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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgWVYspKI6
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXwSMB5hfB
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Greyland555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx9kXjsHJ4
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Economy Military People555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsY3NY5CMsP
Currently building: granary level 2555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjKMRYqwkw
Monthly trade income: 0555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsKdfE7w0G
Monthly tax income: 54 gold555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8NADwQXRN
Daily food consumption: 13 units555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknDMyGu0kE
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7i6WtWVuX
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtPRowEtD7
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkChnmGMeZp
Meat yield: 4 units daily555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYBXenOR1O
Timber yield: 17 planks daily555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95oGGff1GT
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7xLULgXne
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyd3qp66Ej
Smithy yield: no production set555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbYXUaWZ2G
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrfpHGGwyR
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Research: steel pickaxes555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXiXE4NmC3
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Resources:555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKyiPIFIWl
Wheat: 19 food units555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTrRPBdQOr
Vegetables: 32 food units555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AzFKjUviA
Meat: 5 food units555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq7mfh4UYJ
Wool: 7 bales555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDpqEGfzaz
Timber: 134 planks555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xF8iOnbNc
Iron: 11 ingots555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEAiTCY9mI
Stone: 33 blocks555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnoT6ri79D
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 2.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUnErsOU2v
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JVeQQtjcC
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Military555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsLNvq5eiT
Light infantry: 32555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qpugMFYQO
Heavy infantry: 12555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwDHg1cXKu
Archers: 18555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJ4WjvdrU5
Light cavalry: 24555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzAE8FLHA3
Heavy cavalry: 3555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhtjq2cSBd
Ballista: 1555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoE2CsTU4L
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Hospital: 17555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxmJ0clyZD
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrWXoWpiw9
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBABKU0lyP
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9NMbSt7AI
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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?555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0o9KmDrlF
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8abJW5s9J
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People555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Al5xXpFi6
Citizens: 485555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIABQnIrxJ2
Happiness: 14555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIpLw6xi05
Tax Level: High555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFYx404O64
Health: 89555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAxWQYS1Xk
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Specialist roles555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1rWxLjZUn
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJLNCXjlGu
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwh3DkdLfWq
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1j3Ftwd2FF
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?555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHbieMVxc9
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHT8st3Z0Hp
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOpBTsKuIZ
HP 64555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DO3aohiOr
AC 18555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvMpwHbudG
XP 19,663 (28,800)555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEgHOgiy3o
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPelnf5X9Tt
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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvc2eX6oZ6
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Time to check the others.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2uIk3RnnC
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfg3GyItnr
HP 34555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ62VB3q8PP
AC 5555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbtADwK41D
XP 72,102 (86,400)555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxbjpTnTZy
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6FIbTLUm9
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eKU8cmMpK
HP 53555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKJHO7hjdV
AC 12555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4G2eqEMCg1
XP 71,043 (86,400)555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU8CovdrHC
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZHquo7yA2
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XxaOH4zlV
HP 17555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNMv9JiBnT
AC 14555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPawyA2Yap
XP 684 (800)555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypBK5FwGY6
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbnpvPJFw7
Scroll of Charm555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzP4lhNwXf
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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDNOzoNIGt
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGTeRdtskE
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwrN1xMkRi
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSmIQSjeLf
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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?555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcZqq5icCe
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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.555Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUSqEpbvZx
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
