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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHLSCoKP7l
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9jC0J32Hg
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Greyland453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXz8lwkOJ4
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Economy Military People453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLMlFw5Ve0
Currently building: granary level 2453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqR2PsTpysr
Monthly trade income: 0453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNqTFMees0
Monthly tax income: 54 gold453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOmhkahpOh
Daily food consumption: 13 units453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWL16ofa5K
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuKN2nRvkQ
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qHgjJHpAJ
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmumVu99qU
Meat yield: 4 units daily453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdj4ELhNEVP
Timber yield: 17 planks daily453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkII8gyPcbv
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6CnVAWdvG
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb8nJ056DA
Smithy yield: no production set453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHjIs1VV0L
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVg9YQoi7vY
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Research: steel pickaxes453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRNHMpMnHr
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Resources:453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNmDlDRUDN
Wheat: 19 food units453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy9w4sgVoO
Vegetables: 32 food units453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTsKs4sLr5
Meat: 5 food units453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6P9aSCXrr
Wool: 7 bales453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7C3GimvZU
Timber: 134 planks453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqqmRcOKLy
Iron: 11 ingots453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf3xABI6BW
Stone: 33 blocks453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNYwbSMZbL
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 2.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hJeLN5EbA
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY62qNuuNSd
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Military453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡislxeAo2yx
Light infantry: 32453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfauZBUQCOO
Heavy infantry: 12453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERsLWHVRJ7
Archers: 18453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXfMmDCQUB
Light cavalry: 24453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwLLl33cXs
Heavy cavalry: 3453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88UjSuAwI8
Ballista: 1453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhV96JCCihL
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Hospital: 17453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVsU1tCSt5
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gh2hbFcvt
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGgw4ailV1
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn83W6DC9kj
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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?453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlxHnfbrwF
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtWQoISLBo
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People453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQnoDDhAEZ
Citizens: 485453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrE1atBnUx
Happiness: 14453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWzKObsN0j
Tax Level: High453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHvlcpSRMg
Health: 89453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgRXLrT70P
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Specialist roles453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxI0te5uRO
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimAtQHgf0M
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9gNZlS6x0
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISWXkQBRqU
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?453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXxJGQhNYU
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3j7fKAff3
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Xyos82Vx6
HP 64453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEm1WGvZJ73
AC 18453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSK5UXFLz6P
XP 19,663 (28,800)453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqyQIQhUVl
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZiENcfCNC
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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKXCQXwNpn
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Time to check the others.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ965IomPCHs
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP5BTMeaJI
HP 34453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DbHvnc29q
AC 5453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30fItM2UQt
XP 72,102 (86,400)453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6w9tSs9ci
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNp7NG8MxD
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pcfv6ci0u
HP 53453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4aHyQjAjA
AC 12453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOW2JPsQ2A
XP 71,043 (86,400)453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF9I8pFAqY
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqgYFlBN4e
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEaorHGrZS
HP 17453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9qTySYYV7
AC 14453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xIKjErE63
XP 684 (800)453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94Mrcd3DIS
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0wIDeNUuX
Scroll of Charm453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvury39Uz3
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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1j9CdNS6B9
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSabfKtxYnR
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEEfb640ax
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbE5xQj3K3
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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?453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1I0XMeXjW
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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.453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jSlSSJgFo
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
