The Fortress

You looked at the options she's outlined. You ruled out the Cleared Lands, it just didn't seem right to you. That left the blockhouses and the fortress.

"What am I going to do for knights?" You asked, you felt like that might be important to your choice.

"There are several squires awaiting masters. They are still mouldable. They'll not be equal to full knights but they are young and eager to prove themselves." The Arch-Priestess said, "We also have sought out volunteers of the orders and had some have responded. They will be more set in their ways but they could be a boon with their experience."

"How many devoted?" You asked.

"We do not have an exact count, it is difficult with the number of smaller hamlets but by divine power, you could support at most seventy knights. Each major village also maintains a militia" The Arch-Priestess explained. To compare that with your old order that would be about twenty if you wanted to keep the same strength per knight. It would be a question of quality over quantity. How many knights would you try to march with at the start?

More knights could cover more ground and maintain a longer patrol range but they would be more **** as individuals. Fewer knights would be better suited as an augmenting, rescue, and scouting ****, leaving most of the day-to-day protection to the town militias and Order Auxiliary.