Wandenreich (Equilibrium)

The Wandenreich (見えざる帝国 (ヴァンデンライヒ), Vandenraihi; Japanese for "Invisible Empire") is the primary military and governmental force of the, having been founded by their progenitor,. They have repeatedly waged war on.

History
While originally scattered across the world, the Quincy eventually came together under their king,, to form the Wandenreich. By this time, the had begun making repeated appeals to the Quincy that only they should deal with s, as Quincy would eradicate the lost souls, unlike the Shinigami who cleansed them, allowing them to continue along the cycle of reincarnation. The Quincy refused time and again until the Shinigami were left with little choice but to wipe out the Quincy in order to maintain the balance of souls.

This resulted in a war between Wandenreich and the 1000 years ago. Following their defeat, the Wandenreich fled from the and into the  at the heart of Soul Society, believing it to be the place that would be most unguarded. They hid there using to create space within the shadows. They planned to use the large quantities of Reishi that could only be found in Soul Society in order to fuel their power, in doing so they hid for the next 1,000 years until they were ready.

Following 's defeat by, the Wandenreich began to make its move starting with a swift invasion of , capturing in the process. They began a mass conscription of and killed off numerous Hollows, enough that the Shinigami were forced to take action against the  in order to keep the balance of souls steady.

Following the news that had encountered  in Hueco Mundo, the Quincy empire immediately began an invasion of Soul Society, using their amassed power and a special device capable of stealing  in order to handily defeat the Gotei 13's Captains. Following the death of Captain-Commander, the Wandenreich retreated temporarily so that Yhwach could announce the name of his chosen successor,.

The invasion resumed in earnest shortly afterward with the Quincy absorbing the spirit particles that made up the Seireitei in order for their own palace to take its place, emerging from its dimension in the shadows. The clashed with the various ranking officers of the Gotei once more, gaining an early advantage with the previously stolen Bankai. They would soon lose this following the arrival of and his newly created  pills which forced the Sternritter to give them up or have their Souls destroyed.

Even without this advantage, the Wandenreich eventually eked out a victory, though they suffered extreme casualties in the process. Yhwach was cut down by Ichigo, who promptly disappeared along with Uryū leaving the Quincy empire without a king.

In the short time following the conflict, the Wandenreich has taken control of the Seireitei, making it their new headquarters with the Quincy palace having replaced the former Shinigami cityscape. Roshan Bamshad was appointed as Regent until they could find a new king, though priority was placed on rebuilding their forces and resolving a new issue that had arisen with their victory: the balance of souls.

Organization
The structure of the Wandenreich is primarily based upon that of a standard military organization with elements of a monarchy weaved through out in order to represent itself as the governing body of all Quincy. It had a King, in Yhwach, and a direct successor in Uryū Ishida, prior to their death and disappearance respectively. In the interim, Roshan Bamshad serves as Regent.

Sternritter
The Sternritter (星十字騎士団 (シュテルンリッター), shuterunrittā; German for "Star Knights"; Japanese for "Star Cross Knight Band/Order") are the elite forces of the Quincy empire. Each member of the group (As well as certain others, including Yhwach) are assigned a letter and an appropriate epithet in order to designate them. Their epithets correspond to a unique ability each member posseses. On average its members have power equal, if not superior, to that of Shinigami Captains. In the strictest sense there can only ever be 26 Sternritter at any one time, though there were exceptions in the form of members sharing the same letter as was the case with and, and, the Bonheur brothers.

The current Sternritter membership are spread out to various locations in the spiritual and material worlds. Such as with Aileen McFarlane in, or Anders Schäfer and Karl Schwarzwald in ,.

Jagdermee
The Jagdermee (狩猟部隊 (ヤークトアルメー), yākutoarumē; German for "Hunt(ing) Army"; Japanese for "Hunting Corps") is a division of the Wandenreich military dedicated to the capture or elimination of specific targets. Its membership is divided into various numbered groups, each led by an Executive Hunting Captain (統括狩猟隊長, tōkatsu shuryō taichō). The First Jagdermee of Hueco Mundo, under, was tasked with the capture of Arrancar to serve Wandenreich. At current, all Jagdermee units have been recalled following the conquest of the Seireitei in order to root out and eliminate any remaining pockets of Shinigami.

Einsicht
The Einsicht (科学除算 (インシチト), Insichito; German for "Wisdom"; Japanese for "Science Division") is a unit within the Wandenreich dedicated to providing the organization with an advantage over their opponents, they are the inventors of the Medallions that the Sternritter's had used to capture the Bankai of Shinigami Captains. They allow Arrancars into their ranks, as is the case with Girado Riendo Mariposa.

Mitteilungteil
The Mitteilungteil (情報部隊 (ミテーラングテール), Miteiranguteiru; German for "Communications Unit"; Japanese for "Information Corps") is a unit of the Wandenreich that serves to filter communications through the entire organization, they keep in contact with agents and units in the field regardless of dimension and relay messages to-and-from them, be they orders, requests, or information. They have taken over the monitoring equipment of the SRDI, allowing them to keep track of Hueco Mundo and the Human World.

Soldat
The military is comprised of a large number of skilled Soldat (聖兵 (ゾルダート), zorudāto; German for "Soldier", Japanese for "Holy Soldier(s)"). They can defeat low-ranked Shinigami with ease.

Headquarters
The Wandenreich is based out of a large, ice-encrusted building. This building consists of a thick base with a long stairway leading up the front. On top of this are a series of thick columns supporting a thicker second tier of the building. There is a third tier above this, supported by thinner columns. Surrounding the main building are a number of ice-covered round or square towers and two curved structures leaning towards each other, forming an arch-like monument at the front of the building. Inside the main hall, there is a floating throne. Behind this lies a series of floating steps leading to a curtained doorway, where Harribel is kept prisoner. Housed somewhere in the place where the Wandenreich reside is a structure called the Gate of the Sun (太陽の門, Taiyō no Mon), which was used to invade Soul Society.

The palace now sits where the former First Division barracks once was, with an entire cityscape of similiar ice-covered architecture having replaced almost all of the Seireitei.

Uniforms
The typical attire of most Wandenreich personnel consists of a long, white, double-breasted trench coat with shoulder straps and a white, button-down bib. This coat is bound at the waist with a black belt, which is further adorned with a decorative buckle, and is worn over both white trousers and trench boots. Many members sport white hats with black peaks and a crest emblazoned on its front, which is reminiscent of the five-pointed variant of the Quincy cross. This insignia is reflected by the buttons of their other apparel. Some higher-ranking members pair this uniform with other additional pieces of clothing, such as capes or cloaks, to distinguish themselves. The Sternritter wear a distinctive white, ankle-length cloak over their uniform which features the Wandenreich insignia emblazoned on its back and often a hood attached to the cloak's collar. Apart from the standard uniform, a Soldat's attire consists of a military beret, black goggles with white lenses, a gas mask which obscures their entire face, and a short, collared cloak.

In certain instances, personnel have been observed wearing a simplified version of the usual Wandenreich uniform, which lacks the normal button-down bib and belt. Those who took part in the declaration of war upon Soul Society sported this specific variation, as well as a hooded cape, which featured a black mask in order to obscure their face, and a black band diagonally encircling their body.

Equipment
Bankai Stealing Medallion (卍解窃妙味, Bankai Settō Myōmi): A number of those within the Wandenreich military, including all members of the Sternritter, carry on their person a round device which is roughly the size of a person's palm and has the Wandenreich insignia etched into its surface. When activated, this device can steal a single currently released Bankai in the immediate vicinity. Once stolen, the medallion's wielder can use the stolen Bankai's power at will, even after the original owner's death. They appear unable to exploit this power fully, for according to what Yamamoto experienced, Driscoll Berci's use of Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū was noticeably inferior to that of its true owner, Chōjirō Sasakibe.

Hörer (無線 (ホラー), Horā; German for "Listeners"; Japanese for "Radio"): Devised by the Einsicht a month after the Wandenreich's conquest of after it became clear that the  would not respond to Quincy. They are a series of small radios, designed to the specifications of an earpiece used by militaries in the, they are capable of transmitting signals beyond the dimension that they are in, allowing members of the Wandenreich to communicate between worlds at anytime. Distribution of the devices, as well as maintenance and response to transmission from them, are all handled by the Mitteilungteil.

Terminology

 * Daten (情報 (ダーテン), dāten; German for "Data", Japanese for "Information/(Military) Intelligence"): The exhaustive data collected by the Wandenreich on the opposition's forces, which has been distributed to all essential personnel. Parts of this intelligence include details on those considered to be Special War Powers and those in possession of Bankai.
 * Medalize (星章化 (メダライズ), medaraizu; Japanese for "Star-Emblemize"): The process which the Wandenreich uses to steal Bankai.
 * Schrift (聖文字 (シュリフト), shurifuto; German for "Script", Japanese for "Holy Letter"): The name given to the letters of the alphabet bestowed to select individuals within the Wandenreich by Yhwach in order to designate them. The exact letter given corresponds to an appropriate epithet reflecting the nature of the person's particular ability.

Special War Powers
Originally the Special War Powers (特記戦力, tokki senryoku) were five individuals that were believed by the Wandenreich to be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the second war with Soul Society. The temporary detainment of just one of them was enough to prompt the Wandenreich into immediately beginning its invasion, due to their guaranteed absence. The Wandenreich also tried to recruit those of the War Powers that they believed would be susceptible to the idea, this included and, both of whom refused.

Following the war, Roshan Bamshad had the purpose of the War Powers changed, now designating anyone that the Wandenreich believed to be capable of seriously threatening their position as War Powers.

Those classified as Special War Powers during the Wandenreich invasion of Soul Society were: Those considered Special War Powers currently are: