Luxuriating in a – necessarily large – wooden bath, I got a good view of my enormous body. Well, at least as far as the vast stomach. From there, my lower half was completely out of view. Maybe Carlos felt at home like this and I wasn't judging him from the point of beauty or shame. My dismay at the body I was in was a practical one. As it was, I couldn't possibly help these people in battle. And I was so used to my own, fairly fit shape that for me, this was like being an imprisoning shell. I had an idea of who I was that was at odds with this person. It would take some serious work but I was determined to get in shape, not least for the sake of the battles to come. At least he was tall, taller than me, at about 6' 4" I'd guess. That was promising for the long term, if I could get the body into fighting condition.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwCjiyCuNy
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While I didn't want to make any important decisions about my character sheet until I had tested if I could improve my stats, I took some time to properly study the kingdom menus.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLSqkbQoun
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Greyland280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZnCkE42kI
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Economy Military People280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadP5IZdJno
Currently building: granary level 2280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5pyAj73Lx
Monthly trade income: 0280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWU7gwHZky
Monthly tax income: 54 gold280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8IJ03kXej
Daily food consumption: 13 units280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNza8dqMTrm
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2u0Jabd1o
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZfeEzlkgd
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGQWJhipIL
Meat yield: 4 units daily280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEVlIftG8C
Timber yield: 17 planks daily280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BXV6NRy4r
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8ted6Ebro
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVlk75eq71
Smithy yield: no production set280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40Hgo96m1S
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJwpbKgK2Q
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Research: steel pickaxes280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Af2i2RA4y
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Resources:280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCoYGsiG4J
Wheat: 19 food units280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFxZ3Ls00n
Vegetables: 32 food units280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ088l1qOp7V
Meat: 5 food units280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMWef4O1Vc
Wool: 7 bales280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2n2wzmLkm
Timber: 134 planks280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DXs0sNFPA
Iron: 11 ingots280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHV3Ud2VQUL
Stone: 33 blocks280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlB8igHnKtm
Cloth: 0 bolts
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All of these points of information could be opened for more detail, so I focused on the 'currently building' tab. There, I could see a graphic of a partly constructed wooden tower. The granary, presumably. In a timer that was counting down, there were two days and several hours left on a bar that was about half filled with green. I had other options, currently greyed out: farm buildings, level 2; hunting lodge, level 2; sawmill level 2; watermill; mine level 3; quarry level 2; smithy level 2; library level 2.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6YWK6TYWJ
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There was an obvious contradiction between the fact the kingdom was working on a new granary and there was no grain yield. Presumably, this was a legacy of losing the recent battle and the farmland. I should almost certainly swap the construction project to something else. Long term, it was often a good idea in strategy games to invest in research, which might be what the library was good for. But I had a real worry about the food situation. So without making any changes, and after shifting my hulky figure to swirl some warm water around, I looked at the Military sub-menu.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CnSTFVEXb
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Military280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVn2Pn2hqY
Light infantry: 32280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqEt99fixn
Heavy infantry: 12280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQRhBEoW9A
Archers: 18280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrd1rXUO3w
Light cavalry: 24280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LyYbBgo9G
Heavy cavalry: 3280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoG4qSQdxza
Ballista: 1280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EQLkBJc5t
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Hospital: 17280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbah06hzTov
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUPMbYSEFh
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPAckvJdxi
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMH0F5gj4BM
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Currently building: tower machicolations, 3 days
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I had no idea how big the armies in this world were, but with just a hundred troops the situation here was certainly dire. I suddenly had a dark thought. What if we were overrun? Slaughtered. What would happen to me? Would I get home? Respawn? Or just die, forever?280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BUnUnwGJe
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Although they were fundamentally important questions, there was nothing I could do to find answers to them, so I returned my focus to the menus. Each of these entries had options to drill down into more specific information, such as about the stats on the troops, but I just skimmed through them, wanting to understand the big picture items first.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVuqHUt0g6
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People280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrBYk2MUR0
Citizens: 485280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hOUwnlsXE
Happiness: 14280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rhqQ2hTdt
Tax Level: High280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kGwsCft4S
Health: 89280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMzPoBcU83
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Specialist roles280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpagUTQs3M
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHz11WBLwc
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ROub9c49L
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPIohLL3rL
Ambassador: Figus, Bard Level 3
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Looking at the Citizens menu I saw a more detailed breakdown: Soldiers 110; Farmers 38; Builders 40; Shepherds 34; Hunters 48; Miners 84; Clothmakers 23; Bakers 23; Brewers 16; Carpenters 21; Stonemasons 14; Smiths 4; Researchers 4; Idle 26. It was strange how few were the numbers here. Was this because I had found myself at an early stage of whatever game-like system this world was based on? Or was there some other explanation?280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFEePJ8p8a
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This was interesting. For a start, the king had been lying to Chancellor Parrin for some reason. Far from being a Level 5 Scout, the thin man was 9. Then I found I could open up their character sheets and I did so for Lord Arval.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPULLxOaPCD
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVWq9K0hAc
HP 64280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPthrakrTR1
AC 18280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o7WCef4XM
XP 19,663 (28,800)280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0OT1c0Njf
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7bLHLQhWY
Shield of Defence +1, Trueblade +2, Ring of Strength +1, Potion of Haste, Potion of Healing.
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Very interesting. I had to close my eyes for a moment, ducking down to soak my hair, but the character sheet was still there when I came back up out of the water. Firstly, I noted that Lord Arval had an XP bar. He could level up. That was encouraging for me, because it suggested that stats might evolve too. Secondly: magic items. Everybody loves magic items, but again I was particularly excited to see they could be used to change stats, as in Lord Arval's Strength.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPnWjFPoVw
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Time to check the others.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQpikXCZwn
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkK91JYw4SK
HP 34280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7zV9vewSw
AC 5280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRC7ebY2h87
XP 72,102 (86,400)280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGcx9YUcPN
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsou1bkPiL
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLezURiTm7
HP 53280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemVO81WPo7
AC 12280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlfm39LxW3
XP 71,043 (86,400)280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrp2o7Lq5PD
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvrfz0X2wS
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL7KNvdXgj
HP 17280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1dVs47iQP
AC 14280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVpaZk4zuf
XP 684 (800)280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu8EJ6Ys3t
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlfdYM4Flg
Scroll of Charm280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAhdgknhI6
Ambassador feats: Speak Language; Swift Travel
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Pretty decent, or so it seemed. But everything was relative. What special roles did our opponents have? Maybe Chancellor Parrin would know.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXghWrg8ZPP
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By this time my bath was only lukewarm and so, with some difficulty, I stood up. Water dripping from me, I took a towel and when as dry as I could manage, a robe that a servant had brought me that looked clean enough. Outside the door of the bathroom was a young servant, who ducked his head when I left rather than make eye contact. After I was past him, he ran into the bathroom, to tidy up perhaps.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SzGO889YP
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Lying in a comfortable four-poster bed, in clean sheets, I considered that I was blessed. Almost certainly, there were gods in this world. And if one of them had played a role in bringing me here, well, fair dues to him, her, or it. I sent a silent prayer of gratitude. This is what I needed. Not the trappings of being a king but the challenge. A kingdom under threat and an RPG system to wield to the best of my ability. I really wanted to get stuck into my own character sheet, but most of my decisions would have to wait until I had more information. And I was too tired to explore the menus much further.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BZItRpUnw
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There were two tasks, however, that shouldn't wait until morning. I called up Greyland/Economy/Currently Building. There I switched the granary out and from the other options, dragged in hunting lodge, level 2. We were losing about 7 food units a day, with reserves of just 56. Obviously, I needed to resolve that, before planning on building something more strategic.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu43PebUsDD
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The other assignment I wanted to make was for the Smithy, which was not producing anything. The sub-menu, however, was complex, full of possible items like horse shoes, swords, shields and arrow heads that all looked extremely useful. There were tools I could create too, including hoes, which I was tempted by, as these would surely help my food output. Or were they limited to use in the kind of fields we had recently lost?280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZGzDG7vcQ
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Wondering why my predecessor had left such an important building idle, I had a thought and checked the research queue. There was only four hours left on the countdown for steel pickaxes. Maybe he had planned on completing that research and then getting the smith to work on producing them. If so, it wasn't a bad idea, all we really had going for us were the mountains around the town. If we could use sources of iron to build up tradeable reserves of iron and steel, that might be another way to solve the food crisis. So that decision could also wait until morning.280Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDG0wDkYeq
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
