- "Furyans, defiant to the end."
- —Aereon
The Furyans are one of four "elder races" who've evolved to possess impressive physical and mental capabilities due to their adaptations to Furya; a harsh and hostile planet now believed by many to be either dead or cursed - making Furyans an endangered species, especially after the Anti-Furyan genocide inflicted by the Necromongers. Richard B. Riddick is known to be a Furyan.
History and Reputation[]
Furyans are much hardier and resilient than Humans in the face of opposition, having been forced to adapt to the unforgiving climate, rigid landscape and dangerous nature of their new home world. That said, perhaps the most defining feature of Furyans is their incredible legacy as powerful, skilled, spiritual warriors.
When Riddick was still a baby, a powerful Necromonger commander, Zhylaw, led an unrelenting genocidal assault on Furya in an attempt to void his fate divulged to him by an Elemental (a fate that dictated he would be killed by a young male Furyan). Despite bold and initially formidable resistance from native warriors, the genocide on Furya nearly extinguished all Furyan life. It was the belief of Zhylaw that the only remaining Furyans had been converted; that there were no survivors whatsoever. However, Riddick, and Shirah survive (Shirah's existence is relatively ambiguous). She often speaks to Riddick through some form of telepathic communication. It's left unclear if Riddick is in congress with another surviving Furyan or a Furyan spirit. In either case, questions are raised as to how such a link is possible.
Following the events of The Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick is seated at the throne of the Necromonger Empire, having replaced the Lord Marshal as their iconic and religious leader, made possible through another Necromonger belief: "You keep what you kill."
Characteristics[]
While not necessarily superhuman, Furyans exhibit remarkable feats of strength, pain tolerance and endurance even at a young age. In most cases, their muscles perform with more power than is usually seen in humans of athletic build, generally depending on the Furyan's age, and they can even recover from certain injuries which would cripple most humans. Such abilities primarily come from their dangerous home planet, Furya, that likely demanded great physical and mental strength in order to colonize and persist in such an environment.
Riddick himself has obtained what is called either "The Wrath of the Furyans". Essentially, the title defines the collective anguish and anger of the billions of Furyans who didn't escape the Necromonger slaughter. He uses it against Vaako and his hunting party of Necromonger soldiers. This phenomenon kills many of the soldiers, except Vaako and the Purifier (who was a Furyan convert). Riddick also uses this technique against Abbott and his fellow prison guards in Butcher Bay Correctional Facility, after being interrogated.
At least some of them appear to have the ability to transfer energy between one another. An example is Shirah's awakening the "Wrath of the Furyans" inside Riddick and leaving an aura-like handprint on his chest. A similar handprint was also discovered on the Necromonger Purifier's chest by Riddick.
The extent of the physical abilities of a Furyan are unknown. Riddick himself has held his own against particularly difficult M6-117 bioraptors; he also quickly reset his arm after it was dislocated by Johns, a bounty hunter trying to capture him. Riddick has also shown the ability to dislocate and pop his own shoulders back in, to escape from being shackled to the Hunter Gratzner's bulkhead. This may be a Furyan trait (double-jointed) or simply a skill of Riddick's. He has also been shown to be adroit and athletic, moving surprisingly fast for a man his size and weight, being able to cover great distances and not tire as easily as normal humans; he can also leap impressive distances and can perform otherwise practically impossible physical feats that most humans would be hard-pressed to duplicate.
One of the Furyans' potentially most unique characteristics are their tapetum lucidum-like eyeshine, the same one that Riddick has, granting him night vision. It is unknown whether or not all Furyans have eyes like Riddick, since some people such as The Purifier and Shirah did not.
Furyans were highly skilled and formidable warriors in their own right. According to Vaako, who was a veteran in the Purge of Furya, every Furyan warrior fought 'till their last breath, each killing 100 Necromongers with weapons and 30 more with their bare hands. Despite the Furyans' stubborn and fearsome efforts, they ultimately could not save their race from extinction.
Known Furyans[]
- Amadak (Unknown Status)
- Killer of Men (Unknown Status)
- Richard B. Riddick (Alive)
- Shirah (Unknown Status)
- The Purifier (Deceased)