Marston Fort
The decrepit Fort Aboor, on the wild edge of Marston Avenue as it joins Cole's Canyon, is sister to the nearby but slightly smaller Fort Stokke. Both testaments to Ikaanos' history, now abandoned by the Skyguard who judged their strategic value not worth the cost of maintaining them. But not demolished either... so prone to being taken over and used as bases by bandits when they judge the Republic's forces as spread too thin to enforce control for a while.
The residents of Marston Avenue would be grateful for any independent adventurers who decide to do occasional raider removal when the Skyguard are too distracted by external threats to prevent these forts being turned against the populations they once protected.
Gate Battles
Attempting to clear the bandits from this fort requires getting inside first, which involves winning a tough fight at the gate. The group guarding the gate will have five members, are protected from melee attacks, and ranged attacks against them are at a severe penalty (-50 to hit) due to the protection afforded them by the walls.
Alternatively you can try to smash though the walls or gate. This will require doing considerable "health points" damage to the structure (currently 1,000 but may change) - while under ranged fire from those defending it. Note that some weapons are more effective against fortifications than others (e.g. grenades and axes good; swords and crossbow bolts bad). Note also that you do not have to smash through in one assault - you can retreat from the fight and come back later. Note however that the inhabitants will repair the fort by several hundred points each night, so it's best to try to complete the assault in a single day.
Loot
Bandit gangs with such a secure, long-term operating base will amass more loot than usual. So if you manage to clear out the fort entirely, you will find extra loot inside - including items not found on roaming bandit groups, the nature of which will depend on the particular crew in question.
Bandit Groups
Bandits who may take over this fort until removed by force include the following:
- Members of The Hessian Crew – known for doing cruel rape sprees and tormenting easy targets.
- Freebooters from The "Hide Your Daughters" Crew – known for abducting and raping young urchin girls.
- Scouts from The Red Tide – gaining intelligence on Ikaanos' defences to feed back to their army.
- A squad or two from The Lonely Rangers Company – marksmen whose main force is capable of seizing occupied Skyguard fortresses, not just holding abandoned ones.
Protection Money
Bandits occupying Fort Aboor will usually offer the option of being paid protection money in return for promising to not raid your household. The amount demanded will vary depending on on City Control, MC Power, Influence, Difficulty level, and days played, but expect it to be in the order of one or two hundred dollars daily. If agreed, this will also greatly decrease the risk of your household being attacked by other groups, since the Marston bandits will threaten other bandits with retribution should they harm their source of revenue. You are theirs!