[Endoperez]

I chose the options that were closest to my opinions. This is what I thought while choosing them:

guarding magic sites: guarding provinces with high gem income. Exceptions could be if the sites cause disease or whatever.

guarding pretenders/prophets: This would be good. Not too much, though, but mage pretenders should avoid battle and combat pretenders should fight, although not always.

building castles would be nice

I didn't choose this, but would like to see the idea in action: AIs bidding for mercs should pay little more than they want, but with a d6* roll of IW. The only problem is that there should be cap, otherwise AI could, although very rarely, use over 1000 gp for mercs. Also, mercs' price should change with the loss of troops, maybe a percentual, maybe not. The problem comes with Obscuro and other mages: you would like to kill his guards, and he would become very cheap...

BTW, even the independent guard their commanders! My assasin killed a priest and one of his two (militia) bodyguards yesterday.