The Corvus Coalition (CORR-vuhs co-ah-LISH-uhn)
The Corvus Coalition is an incredibly large group of "crows" (i.e., crow halflings) with no clear motives or goals. Crows in the Coalition are highly intelligent, with any number of unusual eye colors, and possess a human-like form, which they can shift to at will. They are apparently neutral, only appearing to observe and listen, before disappearing. It is rare to see the same crow twice in the same place or time, or even twice at all. It is unknown how many "crows" are actually members of the Coalition and which are feral/standard crows — the only giveaway may be the eye color, save for members whose eyes are black.
Structure
The Corvus Coalition is made up entirely of crow halflings, and as such, they are the ones who run the Coalition. The most experienced crows are intelligent, quiet, precise, and direct. They are the ones who gather intelligence and keep things running smoothly — and when things do not run smoothly, they double as assassins. People or things that threaten the Coalition conveniently disappear, a single black feather in their wake.
Newly-recruited crows, however, are the grunts and foot-soldiers of the Coalition, the ones who are assigned when a death doesn't need quite as much finesse or prior planning. Their main purpose is security and battle. Alone, new recruits are still young and weak, but together, they are deadly and vicious, especially when guided and commanded by a veteran crow. They are often treated poorer than veteran crows due to their lack of experience, but this is merely another part of the initiation for a new recruit.
Public Agenda
The Coalition's goals are currently unclear; they do absolutely no trade with other races or people, and even dragons are wary of them from time to time. Action from them is rare, but that doesn't mean they aren't listening. Their network is vast, spanning the entire globe, and information travels very quickly within. The only ones who do not fear the Coalition are devils, suggesting a possible link between the two. This theory is further strengthened by the Coalition's loyalty to Erebos, the God of Darkness.
Assets
The Coalition does not appear to possess any other assets besides its members; no known base of operations, food supply, water supply, or anything else of interest. It is unclear where they acquire their weapons, but the leading theory is that the weapons are forged in the fires of Hell.
History
Most of the Coalition's history is unknown; records are scattered and often conflict with each other, perhaps on purpose.
Religion
The Coalition, along with its sister organization, the Raven Syndicate, are devout followers of Erebos, the God of Darkness. It has therefore been theorized that the members of both organizations are a type of undocumented devil. This is further supported by their extraordinary strength, speed, and stamina; the only analog of which are devils themselves. If true, they are the only type of devil that still acknowledge Erebos, as the rest of his children are estranged from him after his disappearance.
Laws
The only publicly known "law" of the Coalition is that crows will not intervene unless absolutely necessary, similar to the moral code of angels. The rest of their laws are currently a well-kept secret.
Tenets of Faith
The tenets that each member of the Corvus Coalition follows are similar to Erebos's original intent for the devils at the beginning of the universe: creatures of substance, freedom, and desire, but not intended to be evil, as many devils have become. Each crow in the Coalition follows this original framework closely, making them something of a "lawful neutral" organization. Indulge, but never in excess. Kill, but never out of wrath, only out of necessity. Watch and listen, but never pass personal judgement on others. These are just a few of the guidelines within the Coalition. In this way, they are something of a "middle ground" between angels and devils, something that Evelyn and Erebos were never able to reach themselves.
Ethics
Although many are quick to write the Coalition off as "evil" or "monsters", the truth of the matter is that they only act out of necessity, and never more than that. Rarely do they take action at all, being content to simply observe and listen until they feel something must be done. They reject unnecessary cruelty and torture, and will not perform such acts on those they target and/or rarely, capture. At the same time, they know their place — they don't claim themselves to be heroes or saviors in any way. They don't have any imperiousness towards others, and see all people as equal, for better or worse. There is an innate awareness within the Coalition that they are perceived as, and in fact are, morally grey. But to the Coalition, there are necessary evils from time to time, which can be acted upon without becoming "evil" oneself.
Worship
The Corvus Coalition does not actively worship Erebos. Instead, they remain passively faithful to him, and adhere to a certain moral code they believe he would approve of.
Granted Divine Powers
Members of the Coalition share almost an identical powerset with devils, further supporting the leading theory. This powerset is:
- Natural Weaponry
- Fingernail Claws: Members of the Coalition can rapidly grow and shrink their fingernails at will, using them as claws. For this reason, crows prefer to keep their nails sharpened into points, rather than filing them down.
- Supernatural Condition: Crows possess a supernatural condition, which gives them the following natural boosts:
- Supernatural Concealment: Crows can not only turn completely invisible, but can also mask their life force, presence, and magical signature, allowing them to go completely undetected by most creatures and races. The only ones who can detect them in this state are angels and the gods.
- Supernatural Perception/Detection: Crows of the Coalition can sense both life force and magic, regardless of cloaking, illusion, or any other means that would render the user invisible or untraceable. There is no known way to deceive a crow.
- Supernatural Reflexes: Crows have reflexes beyond mortals, and can perceive most normal attacks coming.
- Supernatural Regeneration: Crows' natural regeneration of injuries and wounds is much faster than any mortals, allowing them to heal even near-mortal wounds within minutes.
- Supernatural Senses: Crows have extremely heightened senses. This includes better sight, better sense of hearing, taste, smell, and touch.
- Supernatural Speed, Type II: Crows can move and attack much faster than most races including elves.
- Supernatural Stamina: Crows' stamina is greatly enhanced beyond any that of any mortal.
- Supernatural Strength, Type III: Crows are far stronger than any mortal race, including elves.
- Supernatural Umbramancy: Crows' magic is not quite on the same level as devils', but it is still immensely powerful.
"EXSPECTA VIDEQUE." — WAIT AND SEE.
Type
Secret, Religious sect
Legislative Body
The Coalition appears to have some kind of internal code or a set of laws, but the full details of what this entails is unknown. Its members created and currently enforce the code within the organization.
Deities
Related Species
