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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnKKOTyxq5
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqnitZucRh
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Greyland363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9niy1Y9dem
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Economy Military People363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyKWbhOtHY
Currently building: granary level 2363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrlxCPdUuc
Monthly trade income: 0363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5S12iKnGNp
Monthly tax income: 54 gold363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLvcd4XWuK
Daily food consumption: 13 units363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAff1ijm2W
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eHr6lamUB
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbxFxn5l8r
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOpTf7sjwS
Meat yield: 4 units daily363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWx0T7hlso
Timber yield: 17 planks daily363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyTiMUpm93
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbX6LKWBZx
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ257IdvkajF
Smithy yield: no production set363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfPBoNfsxw
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDLJCI3qPa
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Research: steel pickaxes363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNk2nzOgc8
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Resources:363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5N0jlmCUQV
Wheat: 19 food units363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHX372YH3o
Vegetables: 32 food units363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefGSbB8myI
Meat: 5 food units363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihpGmJtH0P
Wool: 7 bales363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kA8fqQML6
Timber: 134 planks363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9Nje8E58L
Iron: 11 ingots363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXiTrgsAWU
Stone: 33 blocks363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkpLkkgl2i
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 2.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAftXc1xhf
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3sEfzUQpB
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Military363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0R07TvSsu
Light infantry: 32363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUkwWghRTG
Heavy infantry: 12363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDp9nUtItQo
Archers: 18363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO5RZIv0TO
Light cavalry: 24363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKT28ZeS3h
Heavy cavalry: 3363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡot8Sga7SL0
Ballista: 1363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡustfm03YVp
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Hospital: 17363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQgHJWSPGf
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJX1E8XaN3
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqKHwLMOKa
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zScByN6tI
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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?363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsnxE8hkU9
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPpScKb3fj
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People363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOuy60bALV
Citizens: 485363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZMLiBhV7d
Happiness: 14363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUJKRGIm1S
Tax Level: High363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJVefhBSR1
Health: 89363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadH9gEFkVu
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Specialist roles363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEDgHrboeJ
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBhD5TEIHO
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MS8OHL1TN
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYrC7Q6pib
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?363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRhrxD68sL
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWhVRl7Brb
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRqTqb2fw7
HP 64363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRmW3YOOWh
AC 18363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5MpHxmg1i
XP 19,663 (28,800)363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaPdnQVRO9
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPn33s23qr
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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCYmIiWwQb
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Time to check the others.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2djkjBOKk
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYby6lSiRCC
HP 34363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvVkTV2nPq
AC 5363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmnxyFf6FV
XP 72,102 (86,400)363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN4CE38Pli
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKZ9MXf4T4
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWh0QPlMsY4
HP 53363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bOxAWe3AG
AC 12363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKJoVYNsj5
XP 71,043 (86,400)363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJzS9eyTtL
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxTPTEvjQy
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteSkW056pR
HP 17363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNgvsJM9Yv
AC 14363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFYYLOYxS9
XP 684 (800)363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xAptsC5zF
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WzgECbtD1
Scroll of Charm363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIYrqT1ilG
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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRltmEf37Y
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaa7Sjwxtw9
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsJtbOqrgf
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSklRaLPMi
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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?363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgC95UAxTZT
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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.363Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qLjsYouHA
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
