It becomes harder and more interesting and rewarding once you get over that hump and if I remember correctly, you can make your companions lords though that too, will take a while.
It'll be a long time before you get to this point but chances are that you'll have a lot of money and men when you do. If you're lost, it's a good idea to talk to the claimant. From that point on, it's more about taking over more land. Problem is, you'll need around 200 renown (which is a LOT) and once you're lucky enough to take over a town/castle (which automatically gets you the village that's tied to it), you'll need to defend from the original owners (who in case you haven't realised, really fucking hates you).
Basically, they're a guy who claims to be the rightful ruler of a certain faction and if you want to you can take up arms in their cause and start taking over towns and castles under a new faction. May be a while before you get there but you can find 'claimants' for each faction.
