Codex Alera - Furies

Furies

Furies are elemental spirits (earth, water, fire, wind, metal, and wood) that inhabit all aspects of Alera. Some are small and cannot be seen, and others are powerful enough to manifest when called upon by their wielders. There also exist "Great Furies," the most powerful and ancient of these spirits, by which Alerans swear and curse. They manifest as geographic formations of great elemental power, such as volcanoes and oceans, and are far more often restrained or provoked than explicitly commanded, and then only by fury-crafters of exceptional strength. Many Alerans are unaware of the Great Furies' actual existence, imagining them to be more mythic than real, but this disbelief is incorrect.

While Proto-Aleran ruins show no sign of fury-crafting ability amongst humans of the past, the Aleran people at the present day manifest personal furies in their early childhood or adolescent years, and control them with their minds. They are used to aid them in whatever task undertaken from housework to combat. This fury-based magic is accomplished in one of two forms. First, an Aleran may draw from the strength of their fury to increase their own. For example, earth crafters often draw physical might from the ground, through their furies, to allow them to lift loads far too heavy for normal people, while wind crafters can increase their speed and metalcrafters their endurance. The second form of fury-crafting is to "manifest" a fury. This involves the fury taking a visible form, often the shape of an animal, though taking the shape of a human is not unheard of. Manifested furies are necessary for the most powerful forms of fury-crafting, including flight (windcrafting) and healing (watercrafting).

Most Alerans display rudimentary ability in all areas of fury-crafting, but are highly skilled in only one or two types. High Lords and their offspring generally show considerable talent in all areas of fury-crafting well beyond the capabilities of a typical person, indicating that heredity plays some role in fury-crafting. Residents of large cities typically treat furies as generic entities while those in rural areas forge close personal bonds with specific furies usually tied closely to particular natural landmarks. All Alerans of sufficient talent and strength in fury-crafting to be named to the Citizenry are obligated by law to marry someone with similar strength, in the interest of producing children with strong fury-crafting ability.

During "Princeps' Fury", the First Lord is shown to have a fury named Alera that he can commune with as if the fury was a human. She is an amalgam of all the fury types. She came into being when the first Gaius Primus took stone from all over Alera and incorporated it into the mural in the First Lord's meditation chamber. The fury takes the form of a woman, and her eyes constantly change color, from the color of steel (Metal fury) to the colors of gemstones, such as emerald (Earth) and sapphires (Water). Her clothing has been described of being made of thick, shimmering fog (Air), and her face is youthful, while her hair is gray with streams of red (Fire). She appears to Tavi at the very end of "Princeps' Fury", and says that his grandfather called her Alera. She is the source of much of the power always held by the First Lord above his fellow High Lords. She can give a fury-crafter unmatched power but her help must always affect everyone equally.