Finished My First Playthrough, Here's the Rundown After 140 Hours

[CyberianK]

Was just shown that women are coded to be fertile between 18 and 45, so I updated the first post to reflect that.

To me it seems the devs chose that article as basis for their game design:

Medieval Fertility Rates – Kyra Cornelius Kramer

www.kyrackramer.com

Over the course of their lifetime, most women had an average of six or seven pregnancies and births. That means that women who had 10, or 15, or 20 pregnancies and births were far outside the reproductive norm. A woman like Lapa Piagenti was a rarity in her own time, and astoundingly fertile. Even super-producing queens like Eleanor of Castile (16 children), Philippa of Hainault (13 children), and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (15 children) are cast in Lapa’s shade.

When Lapa Piagenti gave birth to her 25th and (thankfully) final child she was in her early-mid 40s.

 

[vemerce]

if the banner is true for the only way to start your own faction I don't like ,the story should help new players find there way not be forced on experienced players that understand the game.

Currently it is true. Down the road that might change though. They've gotten a lot of negative feedback about that being the only way.

I think down the road also, you might be able to use influence to takeover the faction you're in when the leader dies.

 

[JMD77]

In my game Lucon, leader of Northern Empire joined Battania somehow.
At some point I've noticed that there is no Empire on the world map and decided to take the main quest to destroy the Empire (before that I stopped right after assembling the banner). I gave the banner to Aserai and immediatly left the faction. 3 quests popped up: to eliminate each Empire faction. I thought that they will complete themselves eventually and ignored them. 2 of them did, including Northern Empire, but the last failed at 10 years mark.
A lot of time passed and I decided to finally join somebody. Map was half Vlandia half Khuzait, but I bought through barter original Battania territory and joined them. Only after that I've noticed that in diplomacy screen there is only 1 of 3 Empire factions (I keep forgetting which one, but not Northern). In encyclopedia those factions have only their leaders.
More time passed and I saw Lucon running around with green banner. He's still a leader of Northern Empire, but he's also a vassal of Battania =)

Spoiler: Northern Empire page

Spoiler: Lucon page