Thalmarkin's reasons are legitimate enough for what it is doing. Besides, I agree that this is a nice (new) alternative to the same old wars that Battlemaster knows.
The Barony of Makar did these kinds of raids a long time ago, but didn't have the power to back it up by the time I'd joined the game. (We still raided, but I think we rarely fielded more than 8k CS.)
Even if it's not new, though, I do agree that it's a nice turn from the deep politics and large ally structures clashing.
