to expand on my earlier idea, the kingdom idol would have an authority bar, the points equal the total authority of every village under its control.
the idol would deactivate if the kingdom authority reaches below a certain number or if there are less than three villages (not including the one where the idol is, which would obviously be considered the capital). if the idol controls three villages then it would entter the stage where the claim still stands but only as a monument. it would still technically claim the land but would not prevent anyone from stealing etc.