i think it would be a stronger subplot if demandred was in control of shara, the beasts of the blight or the isle of madmen. why would the armies of one small nation matter so much, UNLESS he is using murandy as his staging point (i.e., it is a very central nation and will use it to attack from within)? but that means that he's somehow been hiding hundreds of thousands of shadowspawn within the boarders; is it remotely possible that someone didn't see that?