Quote Originally Posted by Andrik View Post
I may have missed it, but I can't seem to find any material on the land of Zamora.
Zamora hasn't had a preview yet, which is why there's relatively little material.

Will their assassins and spies start out at higher skill than other kingdoms?
Most assuredly. Being a largely insular and ancient nation, Zamora relies more on subterfuge, sabotage and political bullying to protect itself. It does have a modest army, but it's the assassins and spies which will be their real power.

Related to that, will they have actual structures that increase their skill as the structure is advanced?
They will: there seems to be a sort of secret society of thieves shared by the Zamorians and the Shemites, characterised by their wearing of red silk (uch as Shevatas), and who also appear to be open to mercenary work (such thieves were hired to sneak Xaltotun's sarcophagus out of Stygia). These thieves are thus going to be represented by a guild called "The Sons of Bel", which will naturally offer bonuses to assassins and spies, and also come with a special unit. While all civilizations can build a basic Sons of Bel building, only Zamora and Pelishtia can build the more advanced buildings and eventual headquarters. Right now the Sons of Bel are largely uncentralised, but with the threat of Turan such eventualities might become vital to Zamora or Pelishtia's survival.

Will their characters be able to be more resistant to assassination and spying; perhaps by having "Retainers" that protect against such things?
Most likely. With such a high focus on subterfuge, it's logical that the nobility of Zamora are more perceptive than those of other nations, and the despotic nature of Zamora means that the King has his guards on constant watch.

Their military, will it truly be as poor as Conan surmised that it was?
While the Zamorian military is in no shape to be conquering any neighbours (at least at the game's start), it's no pushover when it comes to defense. The nobility are degenerate and corrupt, but they are as violent as any other nation's chivalry, if twice as unreliable. The naturalized mercenary army of the King is composed of veteran soldiers of many nations, cultures an crimes, its comparatively small size offset by its determination. The people of Zamora can be fierce when backed against a corner, their lack of innate skill and terrible equipment balanced by their ferocity.

Overall, Zamorians are much more dangerous in defense: on neutral ground or attacking, they are not nearly as formidable. But there's more than one way to skin a cat, or defeat an army, or conquer a kingdom...

Anything that can be shared about Zamora would be greatly appreciated!
All I shall say for now is that Zamora has the potential to be very dangerous. With the right leader and careful planning, Zamora could take the Hyborian world completely by surprise, with neither the powerful military nor great wealth to make nations suspect. Everyone's already edgy about Turan, Stygia and the Picts: sometimes it's the quiet ones you have to look out for.