Serpius Bjornaer
Hermetic Name: Serpius Ex Bjornaer
From Rhine
Reputation: Mentem Author 4 (Hermetic)
Preferred Topics: Perdo, Mentem, Magic Lore
Serpius of Bjornaer was a magus who always felt destined for greatness. Descended from an ancient wyrm whose poison rotted mind instead of body, he was gifted in the arts of Mentem. A creature of deceit and intrigue, he rapidly found himself a man who was untrusted and disrespected. He ignored this, as his House treated him with due respect. It was for his House and his lineage that he dedicated his work. Although he played a villain at times, he never worked against his house's interests, and when he grew older, he began to write books for their use.
Most written in Gothic unless directly relating to Hermetic Magic, a number of the books were translated to Latin after his death, and became more available. Anything written in Latin is most likely at -1 Quality. [Com +3]
The Path of the True Serpent by Serpius Bjornaer, Intrigue summa in Gothic, Level 4 Quality 9
This work is focused specifically on use for a Bjornaer or shapeshifter. It contains records of numerous conspiracies that Serpius participated in or orchestrated, and specifically how he was able to use his animal forms and those of his allies to great advantage in their machinations.
The Poisoned Mind by Serpius of Bjornaer, Mentem Summa in Latin, Level 19, Quality 9
The four volumes of this book are traditionally bound in the hide of a giant snake. It focuses on studying different aspects of the mind, seeking weaknesses and vulnerabilities for clever magi to attack, as well as teaching a self-reflection to find the same flaws in your own mind.
Education on Breaking Through by Serpius Bjornaer, Penetration Tractatus in Gothic, Quality 9
Most hermetic texts focus on using the Penetration ability for maximum effect with hermetic spells. This tractatus focuses on how the hermetic knowledge of the skill can also aid those with inherent magical powers. It has been thoroughly reproduced throughout the House.
The Elements of Destruction and Decay by Serpius Bjornaer, Perdo Summae in Latin, Level 18 Quality 9
Serpius's final work, this text was given to his House as he felt that too many of their kin were not practiced at the Art. The early chapters focus on natural decay and erosion, before going in to human-caused distruction. The second half of the book is specialized on the actual Art of Perdo, utilizing concepts from the early chapters.
The Mind that Lies to Itself by Serpius Bjornaer, Mentem Tractatus in Latin, Quality 9
A relatively small if exhaustive work, this book was written by Serpius on using different tricks of Mentem magic to make people misunderstand or misremember things. In particular, his goal was to have spells that would alter peoples memories long after the actual spell wore off.
Discussions with the Ancestors by Serpius Bjornaer, Magic Lore Tractatus in Gothic Quality 9
When he was not deliberately causing trouble around the Rhine for other Houses, Serpius often journeyed to Novgorod. His goal was to find the ancient creatures which hid there, away from societies, and learn from them. This work is more of a travelogue than an actual educational work.
Life Cycles of Great Wyrms by Serpius Bjornaer, Magic Lore Tractatus in Gothic, Quality 9
One of his broader known works, the Life Cycles of Great Wyrms was translated repeatedly and sold around the Rhine tribunal. Amusingly, there is a large amount of false information in in on the weaknesses of dragons, but for those who have a knowledge about magical beasts, they can easily spot the lie. [Many quality 8 copies of this book are around. Those doing research using this book, who have a Magic Lore ability of 0 or 1 are likely to get false and dangerous information. This also applies to anyone who only has learned from this book.]