Codex Alera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Codex Alera is a fantasy book series by Jim Butcher. The series chronicles the life of a young man named Tavi in the empire of Alera on the world of Carna. Every Aleran of every nation and caste, except for Tavi, has some degree of command over elemental forces or spirits called furies. The story takes place after the rise of a fictional empire similar to Rome where the First Lord must stave off in-fighting amongst the nobility of a now decadent empire and wield the throne through sheer force of strength and will. Tavi, trapped by fate in the midst of conflicts at home and abroad, must use all of his intelligence to save Alera.

Alera inhabits most of a large continent that is inhabited by the Icemen to the north. They are connected to another large continent held by the Marat via a land bridge, which is the location of the Calderon Valley. The Canim reside across the ocean to the west, staging regular, bloody raids on coastal settlements.

Contents 1 Books in the series 2 Furies 2.1 Types 3 Races of Carna 3.1 Alerans 3.2 Canim 3.3 Icemen 3.4 Marat 3.5 Vord 4 Characters 4.1 Major characters 4.2 Minor characters

[edit] Books in the series

No.	Title	Release date	ISBN	Comments
Books
1	Furies of Calderon	October 5, 2004	ISBN 0-4410-1199-3	hardcover
		June 28, 2005	ISBN 0-4410-1268-X	paperback
2	Academ's Fury	July 5, 2005	ISBN 0-4410-1283-3	hardcover
		November 28, 2006	ISBN 0-4410-1340-6	paperback
3	Cursor's Fury	December 5, 2006	ISBN 0-4410-1434-8	hardcover

[edit] Furies

Furies are elemental spirits that inhabit all aspects of Alera, though proto-Aleran ruins show no sign of furycrafting ability amongst humans in the past. The Aleran people manifest personal furies in their early adolescent years, and control them with their minds to aid them in whatever task they are undertaking. Most Alerans display moderate ability in all areas of furycrafting, but are highly skilled in only one or two types. High Lords and their offspring generally show considerable talent in all areas of furycrafting well beyond the capabilities of a typical person, indicating that genetics plays some role in furycrafting. Residents of large cities typically treat furies as generic entities while those in rural areas forge close personal bonds with specific furies. All Alerans of considerable talent and strength in furycrafting are obligated by law to marry someone with similar strength to produce children with strong furycrafting ability.

There are six kinds of furies in Alera corresponding to the elements water, fire, earth, air, metal, and wood. Use of furies ranges from lamp lighting to causing major weather events.

[edit] Types

Type	Description	Knight Title
Water	Used in healing, communicating over large distances, reading emotions, and manipulating water; disrupted by fire.	Knight Aqueous
Earth	Used to gain strength, manipulate the earth, and inspire lust; disrupted when contact with the ground is lost, metal.	Knight Terra
Wood	Used in manipulating plants, tracking and for camouflage; common among archers so their arrows fly farther and faster; disrupted by metal.	Knight Flora
Fire	Used to manipulate emotions and control fire; can be used to create cold by extracting heat from an object; disrupted by water.	Knight Ignus
Air	Used to fly, control the wind, and to increase speed and agility; strong crafters may be able to create lightning; disrupted by earth and salt.	Knight Aeris
Metal	Used in forging and sword fighting, increased pain tolerance and endurance; disrupted by wood.	Knight Ferrous

[edit] Races of Carna

[edit] Alerans

Alerans, synonymous with "humans," are the most developed civilization on Carna, and they exert their influence over all other sentient races through their use of furies. Their far-flung empire spans most of an entire continent, but they are pressed on all sides by hostile enemies.

[edit] Canim

The Canim are large, wolflike creatures and fierce warriors. Little is known about them, except that they have a caste-like social hierarchy and are susceptible to political in-fighting. Most Aleran contact with the Canim is through Canim raids along the west coast of Alera. They are capable of some form of sorcery, as revealed in Academ's Fury when the Canim use their influence over the elements to batter the coast of Alera with violent storms. Their current ambassador to Alera is Varg, who has been imprisoned after the events of Academ's Fury. In Cursor's Fury, a large contingent of Canim invade Alera with the intent of creating a permanent colony on the continent.

[edit] Icemen

Very little is known about the Icemen except that they are a savage enemy of Alera, held at bay along the northern fringes of the empire by the Shieldwall. The expense of maintaining the northern defenses, as well as the slave trade, has caused a political rift between the cities of northern Alera and the cities of southern Alera. The Marat use the hair of Icemen to make incredibly strong, lightweight ropes.

[edit] Marat

The Marat are a silver-haired, pale-skinned people who reside on a continent connected to Alera via a landbridge (where the Calderon Valley is located). They are an aggressive race that routinely fights one another in small scale conflicts. The Marat bind themselves to another creature (such as a Wolf, Herdbane, Gargant, or Horse calling this creature their Totem), gaining the creatures strengths and abilities. They are also known for "partaking" in their fallen enemies, where they eat their adversaries (sometimes alive) in combat to gain their strength. When their hordes attacked Alera before Tavi was born, they killed the Princeps Septimus' Legion at the First Battle of Calderon.

[edit] Vord

Little is known about the Vord. They are described repeatedly as an "alien" race, but no one knows where they come from. According to Marat tradition, they are shapeshifters. When they come, they possess members of a sentient race, consuming their souls and transforming them into the Taken. They feed on a grey, waxy substance called croach, and resided in dormancy in the Wax Forest before they were awoken by Tavi and Kitai. Their organization is roughly hierarchical, with a queen and two lesser queens in each nest, protected by Vord warriors. The Keeper, venomous, spider-like creatures the size of dogs, maintain the croach. When the Vord begin to spread, each nest splits into three, with one of the three queens taking over the new nest.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Major characters

Name	Race	Named Furies
Tavi (Gaius Octavian)	Human	None
The main character of the series and, until the end of Cursor's Fury the only adult Aleran without any furycrafting. He was raised by his aunt Isana (who is actually his mother) and his uncle Bernard in Bernardholt in the Calderon Valley. He was often harassed because he could not control furies, and, lacking one, had to use his intelligence to figure out ways around this "disability." During Furies of Calderon, he and Fade are kidnapped by the Marat in the woods of Calderon Valley. When he defeats Kitai in a trial before "The One" in the Wax Forest, and thus declaring Atsurak Mistaken, he splits the Marat horde in two when the Gargant and Horse clans withdraw from conflict against Alera. Doroga and Hashat agree to attack Atsurak's horde to save Tavi's family at Garrison, and Tavi is heralded as a hero for his actions. After gaining the patronage of the First Lord, he wins a scholarship to the Academy to begin Cursor Training. When Gaius falls into a coma due to extended furycrafting, Tavi must use his wits to prevent civil war and protect the First Lord from an attack by the Vord and the Canim Taken. As revealed in Cursor's Fury through conversations between Isana and Fade, he is also the son of Septimus, grandson of Gaius, making him the technical heir to the First Lord. The final pages of Cursor's Fury indicate that he has developed the ability to furycraft when Tavi commands a furylamp to go out.
Amara	Human	Cirrus (wind fury)
Amara is a Cursor, Countess, strong windcrafter, and Bernard's wife. She is also a close friend to Tavi. She may be unable to bear children after being struck by the blight, which causes her a great deal of stress in her relationship to Bernard (who, as a noble and powerful crafter, has an obligation to bear children). When she was an academ, Fidelias served as her patriserus, but revealed himself as a traitor during her final exam exercise. She fled to Calderon, where she met Tavi during a vicious furystorm. Afterward, she sent Tavi ahead to attempt to warn Riva and Garrison, but when he is kidnapped by the Marat, she and Bernard must warn Garrison and lead the defenses there. In Academ's Fury, she and Bernard once again lead the troops of Garrison, this time on an attack against the Vord. During the events of Cursor's Fury, she leads a covert operation with Lady Aquitaine, Bernard, Aldrick, and Odiana to free Lady Placida, Rook's daughter, and the daughter of an Aleran Lord from the stronghold of Lord Kalare. During those events, Amara believes she is pregnant, until her menses returns near the end of the book.
Bernard	Human	Brutus (earth fury) and Cyprus (wood fury)
Bernard is Tavi's uncle and foster father. He, like his sister, is a strong furycrafter, though he has an earth fury and a wood fury. He was pivotal in the Second Battle of Calderon and took over command of the fort at Garrison afterward, leaving Bernardholt to the control of his sister. As a Count, he is a minor noble of Alera and a Citizen. While leading a desperate attack against the Vord nest near Garados in Calderon Valley in Academ's Fury, he married Amara. The two have kept their relationship quiet while they try to have children. In Cursor's Fury, Bernard works with Amara and Lady Aquitaine to free Lady Placida, Rook's daughter, and the daughter of an Aleran Lord from the stronghold of Lord Kalare.
Fade; aka Araris Valerian	Human	Unknown
Fade was a slave (and presumably a simpleton) at Bernadholt whose face has been branded with the Legion's mark of cowardice. He is often charged with the protection of Tavi, and was sent with him to Alera Imperia when Tavi began training to become a Cursor, where he serves as a common slave. He is secretly a skilled swordsman (The best of his generation), revealed to be Araris Valerian, the former guard and close companion of the deceased Princeps. To protect the princeps'son and wife, he went into hiding as the slave Fade. He has a deep resentment of the First Lord, though, at the request of Tavi, fought to protect his life during the Vord attack on the Citadel in Academ's Fury. He nearly dies to save Isana in Cursor's Fury. After Isana risks her life in a prolonged watercrafting, his hidden love for Isana is revealed.
Gaius Sextus	Human	Unknown
Gaius is the First Lord (Emperor) of Alera. He is an incredibly strong furycrafter and cunning leader, but age and sickness are wearing away at his abilities. He is Tavi's patron, and after Tavi joins the Academy the two forge a close relationship. When he falls into a furycrafting-enduced coma, Tavi must work to protect the realm from civil war and a Vord attack. Though often portrayed as fair and just, several characters, including Fade and Isana, has a strong negative feeling towards Gaius due to events surrounding the First Battle of Calderon. In Cursor's Fury, he must outwit both Kalare and the Canim during an act of overt civil warfare.
Isana	Human	Rill (water fury)
Isana raised Tavi as his aunt, and is also a powerful watercrafter. She also took over Bernardholt, which became Isanaholt under her control, when her brother was made a Count. As a steadholder, she is a Citizen of Alera while on her land, and harbors an obvious dislike of the First Lord, though he made her a symbol of his power. During Academ's Fury, she attends Wintersend to warn Gaius about the Vord threat in the capital and in the Calderon Valley. Unable to gain an audience with the First Lord, who is secretly stuck in a coma, she turns to Lady Aquitaine to save her family, pledging her allegiance to Aquitaine as long as they protect her family. In "Cursor's Fury", she manages a dangerous watercrafting to save Fade from death, which reveals to the reader that Tavi is actually her son with the Princeps, and thus heir to the throne.
Kitai	Marat	None (bound to Tavi)
Kitai is the daughter of Doroga, the head of the Marat, and Tavi's love interest. Tavi saved Kitai's life during their trail before "The One" in the Wax Forest, and the two have been bound ever since. She is sent to the capital of Alera, Alera Imperia, to Watch Tavi and the humans, and also to track the Vord who followed Tavi's scent to the capital. Stealing for food and clothing, she is known as the "Black Cat," a thief infamous for circumvention of furycrafting. Tavi tracks down the "Black Cat" to free Max from the Grey Tower. After their reunion, Kitai and Tavi work together to warn the Citadel of the Vord and protect Gaius from the Taken Canim. She is currently the ambassador of the Marat to Alera, a position created by Tavi to gain her entrance into the Citadel. During Cursor's Fury, the nature of her bond to Tavi is explored, giving Tavi greater resilience, reflexes, and strength (similar to a Marat). The final pages of Cursor's Fury also indicate that she has developed the ability to furycraft via her bond with Tavi.

[edit] Minor characters

Name	Race	Named Furies
Aldrick ex Gladius	Human	Unknown; powerful metalcrafter
Aldrick is the greatest known swordsman alive, and a mercenary for Aquitaine. He is a wanted man and Odiana's lover. A major player in the events of Furies of Calderon, he fought against the legionnaires and Aleran steadholders at the Second Battle of Calderon. He also led Aquitaine's mercenaries against the Vord in Academ's Fury and participated in the rescue of hostages from Lord Kalare's stronghold in Cursor's Fury.
Antillar Maximus	Human	Androcles (Water fury, lion)
Antillar, usually referred to as "Max," is the bastard son of Lord Antillus Raucus and one of the strongest young furycrafters in Alera. Like Tavi, he trained to be a Cursor, and uses his watercrafting to impersonate the First Lord after he falls ill in Academ's Fury. When Brencis attacks Tavi, Max is nearly killed and imprisoned in the Grey Tower. After he is rescued by Tavi and Kitai, he returns to the Citadel, where he impersonates Gaius during the Vord attack. Later, in Cursor's Fury, he assists Tavi in his disguise as a legionnaire noble.
Aric	Human	Unknown
Aric, the more compassionate of Kord's two sons, assisted in the escape of Odiana and Isana from Korthold in Furies of Calderon. After his father's death, he inherited his Steadhold, becoming Steadholder Aric. During Academ's Fury, he was possessed by the Vord, along with the majority of his steadholders, and died in battle against the legionnaires of Garrison.
Atsurak	Marat	None
Atsurak, leader of the Herdbane clan and former-headman of the Marat, led the Marat horde in the Second Battle of Calderon in a partnership with Lord Aquitaine. He was challenged and defeated by Doroga.
Lord Attis Aquitaine	Human	Unknown
Lord Aquitaine is one of the High Lords of Alera, and the largest political threat to Gaius Sextus. He engineered the Marat invasion of the Calderon Valley in Furies of Calderon, but was forced to assist Gaius in Academ's Fury by leading an attack on Kalare's bloodcrows on the docks of Alera Imperia. In also worked with Gaius during Cursor's Fury to prevent Kalare from assuming the throne.
Bittan	Human	Unknown
Kord's younger son, Bittan was favored heavily over Aric, possibly because of his inherently cruel and petty nature. He was killed during an ill-conceived attack against Tavi and Fade, but not before setting the forests of the Calderon Valley on fire with his firecrafting, which led Isana to flood much of the valley to put them out and stop the battle.
Brencis	Human	Unknown
Brencis is the murderous son of Lord Kalare and an Academ at the Academy. In general, he is a bully to those he deems weaker than him, but is a coward when faced with a stronger adversary (such as Max). While drunk, and at this father's urging, he attacks Tavi in the street after his duel for Citizenship, and is nearly killed by Tavi in the struggle before Lord Kalare and Lady Placida intervene, which leads to Max's arrest.
Doroga	Marat	None
Doroga is the current leader of the Marat and headman of the Gargant tribe. His wife, a member of the Fox clan, was killed by Atsurak's savage Herbane. He's Kitai's father, and an ally of Bernard and Tavi (and, by proxy, Gaius). During the Furies of Calderon, he used Tavi to call Atsurak "mistaken" before "The One" to keep the Gargant and Horse clans from assisting the Marat horde. After Tavi saved Kitai's life in the Wax Forest, Doroga repayed his kindness by protecting the lives of Tavi's family—by leading his own horde of Marat into battle against Atsurak at the Second Battle of Calderon. During Academ's Fury, he led the Marat into battle against a Vord nest in Marat territory and went to Bernard to warn Alera about the Vord threat and assist them in combat against the Vord in Calderon Valley.
Ehren	Human	Unknown, not a very powerful furycrafter
Formerly an Academ and now a Cursor, Ehren, though incredibly intelligent and a competent fighter, lacks strong furycrafting. He is often teased by his fellow students, but is a close friend to Tavi and Max. He rescues Tavi and Kitai in Academ's Fury after they are kidnapped by Gaelle and Kalare's assassins in the Deeps. Interestingly, he used his weak fury to his advantage because weak furycrafting is harder to detect so no one noticed him breaking in using his earth fury. He also solicits the assistance of Lady Placida and Aquitaine during the Vord attack on the Citadel. In Cursor's Fury, he worked as a Cursor on an island to the west of Alera, returning to the mainland in time to warn Tavi and Max of the impending Canim invasion.
Fidelias	Human	Etan and Vamma
Fidelias is a former Cursor and the patriserus of Amara. He revealed himself to be a traitor to the Crown during Amara's final exam exercise, and is a major villain in the series. His treachery led to a Marat attack on the Calderon Valley during Furies of Calderon, though he would work to save the valley steadholders from the Vord and Isana from assassins in Academ's Fury. In Cursor's Fury, Fidelias disguised himself as an old legionnaire, Valiar, to observe Tavi, revealing that Gaius knows that Tavi is the son of the deceased Princeps.
Gaelle, aka Rook	Human	Unknown
Gaelle was the only female Cursor trainee, and is a traitor to the crown in Academ's Fury. Tavi believes the real Gaelle was killed by Kalare, and is currently being impersonated by a strong watercrafter. His suspicions are confirmed in Cursor's Fury, when Amara discovers that Rook's child is being held hostage by Kalare. After Amara rescues Rook's daughter, the two are given a pardon and are allowed to live quietly on a steadholt.
Lady Gaius Caria	Human	Unknown
Caria is the wife of Gaius Sextus, First Lord of Alera, and mistress of Lord Aquitaine.
Hashat	Marat	None
Hashat is Doroga's sister-in-law and ally. As the leader of the Horse clan, she usually sides with Doroga against the Herbane and Wolf. However, she is generally unwilling to deviate from tradition and custom, and is less accepting of Alerans than Doroga. She fought alongside him at the Second Battle of Calderon in Furies of Calderon and the Marat attack on the Vord in Academ's Fury.
Lady Invidia Aquitaine	Human	Unknown
Lady Aquitaine is the cunning and manipulative wife of Lord Aquitaine. She played a prominent role in Academ's Fury, where she ordered Fedalias to protect Isana from assassins while in Alera Imperia and brokered a deal to protect Isana's family in exchange for her political support. She also entered the Citadel to kill the Vord and break through the lines of Taken Canim to save the First Lord. Her prominence continued in Cursor's Fury, where she assisted Amara in rescuing Lady Placida and Rook's daughter from Kalare. When she attempted to betray Amara and Lady Placida at the end of the novel, she was outwitted, stripped of her clothing, and left stranded with Aldrick and Odiana.
Kord	Human	Unknown
Kord, a slaver and steadholder in the Calderon Valley, is a petty, gutless man with little respect or compassion for others. When his son, Bittan, was accused of rape, Kord tried repeatedly to kill Steadholder Warren, then Steadholder Bernard, and Tavi to protect his son from justice. When Bittan was killed, he kidnapped Isana and Odiana, attempting to enslave them. After they escaped, he pursued them to Garrison, where Odiana arranged his death at the hands of the Marat after he removed her slave collar.
Maestro Killian	Human	Unknown
Maestro Killian is Tavi's patriserus and leader of the Cursors. While Gaius was incapacitated due to illness, he dealt with most affairs of state. He died from poisoning during the Vord attack on the Citadel, but revealed to Tavi that he had partnered with Kalare to gain intelligence. To keep Kalare's trust, he had allowed an assassin to assume Gaelle's trust and train as a Cursor near the First Lord.
Sir Miles	Human	Unknown, strong metalcrafter
Sir Miles, the brother of Araris Valerian, is the head of the Royal Guard and close friend of Gaius Sextus. He and Maestro Killian control the Aleran state through the office of the First Lord when Gaius is struck ill from over-extertion during Academy's Fury. He's a capable of swordfighter, but possesses a slight limp due to a knee injury he suffered when his brother pushed him in front of a cart to prevent him from dueling Aldrick ex Gladius.
Odiana	Human	Unknown; powerful watercrafter
Odiana is a powerful watercrafter, though her empathic abilities have driven her mad, making her a somewhat unknown variable in the struggle between the First Lord and Aquitaine. She is Aldrick's lover, and faithful only to him. She was enslaved to pay for the funeral of her husband and children after they did of blight, but was at one point set free. Kort briefly enslaved her again during the events of Furies of Calderon, but she escaped with Isana's help. In return, she saved the lives of Bernard, Tavi, and Fade at the Second Battle of Calderon. She returned in Cursor's Fury, assisting Amara at Lady Aquitaine's behest in the rescue of Kalare's hostages.
Lady Placida	Human	Unknown
Lady Placida is a member of the Dianic League, though she and her husband try to remain politically neutral. She prevents Kalare and his son, Brencis, from killing Max and Tavi in the streets of Alera Imperia, and assists Ehren in soliciting the aide of Lord and Lady Aquitaine during the Vord attack on the Citadel. During Cursor's Fury, she is kidnapped by Kalare and held to prevent her husband from joining forces with Gaius in the civil war.
Serai	Human	Unknown
Serai is a courtesan, slave, and Cursor of the Crown. Due to a breakdown in communication amongst the Cursors, she personally took Isana to the capital during Wintersend so Amara could stay behind in the Calderon Valley to fight the Vord. When Isana is attacked by Kalare's bloodcrows, Serai is killed by an arrow through the heart.
Ambassador Varg	Canim	None
Varg is the Canim ambassador to Alera. He shows little love toward the Aleran people, but warns Tavi in Academy's Fury that his Canim guards are being taken by the Vord. He is, during 'Cursor's Fury', being held as a prisoner in the Gray Tower.