>BarzaentineThe compacted earth ramparts of the southern fort shelter soldiers and merchants alike. The extra protection is sorely appreciated in the rural badlands between Barzantine and Vizari. Under the border guard’s watchful eyes, caravans depart for the city of sand, bringing back that most precious and sought-after of goods: iron.
WAR: The mighty Barzaentine army, white hot with rage and fury marches south in the springtime, joining up with the peculiar Ordalan army. As the chill of winter sweeps in they return home devastated. The survivors tell grim tales of a black wood of thorned trees where the line between man and beast is blurred. Entire squads marched into the trees and only screams returned. Worse still is the rumor that some of the survivors carry some dark curse that twists the form of man into a fearsome beast!
>>6105399>AdenaiTwo new trends are sweeping the Adenai at the moment, glittering blue sapphires set into dangling chains and earings and the potent flavor of Aniseed. Both trends are of course driven by the their recent discoveries by explorers. Of particular note is that the true enjoyment of decisive flavor seems to be related to blood relation to the founding branches, leading many a low blood nobleman putting on airs by pretending to enjoy the flavor. Secretly there is no shortage of confectioners making a tidy profit producing convincing counterfeits of the pungent candies.
>>6105425>VistariA fundamental issue with the applicability of mind magic to combat purposes is that both participants are effectively stunned for the duration of the spell, which in almost any combat situation is a precarious position to be in. The magic is much better suited for use as a tool of espionage and information gathering, showing particularly promise when a target can be accessed while asleep. The short range of the spellwork, effectively arms reach, does make this easier said than done though. These Dream Delvers train to subtly manipulate the mindscape of their targets, attempting to insert themselves seamlessly into the target's mind and arrange scenarios where the target willing reveals useful information to them. The very best can even target those awake, seamlessly transitioning them into an identical mental landscape, though attempting such a trick on a group is nearly impossible.
In more mundane defenses the hydromancers of the city turn their efforts toward transforming the sea around their home into a powerful defense, setting up a maze of twisting currents that batters and manipulates approaching vessels. Of course the sheer amount of ocean that must be manipulated is nearly impossible to manage all at once, the spells must be bolstered by runic obelisks set far out into the water, resulting in an unfortunate weakness to the otherwise powerful defense.
