Ermor and VQs are often far from "
the most powerful" - if you don't know what you're doing, they're easy to beat.
Thing is, ime, VQs have perhaps the greatest potential. If given the right equipment and magic paths, they're incredibly potent. Topping everything off - the VQ flies; flying Pretenders are the greatest mobile sources of firepower, able to leap 3 provinces to quickly get to wherever they're needed.
As if this isn't enough - the VQ is immortal; in friendly dominion, she doesn't really "die", just goes discorporate for a second and shows up in the capitol again, minus any magic items but
without any loss of magic skill. Immortals can be thrown into combat situations that most other pretenders would steer away from because they're too risky and dangerous. It even provides another form of mobility - 15 provinces away from your home capitol and need to be there? Perform a suicide attack on someplace that's in your domain, and poof! Across the world in a single month.
(Preferably after handing off any magic items to other commanders.
)
But without good equipment and/or the right spells researched and cast, she's pitiful.
Similarly Ermor - in some hands (say,
mine) the nation would be pathetic. Still, everyone is going to worry and fret, because it'll still lay waste to entire continents, leaving them bare of living population.