*Spoilers?*
Well it seems some people are having some issues, I just thought I would tell the success story of my campaign so far.
After dying to the spider (oh, equipment doesn't actually equip when you buy it... restart) I proceeded to New Pariden, and was told to eliminate some Darklings. After clearing the fishing village and then the encampment, I found that the barrier had not been removed as the ruler of New Pariden promised.
Fortunately, I discovered that even though you cannot access the "Speak to" diplomacy button, double clicking on their coat of arms still brings up the dialogue. Angry at their treachery, I declared war, and proceeded to stomp this supposedly powerful channeler with Auto-resolve. Despite this, the barrier refused to budge.
After scratching my head outside the barrier for many turns, my starting city finally grew to the point where its area of influence covered land past the barrier. Looking in my spellbook, I discovered the Teleport spell. Free at last!
Who can say what the ramifications of conquering New Pariden will be. As I head into the wilds I can only hope they were not particularly important in the grand scheme of things.
