The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: Difference between revisions

A [[Surveillance as the Plot Demands|magic ball or screen on the wall showing the hero's every move]] is a required accessory.

 

 

The result is a lot of [[Cryptic Conversation|vague and pretentious doubletalk]] about how they know everything that's happening but don't actually mention what any of those things are, not even to themselves. Expect comments like "[[All According to Plan|Everything is going according to]] [[Evil Plan|Plan]]." and "[[Vagueness Is Coming|Great Darkness is coming.]] We will see if the hero can handle it." Except for what little tidbits the writer feels obliged to reveal, as little detail as possible is given. Also, as [[The Hero]] (and by extension, the audience) finds out more of "The Plan", The Omniscient Council Of Vagueness will have no problem discussing those parts directly, even when it was apparently taboo previously. (Though, of course, people tend not to talk in detail about things they all already know. Makes wiretapping a frustrating business.)

* ''[[Eureka Seven]]'' does the same thing with the Three Sages Council, kicking the pretentiousness of the members way up: {{spoiler|while SEELE '''was''' actually nigh-omnipotent and omniscient, even if they severely underestimated Gendo Ikari, the Sages are in fact revealed to know '''much less''' about the world that they liked to believe, and also get '''''completely screwed''''' by their supposed [[The Dragon|Dragon]] Dewey Novak}}

* In ''[[Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle]]'', Fei Wang Reed is very fond of monologuing in this manner to his henchwoman, Xing Huo. Likewise the Dimension Witch Yuuko talks to herself this way. She's actually bound by a [[Because Destiny Says So|rule]] that says she ''cannot'' tell anyone valuable information unless they pay a price "of the equivalent value."

* The country of Lacryma in ''[[Noein]]'' is ruled by such a council, which apparently includes a doll.

** One of them is apparently catatonic, and most of the table is empty chairs. There are really only three people left, and their glowy ball is the interface with their Quantum Computer. All they know about our heroes is what their steadily decreasing numbers of 'birds' bring back, and they don't know anything about ''Noein'' at all. Not even his name, only the traitor knows that until the finale. But they're sure shooting for the image.

 

== Comics Books ==

* DC comics had The Quintessence.

* [[Marvel Comics]] had the Illuminati, and Osborn's Cabal.

* Lampshaded in the [[Touhou Project]] fanfiction, [[Imperfect Metamorphosis]]. When Yukari, Mima, and Eirin gather around a table to discuss the plan to destroy the [[Complete Monster]], Yukari mutters that, with all the powerful people in one room, she might as well break out the black hoods and smoke machines.

* The Fans in ''[[With Strings Attached]]''. Except only Jeft wants to be vague; the others want to be helpful and informative. They call him out on this tendency, but he {{spoiler|seemingly}} always has a rational reason for behaving as he does.

 

 

* A council of conspiring nobles in [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld/The Truth|The Truth]]'' is one of these. They call themselves "The Committee To Unelect The Patrician."

** There's another one in ''[[Discworld/Feet of Clay|Feet of Clay]]'', though their goal there is more like "Incapacitate The Patrician".

** The Auditors tend to play out this trope in novels where they're the antagonists, making cryptic remarks about their intentions while avoiding the first-person singular.

* The Spinner's End scene in ''[[Harry Potter]]'', even for being based around a notoriously un-forthcoming character, is simply ''uncanny'' in not showing any details about "the plan".

* [[The Illuminati]] in ''[[Paranoia]]'', who end up giving their blackmailed minions tasks ranging from "kill this man" to "place a bucket full of paint in a dustbin in HPL Sector.

** {{spoiler|1=It's little more than a front for High Programmer activities in secret societies that need a lot of discretion. It's not an actual secret society and more of a joke between ULTRAVIOLETs... probably.}}

** There is also the more traditional Aurum, an organization of wealthy families dedicated to increasing their own wealth.

 

*** That doesn't specify ''which'' people.

* The Philosophers of ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', and their successors The Patriots. {{spoiler|Except that the actual Patriots are disguising themselves as an Omniscient Council Of Vagueness. In truth, they are a network of four super computers that have almost complete control over the digital infrastructure of the entire world, and have become impossible to control by their creators long ago.}} Mildly subverted in that they are never actually seen meeting.

* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' has the meeting of the Shinra executives where they discuss their plans for Aeris and Neo Midgar.

* The ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series has both the Shadow Broker and Cerberus/Illusive Man. Helping or following direct orders/requests from either group generally rewards [[Karma Meter|renegade points]].

* ''[[Deus Ex]]'' starts with a sequence like this, where Bob Page and Walton Simons [http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Deus_Ex#Introduction_sequence discuss their plans] in veiled terms. It contains references to most of the major plot points in the game, but they can't be appreciated until after the fact.

** The prequel, ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution]]'', begins similarly, with Bob Page and the rest of the Illuminati Council of Five discussing their latest scheme for world domination via distorted voice teleconference. None of the members' faces, except Page's are shown, and only two ({{spoiler|Zhao Yun Rhu and Hugh Darrow}}) can be definitively identified via their distinctive (and thus not completely distorted) accents.

* The Three Wise Men from ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]: [[Strange Journey]]'', an explicit [[Council of Angels]] that acts in lieu (and, they claim, in the name of) [[God]]. The appearance of the [[Negative Space Wedgie|Schwarzwelt]] provided them an opportunity to guide the world into a land ruled by Law, and the Protagonist and the rest of the Schwarzwelt Investigation Team are the perfect pawns to fulfill their desires. Unlike the true originator of the Schwarzwelt, however, {{spoiler|going against their wishes doesn't set them against the Protagonist, as they're quite confident that he will fail and they, as eternal beings, can just try again with someone else}}.

* In ''[[Age of Empires III]]'' the Circle of Ossus are an antagonistic group out to find the [[Fountain of Youth]] and have some powerful connections, with everything else about them completely unknown.