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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZQedFVexc
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzreMzQs2s
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Greyland210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19m8aKXbta
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Economy Military People210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWN0XZcYZ9
Currently building: granary level 2210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV42QaNDvS
Monthly trade income: 0210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuv9TdK4G8
Monthly tax income: 54 gold210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7pe8lUmb0
Daily food consumption: 13 units210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSTFrmQOXE
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4REoZlRrML
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPURjoHW6if
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBA7snKY3Jg
Meat yield: 4 units daily210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFdukdUKkr
Timber yield: 17 planks daily210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6YsOCxsS4
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwiAI0jKbC
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqymP5JH1Sm
Smithy yield: no production set210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3TVgRGVMg
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEOxOmIQ5x
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Research: steel pickaxes210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlusdV6RmE
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Resources:210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92OmvCNuLM
Wheat: 19 food units210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9il8aSjd0N
Vegetables: 32 food units210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzI3IyEB9q
Meat: 5 food units210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIIRMMudPQ
Wool: 7 bales210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLzDZrew4J
Timber: 134 planks210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbn5CIj9sk
Iron: 11 ingots210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsp8GhYfnr
Stone: 33 blocks210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZC0P4Px6i
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 2.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IyyLXk74u
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWW8symDeM
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Military210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQKWxr6P1l
Light infantry: 32210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWNkaU5NTO
Heavy infantry: 12210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELlxNdY4xT
Archers: 18210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmM4qT9rpF4
Light cavalry: 24210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSF9xcPBkM
Heavy cavalry: 3210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXp9rMZRlNC
Ballista: 1210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFwcoLmts7
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Hospital: 17210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPZD36lCLc
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoihyPyo4Xs
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSImRwiS6eW
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhTcycVz4W
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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?210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5WPDvAJCk
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhooSnTg9FA
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People210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyOMsA5Xox
Citizens: 485210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyk3bol4ywU
Happiness: 14210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqL80x3bpj
Tax Level: High210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJI7EJAYyGD
Health: 89210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4WfWUlsnu
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Specialist roles210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHF86sqFDFB
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9ywincG7X
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7n4eAx9EV
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrd7VvtPUzJ
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?210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1Rcja0utP
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj18yobLE4T
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbobVj2aPIy
HP 64210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBww1j2KSrI
AC 18210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb7Xic6X8p
XP 19,663 (28,800)210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GyshqFVKZ
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1otiuXiZk
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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeh3XiiFQOq
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Time to check the others.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbkuPrJwk2
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGIweM8Ubv
HP 34210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuz9wIMjky
AC 5210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJD3TD8sA6W
XP 72,102 (86,400)210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9JdKjnMq3
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlqgaa3AFR
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r3mu2fpzn
HP 53210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bC5Phzr3A
AC 12210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRVeqeaEDb
XP 71,043 (86,400)210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6y8J1fbnI
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHRjjnWCAe
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ghvArJhvc
HP 17210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFdER0iAVt
AC 14210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUPI2TqUyb
XP 684 (800)210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdotLpariQ
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm28IqB8qt0
Scroll of Charm210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEr1YFOMcY
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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEc2wvZPob
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutqXBmgZCw
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAO47EvAvIP
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgr03kkC0zr
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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?210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cuhTWGAkY
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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.210Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDK6QAtBxP
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
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