An Alliance of Factions
An alliance of factions is a large faction composed of smaller groups or factions working together for a common cause. This occurs frequently in fictional settings when the factions of a world unite to face a larger (and often evil) threat. An alliance of factions may be composed of different nations, clans, royal houses, kingdoms, or other groups depending on the genre, world era, and world type. A frequent theme of these alliances is overcoming their differences and finding common cause in the face of an imminent danger. An alliance of factions may, overtime, develop into a federation or be plagued by infighting and warfare once the unifying threat has been pacified.
| Synonyms: alliances, coalitions |
| Example Mythonyms: the Alliance of Free States, the Woodland Coalition, the United Front |
| Factions |
Designing Fictional Alliances
Archetypes
Overview
Fictional alliances are defined by the relationships between the factions from which they are composed. This gives worldbuilders a plethora of opportunities to explore not only unique and interesting factions, but also the relationships between those factions and how they were able to forge a greater community. Often fictional alliances are composed from factions which historically did not get along or are suspicious of one another. The events, leaders, and characters that were able to bring these factions together may be historical legends, or may be the focus of narratives if the alliance is being formed in the present era or current narrative.
Competing factions may seek to sow distrust or anger between the allied factions.
