CrashBlack

When deciding to kill Raedric or not in Act 1, what are the actual consequences? If I don't kill him and don't get the gilded vale reputation, will I forever have lost out on something I shouldn't have later because I can't get gilded vale rep that high? Will I on the other hand be able to push the defiance bay rep up by doing other stuff or do I need to let Raedric live to get better reputation there?

I run with a full party of custom adventurers and I have accepted a bunch of the "story companions" (Aloth, Edér, etc). Does adding more people to the Roster (idle in Stronghold) in any way affect the experience the active party gains?