Ruling the de'Arnise Keep and Lands

Monk, barbarian, single, multi, or active fighter of dual-class protagonists are eligible to accept Nalia’s offer, upon the completion of The de'Arnise Keep has been Invaded companion quest, to rule the land if and only if they currently have no other stronghold. This means that accepting this offer will lock away any other stronghold options if available.
==Benefits==
* Sleep safely within the keep, though potential quest related enemies such as Degardan of Edwin’s quest can still find you there.
* Receive tax rate per week, the money is stored in the library on the second floor.
* Raise the taxes and possibly "extort" the peasants by selecting “raise the tax rate” when talking to the Majordomo, which results in an instant gain, but each time you do this, you upset the land's citizenry more. The risk of revolt rises with a burdensome tax rate. It is possible to lose the stronghold permanently if this occurs. To gauge current sentiment of the populace, speak with Majordomo.
Next is a list of the events that take place after each week has passed (except during chapters 4 and 5 for obvious reasons).
==Problem one: The angry merchant==
The first problem to attend to is the matter of an angry merchant, Tolmas Bendelia, who blames Gorion's Ward for not policing the land suitably, as he was attacked by bandits whilst traveling through. He demands reparation and an assurance that this will never happen again, or else he will not only cease coming to the Keep's holdings, but he will also foreclose on any properties he owns here - and he has quite a number, as the Majordomo warns the player.
The dialogue options and outcomes for this quest can be found in the game file KPMERC01.DLG.
===Dealing with the merchant===
The first test for the player requires a choice - how the party will react to the merchant's requests for reparations. They may choose to pay him either or , to send him away with nothing, or to have him executed. Paying will satisfy him and make no difference to the happiness of the peasantry. If the protagonist has a Charisma score of 15 or higher, paying has the same effect. If the charisma isn't high enough, he won't accept and insist on the full payment. Refusing payment or having him executed will cause civil unrest towards Revolt conditions to increase by one point. 
Summary of options:
*Pay , neutral
*Pay , neutral (only possible if CHA >= 15)
*Pay nothing, +1 revolt
* Execute him, +1 revolt
The choice of whether to have the merchant executed also affects the XP bonuses from the second half. See below.
===Dealing with the bandits===
Next, the player has to choose what they will do about the bandits. They can either pay to get some expert mercenaries to clear them out (grants positive attitude), pay for some lower-skilled mercenaries who will winnow their ranks, but won't exterminate them (no bonus or penalty), or pay nothing (Revolt increases). If the angry merchant had been sent to be executed, then this step can grant experience points.
Summary of options:
* Pay , -1 revolt; 15000 XP (or 15500 XP if the merchant was executed)
* Pay , neutral; 0 XP (or 11500 XP if the merchant was executed)
* Pay nothing, +1 revolt; 0 XP
==Problem two: The thieving guard==
Captain Cernick has caught one of his guards, Lastin, stealing money from the Keep's coffers. The player must decide how to deal with Lastin for this. You can have him executed immediately, expel him immediately, or ask for his side of the story. When asked, he will reveal that he was trying to raise money for expensive medicine needed for his wife to survive. At this point you may choose to pay for the medicine, which costs . Regardless of whether you help his wife, you can choose to have him executed, expelled, or forgiven.
Summary of options:
*Have him executed immediately or after listening to him: +1 revolt, 0 XP
*Have him expelled immediately or after listening to him: neutral, 11500 XP
*Listen to and forgive him: neutral, 15500 XP
*Listen to him, pay , but have him executed: neutral, 0 XP
*Listen to him, pay , but have him expelled: -1 revolt, 11500 XP
* Listen to him, pay , and have him forgiven: -1 revolt, 15500 XP
==Problem three: The Priest of Tempus==
Bolumir, a wandering Cleric of Tempus, wants permission to set up a shrine in the Keep. The player is asked if they will allow this.
* Turning him away rudely will increase Revolt.
* Turning him away politely grants 11500 XP and leaves Revolt at its prior state.
* Granting his wish grants 15500 XP and provides access to Bolumir's Shop and Priest Services in the former Golem Chamber on the second floor of the Keep, as well as making the peasantry happy.
==Problem four: Lord Roenall's demand==
A messenger sent by the majordomo will inform you that Lord Farthington Roenall has come to the Keep asking to speak to the player.
If the player refuses to see him, then one of his guards will enter and make a threat to Gorion's Ward, trying to intimidate the Ward into giving up the Keep, before leaving.
If the player sees him, again, Lord Roenall demands that the player surrender the de'Arnise Keep to him. The player may either acquiesce, losing their Stronghold permanently, or throw him out (continues the Stronghold storyline).
== Problem five: The maid & her suitors==
One of the Keep's maids, a woman by the name of Chanelle, is caught in a love triangle between the poor Ranger Jessup (whom she loves), and the wealthy landowner Malvolio (whom she dislikes). Gorion's Ward is asked to resolve the matter.
Declaring she is to marry neither of them will make the peasants angry, increasing Revolt.
Declaring she is to marry Malvolio makes him offer you a "gift" of . Accepting, however, robs you of the 11500 XP you receive for refusing and makes the Revolt increase even further than the increase already provided by declaring Malvolio as Chanelle's husband.
Declaring she is to marry Jessup grants 15500 XP, but makes them mention that the "old lord" promised them a dowry. The player may give them either or for a favorable reaction from the peasantry; the bigger the dowry, the happier they people are with their generous new lord.
== Problem six: The moneylenders==
A pair of suspicious individuals have approached the castle, claiming to be moneylenders to whom the "old lord" owed . Whilst the Majordomo is convinced that their claims of a debt owed by the Lord of de'Arnise Keep are fraudulent, they do have friends who will apparently collect on debts owed by the local peasantry.
The player may pay either the full , or convince them to accept half that fee, both of which complete the quest but award no XP.
Alternatively, the player may either throw the moneylenders out, or execute them, and then consider paying the debts of the peasants themselves:
* grants 15500 XP
* grants 11500 XP
* grants 0 XP
==Problem seven: The flood==
A terrible flood has swept through the lands governed by the de'Arnise Keep. Four representatives of the local farmers have come to seek financial assistance in restoring the ruined lands, as well as to ask for the new lord to build dikes to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
If the player accepts to pay it grants 15500 XP.
If the player offers to pay a portion it grants 4500 XP and asked how much to contribute:
* grants 8500 XP (8500 XP + 4500 XP = 13000 XP which is 2500 XP less than paying the same amount from the start)
* grants 6500 XP
* grants 4500 XP
* grants 2500 XP
* grants 0 XP
If the player refuses to pay anything, then a serious amount of Revolt is gained.
After this has been sorted, the player can either pay to build dikes or pay nothing (Revolt increases).
==Problem eight: Invasion!==
Lord Roenall finally makes his move, attacking the Keep with his forces. The player and his party must meet Lord Roenall at the gate and kill him to stop the invasion. Success in this completes the Stronghold Quest for de'Arnise Keep and awards the player 50000 XP. The player may also loot Lord Roenall's body for Full Plate Armor +1, a Bastard Sword +1, a Large Shield and some gold. If you kill his lackeys before you kill Roenall you can get two Chain Mail +1, Bracers of Defense AC 8, a Wand of Lightning, some Arrows of Fire and Arrows of Ice, as well as a bunch of mundane equipment.
==Notes==
*The Keep Messenger may not reach the party in time before they exit the map, thus the quests will not advance. If this happens, using the console command CreateCreature("KPRUNN01") will spawn the messenger another time.
*The total cost for choosing all the best options is .
==Gallery==
:Portraits from Portraits Portraits Everywhere
===People involved===
KPDOMO01.jpg|thumb|Majordomo, administrative officer for the Keep and surrounding lands.
KPBUTL01.jpg|thumb|Metigo the Butler, speak with him at various times to get a general feeling of the peasants' feelings for your rule.
CERNICK.jpg|thumb|Captain Cernick, replacing Captain Arat - the new Keep garrison commander.
KPMERC01.jpg|thumb|Tolmas Bendelia, an unhappy merchant that wants compensation for bandits that robbed his caravans on Keep land.
KPGRD01.jpg|thumb|Lastin, a Keep guard who has been accused of theft. Did he steal? Why?.
KPCHAP01.jpg|thumb|Bolumir, Priest of Tempus, offers to be the Keep Chaplain if you'll give him a chance.
KPMAID01.jpg|thumb|Chanelle the Maid. "Oh... all right. Umm... Jessup here has been courting me for some time. He's... a ranger from the local forests. And... Malvolio is a landowner from over in the Roenall lands".
KPMAID02.jpg|thumb|Talira the Maid. "Hullo to you. I be Talira, the new maid here in the keep. I will get to your quarters soon enough, have no worry. The majordomo has given me plenty of other work to busy myself at the moment."
KPRANG01.jpg|thumb|Jessup the Ranger seeks Chanelle the Maid's hand in marriage.
KPRANG02.jpg|thumb|Malvolio, Nobleman who also seeks Chanelle the Maid's hand in marriage.
KPRUNNER.jpg|thumb|Keep Messenger. He'll try and find the party in outdoor areas when timers trigger him. Be advised, can be missed by fast moving party or CNTRL J movement. 
KPFARM04.jpg|400px|Peasant Farmer and others, petitioning you after the dikes have failed. The group is worried and has concerns.
KPROEN01.jpg|thumb|Lord Roenall and his retinue demand that the Keep and lands be given to his family forthwith, as "promised" and due to your lack of noble blood.
KeepMessenger.png|Keep Messenger delivers various news to summon the party back to the Keep for the Lord to resolve. Will take place in outdoor areas only.
Roenallat the gates.png|After speaking with Majordomo, Captain Cernick sounds an alert that Lord Roenall is at the gates with his armed band to seize the Keep.
Roenallfinal.png|Keep guards and party face Lord Roenall's assault.
Keepfinale.png|Majordomo delivers congratulatory speech after the PC finishes all required tasks in the stronghold questline. XP award bestowed. Onward to adventure!