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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAYppKXMyKrS
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAI7OOATW6Qz
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Greyland361Please respect copyright.PENANAn1bOm13JU4
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Economy Military People361Please respect copyright.PENANAqSE74jjfPb
Currently building: granary level 2361Please respect copyright.PENANAzA0tu2Idk2
Monthly trade income: 0361Please respect copyright.PENANAVQu7KLIFRh
Monthly tax income: 54 gold361Please respect copyright.PENANAmT5dJxq8Bk
Daily food consumption: 13 units361Please respect copyright.PENANAYhAbUzh3Yt
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days361Please respect copyright.PENANAv6JNB8jgVZ
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days361Please respect copyright.PENANAhZHSmP9iid
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days361Please respect copyright.PENANAx2nMDanFMO
Meat yield: 4 units daily361Please respect copyright.PENANASqH3nZWwpr
Timber yield: 17 planks daily361Please respect copyright.PENANAUQQKsVPGXN
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily361Please respect copyright.PENANArimyJxDefd
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily361Please respect copyright.PENANAOhAXGRUL8p
Smithy yield: no production set361Please respect copyright.PENANAw7k43ysZzn
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily361Please respect copyright.PENANAAvPjNuJxqC
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Research: steel pickaxes361Please respect copyright.PENANAvZYDXBQllD
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Resources:361Please respect copyright.PENANAhC86osVCJ5
Wheat: 19 food units361Please respect copyright.PENANABZKhRdxHkX
Vegetables: 32 food units361Please respect copyright.PENANAPUAKRxqol3
Meat: 5 food units361Please respect copyright.PENANAivv9K7T9AS
Wool: 7 bales361Please respect copyright.PENANAvrLp6fkis9
Timber: 134 planks361Please respect copyright.PENANAndJ0KuH74L
Iron: 11 ingots361Please respect copyright.PENANAXpSu2bWTzE
Stone: 33 blocks361Please respect copyright.PENANAvAktJVAXOt
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 2.361Please respect copyright.PENANA2SWCIQxMnk
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAbL0nYVxKmf
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Military361Please respect copyright.PENANAJluKdkPERC
Light infantry: 32361Please respect copyright.PENANAE4hi4rAs2K
Heavy infantry: 12361Please respect copyright.PENANA0Ctk7BPmW7
Archers: 18361Please respect copyright.PENANAHpF3BWLNht
Light cavalry: 24361Please respect copyright.PENANADVTTAjIdB8
Heavy cavalry: 3361Please respect copyright.PENANAzhmxqtNxIz
Ballista: 1361Please respect copyright.PENANAl5bBYcfQ00
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Hospital: 17361Please respect copyright.PENANASyZzdnNBIj
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver361Please respect copyright.PENANAGL2L61pAde
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry361Please respect copyright.PENANA8sE8ZcVMUX
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1361Please respect copyright.PENANARTwReYgRDa
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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?361Please respect copyright.PENANANgKT8ItnH0
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAM4Ych7FQt5
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People361Please respect copyright.PENANAsNRyj0Nh2A
Citizens: 485361Please respect copyright.PENANA6hCi9n7VyK
Happiness: 14361Please respect copyright.PENANAjEXUVeyFlS
Tax Level: High361Please respect copyright.PENANAl8AnOmMeKu
Health: 89361Please respect copyright.PENANAKD1rJSWFLA
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Specialist roles361Please respect copyright.PENANAqykP5KWdQF
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7361Please respect copyright.PENANAD31cXdX7lX
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9361Please respect copyright.PENANARnJbfOL8No
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9361Please respect copyright.PENANARn8FdsMuPX
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?361Please respect copyright.PENANA5Xrg9NI0OE
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAsHMw7nPceQ
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7361Please respect copyright.PENANAUSWRKLqIQw
HP 64361Please respect copyright.PENANAHvityzs3Fz
AC 18361Please respect copyright.PENANA7APumlqllQ
XP 19,663 (28,800)361Please respect copyright.PENANAeFNJtyqztB
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.361Please respect copyright.PENANApqWse4pymy
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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAFWp8gTvKuc
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Time to check the others.361Please respect copyright.PENANAz7AoxRg0hB
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9361Please respect copyright.PENANAl49ip5jDpD
HP 34361Please respect copyright.PENANAQ2kCd6Cr2V
AC 5361Please respect copyright.PENANAdaZ1mEptVy
XP 72,102 (86,400)361Please respect copyright.PENANAFVytupUbEk
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.361Please respect copyright.PENANA08Va9SEHyF
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9361Please respect copyright.PENANAWJAke2xIk0
HP 53361Please respect copyright.PENANANWjpDCjasv
AC 12361Please respect copyright.PENANASTFKf3hYLA
XP 71,043 (86,400)361Please respect copyright.PENANANFGsZAVtMT
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9361Please respect copyright.PENANA0Zao60amtT
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3361Please respect copyright.PENANAShqAeew8xf
HP 17361Please respect copyright.PENANAF5Ex5JFfGw
AC 14361Please respect copyright.PENANAkaIJBcZQE4
XP 684 (800)361Please respect copyright.PENANAkHWVKM0Okk
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15361Please respect copyright.PENANAlgs9TTDKTq
Scroll of Charm361Please respect copyright.PENANAB40qtJs29f
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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAWkTzHLwwrH
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAKnhRSkYf9K
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANA3SXAM4S464
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANANAbPQP2e4M
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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?361Please respect copyright.PENANA5FGOS4d3s9
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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.361Please respect copyright.PENANAYlW3dctkZc
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.