[Hoplosternum]

Only happens in Magic scale provinces with luck:

Laboratory experiment gets out of control. The lab is destroyed in a magic conflagration but one mage in the area is warped by the experience and gets either +1 in all paths or perhaps 4? (it has to be quite a big boost to make up for the fact that you are 500 gold down and possibly have several mages unable to research/forge for a turn or two).

Following on from the 'mages arrive' and are now recruitable idea - this could also be for decent mundane troops as well. Elephants, Crossbowmen, Longbowmen etc. Possibly the low level summons as recruitables - Wyverns, Cave Drakes, Bog Beasts etc. Although this might cause trouble with them then having a maintenance cost (making them cheap but resource intensive might help?)

It is a shame there are so few indie Thug commanders, even from the magic sites. Some magic sites have very nice mages in but almost none give you any Thugs. Perhaps a homeless hero event getting you a thugable commander of some sort.