[johan osterman]

I think you are overstating your case, Sauromancers are not as expensive as mages with 3 2 1 magic. Crone of Avalon 230, Skratti 250 (2 2 1), Granmdaster 250, Abysian warlock 270. Pandemoniac 3 2 320. Now some of these have special abilities or more hitpoints then your average mage, but still I think their costs show that the sauromancer has a competetive price, and unlike the warlock or the crone sauromancer are recruitable outside your home province.

The national mages with comparable skill and cost are Caelian high seraphs with 3 2 1 for 175gp and deep seers with 3 2 for 180. The caelian high seraph is the most cost effective purchasable mage there is, so as long as you do not compare the Sauromancers cost with the high seraph, I think he holds his own.