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Here's a plug to my recent Campaign Notes post(we start this weekend actually), having run this 8 years ago and now rebooting with 8 years of amazing resources.
I'm using the Sword and Fire adventure "Wedding Knight" in Session 0, a prequel set 5 years before the start, allowing me to develop a patron to hand out the charter (after all, this is a big deal, the chance possibly to carve out a barony or even kingdom, why the 1st level PCs instead of any number of hundreds of more qualified and connected people?)
At this intro, the other adventuring parties will be there, having already earned their charters. This gives them all a head start to explain why they have developed towns, albeit limited (e.g. Maegar can't solve the Nomen Centaurs so his lands never expand, Drelev has the barbarians and Pitax keeping him from expanding, and the Iron Wraiths, who are not identified so you can make them up, should get some air time even if they later die off or come back seeking help for a failed venture in the Capital Venture part).
Also linked is my "Capital Venture" deals from this forum, replacing the "automatic 50 BP" and turning that into a night of wheeling and dealing. To help track all these NPCs, there's a visual of NPCs who offer aid.
In summary, I'd foreshadow:
* The other adventuring groups
* A future NPC such as Oleg or Svetlana. From redcelt32's notes, I'm having Oleg retire (injury) from the guard of the noble patron to retire with Svetlana (his future wife) on the border to live free from all the politics of Brevoy.
* Brevoy! This setup of noble houses and brewing civil war is too rich to not use, yet in the adventures as written, it is largely forgotten. The party should leave with some understanding that there's politics involved with the charter, and if Surtova and the other big Houses feel a hostile puppet nation is being set up to the south by the Aldori Swordlords, it could trigger war.
While not specifically session zero, it's super critical to foreshadow big N, not just lightly, but throughout the first 4 books. She should NOT come from left field. Play up her influence. While my run has fizzled for now, I started to drip in hints that SOMETHING was afoot in my intro chartering.
Fort Drelav is not set up yet is it? It develops as time goes on the AP after the PCs venture through the acts?
There's no official timeline for when Drelev or Varnhold are established or how they grow over time. It's all up to you.
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While not specifically session zero, it's super critical to foreshadow big N...
Absolutely. The idea (later used in the computer game) that she was cursed for her crimes against the fey originated on these forums. My linked DM notes have a history based on those ideas where, like the CRPG, she is tasked with toppling 1000 kingdoms (however you define those), and in mine, each manner of destruction must be unique (so as to artistically entertain the fey lords).
She ideally is behind virtually every rising and falling kingdom, including the Bandit Lord (he didn't get far enough to count), Hargulka (a must use idea), perhaps even Tartuk and the Sootscale Kobolds (raise them into a horde and conquer these lands), the fall of Varnhold (by awakening Vordekai), and she took aim at Pitax but Irovetti has deduced she's something ill and has taken steps to thwart her efforts against him.
Each agent should be "fey touched" in some way. This could be an item (e.g. a ring woven of her hair), a deformity, a power, or even allies (e.g. will o wisp advisors). They don't refer to N by name, but it'll become clear something is moving pieces in these regions. If you run the Forest Kingdom's Campaign adventures (an awesome supplement designed specifically for Kingmaker by a writer of a Kingmaker module), there's one about the Unicorn (they were going to tattle on N so she had them taken out). It's also possible if you run Fellnight Queen at all, they mistake the BBEG as the ultimate bad guy.
From there, I'd increase the fey presence in these lands, and give the party a chance to meet opposing Courts (not every fey is keen on N, but they all fear her). They can't say her name and can't speak of her quest, but they can let it be known to be careful.
Eventually, the PCs should be visited by an agent of N, designed to subvert their kingdom in some way. Like all fey deals, it appears awesome and impossible to resist, but like all fey deals, there's a hidden catch. Whatever form that may be, all fey deals have an "un-deal" where you can get out of the contract, but few mortals can figure out what it might be.
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I am however having Quentessa be hired to sing and entertain here and that is where Hannis will meet her and become acquainted which will be interesting if the remember her when its revealed later that she and him have an affair.
Foreshadowing is always awesome. I'm running an early Rushlight Tournament (where nothing bad happens) while the PCs are still appropriate levels to be doing such things, and I'm snatching that bit of foreshadowing for that event!
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I also ran an early Rushlight Tournament, in my case after book 2 (and will probably run at least one more before book 5). Some things that I used it to establish were:
- Pitax as a possible threat. Borrowing an idea from elsewhere on these forums, I made the Rushlight Tournament a rotating event like the Olympics. This one was hosted by Mivon. Through Knowledge rolls (a mix of geography, history, local, and nobility), my PCs realized that it was unusual for Mivon to invite such a small kingdom to the event. Since Mivon is related to the Aldori (their sponsors) and has a history of war with Pitax, they concluded that Mivon was evaluating their kingdom as a potential ally if war with Pitax resumes. (Of course, Mivon won't be able to help them - by book 5, Mivon's forces will be occupied by events in Brevoy).
- Pitax's great strength with impressive showings from NPCs like Villamor Koth.
- Friendly Varnhold NPCs like Maegar Varn and the possibility of trade once the Varnhold Pass is finished, as a further incentive to investigate the VV in book 3.
- Ongoing tensions between Varnhold and the Nomen.
- The strained relationship between Baron Drelev and his wife (I decided that her brother Imeckus and Quintessa Moray weren't around yet). I made her kind of overbearing, demanding, and short-tempered, with him being generally depressing and morose.
- Terrion Numesti and his daughters as friendly NPCs from Fort Drelev.