... am I the only one who's thinking that Diplomats are now playing a larger role in region maintenance than actual Courtiers (assuming that lords are holding court and doing their jobs).
I have said it before, many times, and I will say it again here: Diplomats have become too powerful, and too invisible. The effects that a highly trained diplomat can have in a region are absolutely ridiculous. Add on the Ambassador tag, and you've got an insane propaganda machine
that is totally untrackable. IMNSHO, influence actions by diplomats/ambassadors should not ever be invisible. They should be just as visible to other players as priest actions. When one of them walks into a region next to your capital and starts badmouthing your realm, you
should know it's happening. As it is, they are too essential, and too powerful for them to merit the kind of invisibility they have.