I like it, a lot.
I ran Kingmaker, to completion, when it was first released.
My group LOVED it.
I am planning to run it again, and have been scouring the messageboards for ideas like this, to make my second run very different from my first.
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I was going to run Carnival of Tears in my Kingmaker game, but ended up writing it out... I had planned that the prime instigator of the events of that module was Rig Gargadilly, and he didn't manage to escape his first encounter with the party (surprisingly). Even though my players didn't know the consequences of letting him escape, I felt I should carry through and reward them for not letting him do so by not running the slaughter-the-townsfolk adventure :)
Making the consequences of CoT fall on a town that isn't part of the PCs' Barony, but which they can potentially recruit into their realm if they're successful, is a very nice way to deal with a module whose stakes could very well wipe out a young Barony if they fell on one of the players' towns. I like it.
In case you didn't know, conversions of the creatures in all four modules from 3.5 to Pathfinder are available on d20pfsrd.
I made a change to the backstory of CoT to integrate it better into Kingmaker, specifically around the summoning of the Cold Rider: in my version, Meliansie the Nixie was tricked by Rigg Gargadilly. Being a creature of water, Meliansie's heart freezes in the winter, you see, and she becomes more remote and uncaring. Here, I'll copy-paste the text that I had written for my prep - as you can see, I got a bit carried away and wrote it up like an actual module:
Travelling to the pool might present a timing problem, given the imminent arrival of the evil fey and the distances involved - it is about 24 miles from the Stag Lord's fort to Melianse's pool as written in the module, and that assumes the kingdom's capital is based on the site of the Stag Lord's fort. The simplest solution is for the GM to relocate the nixie's pool to somewhere closer of their capital (and this makes sense if she is being threatened by logging). An unencumbered horse can hustle at 10 miles per hour in plains and 7.5 miles per hour in hills assuming there are roads, and can hustle for 4 hours without healing before collapsing. The earlier in the day the PCs get their 11 Virtue Points, the more time they'll have before sunset at 6pm and all hell breaks loose after the fireworks display at 9pm.
Once the PCs arrive wherever it is the pool now lies, they find a snow-covered clearing with a few felled trees very close. A frozen pool lies on one side of the ice-covered water of the Skunk River. Perlivash calls Melianse out of the water, but the nixie is remote and uninterested in helping them, her heart chilled as her pool has frozen in the harsh winter. Perlivash and Tig-Titter-Tut and the other Grigs swarm about and tell her how good the PCs have been, recounting each of the deeds that earned them Virtue Points, accompanied by Silent Images of the events. As she watches, the nixie's face becomes less remote and a frown creases her brow, and she admits "I think I may have done something bad..."
She relates how she was approached by Rigg Gargadilly, who asked her all sorts of pointed questions about the logging of the nearby forest and what would become of her grove when the spring returned and the lumberjacks resumed their assault on the woods. She agreed with him that the humans should be stopped, and Rigg said that he could help — all he needed was the golden chalice from the First World she had hidden in her pool. He promised that he would return it before the Winter was out. She knew that the chalice could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but in her cold anger she had handed it over. The quickling had capered in delight and then sped off.
"Because of the connection with the Chalice that lay for so long in my pool, I felt the Quickling use it to summon a cold rider from the utter north. The cold rider is near now, and I can see something of his plans. Along with other evil fey he has gathered, he will transform the carnival into a slaughter house. He carries an iridescent purple flower of living ice called the Eye of Rapture, enchanted to cloak horror and agony in a guise of mirth and merriment. So long as this artifact remains unspoiled, your people will continue their revels as the fey cut them down. You must stop the slaughter. Only by thwarting the cold rider's plans can you force him to appear so you can end your people's suffering."
As she has been speaking, a circle of the frozen pool near the bank has thawed. "Drink from the pool's water - because the Chalice lay within for so long, it will render you immune to the influence of the Eye of Rapture."
I also created a location for the Tent of Illusions (which was cut from the original module, presumably because of length reasons, but still appeared on the published map).
A large banner above this tent reads "The Tent of Illusions! Witness wonders from the width of the world! See anything you can imagine!", while a smaller sign reads "Entry - 5cp, Making a suggestion - 1 sp". A burly half-orc prevents anyone in the long queue from entering until townsfolk emerge from the tent, blinking and grinning. When this happens, he takes coins from a like number of fairgoers at the head of the queue and allows them to hurry inside.
Inside the tent, Olius Tarandi the illusionist plies his trade. Another one of Quinn's former adventuring associates, he has found that the carnival is a good way to travel around in relative safety. He seeks out other wizards in the towns the carnival visits with which to exchange spells, and uses the money he earns to cover his spellscribing and crafting costs.
The tent is arranged with tiers of seats around three sides, full of townsfolk. Olius sits behind a screen and maintains his concentration on a Minor Image spell in the middle of the tent, while half a dozen carnies move through the crowd taking suggestions (along with a silver piece), after which they head down and whisper the suggestion in Olius' ear for him to display. A number of noise-makers are in place behind the screen as well, which his familiar Tibbers the monkey uses to augment the sounds of the illusions. A carnie assistant with a knack for ventriloquism and mimicry also sits behind the screen and provides any speaking that is required.
OLIUS TARANDI CR 5
Male human illusionist 6
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Initiative +6; Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 35 (6d6+12)
Fort +4; Ref +5; Will +9
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger +2 (1d4-1)
Ranged dagger +5 (1d4-1)
Special Attacks blinding ray (8/day) +5 ranged touch attack, target is blinded (≤ 6 HD) or dazzled for 1 round
SPELLS (CL 6th)
3rd dispel magic, haste, major image (DC 19)
2nd minor image × 2 (already cast), hideous laughter (DC 17), hypnotic pattern (DC 18)
1st color spray × 2 (DC 17), grease (DC 16), vanish, ventriloquism (DC 17)
0th daze (DC 15), ghost sound (DC 16), prestidigitation, read magic
TACTICS
During Combat: As long as he has allies with him, Olius saves his spells for significant foes, preferring to use his blinding ray ability or even doing nothing in his turn rather than waste his spells.
Morale: Olius will cast Vanish and flee combat if he is reduced to 15 hp or lower. However, he won't go far, and will try to return to his new allies after the fight, especially if they have healing magic.
STATISTICS
Str 8, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 13, Cha 10
Base Attack +3; CMB +2; CMD 14
Feats AlertnessB, Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Illusion)
Skills Appraise +14, Fly +11, Knowledge (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Nobility) +14, Perform (Illusions) +6*, Spellcraft +14
Languages Auran, Common, Draconic, Elven, Ignan
Special Qualities extended illusions, familiar, opposition schools: necromancy and evocation
Gear headband of vast intellect +2 (grants Perform (Illusion) ranks), cloak of resistance +1, 2nd level pearl of power, cold iron blanch × 5, spellbook, potion of remove blindness
Olius has acquired a reasonable number of spells in his travels. In addition to the spells he has memorized, his spellbook contains:
0th: All that are not necromancy or evocation
1st: ant haul, charm person, crafter's fortune, disguise self, endure elements, enlarge person, expeditious retreat, feather fall, hypnotism, mage armor, mount, obscuring mist, sleep, touch of gracelessness
2nd: alter self, blur, invisibility, fox's cunning, glitterdust, knock, magic mouth, mirror image, pyrotechnics, see invisibility
3rd: displacement, heroism, protection from energy, tiny hut, tongues, versatile weapon, water breathing
TIBBERS (MONKEY FAMILIAR)
AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +2 size, +3 natural)
hp 17
Fort +2; Ref +4; Will +6
see Bestiary p.132
This tent stands dark and apparently empty, but you can see two goat-legged creatures at the door flap shaking something from their hooves and peering into the darkness within.
Creatures: Two Forlarren took on the task of killing Olius so he would not interfere in the Cold Rider's plans, but when one of them slew his assistant it was overcome with remorse and he was able to drive them off. He has now scattered his cold iron blanch on the floor of the tent and the Forlarren are gathering their resolve to go in after him.
If the PCs slay the Forlarren, Olius will gladly join them in defeating the fey. His first urge is to seek out Namdrin Quinn, as he knows that he is a powerful warrior.
Development: If the PCs do not get here before 10pm, this stand-off will have finished, with Olius and one Forlarren dead and the other fleeing in remorse.
I did start the AP with Hollows Last Hope and it worked well. It also left a plague depopulated village to rebuild as the nucleus of a settlement.
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In my opinion it'd be a little more effective if the Lumber Consortium started as an ally with reasonable if sometimes inconvenient demands.
-Anti Bandit because the bandits are bad for business
-Anti Fey because Fey are bad for business (causing friction with fey allies like tyg and perlivash)
-Anti Monster because monsters are bad for business (causing friction if your PCs ally with any monsters including the kobolds)
Later in book 4 you can have them be Dreslev's closest allies... maybe helping undermine your kingdom a bit until they are kicked out.