[Turin]

Why do you recruit so many mo5e? a mo5e gets you 6 paths for 190 gp. A CM gets you 8 paths, one higher holy level and flying for only 60 gp more. And they are far more effective as combat mages. The only reason where I´d consider recruiting mo5e is when you are desperate for a 2e or 2n mage.

Then why don´t you use the CMs for sitesearching? any province should be immediately searched by a CM, if that doesn´t turn up anything use sitesearching spells for the paths that the cm doesn´t have.

Then build a second fort with lab and temple to recruit masters of the way, those will be your primary type of mages with a fire/air/nature/water random they make good combat mages, with a blood ranfom they make EXCELLENT bloodhunters, with an astral random they will summon demons of heavenly rivers, with earth or death you can use them as researchers.

Then learn to use demons of heavenly rivers. The trick is to group them with your cms, so that they get bodyetherealed/lucked and take a good bless( I´m particularly fond of w9 since it is very powerful, helps all your mages and you get it quite cheap on a dragon.)

Oh and put some PD in your provinces, helps against losing them to sneaky scouts.