The Church of Crissaar is divided into 8 (originally 9 before the Nir'Shado were disbanded) Blocs. The Blocs act as independent factions with their own sovereignty. The Blocs are only answerable to the Council of 13 and the God-Emperor. Both the God-Emperor and Council of 13 also settle disputes between Blocs. The Blocs sometimes have sub-factions within them known as Sects. Most of the time, Sects are militant or elite warriors.
The God-Emperor is the 13
th member of the Council of 13. The Emperor may weigh in on debates, but is bared from voting unless there is a tie. The God-Emperor has the power to issue decrees, which carry the weight of a decision made by the Council of 13. The Emperor traditionally uses their position to lead and direct the Council of 13, and is the symbolic figurehead ruler of Helgara. As such, the Emperor is often responsible for deciding foreign policy and leading the nation in times of crisis.
The Council of 13, when united, is the only group that wields power equivalent to the God-Emperor. Majority decisions are the bases for new laws and regulations within the nation. They also have the power to strike down an imperial decree. If conflict arises between two Blocs, the Council acts as arbitrators. Many Blocs and high ranking church officials appeal to various Avatars in order to curry favor. Any temple and official that does not belong to a specific Bloc answers directly to the Council, for example Guardian's Rest only allows monks who have not joined a Bloc to permanently stay. Avatars may chose Maars to serve as their personal eyes and ears, doing whatever is required by their Avatar.
The Holy Temple of Light is the oldest of the Blocs. The Holy Temple of Light was once a physical temple, but was destroyed during the War of Red. Since then the Temple has become a symbolic place. Members of the Temple all belong to the Path of Light and are devoted to the ideals of generosity and kindness. Because of this, the Temple holds great favor with the general citizens of Helgara, and its power base is in the Ionian mainland.
The Inquisition is a shadowy and infamous group. It is their duty to root out heresy and fight blasphemy. Often times Inquisitors will join other Blocs, and they are the only ones who can do so. Most Inquisitors are trained in the arts of persuasion and espionage, but lack combat training. Since the Mundus Convention on Universal Rights, the tactics of Inquisitors have slightly changed. They rely on physical torture and cruel punishments far less, and have shifted to more psychological versions. Inquisitors are said that, given enough time, they could break and reshape the mind of anyone.
Crissaar Undivided is famed for its legacy of taking members from both the Path of Light and Shadows and encouraging them to embrace both aspects of Crissaar. As a faction, they are extremely decentralized, its members free to act of their own volition. As such, members of Crissaar Undivided are known to randomly appear and offer their expertise in a number of situations.
Crissaar's Eyes is an extremely small Bloc. The Bloc's importance comes from its leaders- the Oracles. The Oracles partake in naturally occurring hallucinogens and their visions are said to be messages directly from Crissaar. In the past the Oracle's had extreme influence, but as society advanced, they gained a reputation as frauds. Despite this some still hold great reverence to the Oracles, and seek their advice in time of personal strife.
The Nir'Shado were disbanded after some internal strife between the Helgara islands and the Ionia mainland.