Iglesia Power Groups

Below are the five Power Groups that maintain and influence the Iglesia Solar: the Iglesiar Orders. Though united under the leadership of the Synodic Mirrors, these groups may have work as a whole for their faith and their cause.

Player Characters from the Iglesia Solar must belong to one of the groups and switching between Orders is a rare event. That said, every member of the Iglesiar Orders is meant to work with one another for the betterment of humanity. 

The Order of the Auroral Serpent: An Order of Crafters, Artists, and Ritualists skilled with the harmony of the elements and the synergy of different materials.

The Order of the Burning Gate: Gnostic and mystic followers of the Iglesia Solar, practitioners of magic and meditation.

The Order of the Giving Star: An order of Priests and Laity dedicated to healing the sick, feeding the poor, and sheltering the stricken. 

The Order of the Lucent Crown: This Order considers themselves students of the world around them. They are researchers, antiquarians, and scholars, each seeking the secrets of the natural world and the lores of humanity.

The Order of the Radiant Eagle: Priests and Laity of the Iglesiar dedicated to the protection of Solarites. 

The Order of the Auroral Serpent 

Starcatchers, Auroral Serpents

Wind and Rain, Earth and Flame

Easy to claim, hard to tame

Basic: An Order of Crafters, Artists, and Ritualists skilled with the harmony of the elements and the synergy of different materials.

Symbol: A feathered serpent with a head on each end. Lying horizontally, they curve upwards to hold a sun between their mouths. 

Territory: The Starcatchers have holdings and facilities across the Illustrados Union. Their prized holdings are several laboratories and workshops on the outskirts of Port-au-Jacques, in western Ayiti. These facilities take advantage of the economic infrastructure that has risen around the city-state, making certain materials and services easy to find. 

Overview: Amidst his “Visions”, Santo Rivero wrote of an awe-inspiring sight. In the sky, he saw a two headed serpent, feathered and flying. Wind and rain, earth and flame followed its wake across the heavens. Where it passed, darkness fled. When humanity took up and wielded the elements as their own, they dispelled the horrors of the Long Fall.

The Order of the Auroral Serpent understands that balance and temperance must exist for the world to function. Even conflicting forces can be made harmonious in skilled hands. With this in mind, the Starcatchers have made themselves learned in the ways of crafting and of magic. Of the latter, they focus on the Spheres of Infusion and Transmutation. Of the former, they have delved deep into the lores of creation -- to that end, their engineers and artificers produce items both mundane and wondrous for the Iglesia Solar and, on occasion, the Illustrados (for a price).

Supported by the sales of their services and goods, the Starcatchers’ products are in great demand from the rest of the Illustrados. They create fantastic devices and potent Elixirs, being the inventors of Apex-tech Elixirs. Most of their payment goes to the Iglesia Solar and the Starcatchers’ own costs, but the rest of it finances their love of their art. Whether it is crafting a weapon of precision and power or a stained glass depiction of a Rivero Vision, this drive commands a Starcatcher’s attention most of all. The Lucent Crowns may curate and operate museums, but the Auroral Serpents can make the art that draws folk to them. 

To an outsider, the Starcatchers themselves are difficult to distinguish from their brethren. Besides their humble brown and/or grey clothing, Many wear serpent-themed ornaments, such as belts, bracelets, torcs, and tiaras. This aesthetic extends to their Animus Crowns as well, though there are just as many Talismongers among the Starcatchers.

Leadership: Henrietta del Espejo is the Synodic Mirror of the Starcatchers, leading her Order for a little more than a decade. She was a genius among geniuses, but her experimental art and avant garde days are behind her. Henrietta has put her mind primarily to the management of her Order and ensuring that crafting quotas are met. 

While she no longer treads the edge of propriety (since she is now that boundary), the Starcatcher leader has made no small amount of effort toward growth and recruitment. She personally inspects new talent, especially the rising stars of the current generation. Those who impress her are given the fast track toward their own autonomy or what passes for it within the Church.

The Order of the Burning Gate

Keymakers, Burning Gates

In the dark beyond the stars, we are as dust --blessedly insignificant and free.

Basic: Gnostic and mystic followers of the Iglesia Solar, practitioners of magic and meditation.

Symbol: Two crossing lines with a small sun or a star in the center of each quadrant.

Territory: The Keymakers are primarily found in the Solar Cathedral and the Iglesiar Monastery atop the holy mountain. These individuals seek lives of simplicity and meditation, so they tend toward hallowed places or lonely ones. In smatterings, they can be found in other Iglesiar holdings, doing custodial work or other menial tasks.

Overview: When Santo Rivero first received his “Visions” at the holy mountain the first image he saw in his review was that of an ancient hound, with a crippled gait and a fiery key around its neck. The creature spoke in mysteries and riddles, leading him to a burning gate amidst sky and stars -- beyond it were the other Visions that he would write about. 

The Keymakers have the smallest roster among the Church, but they are no less important. The Order of the Burning Gate would name themselves after the portals he crossed but take after the Keeper of the Key. Through meditation, they allow knowledge, magic, and even the Whisper to possess them and grant them insight. The revelations given to them rock them to their core, altering their perspectives and giving them the strange reputation that they now have. 

Central to the Keymakers is the negation of the self, an odd extreme of the Humility Tenet. However, by accepting and knowing one’s limits and truths, there is freedom and power. While self-flagellation, fasting, and meditation are significant for the Keymakers, they can also easily be found during menial labors, even things that would be “below” most folk. They can be found doing custodial tasks, crafting simple tools, or braving brutal weather -- in this way, they lay themselves low and bring their perspectives closer to the truth. Visitors to an Iglesiar Church are often shocked to find that the person mopping the floors is actually a Beacon-Priest of the Burning Gate, the religious leader of the whole region. 

This enhanced perspective makes them especially good at the Spheres of Obfuscation and Transmutation, veiling or changing reality with their mind. Though Necrotheurgy is forbidden among the Iglesiar, the practice of Xenotheurgy is given little more than a passing glance because of its dangers. Not so for the Key Makers who willingly open their minds to hazardous enlightenment so that all may benefit from their sacrifices. 

The Burning Gates are easily identified by the keys they wear around their necks, often vestigial and lockless. They tend to be haggard individuals, their clothes weatherworn and flesh scarred by the elements (and flagellation). However, their eyes shine brightly with knowledge and hidden truths. Their Animancers’ Animus Crowns are often fractured and well worn, featuring hounds, gates, and flames. 

Leadership: One of the “Los Friyo” leads the Burning Gates as its Synodic Mirror: Virgil del Espejo. He is ancient, having managed the Order for the past three decades. He is powerful in the realm of magic, capable of incredible insight and arcane prowess. To some folk however, he seems to spend most of this prodigious strength on pranks. His skills in Obfuscation and Transmutation are used to “teach” other Iglesiar about the temporal nature of the world and the limits of their earthly perception -- oftentimes, the student does not know that they are being taught until the end.

As opposed to his predecessors, he can be very active. He takes trips to the Illustrados cities or to remote villages, to see the sights and to speak to strangers -- usually in a non-descript disguise. Rumors have it that he has even visited Mid-Atla, but he speaks nothing about it.

The Order of the Giving Star

Giving Stars, Lightbearers

We all grow beneath a loving sun

Basic: An order of Priests and Laity dedicated to healing the sick, feeding the poor, and sheltering the stricken. 

Symbol: A half disk representing a sunrise. In front of it are five upward-facing spears representing maize, each of differing heights. 

Territory: Puerto Vazquez is the cradle of the Iglesia Solar and it still holds some of its biggest hospitals and churches. The Giving Star has most of its people here, though they split their recruits between this city and the Solar Cathedral. Many things have changed since the founding of the Church, but the Illustrados going to the Giving Stars for healing and/or therapy has not.

Overview: According to Santo Rivero’s “Visions”, the Giving Star was a divinity of agriculture and vitality. Some believe that this divinity is an aspect of the Lucent Crown’s Whisper. Through the Giving Star’s blessings, humanity was able to grow their own food and survive the rigors of the world. Those who commune with the Giving Star are suffused with their warmth and their verve. 

The Order of the Giving Star mirrors the humanitarian actions of the Church’s founder and their patron Whisper. They are known for their rostering of hospitals, for sending healers to communities in need, and for researching techniques/advances in medicine. The Lightbearers’ churches and facilities feed and shelter the destitute of the Illustrados cities. They work with government programs to ensure that less and less folk slip through the cracks. The martially-skilled among them protect their fellows and their charges from harm, using Iglesiar technology and magics. 

The Giving Stars are focused on expanding their humanitarian work. This includes building more facilities (i.e. churches, shelters, clinics, etc), training more personnel, and gaining the cooperation of local governments. The donations from those they have helped (whether monetary, good, or service) support their operations, in addition to tithes from the faithful, the profits from their facilities, and the output of their farms.

While the Illustrados Union is not yet the utopia that they wish it was, the Giving Stars have grown into new horizons -- in particular, Mid-Atla. While the region’s people are far from helpless, the devastation of the Ember War has scarred and withered many communities. To these, the Lightbearers bring their help. They also teach these folk their methods, and their faith if requested. The presence of the other Archfactions benefits the Giving Stars as well: new magics and new perspectives await them in this frontier.   

Aesthetically, the Giving Stars can be identified from the rest of their brethren by the garlands they wrap around their person, whether neck, crown, waist or wrists. These are ornamental, not functional, but also serve to remind them of their Icon’s generous nature. Animancers of the Giving Star aesthetically reflect the patron of their order -- their Animus Crowns feature vines, leaves, and other botanical adornments. Unsurprisingly, Lightbearers tend toward the Restoration and Transmutation Spheres.

Leadership: Alejandrina “Drina” del Espejo is the Synodic Mirror of the Giving Stars, though she spent most of her life among the Charioteers. Weary of bloodshed and greed, she fell into a despondent sorry until Alejandrina was found by the Iglesiar. She put aside her firearms and blades, throwing herself into the Order’s humanitarian work and finding new purpose therein. 

Her ascent was in relative quickness, due to the skills of her previous life and her own willingness to learn. Drina possesses the Chimeric Stigmata (Horned) but is not a Channeler, though she is a skilled healer and protector in her own way.  

The Order of the Lucent Crown

Sun-crowns, Lucent Crowns

The stars guide us to paths beyond our home, to new horizons and new knowledge.

Basic: This Order considers themselves students of the world around them. They are researchers, antiquarians, and scholars, each seeking the secrets of the natural world and the lores of humanity.

Symbol: A sun surrounded by swirling clouds. Above, below, and flanking it are four stars. 

Territory: The Lucent Crowns boast of universities, libraries, and museums in almost every city-state of the Illustrados. Sharpton in the Xaymaca island is known for its academic bent, not just for the Tecnocracia there but because of the Sun-crowns’ presence. Uncaring of rivalries or histories, the Sun-crowns willingly exchange knowledge with their contemporaries -- though they are careful not to reveal any Church secrets or plans. The Sun-Crowns are also looking to build a foothold in Mid-Atla, where they can better collate and study their discoveries. 

Overview: One of Santo Rivero’s “Visions” was of a powerful cosmic event -- the creation of the world. Emerging from shadows was a glowing figure that wrought the sun, the moon, stars, animals, and humanity itself. At the sight of his work and his majesty, the horrors of the dark quailed and retreated.

The Order of the Lucent Crown are thinkers, writers, and scriveners - just as their Icon wrought the world, so too do they wish to seek out his mysteries through science and Inquiry. Among the Orders, the Sun-Crowns are the least “religious”, focused more on physical items and events. They view their Icon as a passive entity, compared to the prior incarnations of his mythos -- after forging the heavens and the earth’s inhabitants, he aids only on rare occasions. Instead of providing his followers with knowledge, he has given them the ability to divine the truth of the world.

As academics, the Sun-Crowns are often found in universities, libraries, museums, and in classrooms. Paper and ink are close friends of theirs as they catalog, categorize, and analyze the mysteries of the world. Though teaching and scholastica are their main sources of income, they can also be found outside academia. In the Iglesia’s name, they take part in research expeditions and foreign exchanges . They are eager to learn -- whether from Delving into a Pre-Fall ruin or learning lores from another Archfaction’s academics. Indeed, contact with Mid-Atla and the other groups has only keened their interests, as have the discovery of the Harbinger and the unknown magics that they wield. It is believed that the Lucent Crowns may have begun their exploration of the Outer Spheres beyond this reality, though only they know for certain.

Lucent Crowns are distinguished by their headbands and similar ornamentations. This is more often made of silk rather than metal, though the Psionic among them like wearing headbands that elaborate on their Kha. Amidst their humble attire, they will have notebooks, papers, and other writing implements. The Sun-Crowns’ Animus Crowns feature several stars or gems -- these reflect the celestial bodies that are their Icon’s loftiest creations. Befittingly, these Channelers are usually skilled in the Spheres of Detection and Transmutation. 

Leadership: The current Arbitro del Sinodo is Alphonso Aguilar del Espejo, a Psion respected for his prudence and his skill in Talismanic magics. While politically neutral, he is also the leader of the Lucent Crowns. He is not particularly spiritual, though he is well versed in philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and theology. The Synodic Arbiter pushes for the implementation of the new sciences over the veneration of spirits. 

The new frontier of Mid-Atla has piqued his interest, as it has for many among his Order. To that end, he has voted for several expeditions into this foreign land as well as the building of Iglesian Churches there. He was initially met with intense pushback from the other Synodic Mirrors, but their stances have softened since.

The Order of the Radiant Eagle

Radiant Eagles, Firehawks

Do not mistake kindness for weakness. Even the distant sun can burn.

Basic: Priests and Laity of the Iglesiar dedicated to the protection of Solarites. 

Symbol: A spread-winged eagle in front of a sun disk. Sometimes, this is a warrior with an eagle’s head.

Territory: The Iglesiar Orders have holdings and personnel in the Solar Cathedral, but not as many as the Radiant Eagles. They consider the Cathedral to be their prime training ground and send out their sentinels from this hallowed place. They also have garrisons and guardians in other parts of the Illustrados Union -- any place that has Iglesiar within it can expect at least a few Firehawks to guard them from harm or keep an eye on them for wrong doing.

Overview: The Radiant Eagle is said to be the aspect of a bloodthirsty god of battle. In Santo Rivero’s “Visions” however, he wielded his war club and spear not as a conqueror but as a protector. When Santo Rivero was beset by horrors in his dreams, the Radiant Eagle swept the enemy away like an avenging angel time and time again. Once a divinity of kings and rulership, this Whisper became the paragon of Loyalty -- of devotion of one individual to another. 

As with their Solarite Icon, the Order of the Radiant Eagle are the most martially inclined of the Iglesiar. They are faithful and unswerving protectors of the Iglesiar, standing toe to toe against the enemy to ensure the safety of their brethren. Not content to be mere shields, Radiant Eagles are also leaders in battle and overseers of labor -- with word and wit, they bring out the best in people.

In a similar vein, Firehawks are also tasked with dealing with the worst in people. This refers not just only with the horrors of battle but in seeking out wrongdoing, especially between Iglesiar. In the latter affairs, the Firehawks are tasked with creating the ideal situation where guilt can be proven or disproven, which means pacification or containment of volatile factors. This role of defense and policing is a difficult one to tread because of the potential for abuse. Though thankfully rare, there have been  times where their procedures and even leadership had to be overhauled. 

The Radiant Eagles of the current era remain an honored and prestigious Order within the Church. However, with the growth of the Church also comes challenges to their office. This Order adapts with changes to policy, upgrades to equipment, and recruiting more personnel. On the other hand, this is a struggle against this seeming arms race. Due to their distance and their novelty, the few Mid-Atla facility of the Iglesia suffer the worst of these shortages.

The Firehawks are easily identified by those in the know. They are the Iglesiar that wear armor, bear weaponry, and watch over their brethren. Some adorn their pauldrons, gloves or bracers with red or orange feathers, as their namesake. Their Animancers wear Animus Crowns with a similar aesthetic, on occasion including a hooked beak. Channelers among the Radiant Eagles tend toward the protective powers of the Infusion Sphere or the insightful abilities of the Detection Sphere.

Leadership: Cuauhtémoc “Cuau” del Espejo has only been a Synodic Mirror for five years and is the youngest among his peers. He is beloved of his Order, having performed feats of heroism during the Ember War that claimed his predecessor. 

Cuau serves his Order and his Church now from the back, rather than the front. This means he is able to spend more time with his husband and daughters. Furthermore, this gives him a better view of logistics and bureaucracy. Admittedly, he would only be a mediocre administrator were it not for his spouse’s insight -- Some believe that his promotion was because of his popularity.