Tried the advice thread and got nothing so...
I just wrapped up DMing Varnhold Vanishing and getting ready for the next books. Fun really, but my players here have a habit of making friends out of people I didn't expect them to, even if the book did give them a chance to. (Or sometimes they don't specify)
I.E:
The sootscale kobolds- Helped the Chief 'get rid' of Tartuk, and mites. Then got them to agree to not only behave, but later when the kingdom was founded made another treaty giving them the gold mine and making them pay into the kingdom's taxes. They also handle the southern toll bridges.
Perlivash and Tyg
Munguk -Not only giving him alcohol,but also a purpose (royal assassin of all things since it said headsman/public executioner)
Nomen Centaurs -though not part of the kingdom itself, the pc's kingdom does assit in guarding the Nomen's borders, and have a mutual defense pact. Like an Indian Reservation but better treated.
Tig Tannerson - (long story, but I treat him like a Huck Finn, and he not only makes friend with Munguk but the pcs didn't directly force him back home either so that quest angle didn't really finish to the book's specs.)
Melianse- Side with her over the loggers.
Kundal- Thanks to the kitsune in the party convincing him that control is possible 'and' easy. (Bluffed saying he was a 'werefox' and had the fox form feat, so he shifted from fox, to hybird, to human and back just to prove the point.) He keeps his greataxe though. He is 'monitored' and kept under lock and key during full moons at the moment.
Kesten-Made him the Marshal snubbing the positions he 'wanted' (I haven't told the pcs he felt slighted yet.)
Grigori -more then discredited him,they managed to get him drunk and spill the beans, making him fail in the eyes of Pitax as well.
Corax- For siding with the fey and Melianse
Jubilost- For siding with the kobolds, since I edited the campaign a bit to make them ignoring the kobolds lawful request for the toll payment. (though the pcs don't realise the kobolds jacked the toll price cause of the racial enimity)
As you can imagine they seem ace diplomacy and bluff when needed and blew it on a few easier ones.
Now the one they have fell flat on thier faces has been handle animal, (the ranger has got attacked by sooooo many wild animals for the ones he rolls, that is until they found the Roc egg, and instead of omelete they wanted to raise it...and they blew that one out of the water for rearing a wild animal...so....they have a tame Roc as well.
So now I'm sure once they get through book 4 they will have more friends and enemies that 'could' of been friends. But by book 5 when mass combat happens they are going to have some off the wall allies in thier mist. Kobold army and Centaurs are at least given but it doesn't really cover what I should do with the fey they have friended, the giant, and the roc (I'm sure they aren't going to let it sit idle and look pretty.)
Obviously they are very laid back kingdom in terms of 'who' they let in, so humans might be in a lot lesser numbers then the book presents. And other humanoids taking thier place (kingdom law basically being no discrimenation of a sentient race, so long as they follow the other basic laws. So they'd welcome a non evil ANYTHING in.
So how should 'other' kingdoms perceive them? They aren't being a threat to anyone, but aware of Pitax's eye on them though. I'm trying to deside if the territory the pc's gave the Nomen's (Which included the city of Varnhold itself) will cheese off Brevoy.
Also I wonder how the massed battle units should be edited.
As I want to give them a mixed race units, and race specific specialist troops. As well as what roles certain key friends and enemies should play.
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I am not sure what you are asking... they should be viewed as a new "upstart" kingdom whose savvy use of diplomacy is slowly creating a force to be reckoned with.
I pretty much expect my party to handle most of the situations the same way yours have, which seem fairly reasonable and normal.
The river kingdoms will probably feel threatened by them, mostly since the River Kingdoms seem to be constantly testing their boundaries with their neighbors.
Brevoy will probably feel they should either bend a knee and be considered another barony and part of Brevoy, or that the kingdom at least owes Brevoy special consideration and respect due to their origination.
How various other power groups view them will truly depend on who your PCs are affiliated with. Their allied groups will tend to favor them, opposed groups will tend to oppose them. Enemies of their enemies, well you get where this is going... :)
One key thing is that non-human groups and races are going to look favorably upon the PCs kingdom and they are likely to be able to recruit even more in the future because of this. It may also get them in trouble with some groups they would preferred to be allied with, like say dwarves from Brevoy who might view the kobolds as natural enemies.
As far as armies go, generally speaking your units should be of a single race, primarily because with the stress of battle and forced marching, etc, things tend to go better when they aren't mixed. Plus from the ease of GMing side, it is going to be a lot less complicated for you. IIRC, you can make them kingdom units and not mercenary units if they are part of your kingdom though.
If you want some ideas about who is conflicting or allied with who in the area, here is my take on some of the power groups that could be in play- Redcelt's Game of Thrones in Brevoy
Takes that does help answer a lot of my questions. In terms of political intrigue
That just leaves what to do/how to incorporate some the unique creatures (Mungunk, Kundal, the Roc, etc.). Is there any mass battle stats for such creatures? Or say what kind of advantage should a hill giant give an army? for example. I don't want to tell them that Munguk is going to have to stay home cause I can't find a way to stat him up in mass battle terms. Or the fey as I'm sure they'll play havoc if an army invades through thier territory. (Or at least provide advanced recon)
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An army must be made of creatures of the same kind. To incorporate unique creatures like the Roc into mass combat, you would have to stat them out as individual armies, like so:
OC CR 1
XP 400
N Fine army of rocs
COMBAT
hp 4
DV 12; OM +1
Tactics; Resources
Special Abilities Mobility Advantage (flight)
LOGISTICS
Speed 5
Morale +0; Consumption 1
Leader Roc (Cha +0)
Be advised that, to be considered an army, an individual creature must be CR 9 or higher on its own account. This gets especially silly once the PCs reach high level. I remember idly statting out a level 17 Sorcerer of mine for Kingmaker mass combat (our GM went with another mass combat system, alas), and he was CR 9 by himself. But Munguk is a CR 7 creature, so to incorporate him into mass combat, give him a couple (or more, if you want a bigger army and if it's plausible) hill giants to command, or give him class levels.
UNGUK'S ADS CR 1
XP 400
CE Diminutive army of hill giants
COMBAT
hp 4
DV 11; OM +1
Tactics; Resources Ranged
Special Abilities Rock Throwing
LOGISTICS
Speed 2
Morale +0; Consumption 1
Leader Munguk (Cha -2)
Kundal would be right at home in an army of level 4 human barbarians, and Melianse likewise in an army of level 5 nixie sorcerers, though these armies would have to be larger than the armies I've statted out here to be relevant. Consequently, the named NPCs will get less spotlight, unless they're made commanders.
EDIT: these stats are for newly raised armies without any resources attached. If they survive and win battles, they'll gain tactics, and if the players spend BP equipping them, they'll gain resources.