain she went through not being able to provide and feeling alone in the streets, Jason is adamant about looking after her and protecting her at any costs. To his luck, they appreciated their fondness towards one another, with Jason calling her Angela to signal how acquainted he is with the Match Girl.
To most people, and make no mistake, she is a gentle, sweet little girl who simply wants to be loved by her friends and her grandmother and to live a happy, wishful life. However, in rare moments, she ends up becoming a meek and insecure kid who still goes around selling matches. That wouldn't be much of a problem and, normally, she is treated with sympathy. But when she snaps, well, you get a crazed child with the powers of Hellfire who desires to kill the author who made her story because she hasn't really gotten over her trauma and suffering. That said, even when the Match Girl enters a frenzied state, she does retain traces of the Nice Girl that she usually is and manages to recognize her loved ones. Unfortunately, her desire to protect them is rare as, when with her usual company or in a good mood, she's in her normal form. Though most do admit that she can be a rather terrifying threat if she lets loose. Her Nightmare Form is not a topic that many would like to discuss on, due to just how much of a contrast that is regarding the Match Girl.
- Speaking of Hellfire, while the Match Girl doesn't have much control over it, it is noted that her capabilities and strength are of high potential and, if mastered, can be rather devastating towards anyone that the Match Girl perceives as a threat. Pyromaniacs, in general, are interested to learn just how powerful the Match Girl can be whereas the benevolent representatives in the Hall of Fire and Heat do express some concern over the topic and seek to find ways to console the Match Girl and, if possible, teach her to control her powers. However, due to her constant change in forms, the Match Girl has proven to be oddly elusive in that matter. It doesn't help in that normally, all she wants is love and affection when she's just a normal girl and her alternate persona only comes out either rarely or in extreme circumstances.
The Match Girl's story has proven to be influential in their own right, as can be told with some additional experience from Kazuma Kiryu and Geralt of Rivia. The former had to deal with a girl whose situation was that she was selling matchsticks so that she can buy a Christmas gift for her boyfriend, which didn't turn out so good as the boyfriend dumped the girl and she wound up giving the present to Kiryu. In the latter, Geralt encountered the Little Flint Girl, a resident in the Land of a Thousand Fables, where neglect towards the story caused entropy to distort the stories into twisted variations. In the case of the Little Flint Girl, she instead sold tobacco, alcohol, and drugs as they provided more money than matchsticks. The two men were led to the Match Girl due to these connections, whereupon both felt that they can at least try to comfort the girl in some way. Kiryu, having had a good experience with kids before, would have been more than willing to adopt the Match Girl to his orphanage. That, and he would have beaten the hell out of her father for obvious reasons. While Geralt isn't a child caretaker by any means, he still has a measure of honor and respect towards the innocent and is open to providing a portion of his money to the Match Girl and her grandmother in case he comes back from one of his hunting travels.
Despite her story being a massive Tear Jerker in its own right, there are some heavily abridged parodies based on the Match Girl, with records and documents being available in the House of Narrative. In spite of it all, the Match Girl doesn't really mind it all that much, in fact, some of them are pretty funny and she often chuckles at them. That said, she didn't expect herself to get heavy payback on her father and run off to the Carribeans or have her story established into a play... only to suddenly start incorporating random fantastical elements that ultimately end up turning the story In Name Only. When asked, she's not fond of the former, while she finds the latter really funny, though she does state that all she really wants is to be with a happy family and live in a comfy home where she can play happily and have friends.

The Masked Man

The Masked Man, God of Those Who Had Died Free (Claus of the Nowhere Islands)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/masked_man_6.png

^Unmasked

Intermediate God
Symbol: A tropicbird rising from broken shackles or his hair (He has stripped his outfit entirely of Pigmask imagery since he does not acknowledge his former affiliation with the Pigmasks)
Theme Songs: What's That?!, Strong One (Masked Man), Battle Against the Masked Man
Alignment: True Neutral with Neutral Good tendencies He would formerly exhibit Neutral Evil tendencies
Portfolio: Malevolent Masked Man, being granted the top spot in an army for his ability to dominate his opponents, villanious determination, Tragic Anti-Villain, Tragic Monster, forcibly converted into an emotionless cybernetically augmented human, Walking Spoiler status in his home series that became widely known over time, the evil half of a two brother duo, until he got better, likewise, providing one half of a Red Oni, Blue Oni duo, Used to Be a Sweet Kid until he was rebuilt and brainwashed by the Big Bad, Left for Dead since they Never Found the Body, killed himself upon realizing who he really was, and died in his family's arms afterwards
Domains: The brainwashed, cybernetically augmented life forms (not just human), psychic powers
Allies: Pretty much all of the House of Ambiguity, in particular, the Hall of Anti-Villains, Hinawa ^{note(spoilers)}his mother, Dust, Golbez, and N
Rivals: Darth Vader, Samus Aran, Meta Knight
Enemies: Ghetsis, Palpatine, Giygas, Porky Minch ^{note(spoilers)}his former boss
Opposes: Cybermen, Viktor. In fact, pretty much every single member of the Grand United Alliance of Machines given that he does not believe in total subjugation of organic life.
Avoids: Lucas (his twin brother), Ness (under an oath of secrecy)
Hailing from the Nowhere Islands, the Masked Man was one of a series of biological experiments performed by the Pigmask Army called "The Chimera Project". The Pigmasks have recovered this subject unconscious (he was left for dead after a dangerous fight with another fellow Chimera). Allegedly, he was taken in after witnessing that he could utilize certain psychic powers that could further their mission. As a result, his right eye and right hand have been mechanically augmented with a bionic eye and a handcannon not unlike that of Samus Aran, respectively.
- A side effect of his life-saving reconstruction (or maybe part of the project thereof) was that he had lost nearly all of his personality prior to reconstruction. Negotiations and interviews with former Pigmask scientists have revealed that this was indeed a combination of the augmentation process, though shortly after the success of the process, he was sent to "conditioning" not unlike what regular Pigmask troops undergo. What little is left is an emotionless machine confined to do Porky's bidding. As such, he was dispatched to pull the Seven Needles, an act that is said would recreate the world under the puller's image. (though it is unknown whether Porky knew if the world would be recreated under his image)
He does not acknowledge his Chimera co-experimentees as brethren. In fact, he shows resentment to his former boss following his ascension.
His ascension came by shortly after his death. Just before the final Needle, he had fought Lucas over pulling it, as both of them had pulled three others beforehand. In a tragic series of events, a tiny shred of humanity had reawoken within the Masked Man. Remembering who he was as Lucas's brother Claus, he killed himself by overloading his energy sword, discharging it against Lucas's Attack Reflector, and succumbing to the resulting energy shock. In his final moments, Claus had felt relieved that he could be aside Lucas as himself before his passing.
He has embarked on a Quest for Identity in an attempt to try to fully reconcile his old self with his augmented self. He turns to Dust to help him out, as well as the House of Ambiguity. In a way, Masked Man's own quest draws parallels to Dust's.
- Dust had told him about Fuse, a warrior who had also been driven to insanity (to the point of massacring an entire village of innocents) following a cybernetic augmentation process conducted to save his life, and was therefore fought and killed by Dust (whom Fuse had identified as a deadly soldier who had killed several members of Fuse's own species) before he could continue his rampage. The Masked Man shows pity to Fuse's case. Given the circumstances between Dust and Fuse's fight, he is worried that in his case, should he encounter someone who knows his past, he or she may actively lash out against him much as how Fuse did to Dust. The Masked Man notes that this is an inversion between Dust and Fuse's case.
He has decided to maintain his ascension as a secret to his good-aligned Earthbound co-deities, until he deems appropriate. He claims it is because of how Lucas would react from his brother's sudden reappearance, though others claim it is due to his pact with the GUAG. Even more believe it is part of his Quest for Identity, and the most cynical claim that it is because of his actions post-augmentation. So far, he has not encountered any of them in person.
- He avoids Ness thanks to his close connections to Lucas.
Is in mutual understanding (no real friendship between the two) with fellow Ministry of Atonement acolyte Golbez, someone else who had undertaken a Redemption Quest to reclaim their identity following their ascension. The two were also honor-bound to not make contact with their respective brothers while undertaking this quest. They each mutually look forward to the others' quests coming to a successful conclusion, to reunite with their brothers fully.
Frequently spars against Darth Vader, swords only. Does the same with Samus Aran, though with no limits. Due to Samus's association with the Master Hand tournament series, he does not hold these practice sessions as much, unless Samus needs a sparring partner. The same applies to Meta Knight.
Palpatine is one individual whom Masked Man will actively fight in sight, as a result of his Manipulative Bastard methods.
Is a frequent spectator of the Master Hand tournament series since its 2007 inception, and wagers on matches frequently.

Raoh

Raoh, God of Dying in a Spectacular Manner (Ken-Oh, The King of Fists, Conqueror of the Century's End, The Ruthless Conqueror)

Greater God
Symbol: His Statue posing his Death Scene
Theme Music: Hokuto Renkitoza, Brave Soldiers (shared with the Bronze Saints and Jonathan Joestar)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (formerly Lawful Evil)
Portfolio: Aloof Big Brother, Dark Messiah, Well-Intentioned Extremist, Rival Turned Evil, Godhood Seeker, Noble Demon, One-Man Army, Genius Bruiser, Died Standing Up
Domains: War, Battle, Death, Family, Travel
Heralds: Kaioh (his own Aloof Big Brother), Ryu (his post-mortem son)
Special Relations: Kenshiro, Toki
Allies: Nagato, Settra the Imperishable, Darth Vader
Rival: Thouzer
Enemies: Jagi, King Shin, Immortan Joe, Tai Lung, Handsome Jack, John Kreese
Foil to: Akuma
Distrusted by: Max Rockatansky, Furiosa
Conflicted about: Frisk
On understanding terms with: Johnny Lawrence
Conflicted Opinion: Senator Armstrong
Ryuken was the 63rd successor to Hokuto Shinken, a powerful martial art. He had four adopted sons (Kenshiro, Raoh, Toki, and Jagi) and trained them in Hokuto Shinken in the hopes of passing it down to whoever was most worthy of it. Kenshiro, the youngest of the four, was chosen, but Raoh challenged the decision and fought Ryuken to try and override Ryuken’s choice. Despite giving Raoh a hard fight, Ryuken suffered a stroke, giving Raoh an opportunity to kill his adopted father/mentor. Once the world was turned into an apocalyptic wasteland as a result of nuclear war, Raoh sought to use his power to bring order across the wasteland. Taking on the mantle of Ken-Oh, Raoh used his might to rule over various parts of the ruined world, prompting his brothers Kenshiro and Toki to bring an end to Raoh’s reign of terror. After a battle between Kenshiro and Raoh that ended in a near-fatal draw, Toki, who was personally requested by Raoh to stop him should the latter turn to a path of darkness, fought Ken-Oh, but was unable to defeat Raoh due to suffering from radiation sickness he incurred during the nuclear fallout. Raoh then crossed paths with Yuria, Kenshiro’s love interest who also happened to be the Last General of Nanto and after learning about her radiation sickness, extended her life. Kenshiro and Raoh engaged in one final battle that ended with Raoh’s defeat and him ultimately realizing how much he truly cared about his brothers. In the end, Raoh used what was left of his strength to bring light to a world in ruin, turning him into a statue in the process.
A lot of time has passed since Raoh’s death and Kenshiro continuing his journey across the post-apocalyptic wasteland and encountering more tyrants to fight against. At some point, a world only identified as “Pantheon” was found and it was there that Kenshiro has since taken part of, alongside his friends and foes. Raoh ended up there thanks to the efforts of some who were sympathetic to his goals and through them, he learned about the nature of the Pantheon and how much more well-adjusted it was compared to the chaotic world he tried to bring order to. While he acknowledged how much of a better state the Pantheon is, he was aware that there was parts of that world that was still in disorder (and possibly even worse than what he witnessed in the past), giving him a reason to take his goals to the Pantheon and unite those specific ruined areas and bring them under control.
Despite Raoh’s intimidating appearance and behavior, it’s clear that he wants to bring order to a world overrun by chaos and those who support his cause revere him. It’s one reason why he has nothing but disdain towards Immortan Joe, another post-apocalyptic conqueror who sought to increase his influence across a ruined landscape. Whereas Raoh ensures that innocents don’t suffer too heavily despite his methods and is aware of what he’s doing, Joe believes that he’s bringing order to the world around him despite treating the people around him as little more than different resources to further his goals. In terms of physical threat, Raoh doesn’t see Joe as much of a challenge should he face him directly, but Joe isn’t willing to go down easily and is willing to send his soldiers to fight off Raoh, but Raoh is very determined in making sure that he’ll take over whatever pieces of land are there that are in control of Joe.
- Another reason why Raoh has utter contempt towards Joe is the latter’s treatment of Furiosa and The Five Wives, something that brought to mind Raoh’s time with Yuria. Joe simply saw Furiosa and The Five Wives as a means to accomplish his goals to the point that Furiosa sought to free The Five Wives with Max Rockatansky’s help and while Raoh tried to kidnap Yuria so that he can lure Kenshiro to battle, Yuria was already in poor condition to the point that Raoh was sympathetic to her plight and extended her lifespan (that and Yuria was a kind soul in a devastated world). Max and Furiosa are aware of Raoh’s ambitions and despite him being relatively reformed, they’re still wary of him given the measures he’s willing to take to try and get what he wants and fighting against his army if it does happen will end up being a significant challenge for the two.
One thing that Raoh doesn’t like is when people act extremely pacifistic to him to the point that they are incredibly submissive and aren’t willing to put up a fight against him. The Pantheon has plenty of pacifists with a good number of them willing to put up a fight if there aren’t any options left, but there was one pacifist that Raoh was heavily conflicted with for plenty of reasons. Frisk ended up in a world inhabited by strange creatures and by not killing anyone in their journey, Frisk would end up making everything better for everyone, but if Frisk ends up getting violent, there is potential for everything to go downhill. As someone who has gone through a violent journey in the name of bringing order to a devastated world, Raoh found it hard to believe that a kid would have to not fight anyone in order to make things right and that causing an act of violence would bring the risk of them becoming something much worse. Given that he has changed following his climactic battle with Kenshiro, Raoh didn’t deny that Frisk is an unusual individual, even if it’s clear that Raoh doesn’t fully believe that Frisk can change the world by not harming anyone given how morally depraved some in the Pantheon are.
While Raoh and Tai Lung were martial artists who turned to violence after being denied the opportunity for greatness, the paths that they individually took ended up being very different. Tai Lung sought revenge against Master Shifu for not being given the title of Dragon Warrior and after breaking free from prison, went on a rampage so that he could take the Dragon Scroll by force while Raoh killed Ryuken in battle after learning he couldn’t be the sole inheritor of Hokuto Shinken and went on crusade to becoming the leader of a world in ruin. Raoh really doesn’t like the comparisons Tai Lung tried to make between each other as Raoh at least valued his siblings in the end and wanted to bring order to a chaotic world whereas Tai Lung only cared about wanting more power to himself, not helped by the fact that Tai Lung has already taken to meeting Jagi, the forgotten sibling who wanted Hokuto Shinken for himself whom the other siblings (Raoh included) hold in contempt, to improve his combat skills. It became clear that what Jagi taught wasn’t enough for Tai Lung as he couldn’t get close to Raoh and land a decent hit on him during battle, further angering the snow leopard. Raoh’s final words to Tai Lung before departing was that those who fight with strong ambitions in mind will survive, ambitions that Tai Lung didn’t have and the snow leopard has since vowed to get stronger by any means necessary.
As someone who went through a complicated path that had people close to them suffer, Raoh found some kinship with Darth Vader. Prior to becoming Vader, he was Anakin Skywalker and was trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi, slowly getting corrupted by Darth Sidious and fighting against Obi-Wan before transforming into Darth Vader and later getting defeated and redeemed by his son Luke Skywalker. Raoh wasn’t corrupted by an outside force compared to Anakin, but still went on a dark path that involved battles with his adopted brothers Kenshiro and Toki. Given the circumstances that Vader is going through in the Pantheon, Raoh was willing to provide him the support needed to continue working towards what Anakin wanted to originally achieve.
Raoh wasn’t the only martial artist who got involved in conflict related to his family members, though Akuma, who was also involved in such a thing, was very different from Raoh in terms of personality and goals. Akuma was the brother of Gouken, a powerful fighter who trained Ryu and Ken and he, alongside Akuma, trained under Goutetsu until Akuma killed Goutetsu with the deadly Shun Goku Satsu technique and challenged Gouken to a fight that ended with Gouken unconscious for a handful of years. As Akuma seeks out powerful opponents to battle, Raoh would end up encountering him while Raoh went to a desolate part of the Pantheon that Akuma went to in order to challenge some potent fighters that were present. Akuma is aware of how powerful Raoh is and how he’s taken over parts of a ruined world, with Akuma wanting to battle him to see how true those rumors are. While Raoh wanted to take the area he was in for himself, it became apparent that he would have to take down Akuma in order to further his goals. As Raoh’s version of Hokuto Shinken was dangerous, Akuma had to unlock more of his power, bringing with it the risk of him being consumed by the Satsui no Hado. Thankfully for those witnessing that battle, Akuma was able to get this more violent side under control even with the boost in power. The battle ended in a stalemate, with Akuma being impressed with the power and skill Raoh had with his abilities, though Raoh isn’t one to actively battle opponents for the sake of proving one’s power like Akuma does even if he didn’t deny the fact that Akuma is a very capable fighter.
He wasn’t the only figure in the Pantheon who sought to bring order to a world besieged chaos. Settra the Imperishable and Nagato were a few other deities in the Pantheon that had noble intentions that were willing to use extreme methods to get those goals fulfilled. Settra wanted to rebuild his empire and reclaim Nehekhara after Nagash brought everything to ruin while Nagato sought peace via the use of a deadly weapon that would eventually end up in a vicious cycle as a result of people being afraid of said weapon. Nagato was eventually redeemed by Naruto at the end of their battle akin to how Raoh was redeemed by Kenshiro during their climactic battle, and Raoh took notice of Nagato’s heavily troubled past and his understandable, if flawed, method of trying to bring about order. He would eventually find them to be of use to his goals of bringing about order to the more devastated parts of the Pantheon and Nagato and Settra were able to work well with him.
Despite the handful of individuals who share a desire for genuine peace and are willing to achieve it no matter what it takes, there were others who only sought to make the world a better place for their own benefit, something that Raoh took umbrage with. Handsome Jack resided in Pandora, a desolate planet overrun with bandits and corruption and despite having the best of intentions to mitigate the problems at first, it became gradually apparent that he was only doing it to inflate his ego. Raoh heard about how bad Pandora was through both members of his army and outside sources and was furious at how Jack made things worse despite claiming to fix those problems. For all of Raoh’s ambitions and desire to make things better in a world where it’s very difficult to do so, Jack didn’t care at all for what Raoh thinks of him, instead seeing him as another obstacle that’s trying to take over something that is already in Jack’s “control”. Regardless, taking down someone like Raoh is going to take a lot of resources to accomplish even if Jack believes that there is an easier way to defeat him that doesn’t involve close-combat.
Besides the very unorthodox fighting styles that are present in the Pantheon, there were some fighters who had more straightforward techniques that took notice of Raoh, with John Kreese and Johnny Lawrence being some of them. Lawrence was formerly taught by Kreese to be a ruthless fighter, but years have passed since Lawrence’s battle with Daniel Larusso and Lawrence made an effort to make up for his past while Kreese continued his deceitful methods after Cobra Kai opened up again. Kreese would learn of how Raoh uses Hokuto Shinken and found it to be very effective as a means to put the weak in their place, but Raoh has nothing but contempt for Kreese and his ideology that being completely merciless will accomplish anything as Raoh had to come to terms that there were people who still cared about him despite his imposing character. It was also why Raoh is willing to understand Lawrence as the latter learned about his past mistakes and wanted to refine what he learned and teach it to others. Although Raoh wanted Hokuto Shinken for himself and went on a dark path, he at least came to terms with his character and Lawrence doesn’t mind him that much, despite the large power gap between them.

Pantheon / Death and Postmortem

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