Factions

Organizations Operating Within Garza

As unusual discoveries began appearing throughout Garza, it quickly became clear that no single institution would control the investigation for long. With each new finding, the Authority of Ash factions emerged as voices in the debate. The discoveries touched too many fields at once. Engineers encountered them during construction work. Researchers examined them in laboratories. Government agencies debated how much of the information should be regulated or concealed.

Out of this uncertainty, several groups began to form. Some grew out of existing institutions. Others formed quietly between individuals who believed the discoveries required a different kind of response. Each group developed its own philosophy regarding how these events should be handled, studied, or controlled.

These organizations are now commonly referred to as factions. While they occasionally cooperate, they often approach the archive with very different goals. Some prioritize containment and documentation. Others focus on adaptation, experimentation, or policy control. Their interactions shape how investigations unfold across the city.

Most citizens of Garza remain unaware that these factions exist at all.

Explore the organizations below to understand the competing philosophies shaping the future of Garza.

THE UNLIT

The overwhelming majority of people living in Garza are unaware that anything unusual is happening in their city. They go to work, commute across the river, shop in the markets, and follow the normal rhythms of urban life without ever encountering the discoveries documented within the archive.

Investigators operating within Garza often refer to this population as the Unlit. The term is not meant as an insult in every context, though some individuals use it that way. In its original sense the term simply describes those who have never encountered the discoveries that certain organizations are now studying.

Protecting the Unlit from unnecessary disruption has become one of the most debated responsibilities among the factions. Some organizations believe the public must remain unaware until more is understood. Others believe secrecy only delays the inevitable.

For now, the city continues to function as if nothing unusual has occurred.

Visit the Garza page to explore the city where most residents remain unaware of the investigations happening around them.

HAWK

HAWK is widely recognized as one of the most structured investigative organizations operating within Garza. The group emerged from a coalition of researchers, engineers, and analysts who believed that the discoveries appearing throughout the city required careful documentation before any attempt was made to manipulate them.

HAWK prioritizes containment, observation, and methodical research. Their investigators often focus on building reliable records that future researchers can study rather than rushing toward conclusions. This approach has allowed HAWK to develop one of the most extensive archives of discovery reports currently known.

Critics sometimes argue that HAWK moves too slowly, but supporters believe the organization’s caution has prevented several incidents that might have escalated under less controlled conditions.

Within Garza, HAWK is often viewed as the faction most committed to preserving stability while investigations continue.

Explore the Artifacts Archive to see how structured documentation plays a role in ongoing investigations.

FISH

FISH approaches the discoveries appearing in Garza from a more adaptive perspective. Members of this faction often believe that unusual events should be studied through interaction rather than containment alone. Their investigators are known for pursuing patterns across multiple discoveries and testing how different environments influence what they observe.

Because of this flexibility, FISH operatives frequently move between districts and investigation sites, gathering information from a wide range of sources. Their research methods tend to emphasize interpretation and situational awareness rather than rigid procedural structure.

This approach has occasionally placed FISH investigators at odds with more cautious organizations. Supporters argue that progress requires experimentation and observation in real-world conditions. Critics worry that the organization’s willingness to push boundaries may create risks that others must manage.

Regardless of the debate, FISH remains one of the most active investigative factions operating within the city.

Follow archive discussions on the Blog to see how investigative philosophies differ across organizations.

BEAR

BEAR has developed a reputation as the most aggressive research faction currently operating within Garza. Its investigators believe that meaningful discoveries require confronting difficult questions directly rather than avoiding them through cautious observation.

Members of BEAR are known for conducting experiments in environments where unexpected results can be contained but not entirely prevented. Their facilities often operate in industrial or isolated districts where large-scale research can occur with minimal disruption to surrounding communities.

This willingness to push experimentation further than other organizations has produced both valuable insights and controversial incidents. Supporters argue that BEAR has uncovered patterns that slower approaches would never reveal. Critics believe the faction risks destabilizing investigations that require patience and restraint.

Despite the controversy, BEAR remains one of the most influential research groups studying the archive.

Explore the Enhancers Research Archive to see why experimental methods remain so controversial.

GTFU

The GTFU operates closer to the administrative and regulatory systems that govern Garza. Although investigators do not always see the organization operating in the field, it still authorizes investigations, monitors research activity, and enforces strict operational restrictions.

Government offices associated with the GTFU oversee policies concerning infrastructure access, research permits, and the legal boundaries surrounding certain investigations. In practice this means the organization often determines which factions are allowed to examine a discovery and under what conditions.

Because the GTFU operates within official government structures, its priorities often revolve around maintaining order within the city. This includes ensuring that investigations do not interfere with public safety or disrupt the daily lives of the Unlit population.

Some factions view the GTFU as an essential stabilizing force. Others believe its involvement may slow investigations that require faster action.

Learn more about the administrative systems shaping Garza on the World page.

INDEPENDENTS

Not everyone studying the discoveries in Garza belongs to a formal organization. Some investigators operate outside the major factions entirely. These individuals are often referred to collectively as Independents.

Independents include freelance researchers, private analysts, salvagers, informants, and observers who move between districts gathering information in ways formal organizations cannot always replicate. Some maintain informal relationships with the larger factions. Others prefer to remain completely unaffiliated.

Because Independents are not bound by the same policies as major organizations, they often encounter discoveries in unexpected ways. This freedom can make them valuable sources of information, though it can also make them difficult to predict or regulate.

Within the archive, some of the most unusual investigation reports have originated from independent observers.

Follow investigation stories through the Newsletter, where unusual discoveries occasionally surface first.

COMPETING PHILOSOPHIES

Although these factions operate in the same city, they do not always agree on what the discoveries appearing in Garza truly represent. Some see the archive as a problem to contain. Others see it as an opportunity to learn something fundamentally new about the world.

These differences create tension between organizations that must occasionally cooperate despite their disagreements. When a discovery appears, multiple factions may attempt to investigate it simultaneously, each approaching the situation with its own methods and priorities.

This competition has shaped the structure of the archive itself. Every new discovery becomes a point of interest not just for researchers, but for the organizations attempting to interpret what the discovery might mean.

Continue exploring the world through the Artifacts Archive, Enhancers Research Files, and the Garza Investigation Records.

CONTINUE EXPLORING THE WORLD

The factions operating within Garza represent only one part of the expanding archive surrounding the city’s discoveries. Each investigation adds new records describing the objects, locations, and individuals involved in studying these events.

For readers and players exploring Authority of Ash, these records form a living archive that continues to grow as the story unfolds.

Join a Faction:

• Explore Garza and its districts
• Browse the Artifacts Archive
• Study Enhancer Research Files
• Follow investigation notes on the Blog
• Join the Newsletter to receive the free prequel The Archive Incident