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Codex Alera: Difference between revisions
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Yeah, it is about as awesome as it sounds.
A high fantasy/intrigue series written by [[Jim Butcher]] (of ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' fame), the Codex Alera is set in a world that is populated by the descendants of one of the [[Lost Roman Legion|lost Roman Legions]] (according to the [[Word of God]]). They have carved out a massive empire led by the "First Lord" and they all have magic--specifically, they all bond with one or more "furies", elementals of air, water, fire, earth, wood or metal. Those who control enough furies can become Citizens, with increased privileges and obligations above the common freeman, but everyone has at least one fury. Well, everone save [[Un
Young [[Badass Normal|Tavi]] is the only known Aleran who does ''not'' have access to any furies. At best, he is treated like a special needs child. At worst... well, they start at "freak" and move downhill from there. However, since he can not rely on furies, Tavi uses something that many of his countrymen fail to utilize: [[Guile Hero|his brain]].
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** The Battlecrows, from the same book, sort of. Instead of taking their name from an insult, they take it from the burnt and blackened standard that Tavi carries into battle after it's struck by lightning.
* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: Tavi listed off his exploits and pointed out that he {{spoiler|killed Sarl}}, held off a massive army that vastly outclassed his own, ''beat'' said massive army, and... [[Smart People Play Chess|beat Nasaug at ludus]].
* [[Attack! Attack! Attack!]]: The Vord specialize in this, {{spoiler|at least while under a Queen's control.}} Though they can demonstrate considerable subtlety, they usually do not bother if they have an overwhelming numerical advantage, which they usually do.
* [[Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny]]: Wind furies have very short attention spans unless under the control of an exceptionally talented crafter, which can make long-distance flight problematic.
* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]: An Aleran freeman can become a Citizen through several different means, but all of them (with the exception of appointment to a government position or marriage to a Citizen) involve combat in some way. The laws of the land ensure that the most capable and most powerful furycrafters end up at the top of the social order.
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* [[Camp Follower|Camp Followers]]: The First Aleran Legion has the standard merchant, vagabond and prostitute followers. Eventually, Mistress Cymnea, their nominal leader, is added to the staff of the legion.
* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: In the fourth book, Isana finally tries to explain to Tavi {{spoiler|who his parents were and why he does not have magic powers like everyone else}}. Unfortunately, he chooses just that moment for some [[Oblivious Guilt Slinging]], talking about how great it is to see family again without all the political intrigue and backstabbing of his job, which makes it even harder for her to {{spoiler|confess to a lifelong deception}}, so she puts it off. {{spoiler|Eventually, Araris does the job for her. Tavi is a bit sore about it for a while.}}
* [[Can't Kill You - Still Need You]]: [[Genre Savvy|Fidelias is aware of the trope]], [[Invoked Trope|which is why he feels safe reporting failure to Lord Aquitaine]]. He is too valuable a tool to be thrown away carelessly, so he knows that he will not be killed until his failures outnumber his sucesses.
* [[Capital City]]: Alera Imperia, a series of concentric rings with gates to the higher levels on opposite sides from the gate on the level before that. At the peak lies the First Lord's monolithic Citadel. {{spoiler|It gets destroyed by Gaius Sextus' when he [[Taking You With Me|unleashes a volcanic great fury on the Vord armies]]. Appia becomes the new capital under Gaius Octavian.}}
* [[The Captain]]: While Legions are commanded by a Captain, their role tends to be more along the line of [[Colonel Badass]]. Demos is a somewhat more usual example, since he is in command of a ship with a [[Badass Crew]].
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* [[For Want of a Nail]]: Thematically lampshaded: ''everything'' in the series is kicked off by a serving girl wanting some pretty flowers.
* [[Fragile Speedster]]: Any windcrafter without an accompanying skill in metal- or earthcrafting. Particularly Amara, who is possibly the fastest flier in Alera aside from the High Lords, but at one point actually starts breaking her bones and tearing muscles from [[Bullet Time|speeding herself up]] too much in a fight.
* [[Free
* [[Freudian Excuse]]: Her poor relationship with her father is why Navaris is [[Ax Crazy|the way she is]]. {{spoiler|Exploiting it is how Tavi beats her in a duel to the death.}}
* [[Friendly Enemy]]:
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* [[Good Is Not Dumb]]: While none of the main cast are stupid, [[Guile Hero|Tavi]] and [[The Chessmaster|Ehren]] take the cake, being both genuinely good people and absolutely brilliant.
* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: Kitai and Hashat are two of the Marat most friendly to Alera, after Doroga, and assist them in their fights against Atsurak, the Canim and the Vord. However, they remain "barbarians," including practicing cannibalism and living with an almost sexual desire for combat and bloodshed.
* [[The Good,
* [[Gratuitous Latin]]: Used extensively, with good reason: [[Word of God]] is that the Alerans are descended from one of the Lost Roman Legions.
* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: Her name's [[Meaningful Name|Invidia]] for a ''reason'', folks.
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** Canim pups are the most adorable things ever. They can also bite your hand off at the wrist.
** Gram, one of the more powerful firecrafters around, uses a fury that takes the shape of a [[Badass Adorable|hummingbird]] named [[Fluffy the Terrible|Phyllis]].
{{quote| '''Gram:''' [[We Named the Monkey "Jack"|Named her after my first wife]].}}
* [[Kill It With Fire]]: The generally preferred method for dealing with the Vord.
* [[Knife Nut]]: Ehren hides such an extravagant number of knives on his person that it becomes a [[Running Gag]], and at least one person deduces that he is a Cursor based solely on how many he has.
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** Varg dubs Tavi "Tavar." A tavar is a highly intelligent wolverine-like predator native to Canea, stupidly brave and incredibly dangerous. Varg says he has never heard of a Canim taking one down without receiving extreme injuries of its own, and the Canim have a saying that, despite its small size, only a fool messes with a tavar. [[Guile Hero|Sounds]] [[Badass|about]] [[Crazy Awesome|right]].
* [[Minored in Asskicking]]: Magnus.
* [[Mistreatment
* [[Mon]]: [[Word of God]] holds that the furies are in fact based on ''[[Pokémon (Franchise)|Pokémon]]''.
** [[Olympus Mons]]: The Great Furies. Garados is a literal example.
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** {{spoiler|Even more so the ending. Tavi has changed the world so that Fury Crafting ability is now based on hard work more than genetics, with a further implication that the other races would develop it. He has also managed to force the Alerans, Marat, Icemen, and Canim into an alliance because if they don't work together, they will all die when the Vord from the former Canim cross the ocean in a couple of centuries.}}
* [[Not Now, Kiddo]]: Bernard to Frederic, regarding the vord parasite he has captured in a cup.
* [[No
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]:
** The first thing Kitai says about her father, Doroga, is that he does not ''seem'' clever.
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* [[Offing the Offspring]]: Antillar Maximus seems to have plenty of [[Make It Look Like an Accident|accidents]] whenever his step-mother, High Lady Dorotea Antillus, is around.
* [[Oh Crap]]: Everywhere and in wide variety.
** [[Mass "Oh Crap"]]: Also common, but especially notable when {{spoiler|the Vord Queen pulls a [[One Hit KO]] on a High Lord.}}
* [[Older Than They Look]]
** All powerful watercrafters, to the point where even the eldest High Lords almost never look older than their forties, with the majority of them looking like they are in their mid-thirties or even younger. Gaius Sextus spends the entire series dying of old age (with a little help) but still looks like he is in his forties.
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* [[Orifice Invasion]]: Vord Takers crawl in through your mouth, secreting a poison to numb your flesh so you do not know they are crawling into you until it is too late.
* [[Our Elves Are Better]]: Marat are basically neolithic Wood Elves, though the term is never explicitly used for them.
* [[Out
** "I gave you even odds of seeing through the switch."
** Do not try to get in the way of Gaius Sextus. Even if you ''think'' you won, he will have something else in motion that makes everything turn out in his favor. {{spoiler|Even after his death he has plans in the works: He left instructions for Ehren to set up Aquitaine for death in order to make sure that Tavi would not have a challenger for the throne.}}
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* [[Shock Collar]]: In this case the collar does not only hurt the slave when they misbehave but also reward them with sensations of pleasure when they do well.
* [[Shoot the Dog]]: See [[Load-Bearing Boss]], above.
* [[Shout
* [[Sickening Crunch]]: When Gaius Sextus kills three cohorts of Immortals, at the ''same time'', the sound of all their necks breaking "was a rippling staccato of sound, somewhat like a saw going through wood."
* [[Single
* [[Slave Collar|Slave Collars]]: When it comes to the magical discipline collars... well, it is not pretty. When one is put on you, you are buried in indescribable pleasure, until the mere ''absence'' of that pleasure is like torture. From then on, you must obey the orders of the person who put the collar on you, or you will feel pain, while obeying causes pleasure. Worse, you will die if anyone other than the person who put the collar on you tries to take it off, even if that person is ''dead''.
* [[Slave Mooks]]: The Immortals
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* [[Smith Will Suffice]]: When Amara sees the full fury of Garados and Thana, she expresses her shock in the standard Aleran swear of "great furies." Placidus Aria simply responds with, "Two of them."
* [[Smug Snake]]: Senator Arnos (who was actually in the pay of genuine [[Magnificent Bastard]] Lord Aquitaine) and Sarl. Also Kalarus Brencis Minoris.
* [[Solar
* [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]]: ''Furies of Calderon'' features a relatively minor struggle against invading "barbarians". By ''First Lord's Fury'', the world is literally about to end. The Vord basically have this as a superpower- kill some, and all you have really accomplished is teaching the Queen new tricks to [[Adaptive Ability|incorporate into the next generation]].
* [[Spanner in The Works]]: Throughout ''Furies of Calderon'' Fade repeatedly saves Isana's life by tripping over people and spilling hot soup right at the critical moment. {{spoiler|[[Obfuscating Stupidity|All on purpose]].}}
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