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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXu84kQoBNW
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkN9xcQtHbt
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Greyland419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq3NnGoWGd
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Economy Military People419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIIFil4nAS
Currently building: granary level 2419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfJ2ADo6m1
Monthly trade income: 0419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdvv8EEEII
Monthly tax income: 54 gold419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0iXDfw0vE
Daily food consumption: 13 units419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiy4MVVvWg
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3g8BKfFgAF
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtkn2UMjWX
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngwg7pOTyT
Meat yield: 4 units daily419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtixPEOnNfK
Timber yield: 17 planks daily419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoR6bhdK50n
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhzSKslmb0
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFixRijdtbl
Smithy yield: no production set419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgw8eBe5XH
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUA5BaaLj6
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Research: steel pickaxes419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSnAd5IxD3
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Resources:419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutofBTrEAe
Wheat: 19 food units419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gU0CRmL7m
Vegetables: 32 food units419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5XpIGefOE
Meat: 5 food units419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdy46x03Xfo
Wool: 7 bales419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQToO19xpp
Timber: 134 planks419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YslydzWRN
Iron: 11 ingots419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljKrDcYKyF
Stone: 33 blocks419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6euZ4tkdE
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 2.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NirTyMKzd
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1kKinbuvi
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Military419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxnoaRqcXv
Light infantry: 32419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44pJhJcQN4
Heavy infantry: 12419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEBqjZ8An3
Archers: 18419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPdBktm5nU
Light cavalry: 24419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQvnJb5X2d
Heavy cavalry: 3419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzjULUMJ12
Ballista: 1419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfj5dPbyLaQ
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Hospital: 17419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzopfYPDydd
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0v7opQ3Et
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdF8hygWeb
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXbtIUxZqM
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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?419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbrIsmX21t
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CQzewDDg3
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People419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAZfD1ksQO
Citizens: 485419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhL75t5CVsx
Happiness: 14419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLL4R30ZxJ
Tax Level: High419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IrI1LCKPv
Health: 89419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegTYomhhNX
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Specialist roles419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhF5uJT2TEi
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsnKcfqnxK
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHKKRkZS6b
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj83h3nbVKf
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?419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UPjYr8Iw6
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNwKENYNce
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQiCRUFh07
HP 64419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsQFVscrVn
AC 18419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9Fa3aR4It
XP 19,663 (28,800)419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2WEAgNmWN
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZQVGXLB52
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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgJvhHzoyz
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Time to check the others.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFE5QDT6ci0
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINuVL4Kta9
HP 34419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgTvoqXLZV
AC 5419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6bMLwDwH4
XP 72,102 (86,400)419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV8zc6ENcb
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBd012sruA
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4E4r1pHUsT
HP 53419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡay8FwYESf0
AC 12419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PA7gnEQaQ
XP 71,043 (86,400)419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vd8mByTCf
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvAasVkfnz
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFV4OTitPuO
HP 17419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr3QmM5tIM
AC 14419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLdUyM28s0
XP 684 (800)419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsNggPwUJ5
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0OgGU5WJ6
Scroll of Charm419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8bSg6Hdgi
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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Q65Ah0l5K
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeG3F4k6ioc
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5vF7Sn1mm
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9xOzkhpAL
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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?419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocPGW2rJUh
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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.419Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdb3Ke6Lg2
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
