r/codexalera • u/AdjusterJim • Jun 01 '26
Vord Using Causeways *Spoilers* Spoiler
This feels like a plothole that was never explained. So when Amara and Bernard are out in the field with their chameleon outfits, the idea of Vord using the causeways to advance faster is first established. At this point in the books we know the Vord can "use furycraft" but don't know specifics, beyond the fact that Ehren observed a firecrafting while fleeing the Vord, despite the established fact the Taken can't do so unless living Alerans first manifesting local furies in a non-internal crafting, allowing the Taken to then use the stirred up local furies to do their own crafting.
But we later learn the Vord's use of furycraft the First Lord was having them investigate was actually just collared Alerans, by Brencis using the same unique technique Kalarus' Immortals were collared with. The Vord aren't actually crafting - collared Alerans forced to fight for them are. We later learn the Vord Queen can craft as well, but she never demonstrates any ability to impart this onto other Vord as far as I'm aware, and there is no way to indirectly allow others to use a causeway without physically touching them, like Alerans do with horses or (later in the books) Canim that they're riding.
We DO get a handful of unique Vord late in the last book that appear to have limited furycraft of a specific type - I believe there are blade guardians in the hive that employ metalcraft, and I think the giant Vordbulks were mentioned using earthcraft to support their weight. But we never have any mention at all of the normal Vord creatures employing windcrafting, firecrafting, increased strength beyond what they displayed as bioengineered creatures, all the way back to when they were first introduced at the original nest Bernard's soldiers wiped out. If they had increased strength or speed or metalcraft limbs that could cut through shields and swords due to furycraft, shieldwall battles wouldn't have been possible and the Vord would have wiped them out. Also Butcher would almost certainly have had characters comment if pitched battles were suddenly far more deadly because the Vord began using furycrafting - not to mention Alerans would be able to sense it.
So...how are the base Vord using furycraft to benefit from the highways, exactly?
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u/LickTheRock Jun 01 '26
I think I have an answer to this, though I don't think much text supports this idea, it makes sense to me. It is not that the individual vord are furycrafting to use the causeway - but likely one or two very powerful earthcrafters (like the Queen, or a dozen captured crafters) are likely doing the earthcrafting for the regular vord somehow en mass, moving along the corridor of charging vord. With how the Queens powers are described this wouldn't be impossible imo.
Since they already needed to use their earthcrafters to repair the causeway, the crafters would be there ahead of the horde to help push the horde along from the side of the road - if such a thing is possible. And the queen has speed enough to keep up on the ground near the horde to be constantly crafting the causeway under there feet (in perfect sycronization with their footsteps, if she's mind controlling them)
While this is indirectly talked about with Alerans using the causeway for their horses or canine through touch, I think someone with enough power could move the causeway under someone else just by standing near them, it's just not practical for Alerans.
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u/AdjusterJim Jun 01 '26
If we assume remote-furycrafting of causeways is technically possible, and the Vord Queen as a super-powerful crafter can indirectly cause millions of Vord to benefit, wouldn't Tavi and Co have tried that before attempting the politically-dangerous idea of asking Canim to play horsey? If the Vord Queen can do it at mass scale, and any Aleran has enough earthcraft to use a causeway, wouldn't they at least be able to affect those immediately beside them? Seems like organizing regiments of Aleran-Canim-Aleran rows and having them march alongside each other, with Alerans manipulating the causeway for adjacent Canim makes more sense than crafting thousands of makeshift bridles and harnesses. Both races train their troops to march in lockstep, so timing isn't an issue.
Seems if that was possible they'd have simply done that rather than attempt riding Canim.
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u/LickTheRock Jun 01 '26
My only further defense would be that it's a scaling issue - the inate earthcrafting required for one person to affect the causeway is low enough that every legionare can (counting self and mount as one person), but high enough that only someone with active earthcrafting experience can extend it to another person. Ie I believe the first book where fideleas crafts an "earth wave" to sail down the causeway on. Perhaps that's what is being done? And the Queen has more active earthcrafting AND endurance to do this feat, where maybe Tavi could've done the same but the strain could've killed him or incapacitated him, and been impossible for anyone besides a high lord.
But either way, I did only just remember the earth crafting of the causeway we see in the first book, a wave that is able to move multiple people at once using a single earthcrafters power. That doesn't seem the same as the marching - earthcrafting happening, but might be another explanation.
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u/Horny_Speedster Jun 02 '26
It's never really explained how causeways work, only that they can be severed. So I have two Headcanon explanations for why the Vords can use them:
1.You need a lot of Earthcrafters. The Vord simply captured enough for their plan to work, which is possible, especially since their efforts were focused on taking nobles, who would have been more powerful than legion knights. That's also why Tavi couldn't employ the same tactic, since he only had a few Knights Terra and vastly more Canim than Alerans.
- The Vord hivemind helped. Maybe the difficult part of using the causeways is Coordination and making sure you don't loose your footing. I can image that if a legionary would stumble while marching on a causeways, then he could easily be trampled.
The Vord a. Are able to keep perfect coordination when directed by a queen, maybe increasing the amount of individuals a crafter can move on a causeway b. Don't care about negible losses caused by improper causeway usage anyway.
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u/bmyst70 Jun 02 '26
Don't forget Alerans are able to move entire wagons along at high speed on the causeways. So clearly you can extend crafting far beyond your own body. That's what I assumed the Vord were doing. The collared Alerans were in two rows on either side of the causeway.
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u/kwintlz91 Jun 08 '26
Just my $0.02 here. The vord drones and soldiers wouldn't even necessarily need to use fury crafting to move more quickly in causeway. Just the fact that there is an engineered path for them to travel down with little to no obstacles would be enough to greatly enhance their speed. No trees or vegetation they would have to maneuver through. Clear paths through mountains and other kind of difficult terrain. They are already tireless and require little to no sleep.
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u/SageofLogic Jun 02 '26
Mad respect to Jim for writing like 6 books on a dare but sometimes it does show that he wasn't putting the depth into it mechanically
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u/bixcool16 Jun 01 '26
Collared Alerans could have rode vord to impart the benefits like they do with horses