I am about to start running an in-person Kingmaker game. My potential players and I are thinking of running it as an exile-type game; they would all be half-elves, half-orcs, aasimar, and tieflings, who feel like they have no home of their own.
Now, to differentiate it from my play-by-post game, I am thinking of different villains and story arcs. I've narrowed it down to two ideas. Both of them assume the deletion of the fey aspect, including Nyrissa.
First: Change the order so that Varnhold Vanishing is the climax of the book. Vordekai would be a very high-level lich, a bit lower than the Whispering Tyrant (CR 26). He would likely take Restov in addition to Brevoy, giving him armies upon armies of undead.
Second: Have Numeria turn Pitax into a puppet state, and invade Brevoy from the west with ever-evolving gear-men and androids. Pitax, if it still stands, could simultaneously attack the PCs' kingdom. They would have to fight them back and eventually lead armies into battle to seize Starfall to kill the Black Sovereign.
I like both ideas. Not sure which one I like better, but Vordekai as the Big Bad does have a lot of potential too!
I have considered replacing Nyrissa with a Fallen Celestial several times... having ties to the Stolen Lands which causes the essence to flow over and that is the cause of the overabundant untamed wild lands.
I personally would shy away from the Numeria idea, if only because I would be tempted to integrate Iron Gods into it somehow and thus would want to wait. The Vordakai idea, you can steal liberally from Carrion Crown for resources, ideas, and inspiration.
Either sounds awesome though. And the best part is, the final chapter title still works for both of them. What makes the Sound of a Thousand Screams better than some gargantuan war-engine of destruction flanked by hordes upon hordes of barbarians? Or leagues of undead marching untiringly from one end of the Stolen Lands to the other, with shrieking banshees flying overhead?
Good luck!