What to do with our new castle?

[incarnate236]

So my long time group switched to pathfinder recently and started playing the first adventure path. We just took out a bunch of goblins who held a keep near our hometown and are trying to decide how to use the now vacant castle. Here are some ideas: turn it in to a fortress and raid trade routes, open a casino/hotel, brothel, sell it, hire some farmers and open a winery. What direction would you take?

[Red Fel]

So my long time group switched to pathfinder recently and started playing the first adventure path. We just took out a bunch of goblins who held a keep near our hometown and are trying to decide how to use the now vacant castle. Here are some ideas: turn it in to a fortress and raid trade routes, open a casino/hotel, brothel, sell it, hire some farmers and open a winery. What direction would you take?

Step one, rescue and influential and powerful NPC. One who is very Lawful, and who will honor that life-debt. Put him in charge of managing the castle and grounds so that you don't have to stick around to run affairs. The castle now runs in your absence.

Step two, bring in craftsmen. Smiths, engineers, architects, what-have-you. Bring them materials. Sell them your excess loot. Let them start crafting to their hearts' content. Within short order, you will have created a center of profitable craft and commerce. Your castle is now generating money for you. Further, these craftsmen will help to reinforce and improve the existing castle structure.

Step three, hire guards. Now that your castle is a center of commerce, it needs to be protected. Bonus points if your party beatstick opens a fighting school in the castle to train students (who may then become guards). Your castle and its money are now protected.

Step four, gather yeomen. Basically, grant arable neighboring lands to commoners, as well as the protection of your guards, in exchange for taxes of money and food. Your castle is now profitable, supplied, armed, and fed.

Step five, establish trade routes. You're adventurers, it's not hard to run back and forth along some roads murdering the crap out of bandits until people get the message to keep crime away. With trade routes open, people will flock to your now successful and well-protected marketplace to trade in crops, cattle, and crafts. People will also travel to your castle to enroll in your fighting school. Your castle is now a successful and powerful city-state.

Step six, make the fools pay. ... By which I mean profit.

... and world domination.

[Daishain]

That really depends on a couple of factors.

-are there any trade routes in the area? If no, are there any potential trade routes that your party can open up? If no, is there any reason for traveling people to come to the region at all?

-Is the land arable? If yes, how difficult would it be to protect farmers as they do their thing?

-Are there any natural resources in the area that can be used? Marble, salt, hardwood trees, etc.

-Does the keep have strategic value in terms of where it is placed? (IE, covering the only pass through a mountain range that an army could use.)

Generally speaking, you have two objectives here. Find some means to turn a profit, and be prepared to defend it against aggression. You can't earn money without inspiring greed, and you can't build up military might without funds.

Also bear in mind, someone probably owns both the land and the keep. They'd be grateful that you managed to eliminate a threat to his vassal's well being, but much, much less so if you turn around, laid claim to his property, and start taxing his trade. I would strongly suggest getting in touch with the local nobility. Play your cards right, and you can probably walk away with not only the keep in your legal possession, but a new title and stipend to help with the excessive costs of getting it up and running as a proper power base.

[Xelbiuj]

Trap the crap out of it, spread rumors about awesome loot and a lich. Collect your earnings every few weeks. Leave it unoccupied and see what random monsters move in.

Use it as your fortress.

Lease it to the folk near your hometown, free upkeep, collect taxes on trade. Let them utilize it as a garrison to protect the town.

Turn it into a place of worship for your deity.

Turn it into an orphanage.

Demolish it. They just attract trouble.

[Fitz10019]

Paint it white.
Install a grill.
Order a steady supply of beef and onions.

[Tohsaka Rin]

The quality of the land is moot.

Set aside a decent part of land, preferably forested, and find some druids. Offer to allow them to live there, in return for their aid in caring for the land, keeping people from doing slash/burn/stripmine antics.

Or elves/half-elves, probably just as good.

If you're well-off enough, rather than ruin said land by building watch towers and outposts, just invest in a few Daern's Instant Fortresses, or craft them, if you can.

Someone remind me to dig up my notes for constructing a floating continent...

[incarnate236]

Paint it white.
Install a grill.
Order a steady supply of beef and onions.

I'm going to convince the party to do this.

[Divide by Zero]

Fill it with monsters.

Hire adventurers to clear it out.

After they gain a few levels, kill them and absorb their power into your own.

Rinse and repeat.