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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PYW5ClJ3l
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmROfvOVBQW
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Greyland531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspjEOWclej
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Economy Military People531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dOMwicUt6
Currently building: granary level 2531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jBn4vrHOP
Monthly trade income: 0531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTOY5xuQsa
Monthly tax income: 54 gold531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2UOUCB6HL
Daily food consumption: 13 units531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9s2FSRbM65
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1l4hWylfUo
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXUjebg0Py
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORcwxAhMOA
Meat yield: 4 units daily531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DcCGfeBgx
Timber yield: 17 planks daily531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrkITVAieW
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8abpW1fKle
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFkydZ4W7T
Smithy yield: no production set531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPxrrHRfsJ
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRKIowMIBn
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Research: steel pickaxes531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLSoQYOMb2
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Resources:531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDso52ud0PL
Wheat: 19 food units531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOI7vxJ57D0
Vegetables: 32 food units531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTwxnx3b4g
Meat: 5 food units531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmVXGEvP03
Wool: 7 bales531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeFelAhbAD
Timber: 134 planks531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllVrJiaVLg
Iron: 11 ingots531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHb3HCBGRC
Stone: 33 blocks531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ639EBNgEpp
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 2.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0jfZXR1fK
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLC4bLCmIE
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Military531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCvucx9gRd
Light infantry: 32531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kPx78ikMW
Heavy infantry: 12531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡev9a5PuwxO
Archers: 18531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwo5cI3IcIp
Light cavalry: 24531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94MaSffIys
Heavy cavalry: 3531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLURSe0iiAJ
Ballista: 1531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Py40jeVbw
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Hospital: 17531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvt7N0VZCt
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQNdCQ2l48
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfslXaJKuyG
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRmuH3lchB
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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?531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAnYuQ9p1D
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2crlD5wrtg
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People531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIjabJsV78
Citizens: 485531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvt0o7Awp00
Happiness: 14531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAoqUbAmTw
Tax Level: High531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcWQKkGI0D
Health: 89531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLMJSiUbUW
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Specialist roles531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAFIvIAfnW
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPfiBBwUCe
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3c5gsAp5JG
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuU13GqcRf
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?531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeJV3hKaTA
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxc6ePCb5N2
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0sE7JcxRp
HP 64531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡustfWAsTy3
AC 18531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1tqs7PyB4
XP 19,663 (28,800)531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2hD1cxdJ5
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Rn9FxxzBK
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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVqYedyqkc
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Time to check the others.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rQDWAHNCV
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PcDdl3AjO
HP 34531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLr1YOnzvL0
AC 5531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgQRmkkf09
XP 72,102 (86,400)531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpZ8qdui6L
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZode3FSgA
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznSMonfBN9
HP 53531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFoX759qZD
AC 12531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYtYXWBFKz
XP 71,043 (86,400)531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNOaDIuMm3
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tVHJqU54C
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUQIJ2mDg2
HP 17531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5U7csoBll
AC 14531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVv9eXqe1j
XP 684 (800)531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYNglGFMma
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dRsj6pKKH
Scroll of Charm531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz86ztdUnSC
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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3ymJVor4F
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfC8ox7gOjo
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgeMJHsNrU
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NfbceCIqI
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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?531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyrYbTKaOD
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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.531Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBr9KbNb1kq
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
