The Maker caste forms the bulk of the Canim army, and is made up of farmers and lower-class folk who are conscripted. They tend to scheme and try to control the makers for their own gain. Followers of the new way use the blood of volunteers and their enemies to make themselves more powerful. Followers of the old way only use their own blood to power their spells, and while the smaller of the two groups, they are more honorable and tend to be more skilled. They are divided into two different groups, the followers of the new way and the old way. Sarl, Kharsh, and Marok are leaders of this caste. These acid clouds contain creatures that seem to be made of acid, and are highly poisonous. They have sent large storms, turned the sky red, can call forth lightning to attack an area or single target, and can summon clouds and walls of acid. The ritualists have been known to do many large-scale sorceries. The Canim do not wield furies, but are still capable of using magic based in the power of blood. Those of the Ritualist caste are the spellcasters of the Canim. They follow a strict code of conduct, and are very protective of the Makers under their protection. Varg, for example, has so many stripes his armor simply appears scarlet. Most leaders of the canim have very little of their original black armor color showing.

Each stripe is a symbol of a time when a warrior showed valor or achieved some type of glory. In addition, some warriors wear scarlet stripes on their armor. Varg, Nasaug, and Lararl are leaders of this caste. They carry traditional weapons and armor, though the armor is black which is consistent with a predatory race that hunts at night. The Warrior caste is the elite of the fighters for the Canim army.

Codex alera book 7