The Coalition of the Willow

The Coalition of the Willow is an amalgamation of groups from throughout the Long Stretch, Shutontas and farther afield, with ranks composed of every type of person imaginable, with mercenaries and mages, peasants and royalty all coming together as equals under the Coalition's single goal: the eradication of the Fell from the face of Az.  

Major Figures

  A recently formed power in the grand scheme of things, The Coalition of the Willow began around fifty years before the current day, though many of its precursor organisations date centuries back. The key figure largely responsible for the Coalition's formation is a mage, known to most only by his various aliases, such as "He in Shadow", "The Black Wraith of Vengeance" or the "Onyx Enigma". So called for the flowing shadows that obscure his features from others, He in Shadow is a divine-eyed mage of immense power, whom only a select few within the Coalition have seen the true face of. A man driven by grief and rage, He in Shadow set about forming a coherent response to the rising threat of the Fell after they returned to the Long Stretch in droves fifty years ago, bringing with them carnage and untold misery upon the northern territories of the Long Stretch.   Despite He in Shadow being the semi-official leader of the Coalition of the Willow, he prefers to minimize his direct authority over the rest of the organisation, his reason being that it would compromise the meaning of the Coalition, whose members are sworn to destroy the Fell by their own volition, rather than being coerced by an arcane despot.   Instead, a council of people of utmost importance to the Coalition acts as the primary governing body. This group consists of leaders from the constituent organisations that make up the Coalition of the Willow. A council that numbers well over a hundred people, most represent small bands of soldiers, magicians or national dignitaries giving monetary aid to the Coalition on behalf of other governments. Thus it is unsurprising that certain leaders hold greater influence than others, with the most important figures being known as the Rooks within the Coalition. Among them is the likes of Valen Aldane, head of the Wyrd Breakers, mercenaries renowned for monster hunting and their use of void-steel, Mother Osmanthus of the Kynerian Atoners, and Amos, son of Ahava, divine-eyed mage representing the Gomaiy Places.Prince Allard, the Grim-hat's Elder Bristle, Oleg Medved, Erdmann Freud and Gael the Hammer are also counted among the Rooks, commanding large portions of the Coalition's military force. Usually representing He in Shadow at the council, Eir "The Peregrine" Hilmarsdottir, is his apprentice and one of the Coalition's greatest assets. A potent mage in her own right and a ferocious combatant, one so adept at using magic for physical enhancement she has been compared to numerous war gods, often moving swifter than a normal human eye can follow.   Since being formed, the Coalition of the Willow has been a beacon of hope for humans and giants of the northern hemisphere of Az, pushing back at the encroaching threat of the Fell with furious vigour. Indeed, in just fifty years the Coalition has all but eradicated any trace of the Fell from the Long Stretch, and have begun sending vanguards to the Tall Stretch in order to secure a foothold. From there the Coalition aims to sweep through the continent of the giants and purge the main body of the Fell that took root over five centuries ago. In this effort a truly historic milestone is being made between humanity and the giants, as the high king of the Mik-Rhulak has proposed an alliance between the Coalition and his realm. Historic, for the giants of the Tall Stretch have been at war with the nations of man for millennia without end, so such an agreement points towards the possibility of further improvements to the relations between the two species.