Yet More Newbie Questions

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Well, I've been playing for a week or so now, and I've read everything I can find, but there are still so many things to ask! Sorry if you've heard all these before .... the first two are repeated from csipgs:

1. My prophet is dying from a battle affliction (-1hp per turn). I've got a level 5 nature mage and researched Gift of Healing, but don't have enough nature gems to cast it yet. He was at 1hp so I hit Host and waited for him to die, but next turn he was at 19hp (though he still has all the battle afflictions, including -1hp per turn). What happened? If he was healed in battle, then I can keep him alive indefinitely by ordering someone to cast Healing on him every battle, yes?

(1b. Are there any ways to acquire gems other than random events and magic sites?)

2. I conquered an enemy fortress, and the province contains a magic site which says "can recruit Lord Guardian here". I control the fortress and province, and unrest is less than 100, yet the Lord Guardian does not show up on the recruitment screen. Why not?

3a. Are there holy magic sites? I guess so, from the fact that priests can search, but I've never seen any mentioned, nor found one. Do searching priests have some other effect?

3b. I understand that magic level of 4 is sufficient to find all sites of the relevant magic path. Is this correct? Is search 100% efficient? ie. once I've searched with a L4 mage I don't need to search again? Or is it a % chance to find?

4. Suddenly a new hero with 1000xp showed up in the Hall of Fame (all the others have 40-90xp). What's this?

5. I can't increase provincial defence in sea provinces. Is this permanent or is there some condition I can meet in order to do it?

6. Is there any way to issue standing orders, such as "recruit the maximum number of heavy cavalry in this province every turn"?

7. I've never set any battle orders except to tell cavalry to "attack rearmost enemies". Is there a handy introductory guide to using the rest of the settings? Especially for mages ....

8. Often I get Messages telling me that patrolling forces have killed XX brigands and the province is now safe, yet unrest still shows up as >0. Apart from the possibilities that tax is too high or I have an undiscovered unrest-generator in the province, what else could be going on?

9. One of my inner provinces still has Death 2, even though dominion in it and all round it is maxed, and all its neighbours have adjusted to my scales (growth 1). Is this another undiscovered site? Could it be something else?

Thanks in advance - I'll be looking for a once-a-day game to join soon (I have read the server threads and will check out the site ....)

CC