====== Laboratory ======

A laboratory can be built in a [[province]] to enable you to perform certain magical tasks there. Labs cost most [[nations]] 500 gold, and can only be constructed by a mage (a [[commander]] with at least one level in one of the eight [[magic]] paths, not counting Holy).

A lab is required to recruit mages, perform [[research]], cast [[ritual|rituals]], and forge [[items]] in that province. Commanders in a lab can exchange items and [[gems]] with the nation's treasury; without a lab, they can only trade things with other commanders in that province.

A nation collects gems from magic [[sites]] only if it can trace a path from the province with the site through friendly territory to a province with a lab. 

Labs have no effect on combat, and aren't specific to a nation; if you capture a province with a lab in it, you can use it.

==== Strategy ====

You will want to build a lab in most of your [[fort|forts]] to allow you to recruit mages and do research there. 

If you have a large stack of mages as part of an army, and that army finds itself wanting to hold position for a turn or two, it can be helpful to build a lab in the field. This allows those mages to research, reload gems, cast rituals, and pick up magic items forged elsewhere. 

Ironically unforted labs have strategic advantages: mages in a fort with a lab can either defend their province or research; mages in a lab outside of a fort can do both at once.