I liked the story, espesily about the exsplorers from the far north. Are they from another continent or did you mean islands out there?
Hows this for a new twist posibly. The decendents of the mariner where enslaved by a evil sorsor/es. Who sent them back over the sea to the continet becouse he/she senced the powers being unleashed over a long peiriod of time. The vicking warriors you meet are scouts for a punitive invasion of the empire. After they finished their mission some managed to break the spells that bound them and warn Alric of the danger his relm is in. Imperial troops try to aprihend the other spys but can not stop them befor most get away. You can guess what would happen after that, although I think a situation like the one I just described would lend its self to more subulty than an out right invasion from over sea.
As for the problem with feasable units for the final battle near the zerk homelands. I would think that the fetch, mauls, brigands, and ghols would disband after soulblighters death. However if some shades survived they would still command the surrviving mykridia, and any un-dead they had with them.
That all for now.
Respectfuly
Drunken Ghol
