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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDbHTkkegZ
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJc7JGOvn4
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyLXn7sIha
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2PBjmpFqI
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dR0yRzI7H
Greyland461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGo4eiggfW
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJh3LL9ocAh
Economy Military People461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wJeH4brJl
Currently building: granary level 2461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4ullvMvq3
Monthly trade income: 0461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoyzeSJAEE
Monthly tax income: 54 gold461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusqhFn0x8i
Daily food consumption: 13 units461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEn6PI45LO
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuyowOXVac
Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lEYFKZNBx
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxt2d9ueqA
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3BMODEOYq
Meat yield: 4 units daily461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9j8L7tjnh
Timber yield: 17 planks daily461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWodQSw43YL
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZ2ksYT7H2
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxmFrt1Oxw
Smithy yield: no production set461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbLjv5icrI
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgsOfo5z4K
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vUjuffWaZ
Research: steel pickaxes461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9YpeQrel4
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOu2DUzsz7B
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgIy7GbCU0
Resources:461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vx4PxKv1v
Wheat: 19 food units461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXI2iwRjh73
Vegetables: 32 food units461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPEJoPgEMo
Meat: 5 food units461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbarMsChj1
Wool: 7 bales461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgS3hkEFkt
Timber: 134 planks461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ax0zjYKtB
Iron: 11 ingots461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXGynSuxmf
Stone: 33 blocks461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WWSyatfCb
Cloth: 0 bolts
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcwHM1MGcf
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5r4i72tHv
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 2.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsJrDUni6j
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrtjtQJVR6
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimAAXxWJue
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LjcCFmQpx
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThOsZCvNgT
Military461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtsPtktJ4D
Light infantry: 32461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe6SVgEWyN
Heavy infantry: 12461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ymen1D3We
Archers: 18461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xgf11clDL
Light cavalry: 24461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIbwcPDBCO
Heavy cavalry: 3461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bCAt73fNm
Ballista: 1461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFGIBveMmN
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VLEEd0Mse
Hospital: 17461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoin9IzyGX
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86OtnRW5fe
Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUEnhDD27E
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0NzBLSwR8
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtxmrn9prB
Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88Juk7RGWd
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssx33tnAxT
Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVpiPXRVSQ
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEGXX3GNRi
Currently building: tower machicolations, 3 days
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkU16EnT19R
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdLgURuFU5
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xNzelfiKu
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?461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKXSneD9Hk
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3DlwKrAhc
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVdbojDOzG
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnenNCXv4G
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKpzLBq34d
People461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwDqtf2h8H
Citizens: 485461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmjZgOdGrH
Happiness: 14461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nuf246l3z
Tax Level: High461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAHtEwePja
Health: 89461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLe0fXQMqM
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZLzqlQAA4
Specialist roles461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx68vF2oUfW
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI83sB6zubK
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRlSngHK9a
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aUzR6NbXD
Ambassador: Figus, Bard Level 3
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzoyFElkZv
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiTBBfcJrb
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?461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelVScRfW90
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwpaPKeba8
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8N37yvN51
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetdtm06tvb
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp8oANyS5K
Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVcskVzHx9
HP 64461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCDPgQT3Dz
AC 18461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwUL5DZb2s
XP 19,663 (28,800)461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR9gDbJdWv
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwGQUu0jwZ
Shield of Defence +1, Trueblade +2, Ring of Strength +1, Potion of Haste, Potion of Healing.
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhP7gMGOqk
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HV7RsDHG0
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWn1d3UEJ1
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVJyOgnHN5
Time to check the others.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIEUjx9Kn7
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRmRznjZuk
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrm0QqhJlM
Carlena, Sorceress Level 9461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEGTkDqUwY
HP 34461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRqgtqcDgN
AC 5461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb6bnWIRt3
XP 72,102 (86,400)461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7LMzDES1s
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6xVDCwaN7
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGHoXgKpih
Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkU0ELFYTo3
HP 53461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnM9WSdvdQ
AC 12461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmNC6CiFTB
XP 71,043 (86,400)461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJDaAfZ0e2
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJp8bFjsOF
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0GWaU0qr0
Figus, Bard Level 3461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsVHjQ3LkG
HP 17461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvT8pgKsYyA
AC 14461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqRnquNWYx
XP 684 (800)461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HrwOSp5W3
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKczr946iZU
Scroll of Charm461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEF3pdJRf1
Ambassador feats: Speak Language; Swift Travel
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4XhlRfZPj
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtEZvj5H8e
Pretty decent, or so it seemed. But everything was relative. What special roles did our opponents have? Maybe Chancellor Parrin would know.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6QRnOMw6t
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdcRedJhSd
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX52SgWxMnb
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqhFCZEVUT
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsISTJbNMeK
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6OSEClnSJ
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhCZj556UO
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdI01sCDlim
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?461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYu80e3aSuF
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPk8d9cJamA
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.461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJWVvRdMof
461Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGDhFQVk92
My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
