I've noticed Alliance is very similar to most role-playing games in that power is derived from specialization. The more spread out your skills are, the weaker overall the character is, and conversely, the more focused to one skill, the more powerful (at least in that skill). This is why a team of specialists is the most effective means to play Alliance, and is the general intent of how the game is designed.
So that said, if you want to specialize as a pyramid-based battle caster, go for it. There are players, as Davion pointed out, that will specialize in formal magics and can take care of you on that end, as well as fighters to protect you and all the other roles in between.
As for the local (SoMN) In-Game stuff Davion posted, just contact my character through in-game means and we'll see what happens from there.