The Parliament of Shadows is the elected government of horror-kind, the representatives of monsters that go bump in the night. Founded around 1500 years ago as the Council of Shadows, the Parliament took over rulership of the Netherworld after the Bogeyman, the Lord of Terror and King Over All Shadows, vanished following the foundation of the Veil in the 9th century. They are the strongest supernatural government in the world, controlling the majority of the Netherworld, and holding significant assets throughout the mortal world. The Parliament, due to its size, breadth, and age, is the single most formidable supernatural organization out there--it almost singlehandedly maintains the Veil Treaty with only token support from the Summer Court, the Republic of Four Winds, the Kingdom Under the Mountain, and the City of Brass. The Parliament has agents or members situated throughout the mortal world, from government to business to other secret societies. Very little happens without the Parliament's knowledge. However, being a vast and bloated democracy, the Parliament often fails to act upon this information, as its thousand members squabble endlessly over the proper allocation of Shadow's vast resources. Still, when the Parliament does decide to act, the entire world--both supernatural and mundane--trembles.