At the beginning of stolen lands it seems as if they are plunked down at olegs and expected to know what to do from there. They have a charter, but It doesn't mention when or if they should ever contact whom gave them the charter, and by what means. Or what reward they will gain from exploring and mapping the land. Have I missed something?
As for the reward, I believe it's mentioned somewhere (a handsome reward or something--not a specific amount).
As for being plunked down, that's it as far as the book goes. But the Player's Guide let's them know what they'll be doing, and the charter spells out the details. Many DMs on the board have either storylined the intro, or had the PCs meet in Restov to receive the charter. Some have even run "into mods". I'd recommend at least allowing your players to get to know each other on the way from Restov to the Stolen Lands. Get the "Hi, my name is George"s out of the way. :)
Don't forget that they're one of four groups given charters and sent south...
All in all, it's left up to the GM to decide on specifics. This AP lends itself to that more than others I've read, actually. :)
At the beginning of stolen lands it seems as if they are plunked down at olegs and expected to know what to do from there. They have a charter, but It doesn't mention when or if they should ever contact whom gave them the charter, and by what means. Or what reward they will gain from exploring and mapping the land. Have I missed something?
A few things to keep in mind here:
1) The PCs probably are supposed to report on their progress occasionally, but there's probably no specific schedule.2) This adventure path intentionally avoids deadlines or specific calendar events, so it doesn't matter if the first chapter takes just a month, or two years+, of game time.
3) As long as the folks at Oleg's know what the PCs are up to, it can be assumed that word of their accomplishments spreads via merchants and other travelers. This is a good thing, as in later chapters it explains how people know to come settle in the PC's kingdom.
4) The PCs patron(s) probably don't want too obvious a connection between themselves and the PCs, to avoid triggering civil war between Rostland and Issia. So spelling out their long-term intentions in the initial charter would be inappropriate, but deciding that the patron(s) gave some verbal hints or off-the-record goals would be appropriate, if the PC receiving those hints seems trustworthy. The patron(s) really do want the PCs to be as independent as possible in accomplishing their goals.
So I would say the PCs should report back some of the Quests they complete (e.g. the various Wanted Posters at Oleg's, as shown on the inside covers), as some of those rewards are probably being offered by the PC's patrons anyway. Being public reward offers, there should be no need for subtlety in making these claims.
They should also send a report when they believe they've eliminated the bandit threat in the area (i.e. after defeating the Stag Lord). Since the charter requires them to map the area, you should probably encourage them to send updates on their progress with exploration, as that will help encourage the players to do the exploration and not just bee-line on any plot hooks they happen to discover. These progress reports would probably be assumed to occur by sending a trusted messenger with a sealed missive - the trusted messenger can be someone the PCs choose from Oleg's reinforcements, or you can have the patron(s) send someone once a month. If the patron(s) sends someone, in order to preserve the PCs' independence, I recommend it be a merchant or other traveler they are told they can trust, rather than someone who is obviously an agent of their patron(s).
The fact that the charter doesn't mention specific rewards is probably intentional - although you may want to say that their patron(s) hinted there could be an opportunity to earn a noble title and/or land grant if they do well.
Does that help?
I modified the initial 'Wanted: Bandits!' charter to a simple 10 gp a head (no limit) for captured bandits*, and that was enough to get my players off and running in search of bad guys.
*I also made sure to emphasize that the Swordlords wanted live bandits that could be put on trial as opposed to corpses to dangle from the battlements - that kept the paladin and the LG cleric of Iomedae happy.
Generally the bandit attack (led by Happs) is enough to get PCs involved long enough for Kesten Garess & the mercenaries to show up, thus providing a 'line of communication' back to Restov and the authorities. Garess can then dole out quests, rewards, and advice on behalf of the Swordlords.
If your players are wavering about all 'What should we do?' then either hand them a new quest (via whichever NPC is appropriate) or re-emphasize an existing one.