[Aleph]

So after tooling around in the aforementioned game, I want as many magic summons as I can get. With that in mind:

Sleeping Crone
Scales: Production 2, Growth 1, Turmoil/Luck 3.
Dominion: 5
Magic: F2 W3 E3 N3 D4 B4

Skipping astral, since it's the one area I might be able to get by with my own mages (potentially S3, reliably S2). The crone will be able to summon pretty good spellcasters/crafters/all demon types, create all the gem spawning items as well as Ice Pebble Staves (a favorite item of mine for commanders), and with only moderate empowerment and good items be able to reach the highest levels of Blood and Death magic. P.S. A pretender crone will never get diseased for being old, right? It's just for her crappy stats.

I still wouldn't mind additional feedback with more explicit comparisons of LA Ulm/Marignon/Abyssia. While I see a little better that a maintenance free immortal decent spellcasting bloodhunter who throws off thralls is a good buy for 44 blood, I don't understand what I have to do to parley that into effective play. Again, I love their massed missile fire and high protection for safely bashing indeps, but other nations have nearly as good troops without being anywhere near as magically awful as Ulm.