From my understanding of it, the design of Mizahar's world just currently doesn't allow for the sort of war you are talking about. One of the key themes is that Mizahar is still recovering from the destruction of the Valterrian and the more recent destruction of the Djed Storms. Many cities have trouble supporting their current population, much less attempting to civilize the dangerous wilds of Mizahar.
For almost all cities, mobilizing an army is the last thing they would want to do. All the cities are a good distance apart and it is incredibly dangerous to travel. Even if they could mobilize an army, a few cities can barely feed their own people, much less an army.
The idea of war is generally an interesting one when it comes to fantasy worlds, but it doesn't work well in an apocalyptic sort of setting. There is barely anything left standing to actually fight for. Those villages and cities you mentioned? There are none to be found. Only the clearly defined Wilderness Locations and City Forums exist. I believe that it is only recently that one or two cities started to very slowly and cautiously expand outwards. Survival is a priority, not conquest. Does that help clarify?
