Fair, but I'd say the problems probably would've come after the war in that case. [Trying to hold two territories in separate areas against Cwyld seems like a difficult ask - he's pretty much assumed that's why all the cities here seem to be independently governed rather than there being any sort of continent-wide leadership.]

Yeah, it'd be a boon for anyone who has problems with the cheaper stuff like the iron problem. And I think some types of magic use gems, so that might be useful on the surface in some way if there's more to experiment with instead of having to worry about supply.

[It'd be hard to tell what those kinds of ingredients or storage methods could do on a widespread scale with a material that's comparatively rare to come by above-ground.]