• Type: Action
• Cost: 4
• Effect: +1 Card / +2 Actions / When you trash this, put it into your hand.

A non-terminal village with built-in cantrip draw (+1 card / +2 actions). At cost 4, the raw stats already justify the buy, but the real strength is the "return to hand when trashed" clause. It transforms trashing from a cost into a launchpad — Trash-for-Benefit (TfB) cards can be reused indefinitely.

Where a normal Village just gives +2 actions, Fortress also draws a card, sitting between Village and Laboratory in raw value. That alone earns its place; the trash interaction makes it a centerpiece. On any board with TfB synergy, Fortress decks become the default plan in Dark Ages. Overall S-tier (the iconic Dark Ages village; cornerstone of trash-for-benefit decks).

In the opening, Fortress is a top-priority pick on either 5/2 or 4/3. On 4/3 the canonical line is Fortress + Silver. On 5/2, take a strong 5-cost (Witch, Remodel, Altar) and pair with Fortress on the 3.

Midgame, Fortress alone is solid but transforms with TfB. Snap-buy Remodel, Procession, Apprentice, Altar, Graverobber, Counterfeit when available. Stack Fortresses freely — unlike vanilla Villages, the cantrip means extra copies don't dilute the deck. 3-5 copies is normal in built engines.

In the endgame, Procession or Remodel a Fortress into a 5-cost Action and keep the Fortress in hand. This is the win-condition pattern: gain Duchies/Provinces "for free" off the Fortress. Even without TfB, Fortress remains a respectable engine piece through to the closing turns.

Rats Loop: Rats trashes one Action card on play. Trash a Fortress → Fortress returns to hand → bonus draw from Rats's trash trigger. Rapidly burns through Rats and thins your deck.

Remodel/Expand Loop: Remodel trashes Fortress → Fortress returns to hand → you gain a card costing up to 4 more (Duchy, etc.). Effectively gaining Duchies without losing card economy.

Procession Loop: Procession plays Fortress twice, trashes it, gains a 5-cost Action. Fortress returns to hand. Net: extra Action played, 5-cost gained, Fortress preserved.

Apprentice Loop: Apprentice trashes Fortress for +4 Cards (cost 4). Fortress returns to hand. Massive draw boost without losing the engine piece.

Altar Loop: Altar trashes & gains a card up to cost 5. Trash Fortress, gain a Fortress — Fortress returns to hand from the trash trigger. Graverobber Loop: Graverobber retrieves Fortress from trash to hand without firing the trash trigger.

• Remodel / Expand: Trash Fortress, gain victory cards.
• Procession: The perfect partner — extra play + cost-5 gain + Fortress preserved.
• Apprentice: +4 Cards on trash, Fortress survives.
• Rats: The Rats-disposal engine.
• Altar: Trash without burning an Action.
• Counterfeit: Play Fortress (which would normally be trashed by Counterfeit, but returns to hand).
• Graverobber: Retrieve from trash without trigger.
• Forge, Masquerade, Salvager: Assorted TfB hooks.
• Horse Traders and other "count of Action cards in hand" effects benefit from extra Fortresses.

• Heavy terminal boards without TfB: Fortress is "just" a draw-village — still good, but no longer S-tier.
• Already-thin decks: Nothing left to trash means no loop.
• "Trash a card from hand" effects (e.g., Mercenary feeding) interact awkwardly: Fortress's "return to hand" overrides whatever the TfB card wanted to do with the trashed card.
• Bishop / point-trash cards: Fortress doesn't actually leave when "trashed," so it doesn't generate Bishop VP from trashing itself.

Engine math: 1 Fortress ≈ 1 Village + 0.5 cards drawn. Plan +Action budget accordingly. Procession + Fortress is the highest-EV TfB combo in many Dark Ages boards. Choose what you gain carefully — Grand Market, King's Court, Witch, etc., depending on the supply.

Don't over-trash early. The strength compounds when Fortress + TfB are both reliably in hand together; rushing Fortresses without TfB just gives you a stronger Village.