Ketzer

"Spearheading the death of their God..." - Darkrai

Ketzer (一身僧向 (ケトサー) Ketosaa; German for "Heretics", Japanese for "Partisan Monk Movement") is a splinter group of, forming their own organisation after splitting off from the. The Ketzer are currently at a civil war with the parent group, opposing their ideals and goals.

History
As of the current story, the history of the Ketzer is mostly shrouded in darkness. However, of the few details known, the Ketzer originated within the, until a difference of ideals caused the group to split, forming what is currently known as the Ketzer.

Schatten Geschwader
Schatten Geschwader (影執行隊  (シャドー ジエチヱーダー) Shaten Jeschiweidaa; German "Shadow Squadron", Japanese for "Shadow Execution Corps") are the Ketzer's answer to the Stern Ritter (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 ") of the Vandenreich. The Schatten Geschwader are effectively the strongest members of the Ketzer, ranked only under the Salbei himself in power, and can also be seen as the equal to the Gotei 13's Captain and Lieutenants. Schatten Geschwader are separated into two ranks ; Gold  ( 金騎士 ( ゴルド ) Gorudo ; German for " Gold ", Japanese for " Gold Knight ") and  Silben ( 銀騎士  (シルベン ) Siruben; German for " Silver ", Japanese for " Silver Knight "). Gold is equal to a Captain in strength, while Silver can be cimpared to a Lieutenant.

Soldat
Soldat (聖兵 (ゾルダート),  zorudāto; German for " Soldier", Japanese for " Holy Soldier(s) ") are what comprise the basic combat forces of the Ketzer. Carried over from the Vandenreich, the Soldat consist of moderately powered Quincy who typically wield bows and can defeat low-level seated Shinigami with ease. Soldat recieve the rank of Bräunen ( 青銅騎士  ( ブラユネン )  Burayunen  ; German for " Bronze ", Japanese for " Bronze Knight "), and can be compared to seated Shinigami in strength.

Forschung und Entwicklung Einsetzung
Forschung und Entwicklung Institut (技術開発局 (ポーサング アンド エントヰックラング インスチツト) Posangu Ando Entowikkurangu Insutituto; German for "Research and Development Institute", Japanese for "Technological Development Department"): This is the branch of the Ketzer which focuses on the development of new technologies, as well as the improvements on existing ones. The main function of this branch to research and develop new technology and spiritual tools; while delving more into the origins of the Quincy—they have invented countless items. Throughout the day and night, experiments are conducted non-stop, getting the greatest results from simple experiments. The branch consists of the brightest minds known to the Quincy race, and in three weeks, the organization have noted to produce some of the most revolutionary items in the history of the Quincy. Additionally, the Branch upgrades Quincy weapons; and it is rumoured that they are working on an upgrade to the Quincy Vollständig.

Headquarters
Himmlisch Mönch Tempel(七 天界 (ヒムリチ モンチ テムペル) Himurischi Monchi Temuperu; German for "Heavenly Monk Temple", Japanese for "The Seven Celestial Spheres") is the name given to the Ketzer headquarters. According to Quincy lore, the Himmlisch Mönch Tempel was one of the first known locations with a strong collection of Quincy, and is believed to be tied to the origins of. The Himmlisch Mönch Tempel is often referred to by the secondary name of Zufluchtsort (ドズフルチトソート Dozufuruchitosoto, German for "Sanctuary"), due to the multiple methods of spiritual protection surrounding it that keep such beings as Shinigami and Hollows away, the Himmlisch Mönch Tempel is a location of purity where refugee Quincy can live in peace.

The Himmlisch Mönch Tempel is a large landmass floating high above the clouds, where the reishi concentration on Earth is far higher than down on the surface. Orbiting the main landmass of the Tempel is a collection of smaller landmasses where refugee Quincy, hidden from the Soul Society, reside in peace. The Himmlisch Mönch Tempel itself appears as a very beautiful location, filled with lush greenery, lakes, waterfalls and mountain ranges, and can be described as the pinnacle of beauty. In fact, the Quincy who reside there that have seen the surface regard it as the most beautiful place in the World of the Living. The Ketzer reside here, and function as the governing body of the Tempel, with the Salbei himself as the head of everything.

Salbei
Salbei (賢者 (サルベー ) Sarubei; German for "Sage", Japanese for "Wise Man"): "Salbei" is the unique ranking term used by the leader  of the Ketzer. Separate from the terms of precious metals used by the remainder of the origanisation, the Salbei possesses the most power out of the entire group, far surpassing that of even the Stern Ritter of the Vandenreich.

Gold
Gold (金騎士 (ゴルド) Gorudo; German for "Gold", Japanese for "Gold Knight"): The Gold rank displays the strongest of the Ketzer—equal to power of that of Captains or even higher. The group consists of the strongest Quincy in existence; possessing powers that correspond to the zodiac constellations; the group has mastered all of the Quincy powers, granting them overwhelming power. When the Golds are near one another, their spiritual energy emits a shining light and produces a very loud sound: this phenomenon is called a resonance. However it is not a common event, because the reunion of all Golds is a rare event; if the Golds decide to battle, the conflict can last a long time. In this confrontation, they can both die or fight forever without a winner. Due to their star power, they are protected by the twelve zodiacal constellations that are on the ecliptic cycle, thus, containing the energy and light of the sun. Each of the Golds possesses a unique Seele Schneider, which has its own powers and works similar to that of the Zanpakutō of the Shinigami.

Silben
Silben (銀騎士 (シルベン ) Siruben; German for "Silver", Japanese for "Silver Knight"): The rank directly under Gold; the Silben are specialists in battle equipped with powerful tools and weapons to strengthen their capabilities, although as a general rule, they prefer unarmed combat. When they receive assignments from the Golds, they will go to any part of the world to fulfill it at whatever the cost, using all their power and sometimes bringing along some Soldat as support. While the Soldat are comparably less in power, the Silben represent the true concept of a member of the Ketzer, with respectable strength and reiatsu, although the most dangerous threats are only possible to be defeated with the aid of the Golds. The power of Silben greatly exceeds that of the Soldat, with the weakest Silben being at least twice as strong as a Soldat; comparable to that of a Lieutenant. Despite many Silben having less power than a Gold; there are a few of them who are said to exceed even a Gold, such as the "Legendary Monks", elusive members of the Ketzer.

Ketzer Equipment
Bankai Stealing Medallion  (卍解窃章,  Bankai Settshō ) : One of the technologies that carried over when the Ketzer split from the Vandenreich, this device serves as proof that the Ketzer, while they may oppose the Vandenreich, are by no means friends of the Shinigami, and still find some use for Vandenriech technology if it aids them in their own goals. It is  special and mysterious device utilized by the Vandenreich members to steal the Bankai of Shinigami that they encounter, the device takes the convenient form of a medallion. The medallion is roughly the size of a person's palm and has the Vandenreich insignia etched into its surface. To use the badge, an incantation may be recited, though it is not entirely necessary and may indeed simply be for theatrics. The badge will react to the Bankai's presence, releasing it's nullifying energy as a surge; a black wave of spiritual energy, to be precise. From there, the wave will engulf the Bankai in it's entirety, in the time that makes it seem as if it were an instant—in reality, it is engulfing the Bankai and breaking down the spiritual particles that compose it, returning it to nothingness, forever trapped within the void of the badge. In an instant, the wave will disperse and return back to the badge; the Quincy having absorbed it into the badge. While many Medallions bear the Vandenreich insignia (and by extension, the Quincy Zeichen), newer models bear the insignia of the Ketzer, a modified Quincy Zeichen. Reishi War-Garb (霊子兵装, Reishi Heisō): Also called the Reishi Armor (霊子乃鎧, Reishi no Yoroi lit., "Spiritual Particles Armor"), this is a form of protective armor worn by Quincy; the armor itself is not a unique creation of the Ketzer, Quincy not allied with either the Ketzer or the Wandenreich created the Reishi Armor centuries before the organizations gained a foothold within Quincy culture. The armor itself serves various purposes, the first and foremost being the most essential; protection against Hollows. The Reishi War-Garb was initially conceived by the Quincy when they discovered that Hollows themselves were outright poison; any trace of Hollow reiatsu in a Quincy does not result in any form of Hollowfication; it outright poisons them, weakening their spiritual powers and leading to a "Soul Suicide", which destroys the Quincy's soul. The Reishi War-Garb, when donned by the Quincy, creates a small barrier that completely rejects Hollow reiatsu, outright shielding even the parts of their body that are not covered by the armor itself, making it impossible for any Hollow reiatsu to seep into the Quincy's body and poison their soul.

The armor's secondary purpose, which was conceived later with war in mind, is to strengthen the Quincy's Spirit Weapon, greatly surpassing their unarmored state. However, at the cost of the added power boost to their weapon, the weapon itself requires a constant stream of reishi to remain 'stabilized'. This naturally necessitates a constant gathering of reishi focused onto the weapon, which makes it harder for the Quincy in question to gather reishi for use of their other techniques, such as the Hirenkyāku. As such, Quincy who utilise the Reishi War-Garb to enhance their weaponry must be skilled in concentration and gathering reishi, lest they falter and become an easy target in combat. It is due to the difficult gathering of reishi for more than one focal point that Quincy who special in the armor become masters of the craft, and those who forego the armor later find their abilities often multiplied from the experience.

Notably, the Reishi War-Garb cannot be worn in conjunction with a Vollständig, as, when released, the Vollständig emerges from the Quincy in a violent release of spiritual pressure; this alone is enough to shatter and destroy the armor, thus rending it's protection null. It is assumed this is why Quincy who use the Vollständig as a primary power-up do not often don the armor, as is seen with the elites of both the Wandenreich and the Ketzer.

Unnamed Cubic Device: The device is one that appears similar to that of a cracked stone face, superimposed upon a translucent cube of spiritual energy. The main focus itself has three slashes across it; from which spiritual particles seep. What is most interesting about this device is that it has no offensive nor defensive function; however, the user is capable of consuming the device, integrating it within their spiritual reserves. This provides an overwhelming boost in all of their fortes; their spiritual energy becomes infused with their bloodstream before reaching their brain, resonating with adrenaline they are experiencing during combat. This in turn reacts with their own body and spiritual energy, increasing the strength, speed, and potential that they possess tenfold, allowing them to take on even foes much more powerful than themselves; entering a state of enhanced awareness and peak physical ability. This makes the user become cloaked in intense heat. While in this state, the user demonstrates heightened reflexes and extremely quick information processing, and it amplifies the powers of their natural Quincy powers without exerting themselves. Sicher Bereich (護の天 (シチャー ベレーチ) Sichaa Bereichi; German for "Safe Area/Zone", Japanese for "Protection of God"): Yet another example of Quincy technology at work by the Ketzer, the Sicher Bereich is one of the craftier devices utilised by this group of renegade Quincy. Taking the form of a small metal square, it can appear unsuspecting at first, but, upon activation, it opens to reveal a disc-like construct inside, with the Ketzer insignia floating within it. It then releases a pulse which spreads out from the Quincy in a wide circle, interfering with any non-Quincy ability within this certain radius. Its properties apparently include high destructive potential to both living beings and inanimate objects, anti-magic effects, and disruption of electronics; completely shutting down the effects in a similar manner to electromagnetic pulse (EMP) technology, which knocks out all electronic devices in a large radius; not only that, it drains and dissipates the reishi in the environment rather than absorbing the reishi of a single target. It is extremely effective against beings who need reishi to attack or a form that require it in order to exist, but it has no actual effect on creatures that are cut off from the world, such as humans who don't survive on reishi.

Trivia

 * The basis of the description for the Reishi War-Garb was provided User:Evnyofdeath.