So just wanna put this out here. I will have owner ship over a massive desert that  is located in the middle of the continent and takes a good chunk of it. It is compromised of 2 layers of defenses. 5 citadels on the outskirt, 3 on the inner region and the main one, the castle of the city is located at the very center. The 3 citadels on the inner region are all connected to the main castle with multiple underground routes which expand to open underground areas where different trade and what not is performed. The castle itself is mostly located underground. And to pass from one side of the desert to the next, the fastest way is to pass right through the dessert. Passing around it would increase the travel time [b]exponentially[/b].

I swear I will not abuse this monopoly of the main road and you are all free to pah..ahem..pass without over charged fees and -oh boy.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWVovDKI080[/youtube]

But seriously now, it just seems aesthetically pleasing to me to have this desert and the citadels. No ulterior motives on gaining the upper hand. This isn't even a NRP.