Sandoval

Sandoval arrives at Sevendor "long after the gates were shut" with two Ducal Guard bodyguards, bearing a witchstone (belonging to slain warmage Micat) to return to Minalan. Delivers intelligence about the dragons' descent and the Wilderlands war, and warns Minalan that the Censorate has a reward on his head.

"Sandy" is a Farisian Campaign veteran who signed on with Pentandra's Boval relief column — "Sandy had signed on with Penny when my ex-girlfriend had brought a team of eager young warmagi to break the siege at Boval Castle" — stood "shoulder to shoulder" against the Dead God. "Tall and lean, only a year older than me, Sandoval was the younger son of a nobleman from the Eastern Duchies." Appears at Sevendor in "a dark violet velvet doublet chased with black and white dragons." High Warmage in the Duke's Army "at about nine times the normal pay"; originally in service of Master Hartarian as Royal Court troubleshooter.

Master of the Hall at Horka Hall in the morning, and then a principal combat-comrade through the Poros River campaign and the cross-river assault on Anthatiel. During the freezing of the Poros he charges goblins in a painted barge: "I've never charged in a barge before." Fights with Rondal to pull survivors from ice-water; works on the barge while Minalan summons a water elemental. Battle-buddy to the Farisian Campaign veterans alongside Terleman, Lorcus, and the strike team. Wry battlefield humor, pragmatic warnings: "They aren't going to just get out of the way." Offers Minalan brandy before battle.

Minor presence. Appears in a Farise-occupation reminiscence alongside Terleman and Azar — the three of them had the run of the city together in their younger days.

Pivotal book. Prince Tavard initially considers Sandoval for Castali Ducal Court Wizard, but Moran rejects him in favor of a crony; Minalan recruits him instead as Scholar #5 for the Olum Seheri incursion.

Sandoval leads the Emancipation Campaign with Mavone on horseback, testing his newly-crafted warwand on the gurvan officer:

'To freedom,' Sandoval said, and blew the gurvan's head off with his new warwand. He has a flair for the dramatic.

Joins the underground Olum Seheri expedition, breaks the prisoners' chains in the chamber, and rescues Lady Andra anna Corseen from the Nemovort dungeon, shrouding her naked body with his mantle and calling her name in desperation. In the final confrontation he insists on freeing the mind-enslaved Talented captives despite Lord Aeratas's reservations ("Can we please free these people? I find it disconcerting to discuss mundane matters in front of them while they suffer!"). Leads prisoner-evacuation detail through the Ways when Korbal blocks the retreat. Observes: "Necromantic energy is immune to many effective counters to regular thaumaturgic practice" — confirming he is a formal thaumaturge as well as warmage.

By book's end he has committed to building in Vanador, with Andra as his new partner.

Sandoval's biggest book. Opens with him and Mavone meeting Minalan at the inn on the road into Vanador, having been waiting two weeks. Minalan hires him as Marshal of the Magelaw — to "build me an army strong enough to defend this place, and the entire Magelaw."

Founds the Vanador Guard: Pentandra's badge, "a black anvil on a blue field, surmounted by a yellow mage's star." Personally inspects every militia settlement summer-long, "from one settlement to the next to check on the progress of their training," placing Sir Avden the Resolute in command. Training obsessions: archery at the butts, fortifications, and maneuvers. Approves entrants to Mavone's hundred-man special unit.

At the Gilmoran tournament serves as Minalan's social fixer ("I passed on each invitation to Sandoval, who politely demurred nearly every one") and needles Anvaram with bawdy witticisms:

Why, with the right spell, you can grow your prick the size of a horse's.

At Spellgate co-commands defenses, reports trench casualties, jokes during Terleman's "Millstone" destruction of Gaja Katar's column ("I didn't know they exploded!"), and joins the parley to mock the Nemovort to draw out his temper. "Ishi's tits, we're doomed," he says, good-naturedly, after touring the militias. Rare moment of empathy: "Those peasants are people, too."

Unusually, he brings Lady Andra to Vanador and begins building a 50-acre estate in Korwyn for children.

Heavily present throughout the Shakathet war. Inspects every castle on the enemy's march route and "spent months tirelessly inspecting and strengthening the castles in Shakathet's way." Bitter about Cormoran's poor lordship at Forgemont.

Commands "the army that Sandoval commanded east of Yellin was nearly ten thousand strong." Attacks the gurvani rear about a mile north of Minalan's position as the hammer of the pincer. Minalan credits him outright: "If Terleman was the hero of Gaja Katar's defeat, the battle against Shakathet saw Sandoval as the magelord most responsible for our defense." Famous outburst at Terleman says:

Duin's shaggy scrotum! Terl, what in seven hells is the meaning of this order?

And deadpan: "Would it help if I flipped my skirts a bit, too?" Astyral characterizes him: "He's a pessimist. It makes him a good leader in combat." His wife Andra is now mentioned drinking with Lady Rael in the taverns of Vanador.

Stationed in Vanador while Minalan is on the Anghysbel expedition. "I'm anticipating a long, boring summer." Runs Magelaw security in Minalan's absence. Late in the book he and Azar are preparing to ride south to reinforce Terleman at Barrowbell.

Pentandra-POV book. Sandoval runs Magelaw security through the civil-war crisis while Minalan is still away. Defends his choice of Caswallon the Fox as children's bodyguard:

Minalan has taken a tithe of Vanador's arcane talent to Anghysbel, plenty more deserted to fair Vorone for the tournament season. I had to work with what I had.

Approves immediate deployment of Vorone Free Company mercenaries on Pentandra's order; mobilizes 1,000-1,500 Vanadori to support Terleman. After the Oxenroast kidnapping, diagnoses Darkfaller as the likely hostage site and observes that the Enshadowed have solved the Apophyllite Waystone secret. Tired, caustic:

Vanador feels eerily empty, if you ignore all the enchanters.

On Tavard's gambit:

I can only guess that the Lord of Cleston thought he could curry favor with the prince by taking aggressive action.

"Clearly, Mycin Amana is more powerful and better organized than we anticipated. We need to tighten up security everywhere."

Delivers intelligence updates to the mad Minalan on Mycin Amana's consolidation around Darkfaller; consults on Merwyni campaign planning with Mavone, Sire Cei, and Terleman. Rotates Vanadori Guard units between Vanador and Gilmoran encampments every two weeks during harvest. Recruits "another two thousand fresh warriors into the Vanador Guards" armed in Yltedene steel and "drilled mercilessly by his staff."

Formal, respectful with the mad Minalan: "So they do, my lord." "'Tis not mere territory they seek, my lord." "The gods alone know." Minalan's journal:

Sandoval is a smart man, with a complex imagination, and I valued his limited insights. He was fairly astute about his judgments of popular opinion.

Rinthon's sense of devotion "recognized a pleasant obligation" in him.

On council for the Darkfaller assault planning. Confronts the Pamonese baron about not feeding/arming his footmen in a biting cross-examination. At Darkfaller he commands reserves in the second phase, deploying "his best two thousand infantry, all uniformly armored and armed in Yltedene steel, their identical helmets the product of Dradrien efficiencies in manufacture."

At Yule during the Paranchek spider attack on Castabriel, Sandoval is woken and mobilizes two companies of Vanadori Guard for the capital. Diagnoses Minalan's madness pragmatically:

Taking a piss off the very top of Spellgarden while giggling hysterically? Brooding about things for days at a time? Sudden outbursts of anger? The man is replete with symptoms.

Predicts Tavard's reckless siege will fail:

His artillery has barely scratched the outer walls, and his patrols to the north and the east are moving around unopposed. He thinks he's doing well.

Wedding-season quip (Ishi is matchmaking):

First Sandoval and Astyral, now you two and Azar, I think it's sweet!

At the Paranchek post-battle council and later at the Darkfaller climax. Delegated by Minalan to draw up the Darkfaller campaign troop requirements list for Tavard. "The Vanadori, under Sandoval, hit the rear of the formation just as it started to move in support of the Enshadowed." Interviews Oxenroast victims at the chapterhouse after recovery, with Andra at his side.

Dry observations about Paranchek vulnerabilities:

You'd think with those big ugly eyes they'd respond better to flashes of photomancy more.

"Birds eat bugs. Giant bugs may well fear giant birds. They seemed to have little defense for them, save those damnable webs." Among the Beryen Council delegation to Carneduin.

Now a Magelord of Honeyhall in Minalan's Magelaw, and one of the active-duty senior warmagi. Part of Astyral's Forgemont defense against the Shakathet vanguard. "Astyral joined me and Caswallon, Landrik, Tamonial, and Buroso to stress-test the Iron Ring" — his analytical mind finds weaknesses in the defensive patterns no one else notices.