Vendel the Bold (or Vendel the Brave, Vendel the Vile, Vendel the Wise)
Hermetic Name: Vendel ex Miscellanea
From Normandy Tribunal
Reputation: Insightful author on Martial skills3 (Hermetic, Normandy)
Preferred Topics: Leadership, Brawl, Great Weapon, Muto
Vendel was from a warrior tradition of Ex Miscellanea, and strove to be a good example for those who fought with him. In all accounts, Vendel was an exemplar of Hermetic martial might, some claiming he has the blood of King Arthur's knights in his veins. He spent most of his life in the Normandy tribunal, and early was known for his weak magical skills. Often masquerading as a knight, he became allied with a number of Jerbiton and nobility. Vendel was a fantastic leader and trainer both, it was when convalescing from a number of vicious battles that he started writing books about his tactics and talens. [Com 0, Good Teacher]
Guide from Behind the Shield by Vendel, Leadership tractatus in Latin, Quality 9
Vendel was seriously wounded protecting a younger magus who did not know how to protect himself during the chaos of a battle. While convalescing, he decided to transcribe his knowledge of combat survival tactics - in particular, how to guide and lead grogs to protect you.
Defense of the Magi's Staff by Vendel, Great Weapon tractatus in Latin, Quality 9
Considering how the majority of magi will carry a staff - including Vendel - he focused this treatise on the study of using the length and sturdiness of a staff in self-defense. The book has been illuminated with hundreds of careful diagrams of bodily forms for combat.
The Grog's Defense by Vendel, Leadership tractatus in Latin, Quality 9
Vendel's favorite treatise from his youth is this one - it is a book that describes the importance of a shield grog, how to properly utilize one, and how to keep a soldier alive. Until the battle that severely wounded him, Vendel had not lost a shield grog in battle, and the grogs who served his covenant loved him for it.
Later in his life, Vendel's work with the Jerbiton brought numerous gifts, including a wife, beautiful lands, and Ritual magic to increase his already sharp mind. As he found most fighting to be beneath him during this time, he began to collect tomes that described battle and warfare, and started his own volumes of Hermetic combat. [Com 2, Good Teacher]
Utilization of Formations and Magic by Vendel the Brave, Leadership summa in Latin, Level 4 Quality 11
Vendel the Brave was renowned as a leader of men. Inspiring, glorious, and often successful. His younger years often displayed him in great acts of battle in small unit or personal combat, by the later years in his life, he often found himself standing as the leader for large groups of soldiers. His knowledge of leadership was amplified and excelled by his ability to utilize low-magnitude spells effectively, and to plan for his enemies to use magic as well.
Twelve Forms of Staff and Spear by Vendel the Brave, Great Weapon summa in Latin, Level 4 Quality 11
An expansion on his book, Defense of the Magi's Staff, this is a much larger and thoroughly illuminated manuscript showing basic and advanced techniques for defense using a staff or a spear. The latter part of the book expands upon strikes and attacks, but the book is still primarily focused on a magi defending themself to keep casting spells.
Spells and Enchantments for Personal Enhancement by Vendel the Brave, Muto tractatus in Latin, Quality 11
Being critiqued by a close Jerbiton friend for having written only books on mundane topics, Vendel began to look in to writing tractati with his magical skills. Considering how little he was known for his magical skills, it is not surprising that Vendel only wrote a few books on Muto during this time.
During his aged years, Vendel found himself unable to fight to to steadily increasing decrepitude. His age hit Vendel's body hard, but his mind maintained itself sharp and eager. The end of Vendel's life, he dedicated himself to writing books, teaching his apprentice, and often teaching other apprentices. [Good Teacher, Com 4]
Transformation in Martial Forms by Vendel the Bold, Muto summa in Latin, Level 12 Quality 13
This book is widely regarded by the Jerbiton in Normandy as a premier summa for learning Muto. This is despite the fact that it focuses entirely on utilizing the art of Muto for combat transformations. Due to the skill of the author, the insights of transformation efficiency is expansible to other scenarios.
Utilizing the Magus Staff in Defense by Vendel the Bold, Great Weapon tractatus in Latin, Quality 13
In his aged years, Vendel often expanded on concepts that he had written on earlier. This book is focused entirely on utilizing a staff or other large weapon as a defense, with particular focus on using attacks or the threat thereof to fend off threats.
On Hermetic Warfare by Vendel the Bold, Leadership tractatus in Latin, Quality 13
While a magi's skills in combat combat is often focused thoroughly in pure magical ability, warfare is deeply rooted in units, troop movement, and area control. This rather lengthy volume is full of intricately illuminated maps for combat - it begins with small unit combat, and expands on the basic tactics to utilize similar concepts in larger battles.