What I've tended to do is ignore the rules on what level a follower should be when they're acquired in play, just look at what NPCs are around, and require some sort of contest for getting them as a follower. Sometimes it may be a "no self-respecting hero..." one, sometimes it's a side-effect of another contest (a big extended designed to swing public opinion on a subject, when it ends in a devastating Complete Victory, more or less gives you the pick of the crop when it comes to followers).
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