Fort Rannick - A Preemptive Question (Spoilers)

Mellow Greetings All,

Due to running a group with new players (and knowing the the general views of my others already), I have some concern about the flow of things in the second half of HMM. Specifically, the awarding of Fort Rannick as 'payment' for the PCs' services. We have just started the AP, so I have the benefit of time to deal with this.

I've seen the suggestion from James for a cash payment for their services, but that still leaves an unanswered question - if the PCs don't take ownership of Fort Rannick, and responsibility for safety of the Hook Mountain region, who is left to do so?

The surviving Black Arrows, as written, want nothing more to do with the place (and rightly so). Shalelu, even if romantically involved with a PC, is slated to winter in Sandpoint (and provide warning of the approaching giants in the next adventure) - though I remember reading a suggestion to use her if she became someone's cohort via the Leadership feat.

Has anyone gotten this far in the AP and had to deal with this issue? Any suggestions that would not mess with the continuity and flavor of the AP? All suggestions are welcome - thanks in advance!

Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"

I've seen the suggestion from James for a cash payment for their services, but that still leaves an unanswered question - if the PCs don't take ownership of Fort Rannick, and responsibility for safety of the Hook Mountain region, who is left to do so?

The surviving Black Arrows, as written, want nothing more to do with the place (and rightly so). Shalelu, even if romantically involved with a PC, is slated to winter in Sandpoint (and provide warning of the approaching giants in the next adventure) - though I remember reading a suggestion to use her if she became someone's cohort via the Leadership feat.

Has anyone gotten this far in the AP and had to deal with this issue? Any suggestions that would not mess with the continuity and flavor of the AP? All suggestions are welcome - thanks in advance!

I knew that my PCs, who are culturally Varisian to the core and disbelieve in permanence, would never move into Fort Rannick. I also knew that the APs require Magnimar to be a very weak government, unable to really control its borders.

I had the surviving Black Arrows be a little less adverse to taking over. The PCs appealed to Magnimar for more troops, and the Arrows are also trying to recruit locally. But at the moment Fort Rannick is abandoned; the Arrows are in Turtleback Ferry, and likely to stay there. The more we look at the map, the more apparent it becomes that Fort Rannick's location is bad--it is too far from what it is trying to protect, and can neither react quickly to aid the town, nor receive aid in turn. I suspect they'll build a guardhouse or something in Turtleback Ferry and let the keep go by the wayside. (It should really be destroyed, but unless the PCs do it, no one is likely to bother.)

Having Magnimar send some new mercenaries is an option, but it will turn out to jar with Magnimar's ineffectuality in #5. My player suggested that the free town at the base of the river might have incentive to man the Fort, or at least the area, if the upriver towns would join its faction. That could be politically interesting too. "Magnimar didn't protect us, now we're on our own--and have some actual strength in our alliances."

Shalelu wintered in Turtleback Ferry and will be in Sandpoint in the spring (though the giant attack came early--I wanted to catch the PCs in town--and she wasn't there).

Hope this helps. I haven't yet heard from a group which took over Fort Rannick--did *anyone* do this? It seems like a booby prize: it's in the middle of nowhere, has no income associated with it, and is well-nigh impossible to hold unless the PCs hunker down and sit on it, which isn't compatible with the AP.

Mary

Hope this helps. I haven't yet heard from a group which took over Fort Rannick--did *anyone* do this? It seems like a booby prize: it's in the middle of nowhere, has no income associated with it, and is well-nigh impossible to hold unless the PCs hunker down and sit on it, which isn't compatible with the AP.

I happen to agree. My players just took it over last session, and although they were jazzed to own their own fort, I was completely stumped as to the question of "Ok, what now?" I read through everything I could find, and I could not see where this place generates any kind of income. I had the town give them 500gp as a reward, and they used most of that on repairs and hiring a few dirty mercenaries to staff the place. If they do keep it, it would be nothing but a drag on their pocketbooks.

I like the suggestion of becoming independent from Magnimar, and that does lead to all kinds of roleplaying and side-trek goodness, but you're right - that isn't compatible with the adventure path (if we want to complete the path in a reasonable amount of time, that is). I'm guessing they'll take the status of being Lords and Ladies of Fort Rannick and just run with it, leaving the fort to its own devices as they move on to bigger and better adventures.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I really like the layout of the fort and the potential it has, but I just don't see my players having any interest in being tied to it, at least not this soon in the campaign. They may surprise me though - I could be worrying about nothing :P

I may leave it as an available prize to come back to later in the AP, especially if the local community decides to organize something a bit closer to Turtleback Ferry. The PCs could use it as a fortified retreat or academy or something. We shall see...

(And Mary - I just wanted you to know that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your other posts here on the RotRL boards - they have been insightful and very helpful in my own plans for this AP.)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"

All of the PCs in my campaign belong to the same order of knighthood, so I figure that Fort Rannick is not going to be a problem. Once the PCs take it, they will only have to hold it for a little while.

During their bleakest hour, they will be relieved by a large contingent of their fellow knights. Hooray!

Cue the O Fortuna movement of the Carmina Burana Cantata from that scene in the Excalibur movie (and many other movies).

I see the point that the fort seems a bit far from Turtleback Ferry to directly protect the town on a tactical basis.

Presumably, it's location is meant to be strategic. I don't have the maps in front of me right now, so the following is conjecture:

Perhaps the fort sits close enough to the route that any large force of humanoids bent on attacking Turtleback Ferry would likely follow.

Therefore, it would make more sense for them to engage the fort first because the attackers would be unlikely to be able to bypass it without the rangers detecting them. Then the rangers could attack them from the rear with hit and run tactics as the humanoids marched towards the town.

The fort is also a bit far from Sandpoint to be the PCs home base for the whole campaign. But it might be an interesting place for the party to retire to at the end of the campaign if they don't want to settle in Sandpoint or Magnimar. Let's face it, after the end of the campaign, Sandpoint is going to feel pretty small to the PCs. If the PCs are not the type to spend the rest of their days in a rocking chair, then the fort provides the perfect place for them to settle down while still "keeping their hand in the game."

If my players wanted to continue using these PCs a bit after the end of the campaign, the fort would make a good base. But we just started and we only play once a month, so the end of RotRL is a long way off. Even if everyone is ready to move on to new characters after RotRL 6, "Return to Fort Rannick" would make a good Convention Game.

I am just getting ready to run HMM and I am also seeing potential issues with the Fort. I can see two people possibly taking it either together or seperate, but neither one is truly command material.

I am toying with the idea of better support in the long run, maybe from contacts in Sandpoint or the ones they forge in Magnimar currently. No matter what this tain of thinking makes it just seems to simple.

The Leadership feat is the best way to fix it, but it still seems to easy an out for the party as a whole.

The way that I was looking at handling the whole thing is it is still actually going to be needed as there are more than just the one group of Ogres in the mountains and maybe finding exotic fish in the lake that will start a new comerce or a vein of minerals or metals that could be used. Try to make it more than just a dead end in a hill.

Though the PC's sound as if they will only stay now and then so I am working on some side adventures that can be had. But the need is definatly there to make this more than a money sinkhole for them.

Anyone else thinking of making the surrounding area more owner friendly?

My PCs have some NPC tag-alongs who have generally been getting credit for any good done by the player characters. I suspect that the group of NPCs will take over the fort, and the PCs will get stuck looking after it.

How many other GMs are actually dealing with the party taking over the fort? How are you dealing with things like repair costs and various expenses? Which resources are you using? I'm a fan of A Magical Medieval Society, but I'm not sure how relevant it is. I've never read WotC's Stronghold Builder's Guidebook; is it helpful in this situation?

Three of my PCs have leadership, and have found Fort Rannick to be a perfect place to have their followers hang out (most of whom they've recruited from Turtleback Ferry and the surrounding area). They've got a lot of their own money on their hands and have been pouring it into the town for reconstruction/renovation of the keep and word's been getting around. There's been a lot of people moving into the area due to their actions.

We're doing some time-skipping now so the PCs can start families and settle into their new home, maybe do some side quests over the next few years until eventually Barl decides he wants them out, and amasses his own small army to attack the keep (I'm even considering building a 3D model of Rannick for the event.)

I am a little curious as to it's position, I just said that past Fort Rannick was the only way the ogres could really get into the Kreegwood without climbing over the freaking mountain or going all the way around Lake Coal (and judging by the map that doesn't seem too off)

Edit: To answer the above question, we've been using Stronghold Builder's Guidebook a LOT, and I gave the PCs as a group the "Landlord" feat to represent funds from Magnimar.

We are just starting HMM and I am very excited about the PCs taking over the fort. However, I have changed the previous adventures quite a bit. First, I am using a different town as Sandpoint that sits at the base of the Malgorian mountains, much closer to Turtleback Ferry and Hook Mountain. That may be hard for some of you to change, I understand. Maybe using some quick, magically powered riverboat would give the PCs quicker access to Sandpoint and Magnimar from the Fort, just thinking out loud.

Secondly, I had Scarnetti murdered by the Skinsaw Man during TSM. His very greedy offspring then came into "My Sandpoint" and laid off all the workers in both of the Scarnetti Mills, replacing them with malnourished, overworked, and much cheaper Duerger. The town is now feeling the economic crunch of huge layoffs and Duerger that have no money to spend at their taverns and stores. My PCs, one of whom has his eyes set on gaining nobility, are talking about starting a rival mill to employ the townspeople again. They will find that lumber will be hard to come by as the Scarnetti's own most of the surrounding woodlands. Now, what I am planning is for the deed to Fort Rannick to include 200 acres of well forested, old growth forest around it as well. There's their lumber and reason for keeping the fort. Also, as the cliffhanger for this week's session, one of my PCs proposed to another. She'll more than likely say yes and they will need a home. By the way, she was pregnant with Valdemar's baby...she used to be a prostitute in Magnimar(my player's backstory) and when she met Valdemar, I told her that she recognized him as one of her old and very kinky regulars. He propositioned her for old time's sake and she obliged, which surprised me quite a bit.

Anyways, I don't know if all of this will be much help but it has been my experience so far. I have been pleasantly surprised at how everything has been coming together. I think that if you throw enough other PC subplots out there and see which ones your players latch on to, there you will find your answer.

Cheers

I like the Hook Mountain Massacre. I think it is well written. However I have one small problem with it: its location. I read some other suggestions on another thread. They seemed good to me. A) Move Ft Ranik from the foot of Hook Mountain at the beginning of the Irn peaks, to the foot of the Fogscar Mountains. B) While we are at it, take Hook Mountain too. Stick hook mountain in the Fog Scar Mountains as well. C) We can leave turtle back ferry where it is. We don’t need it. We have Sand point. D) Put the gambling boat in Sandpoint. E) Have the mayor of Magnimar, ask the PCS to investigate FT Ranik, which is only 15 miles north of Sandpoint. F) When the PCs return you can have them find many of the citizens with a strange little tattoo. When detect magic is cast, and invisible arcane mark is discovered, in the shape of a Sehidron star. G) As the PCs go north they run into the Graul farm then after that, FT Ranik.
It would be easy to introduce the Black arrows in Burnt offerings, by having a squad of 5 of the rangers in for the Swallotail festival, and they help defend the town. The PCS would still be the real heroes. As for why the black arrows didn’t help the goblins, well they literally had larger fish to fry, namely the ogres.
The Mother of Oblivion, or MOO as I have heard her called on another thread, could rear up out of the sea. And then be driven back again. The flooding could come from lots of rain to wash out Sandpoint, or it could be an earthquake or Tsunami spell to wipe out Sandpoint.
It will be a shame not to work Skulls crossing in. It is cool. Maybe there is a way… Well maybe it could be a dam for a lake in the Fogscar Mountains. There we are.
It isn’t perfect, but it might be a way to have our cake and eat it too. We can have the Hook Mountain massacre, just closer to Sandpoint, say 15-20 miles from sand point. Not far, just a day’s ride.
I don’t want to spend lots of time building a connection with Sandpoint only to have the PCs become lords of another town, or absentee landlords.
I have not figured out how to handle the Shalelely stepfather thing.

There we are, I hope this helps

If you want to put more Hellknight in your game (lets be honest, who wouldnt?) Rannik could be seceded to the Order of the Nail. Lictor DiVri might like the idea of maintaining a small little outpost in the mountains, it would be a good dumping place for poor-performers (the equivalent of Alaska).

Personally , I plan NOT to give Fort Rannick to the PCs durung the course of RoR .
Let's face it , if your PCs are engaged in securing the region around Fort Rannick, the move back to Sandpoint for the giant attack will be seen as a disruption and is too artificial for me ( we have seen giants near Sandpoint , can you drop what you're doing and come check what might be happening ? Oh , you've just arrived and there is an attack ! )

I plan to explain to them that the Lord Mayor would love to give them the castle but that he must have the approval of the council to do so and that such a thing will take time

Here are few points that have helped me rationalise the Fort Rannick situation:

1) Page 7 of the AP:
"the lord-mayor of Magnimar established Fort Rannick to provide Turtleback Ferry with protection from the ogres, securing promises of regular taxes and trade."

So the area generates an income of enough size to warrant building/maintaining a fort, We can assume that any character who takes over this fort is entitled to a share of this income to pay for the upkeep and staffing to a reasonable level.

2) Don't forget that by the end of the third AP the PC's will have dealt a pretty big blow to the Ogres in the area around Fort Rannick.

Not only had the ogres existing chief "Grolki" been killed and replaced by Barl, but the PC's then kill Barl and the major members of his family, including the heir to the rule "Jaagrath".

Any surviving ogres in the area should be disorganised and rightfully terrified to approach the PC's unless they bring doom upon their heads. The will also be wary of the Giants, as they do not want to get enslaved again. The AP introduction explains that the rangers did a similar thing 45 years ago:
"The ogres retreated up to the heights of Hook Mountain and for many years made no major raids. Short but bloody skirmishes between the Kreegs and the Black Arrows have gone on for decades, but since their first decisive defeat at the entrance to the Valley of Broken Trees 45 years ago, the Kreegs have never quite built up enough bravery to mount a second attack on the well-defended Fort Rannick…"

3) The text makes it sound more than plausible that the Valley of broken trees is the main route into and out of the Hook Mountains, the fort guards this area. So any major incursion by Ogres would have to pass this way.

4) The PC's are seen doing heroic things in Turtleback by the towns residents and they will be regarded as Hero's in the area. This will mean that staff and guards to be stationed at the fort of the heroes should be no problem to come by once word spreads.

If we take the above information, we can assume that the PC's have made the area around Turtleback Ferry safer than it was under the rangers, even if the fort is not as well manned. The Ogres will retreat to lick their wounds and breed another generation before they can become a menace. The forest near Turtleback is also safer now they have disposed of the Grauls. Peace and prosperity should reign in the area attracting more miners and woodsmen.

Even if the PC's do not take over the fort, Maginmar can not leave it empty for long and some one will be gifted its tenancy and become tasked with looking after it. If your PC's do not take charge of the fort, I would suggest that you have it taken over by a mining consortium, who use it as a head quarters to keep their mines in the area safe. They have an interest in keeping the area free of bandits and monsters, I plan to have a mining consortium contact my PC's if they do take over the fort, offering to provide troops if they can use it as a base of operations.

My players kept the fort. I figured they probably would. They can hardly explore a dungeon without one of them saying something to the effect of, "We should take this place over and make it our headquarters." I think they've said that about the Catacombs of Wrath, Thistletop, Foxglove Manor, the Shadow Clock and the Kreeg's Clanhold.

Speaking as a representative from Magnimar, I laid out the offer like this:

-You can take possession of the Fort.
-The Fort needs 3000 gold worth of repairs, which you'd be responsible for.
-If you do take the fort, you will become Titled Nobility.
-You'll receive tax revenue and support from Magnimar to the tune of 500 gold per month.
-However, it will cost 550 gold per month to maintain it.

Long story short, they had to pay 3000 gold up front and 600 gold per year to own the fort. I pointed out that if they wanted to build their own fort somewhere and staff it with guards and housekeepers, etc., they would probably not have tax revenue to support it, but here they do.

They also have a relatively safe place to store their stuff, get free healing from the Fort's cleric and reasonable access to Ranger henchman if they need a little extra support.

One of my players did a cost estimate. I can't vouch for the accuracy, but I know he put a lot of effort into it.. using the Stronghold's book.

Fort Rannick does count among one of the few Castles in Varisia

My intention, if he is willing to foot the initial cost, is to waive the the monthly expenses through either Magnimar, Taxes and Tarrifs (as already mentioned), or some revenue source not defined in the module itself (like an undisclosed mine)

Plans for Fort Rannick

Total Startup cost for Fort Rannick 20,273gp 8sp 5cp

Total monthly recurring costs for Fort Rennick 1816gp 8sp 5cp

Thought I'd get the sticker shock out of the way first

Troop replacement should be as follows.
4 groups of regular troops 1st Level
4 groups of veteran troops 2nd Level
9 sergeants 3rd Level, one is assigned to each group. One is assigned to oversee all the Auxiliaries and new recruits as a drill instructor.
1 Corporal 4th Level looks after the day to day operations of the men and castle. This position is a support role to the leader.
1 Leader 10th Level oversees the higher level operations of the fort and acts as seneschal for Methenios.

I would also like to have any number of Auxiliaries that can be raised in times of trouble. Men who have been trained and are willing to defend the village in case there is an attack or trouble.

A constant rotation of about 10 villagers should be on site at the fort for one week out of each month. These militia men are to help support the village and will be paid for their time. Overall there should be 40 trained Militia at any given time. 10 will be at the fort and the other 30 will be in the village in case there is trouble.

A group consists of 3 fighter types 1 scout type (Ranger preferred but a Rogue is acceptable) and a sergeant, for five members in total. There should be eight groups that are divided into 4 clusters. Each cluster should have one regular and one veteran group. These clusters are to take turns patrolling the woods around the fort area for a week at a time looking for anything suspicious. Patrols should be out for no longer then a week at a time with expected reports every two days via messenger animal (if possible).

General tactics for a patrol should be engage the enemy with ranged weapons and then entangle it with tanglefoot bags and nets, then using the alchemist fire. Spears and melee should be used last until the enemy is subdued. If the enemy proves to be overwhelming the group would drop the caltrops to cover escape and make it back to the fort as quickly as possible.

Cost breakdown for troops: Salary only
10 1st level Commoners (40 in total but not full time)
1sp a day ea

12 1st level Warriors
2sp a day ea

4 1st level Rogue or Ranger
3sp a day ea

12 2nd level Warriors
4sp a day ea

4 2nd level Rogue or Ranger
6sp a day ea

9 3rd level Warriors/Fighters
9sp a day ea

1 4th Level Fighter
1gp 2sp a day ea

1 10th Level Fighter
3 gp a day ea

Cost Breakdown for Additional Personnel: Salaries only
1 Alchemist
1gp a day ea

2 Cooks
1sp a day ea

3 Smiths (Weapon Smith, Armor Smith, General Blacksmith)
4sp a day ea

Architect/Engineer
5sp a day

10 Laborers
1sp a day ea

2 Masons
3sp a day ea

2 Carpenters
3sp a day ea

1 Animal Trainer
3sp a day

2 Sages (Both with Geography perhaps with some knowledge of history and politics)
2gp a day ea

2 Scribes (With knowledge of languages that the maps are in, for translation)
4sp a day ea

Tanner/Leather Worker
3sp a day

Bowyer/Fletcher
3sp a day

Replacements to the Keep
2 Gate Houses 1000gp ea
2 Barracks 400gp ea (Adds room for 20 new people at the fort)
Guardpost/Tower 300gp

Total=3100gp

Material Support (One Time)
For the Auxiliaries
40x Leather Armor, Light Wooden Shield, Club, Sling (10 Bullets), Signal Whistle, 13gp 9sp ea
(These items are to be kept with the Auxiliaries but are considered property of the fort.)

Total=556gp

For the Troops (Regulars and Veterans)
32x Splint mail Armor, Large Wooden Shield, Longsword, Short Bow 20 Arrows, Signal Whistle, 253gp 8sp ea
(These items are to be kept with the Troops but are considered property of the fort.)

Total=8121gp 6sp

For those on patrol (Items will be replaced as needed)
10x Tangle foot bag, Alchemist fire, Net, caltrops, Lantern hooded, Bedrolls, 5 tents (for very bad weather), 103gp 1sp
(These items are to be kept with Troops on patrol but are considered property of the fort.)

Total=1031gp

For the Sergeants
9x Breastplate, Large Steel Shield, Longsword, Dagger, Longbow 20 Arrows, Signal Whistle, 313gp 8sp
(These items are to be kept with the Sergeants but are considered property of the fort.)

Total=2824gp 2sp

The Corporal and the Leader will be given a 400gp and 1000gp allowance (respectively) for personal equipment.

Total=1400gp

Cost for personnel monthly (30 Days)
Troops and Auxiliaries
30gp Auxiliaries
72gp 1st level Warriors
36gp 1st level Rogue or Ranger
144gp 2nd Level Warriors
72gp 2nd level Rogue or Ranger
243gp 3rd Level Warriors
36gp 4th level Fighter
90gp 10th level Fighter

Total=723gp Salaries

Cost forSupport Staff monthly (30 Days)
30gp Alchemist not including materials
6gp Cooks not including food
36gp Smiths not including materials
15gp Architect/Engineer (See improvements on keep listed below)
30gp Laborers
18gp Masons
18gp Carpenters
9gp Animal Trainer
60gp Sages
24gp Scribes
9gp Tanner/Leather Worker
9gp Bower/Fletcher

Total=264gp Salaries

Material Support (Ongoing)
Food and drink for 81 people
3sp per day per person

Total=729gp

Leather for Armor Repair
1cp per square yard (Estimated based on the cost of a pound of wheat)

Monthly Total=2gp 6sp 5cp (Estimation of at least half of the fighting men needing repairs and fabrication of clothing/items needed for the fort)

Wood for weapons and construction
Free but milling and refining will cost time and labor

Iron for Armor, Weapons and general use
1sp/pound

Monthly Total=26gp and 5sp (Estimation of at least half of the fighting men needing repairs and fabrication of items needed for the fort)

Alchemical supplies
16gp 7sp Weekly or 2gp 3sp and 9cp a day
(Based on the most expensive item the Alchemist could make (tanglefoot bag) times a third)

Monthly Total=71gp 7sp

Cost Summary
One time start up costs
Repairs for the keep 3100gp
Material Support for new troops (does not include salary or ongoing support materials) 15357gp
Salaries for Troops 723gp
Salaries for Support Personnel 264gp
Food and Drink 729gp
Misc Supplies for the Forts upkeep 100gp 8sp 5cp

Total Startup cost for Fort Rennick 20,273gp 8sp 5cp

Total monthly recurring monthly costs for Fort Rennick 1816gp 8sp 5cp

Intended improvements on the Fort (for the future)
Wooden Palisade 900gp
(This will coincide with the clearing of the forest out to about 200 yards to create a clearer view of coming attacks. 10% discount due to the proximity of the forest)

Barbican 1000gp ea
(One for each guard house.)

Alchemical lab basic 700gp
(To be placed in the secret passage portion of the keep so if there are any mishaps it can be contained fairly easily.)

Stables Basic 1000gp
(To replace the one destroyed in the Kreegs’ massacre.)

.

Granted, I don't know if this is too high or not.. But I didn't want to tax the resources of the player after the initial investment. I didn't want this to be an endless burden. Nor did I wish to discourage the player, I left the fate of Fort Rannick pretty open, and the player did this on his own initiative.

Ironically I started a new thread about my players plans just the other day In this thread

I welcome any constructive feedback... I'm really concerned about how I reward this effort long term. I'd love to be able to say that this has a last effect on the region, and in future AP's that I run in Varisia...

Edit: To answer the above question, we've been using Stronghold Builder's Guidebook a LOT, and I gave the PCs as a group the "Landlord" feat to represent funds from Magnimar.

That's a good idea.. I could grant that as a free feat as part of a role-playing reward. I don't own the book, but my player does...

One of my players did a cost estimate. I can't vouch for the accuracy, but I know he put a lot of effort into it.. using the Stronghold's book.

Fort Rannick does count among one of the few Castles in Varisia

My intention, if he is willing to foot the initial cost, is to waive the the monthly expenses through either Magnimar, Taxes and Tarrifs (as already mentioned), or some revenue source not defined in the module itself (like an undisclosed mine)

My Player wrote:

Plans for Fort Rannick

That's pretty awesome. If I had a player go to this much effort for taking over the fort, I'd make damn sure that the Fort became a central part of the story from that point on. Maybe even have the Stone Giants invade it instead of Sandpoint (but with extra treasure to compensate them for damages.)

My players seemed to want to have their own base of operations, so I came up with some figures to represent repairs and upkeep and reasonable tax revenue. I wanted everything to cost something so that the Fort would feel like it has value to my players. Clearly it does to your players, so I'd strongly consider reducing the initial buy-in cost.

If they don't want the fort, have the Iconics show up to take over. Seoni the little control freak would make a great steward.

So by that estimate, the area taxes would amount to 1800g/month?

Great galloping gadflies badman! I don't have the book in front of me atm, unfortunately, but can anyone peek at the city assets of the nearby town(s)? 21,600/year in gold seems awfully steep a price to be gleaned from the country surrounding that keep.

(and as the book said- the neaby taxes are what paid its support).

-S