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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1idY32yx7
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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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPwxr2d8PI
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Greyland362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oK9WqSsbO
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Economy Military People362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0y800S7LcD
Currently building: granary level 2362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9Fo1jQmRU
Monthly trade income: 0362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OtokxKm4W
Monthly tax income: 54 gold362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28y0akwcDO
Daily food consumption: 13 units362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXtOxPHTp8
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0lw15jynq
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC5nMPbTWw
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXN5MJiblXk
Meat yield: 4 units daily362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAh6f4alnsd
Timber yield: 17 planks daily362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTToZUEcAu
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImI1NKWCgI
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBGWvtInNG
Smithy yield: no production set362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHDMW3nhXE
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlmQMY1YFD
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Research: steel pickaxes362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzugJhaaCad
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Resources:362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRb7iJ7SB5A
Wheat: 19 food units362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq5BsbSLBB
Vegetables: 32 food units362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8NFNQEExk
Meat: 5 food units362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgZh6By5hh
Wool: 7 bales362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEXttzJ36d
Timber: 134 planks362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJAPHDXlkv
Iron: 11 ingots362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5BPnJQTJk
Stone: 33 blocks362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB79Ye0A6cJ
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 2.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgmo8S4iQm
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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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxJYxNxms7
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Military362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLC3R2WUYc
Light infantry: 32362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UGlDtjhja
Heavy infantry: 12362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeXLgHuodZ
Archers: 18362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAbuvw87H4
Light cavalry: 24362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WEyy3wd9o
Heavy cavalry: 3362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EVG5RPMtN
Ballista: 1362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSP4ADwg5yG
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Hospital: 17362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9NYP6V3Sj
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiZ3iOFk13
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOETVMnbxP
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6I9WA6NTaI
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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?362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhHEuCaubu
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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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWI65P6mN4i
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People362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DnevgaNz0
Citizens: 485362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj7m2SkrYM
Happiness: 14362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hyOGCIQZj
Tax Level: High362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejPAd8y3fe
Health: 89362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxz5w25Xwk
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Specialist roles362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrxSTmKULy
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMDmQvWIZc
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XaANIHwa3
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfRf3iNT3Q
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?362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9n8pMvAgVM
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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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjgUtIEvPi
362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbJR7vJUBp
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLNpEOXXK9
HP 64362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4IsdMzrRY
AC 18362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqVe047HhO
XP 19,663 (28,800)362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiYMIzNXLx
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrSW8GGfmg
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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXKCLjLh47
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Time to check the others.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2bbtZf53J
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyzJhi7oP4
HP 34362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2shqCovsH
AC 5362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡME4B0QrXg1
XP 72,102 (86,400)362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs2g4lGawA
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡae30lA985v
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EY634qrQv
Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEVonzX9St
HP 53362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjZJtsPzJ3
AC 12362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJWpByk9hr
XP 71,043 (86,400)362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7BdnfKT4J
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ae8er9env
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgb0iUqXu4
HP 17362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHxiGTQl4d
AC 14362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJlO5o45vj
XP 684 (800)362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQAnHubG1n
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGYIqsdKpE
Scroll of Charm362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIeeoCW8TG
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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67Jwpfr1Md
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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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwcvIopezH
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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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr7wAEdXeh
362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnHBkBz8pZ
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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXLXkDgzRM
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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?362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyd5QOVcV5
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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.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrMbDdTVi2
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
