[Dragar]

I used to go by the accepted wisdom that Growth 1 was as good as 3 for old age - having played a lot of abysia with their old mages, the day i started playing with growth 3 was a happy one. it makes a big difference, and is also useful for a blood nation

Boots of youth are good, but they are constr 6, need 10 slaves and take a turn to forge. you don't want it or every mage. Nature bless can work, but it is again expensive and they will still get afflictions