Yop I think you have a point with the main quests effects, probably comes from that. I'll try the Black mace storyline as you suggest then, since it sounds great and cossacks have cool aircuts.
Hey people
I have a simple problem, which has probably been discussed multiple times, but I didn't find anything about how to solve it.
I've been once offered a merc contract by cossacks at the beginning of the game, but as I was regulary raped by bandits/looters and my band counted only 10...