[Cainehill]

Marignon can get W1 mages with their random (unless that's sorcery only), which lets them forge water bracelets and get to W2. Past that, they'd need another item they can't forge - staff of elemental mastery, ring of wizardry, etc. At least the randoms _do_ let them get into the sea.

As far as teleporting armies across the sea - sure. Easy for base Marignon, which I presume is the one involved. Marignon can get S3 through a random; a simple Starshine Skullcap takes that to S4, and viola - Gateway. Grand Masters even have a decent leadership, especially for a mage - 65 troops.

And getting to S4 via the Starshine means the national mage can forge a Ring of Sorcery, and then a Ring of Wizardry, getting that water mage to W3.

So - Marignon has less trouble than many (Ulm, NE Pan, and others with no randoms _or_ water magic) and far less problems moving entire armies across oceans than most nations and themes. Similarly, Marignon can get rings of wizardry with national mages, where many if not most need either the pretender to do it, or a _very_ lucky indepedent find.