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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7jiHsIacR
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnckpapVgc5
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Greyland456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQBAsB77oR
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Economy Military People456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtDC1WbyzU
Currently building: granary level 2456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzESrDNVmJ8
Monthly trade income: 0456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4MunjQDkW
Monthly tax income: 54 gold456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ess4cAkyr
Daily food consumption: 13 units456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JVYC3T3WZ
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHU6jlJxTV
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCHn2oVZwS
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYSOANOKy8
Meat yield: 4 units daily456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOPWlLA3U4
Timber yield: 17 planks daily456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fGh2yVVn5
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzZrU4YzwT
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGVAHjYP7T
Smithy yield: no production set456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVL9y7x1dT
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQRNTi3mQX
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Research: steel pickaxes456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3juxeE8b8q
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Resources:456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzOlVyZdkY
Wheat: 19 food units456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RbwGD7CHu
Vegetables: 32 food units456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5QODBYt0h
Meat: 5 food units456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Pfnr6bGuW
Wool: 7 bales456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxyvEBT9ue
Timber: 134 planks456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsL2EWvS14
Iron: 11 ingots456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhS6xG6X6Tt
Stone: 33 blocks456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NEZXA8UTh
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 2.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRv5UseA0eY
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBeI8788nR
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Military456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVht7aoBwr0
Light infantry: 32456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TDVlqcN9L
Heavy infantry: 12456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPd4ahxdCD
Archers: 18456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWvnkch2a2
Light cavalry: 24456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkeO00qrIK
Heavy cavalry: 3456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplqA0jinD3
Ballista: 1456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A0cBsOrzI
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Hospital: 17456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5KZmkQo1h
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0v0kOxlgVj
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiGasyXWV7
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O7MzpJfAm
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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?456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyzGEjsqXq
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELrJnFcuED
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People456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vFiXxcBr0
Citizens: 485456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oxIHp87Da
Happiness: 14456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyjL2JIK7c
Tax Level: High456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDbn9y4Ovm
Health: 89456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOrYLgZ3Hn
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Specialist roles456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeO4lzqMdD
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjx7aR2s31b
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRXSJT8TYm
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XYfhngq7n
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?456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahOHBbFzlf
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlbyKo0Dp5
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqurdyBWTCu
HP 64456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tYcGm1oAH
AC 18456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKH0N7bkaq
XP 19,663 (28,800)456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAATL7C40cP
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX2gwzHfHE
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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmDXtm1AVw
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Time to check the others.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDhE1hQrZ0
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡberX6kPtLE
HP 34456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoCNIENOiq
AC 5456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8mok3fZBR
XP 72,102 (86,400)456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZLVMRlLyn
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CrVfooHGa
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cf9TVLnSM
HP 53456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1g8GdSYcY
AC 12456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8cxm0wSAQ
XP 71,043 (86,400)456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejRlVTIfmw
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cGopkhPgI
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnW8UyoP9H6
HP 17456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9WYDpqwJi
AC 14456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QgpZQNiHK
XP 684 (800)456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnrNVF5Ild
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68JwB6ZGqL
Scroll of Charm456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVX0ksYpx27
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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTW1Ler4S8
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEgBQXzFI0
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0EBJuiLXU
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HDTT6UnGD
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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?456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNenOYmctXp
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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.456Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik2dAmYRR9
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
