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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6K0isI08K
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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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7KcFEbO5P
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Greyland392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyFIZnxm1w
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Economy Military People392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AKlc21q5w
Currently building: granary level 2392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsEvtwf6xx
Monthly trade income: 0392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJnOGSC8SN
Monthly tax income: 54 gold392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5kNBcNKvy
Daily food consumption: 13 units392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIvcyTNjf7
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqXYRoi67g
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvn1E8C43G
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzHDkDrotX
Meat yield: 4 units daily392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxE4WNXDWy2
Timber yield: 17 planks daily392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJPtKTxOjy
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXE1os26JW
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwc9XyjKABd
Smithy yield: no production set392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNxLqHgGrT
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28egSK3EGX
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Research: steel pickaxes392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaaiZb5F13
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Resources:392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxCgsJqfE3
Wheat: 19 food units392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6Mt01TEG7
Vegetables: 32 food units392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzA0AhrTS3c
Meat: 5 food units392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jPX5YhgyD
Wool: 7 bales392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHI7XCXexvn
Timber: 134 planks392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerHbpm2i3h
Iron: 11 ingots392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtueld49wq
Stone: 33 blocks392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxDyLCTP1g
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 2.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykEubsgXGr
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sB7YpyMeY
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT8yEWvf98
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Military392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQHyVVKdKp
Light infantry: 32392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpz9ZgRomKK
Heavy infantry: 12392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuOFYYwB6U
Archers: 18392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV5AXHXYWQ
Light cavalry: 24392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6ucy1me4g
Heavy cavalry: 3392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXXKY4Gx25
Ballista: 1392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4xtPsryoQ
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Hospital: 17392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuA4OU4EqIM
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkHA2Q5SjK
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs08iwUIsFS
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2ojMLOhNg
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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?392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDheCseAQW
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmW60qFT5F
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlWPpDOqB1
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People392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgU9uVc8O7l
Citizens: 485392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8Uh57LAsm
Happiness: 14392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4uCRL57x3
Tax Level: High392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnwTKBos22
Health: 89392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSE7xXZrTi
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Specialist roles392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AtRPVqi2g
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlOmHsICno
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHXe8p1LWn
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQMQjZ8Nq3
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?392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNGau64Vjq
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2MfNKWMjq
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhSp5WDEBw
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHiLJyGRy3
HP 64392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysJ1RVXf09
AC 18392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnrvCgktDp
XP 19,663 (28,800)392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbN2mlYCKGy
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgxe9Cntbl
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDNefLrsmx
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Time to check the others.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb31EKt9XEy
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUbYp30HrP
HP 34392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJlpx901yb
AC 5392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpwYb3g8Ui
XP 72,102 (86,400)392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GfwjSPT3i
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvi91GVaM6W
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lXHD2knuh
HP 53392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9yISN4I0d
AC 12392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdSOoDgtMP
XP 71,043 (86,400)392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGi2cwOrOT
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Wd5ijVe2W
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlyfuz3MsP
HP 17392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8cIdFPZnq
AC 14392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QOpq5QCAo
XP 684 (800)392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RQzC7i0sV
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrANwNlQ9n
Scroll of Charm392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCsCISm7ma
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfakPBZ9pf
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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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OjWm6UGxq
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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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkGx24R0T9
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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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqATLHFk3e
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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?392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlff6IQjR4
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6RKNnhE2q
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNJeZcdyqK
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
