Arcadia

Leopold Bennett

Maximus Dąbrowski

Charlotte Vanderweit

**Arcadia** is the largest military organization in **Aeternum**, which has been around for thousands of years. Their purpose is to protect the peace and bridge the gap between the humans and supernatural beings.

## Overview

**Arcadia**, sometimes referred to as the North American Branch, is an organization that has continued to change with time. They are considered one of the more technologically advanced branches of the Soul Society. Members of this society utilize a variety of technology to efficiently perform their duties. Arcadia consists of five operational bases across hidden cities that are located in another realm. The Branch is lead by a democratic council consisting of other four leaders called Sector Chiefs.

## History

Long before Arcadia was founded, Aeternum was in a constant state of turmoil as multiple groups fought for dominance of the land. In the midst of all these battles, a great evil was unleashed upon the lands that none of the separate factions could defeat by themselves. They soon came together under the leadership of Erza Bailey and defeated the evil. With him at the helm, this new organization ushered in a new era of peace.

## Mission

Arcadia serves as a military force with its primary responsibilities consisting of:

* The primary defense of Aeternum.
* The deployment of field agents into enemy territory for combat operations.
* The protections of humans against supernatural forces.
* The protection and conservation of endangered supernatural creatures.

## General Operations

Arcadia does not normally operate as a cohesive unit. The command of the sector is generally left to the discretion and oversight of its particular Sector Chief. While Arcadia’s main duty is to defend Aeternum and the human world from hostile threats, each of the sectors are given a specific area which is under their jurisdiction. This area is then divided further amongst the field agents and while they are out in the field, the command of the team is generally left up to the discretion of the team’s captain.

Despite the sectors being run individually, they are not are not as isolated as they may seem. Members are often transferred between sectors based on need, skill, and availability, making for a cohesive unit regardless of where they are from. The Sector Chiefs also regularly meet to debrief on the happenings of their jurisdictions. As such, it is relatively easy to have meetings amongst the leaders of Arcadia and even those lower ranked. Punishment of subordinates is left exclusively up to the sector that they are from and any caught punishing someone out of their jurisdiction is put to trial by the Branch Council.

## Organization

### Structure

Arcadia is divided into four different sectors: Pallas (the Northern Sector), Hygiea (the Eastern Sector), Ceres (the Southern Sector), and finally Vesta (the Western Sector). The Branch Commander is one of the highest authorities within Arcadia, followed closely by the Branch Commander are the Sector Chiefs. The Sector Chiefs preside over one of the four districts. They make up the Elite Squadron due to their powerful abilities and high rank.

Arcadia's personnel is made up of three main categories: field agents, the Divine Guard and the clerical staff. While all of them have capabilities to participate in battle, field agents have the highest aptitude for fighting. This is due to how rigorous the training program to become a field agent is. Those who cannot meet the requirements for the field agent position often take the Divine Guard certification exam, or enter into one of the other non-combat divisions.

### Branch Council

The Sector Commanders and Branch Commander congregate in the Branch Commander's sector for meetings, to discuss important issues and matters, as well as share important news and vote on immediate matters. Even with the Branch Commander outranking everyone present, no decision is made until all parties agree on the decision.

* The **Branch Commander** (*支部司令官, Shibu shirei-kan)* is the supreme leader of the North American Branch. The position requires that the branch commander oversee all operations of the Branch and any subdivisions when the well-being of the organization is at stake. The only power that the Branch Commander answers to is the Council of Spirits, which is made of of Captain-Commanders of other Soul Society Branches.
* The **Sector Chief** *(地区司令官, Chiku shirei-kan)* is the leader of one of the four sectors (with the special exception of the Branch Commander). Sector Commanders are the most respected rank within the branch. They are far more powerful than their lieutenants and are picked based upon their battle prowess, leadership skills, and other overall abilities.

### Sector Council

* The **Lieutenant** functions as the secondary executive officer for the sector. Taking care of the day-to-day functions for their Chief, the Lieutenant monitors sector logistics such as assigning B-rank (and lower) missions to the appropriate squads, debriefments, and handling B-rank (and lower) paperwork. They are not assigned to one specific squad and manage each unit in their sector. Lieutenants generally only know the Actus Stage of Divinus.
* The **Division Directors** are the heads of the seven divisions in each sector. They supervise all of the work done and compile reports to present to the Sector Chief and Lieutenant.

### Divisions

Each sector of the branch has seven different divisions, which are overseen by different Directors.

### Communication Division

In charge of all communications between sectors, as well as between other branches.

### Intelligence Division

In charge of gathering and distributing intelligence to the other divisions and sectors. There is generally a member of the Intelligence division in each field squad.

### Medical Division

Responsible for the general health and welfare of sector. They develop new medicines and take care of patients. A member for the medical division is required on each field squad.

### Science Division

The science division is divided into two different subdivisions. One is the research and the other being technology development.

The research subdivision covers researching various topics, ranging from different creatures to relationships between Empyreans and their Arma Caelestia.

The technology development subdivision covers putting this research to use in many different technological advancements.

### Base Security Division

In charge of guarding all entryways, and making sure all security equipment is up to date and running well, and everything is secure.

### Law Enforcement Division

While Aeternum does still have various groups that protect its inhabitants, those that dwell within the reverse cities are generally protected by a division within Arcadia. As a relic of the first Arcadian council, the Divine Guard has been around for centuries longer than most other divisions. Their duties lie in serving and protecting those who choose to live peaceful lives in the city. They generally deal with domestic disturbances and rarely leave their jurisdictions.

Usually the Divine Guard patrols in pairs of two, though they have over 450 guards in each sector.

### Field Division

One of the newest divisions going back 200 years, the field division is an elite task force that operates solely based on the executive orders of the Branch Commander and Lieutenant. They are responsible for carrying out missions regarding disturbances inside and outside of Aeternum. Agents of the field division have gone through rigorous training and are some of the top operatives with well-rounded skills and high spiritual energy. They are highly proficient in combat and not only protect the beings of Aeternum, but also humans.  This is one of the only divisions that has permission to travel between the Human World and Aeternum.

To be accepted into the Field Division, there are two methods that an agent must have achieved:

1. **Recommendation**: Their recommendation must be approved by not only their instructors, but three sector chiefs and two lieutenants.
2. **Agent Proficiency Exam**: This test has both a physical and written portion. The examee must be able to complete a mission to show their abilities in the field and then reflect on their experience in a timed written exam.

The leader of this division is the Branch Commander and Branch Lieutenant, who generally oversees all of the squads’ mission progress. The Field division is the smallest, with only 200 members which are then further divided into 40 squads made up of 5 members each. The squads are headed by a Captain, who has the highest spiritual energy, most skills or experience out of the five members.

The field squad consists of 5 members. The captain manages their members and guides them safely through the mission. While out in the field, all decisions are ultimately made by the captain’s discretion. Other members of the squad include a lieutenant who acts as captain when the captain is otherwise incapacitated, a reconnaissance scout, a medic and a researcher or tech specialist, though this role is not always filled.

### Captain

The Captain leads their own squad, consisting of five persons, each with their own Arma Caelestia out into the field. Their spiritual energy can rival that of a Division Head, but what sets them apart is their experience as well as abilities. In total, there are 40 captains at any given moment, with ten being assigned to each sector. The requirement for being a captain is passing multiple tests and showing their capabilities to lead a team effectively through various scenarios. Captains in the field division are not only able to select their squad’s specialization in the field, but also agents they may want on their team.

### Agents

The Agent is a member of a specialized squad within the field division. They have gone through rigorous training and are placed into squads based on their skill level. They answer immediately to the Lieutenant of their sector and the captain of their squad.

## Insignia

Each sector has their own insignia, however, Arcadia as a whole shares one main symbol.

## Uniforms

Most Arcadian personnel wear the standard issue uniform, which consists of a black top and pants, with or without a jacket.

The Divine Guard’s uniform consists of light armor colored white with accents of gold over a white body suit with calf-length boots. They tend to carry branch-issued weapons at their sides.

The Field Division’s uniform are based around durability and covertness. In the field, they typically wear a highly durable bodysuit equipped with advanced technology. While in their sector base or off duty, they tend to wear more casual clothing, such as jumpsuits, overalls, cargo pants, and plain shirts. Captains in the field division wear an arm band with most of their attire to denote their rank.

Regardless of the uniform, there are a few constants that all members are required to wear.

* SpiriWatch
* Utility Belt
* ID Badge