In the final assault on Garrison, the Vord employed a new asset - unbelieveably large monsters called Vordbulks. These gigantic creatures are the size of buildings with heavily armored and eyeless heads and a beak similar to that of an octopus. They wield no special abilities, instead using their massive size to simply obliterate everything in their wake. Vordbulks have extremely tough skin, able to shake off metalcrafted steel, firecrafted explosions, and the sharpened beaks of the Herdbane. The only viable way to kill a Vordbulk is from the inside, demonstrated by Count Bernard and High Lord Cereus in the Battle of Garrison during Third Calderon. Lost Roman Legion: The Alerans are descended from a people that their histories refer to as "Romans," who claimed to have come from "Mother Rome," and who originally appeared on Carna in numbers equal to a single Legion and its camp followers. invoked Word of God is that they were the IX Roman Legion, and were transported to Carna by a wormhole. Notably, it was so long ago that the ruins of this civilization are called "Romanic", and there's a serious debate on whether or not Aleran ancestors had inherent furycraft (they did not). Almighty Janitor: Formerly. He was only a rank-and-file soldier during his time in the Legions, despite his crafting skill being evident enough that Gaius pegs him as a former Knight Flora without a second thought (Bernard always thought the Knights were too uppity for his tastes). By the end of the first book, he's now the Count of Calderon and Alera's chief ambassador to the Marat, a station and title far more worthy of his abilities. Nice Girl: Isana is quite possibly the kindest and most considerate person in all of Alera, being both selfless and altruistic while always looking out those for less fortunate than her. Notably, her reaction to seeing the collared Alerans the Awakened Vord Queen has roped into serving as her Praetorian Guard is not one of fear, but pity.

The battle with Kalarus Brencis continues. Bernard and Amara guide First Lord Gaius Sextus to Kalare on a top-secret mission. Status: Deceased, killed by the High Lords of Alera during the failed assassination attempt upon the Awakened Vord Queen We do get one example of a more powerful user, as we are told the high lord created a mountain in a day to honour his fallen son, the prince. The high lord also called the fury storm on the Calderon Valley. We know that large things can happen, but no specifics. In Princeps' Fury he tries to form an Enemy Mine with one of the Canean Vord Queens based on incomplete information. Rather predictably, it does not work at all. It has a very classical high fantasy look and I’m going to say I don’t much care for it. Now I love fantasy art, I find it very evocative but I do prefer a more modern style. Odd as it might sound, the main thing that turns me off from this cover is really just the position Tavi is in. I get why he’s like that, he’s recoiling from storm furies, but it isn’t working for me, he looks hunched and awkward. I found the covers for this series to be pretty hit or miss for me.I read the Codex Alera when it first released and this is a reread. I have a vague recollection of what happens throughout the series but the specifics are honestly lost to me outside of one or two main threads.

Tavi is really Gaius Octavian, son of the slain Princeps Septimus. Isana, actually his mother, accidentally suppressed his Furycraft when trying to make him look younger so he wouldn't be obviously the right age to be a son of Septimus and therefore a target for assassins. Eventually he does develop some Crafting, though to a lesser extent than most Lords. In the final book, the full potential of his powers emerges. My God, What Have I Done?: Following the Battle of the Elinarch, he feels completely unsatisfied with his victory, noting to Kitai that all he really feels is a weary resignation with the fact that he now has even more work to do along with being quietly regretful for having had to kill so many Canim over the battle whose worst crime was being dumb enough to trust the leadership of a loathsome Evil Sorcerer like Sarl. Similarly, he's understandably ashamed about having initially failed to properly court Kitai in the traditions of her people (with Max directly spelling out to him how Innocently Insensitive that was of him) and having failed to tell Crassus of his mother Dorotea's fate. Also, you have to be connected to your element to use its power. So a water fury caster without any water around is useless. An earth fury caster when not touching the earth can’t do anything. A metal fury caster without any metal, like a sword, on his person can’t do the things he does. Gaius Octavian, meaning both that he is the son of Princeps Septimus, and he shares the same name as the proper name of Emperor Augustus.

Publication Order of Codex Alera Books

Rags to Royalty: She is the Cinderella-type, with the bonus of meeting Septimus when hired by him to be their personal help.

Mindlink Mates: With Kitai thanks to her bonding with him. They can sense the other one's presence and general moods. And when he gains furycrafting, she gains it too, while Tavi gains enhanced senses and endurance from her. The series features magic in the form of furies. Everyone in this universe can wield them. Furies are spirits that are elemental, and include water, metal, wood, fire, air, and earth. Some are small and some are big, known as Great Furies that appear like volcanoes and oceans and mountains. Flight: Skilled windcrafters can generate windstreams to support their bodies and allow them to soar through the air. Notably, it's mentioned that this talent requires a windcrafter to also learn how to create a shield of hardened air out in front of them so as to protect them from incoming objects like insects or arrows. epilogue: Bernard is Lord Calderonus. His sister Isana marries Araris and Tavi dubs them Count and Countess Rillwater. They wear the Calderonus colors of green and brown. Founder of the Kingdom: The original Gaius Primus, the first of the House of Gaius and the first of the First Lords of the Realm. Ever since his death, his family line — through multiple different branches — has ruled over the entire Realm in at least one way or another.

Aleran Steadholders

Older Than They Look: She's probably in her mid-forties, but because of her exceptionally strong watercrafting, she could pass for eighteen if it wasn't for some grey in her hair.

Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Tavi frequently shows excellent instincts and great skill at reading dangerous situations. While a large part of it is implied to be just due to his cleverness, comments from other characters (most notably the Great Fury Alera herself) claiming that the House of Gaius has always been exceptionally skilled in reading and reacting to predicted/future events suggests that even when he was without his furies, Tavi's instincts might have something supernatural (possibly a limited form/sense of prophecy) helping guide him and his family's actions towards the best possible path. Woodcrafters can use their powers to accelerate plant growth to bring in higher yields of crops for harvest along with being near-perfect hunters. Watercrafters allow for near-instantaneous long-way communication through connected bodies of water (though according to Max, skilled-enough crafters can alter the conveyed messages) along with providing extensive healing opportunities and helping advance the medical sciences. Sufficiently skilled watercrafters are also tasked with serving as Living Lie Detectors and "witchmen" (a special role found among Aleran sailors tasked with keeping leviathans from noticing said ships when they intrude upon their territories and smashing them into kindling, greatly aiding in the Alerans' nautical trade networks).

No Historical Figures Were Harmed: invoked According to Word of God, Tavi's characterization was heavily inspired by both Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus.