Greetings!
As I am writing my first fanfic, I realized that the Codex Alera is a criminally under-read series. Therefore, in order to speed things along a bit, I'm including a glossary to help you understand the terms I'll be using. Feel free to PM me if I missed something (it happens, I'm just a bit ADD over he – ooh, a penny!).
GLOSSARY
Alera (world) – The world that the Codex Alera takes place in is parallel to our own; it has had its fair share of differences, however. Four main peoples inhabit the world currently, along with an infestation of a fifth. The forces of nature are manifest in this world, with the lesser forces being bound to either the people or the greater forces that inhabit the land (see either PEOPLE or FURIES).
PEOPLE – The four main groups that inhabit the world of Codex Alera are the Alerans (humans), Canim, Marat, and Icemen. Other groups used to exist, but were annihilated by the other groups as they expanded. One other lifeform exists, but will be covered in its own section.
Alerans – The humans. Descendants of a lost Roman legion, these hardy folk have carved out the land to suit their lifestyle. Discovering that they could bind the forces of nature to themselves, they have found new ways to wage war, but also new ways of healing, farming, and building. Their continent is bordered by the Icemen to the north, and the Marat nation resides within the Calderon Valley region.
Marat – These human-looking people currently reside within the Calderon Valley in Alera. Their people appear to be humans of varying size and shape, with silver hair. However, their power is unique: they have the ability to bond with the animals of the area, gaining unique traits based upon their totem, or chala, as they call it.
Canim – The Canim are large, anthropomorphic wolves. They have enhanced senses, and are divided into three social castes: the makers are their civilians, the warriors fight (duh), and the ritualists use their sorceries to assist in everything from farming to war to childbirth. Young Canes have fully developed muscles at an extremely young age. Their original home is the continent to the west of Alera, but have currently taken residence in the city of Kalare due to the infestation.
The Icemen are important, but unnecessary for this fanfic. :P
Vord - The Vord are an unnatural life form; they are adaptive creatures, taking on new appearances and abilities depending on their current adversary. All vord are clad in chitin, a hard armor-like substance. They are controlled by a queen, with a hive-mind mentality. They seek to create a world only for Vordkind. They currently inhabit the Canish land to the west of Alera, having massacred all Canes not in Alera.
FURIES – Furies are the forces of nature. There are six elements in Alera: fire, water, wood, earth, wind, and steel. Firecrafting manipulates heat and fire; watercrafting is the practice used for healing and allows one to feel others' emotions; woodcrafting allows you to bend plant life to your aid (such as aiding in stealth maneuvers or bending large bows); earthcrafting allows for massive feats of strength and calming beasts; windcrafting allows for far-seeing and flight, as well as veils to conceal one's presence; metalcrafting enhances metal weapons and allows one to detach from pain, physical or emotional. Furycrafting is only possible for Alerans.
Great Furies – These furies are enormous in size, usually mountains or volcanoes. Each Aleran city has one, and all bring destruction when awakened.
This is all that I have time for today, but if you're interested in the series, the books are written by Jim Butcher, with the first being Furies of Calderon. Thanks for stopping by! I'm hoping to have my first chapter up in a week or two, but it may be longer. I'm getting married in a week and a half, so if you don't hear from me right away, I promise to be back no later than August 24th. See you all in a couple weeks!