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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBY1M4p9ad
510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVwt77PS19
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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfSR9rpWzz
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Greyland510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbRdo2oKxl
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Economy Military People510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxZeFA1vWv
Currently building: granary level 2510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOPpl2V1ky
Monthly trade income: 0510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkXzHWVrEs
Monthly tax income: 54 gold510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4QaCfcamz
Daily food consumption: 13 units510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeA5btvolL
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7ByI8Ui4O
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiHXMqJpDj
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjHwVDV0Z4
Meat yield: 4 units daily510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZzyBoiTmF
Timber yield: 17 planks daily510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpTdpG1cYM
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rgFer7prS
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCg2lNSWIpg
Smithy yield: no production set510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEYGjCJBmw
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaSqiBB6k3
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Research: steel pickaxes510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXImmvFnsCM
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Resources:510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmRgvKML46
Wheat: 19 food units510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AqtVAW1DI
Vegetables: 32 food units510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8hykhfDpO
Meat: 5 food units510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8SxP7VnMR
Wool: 7 bales510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjliYDYGMb
Timber: 134 planks510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLoapUI8xU
Iron: 11 ingots510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaZxRmH5ZB
Stone: 33 blocks510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz84COMcnP
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 2.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwZS9eQoXJ
510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWM21Nw7yE
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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUFA9bDuKJ
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Military510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14VojGaFK9
Light infantry: 32510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHPMtTj8Fa
Heavy infantry: 12510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExqi7OmJlb
Archers: 18510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrLRSpGIf5
Light cavalry: 24510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNiyKpjPyC
Heavy cavalry: 3510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrVHMXzLAg
Ballista: 1510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ507tWxVPLs
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Hospital: 17510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6J9Z3uO4o
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVqcnCZmfj
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugqGXCdewc
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYm8PjTaccR
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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?510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nymSzgaTd
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCol6qTVOUk
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People510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOE9pZCgCh9
Citizens: 485510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIsTo3bloN
Happiness: 14510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrlPKryAMN
Tax Level: High510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC80m7nq750
Health: 89510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejyjvgPQVS
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Specialist roles510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7jrU4oXUu
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PmW10xfcO
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETG3zGH9tM
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKJOMuEbLn
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?510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zyGjcGoy7
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvBFuvAlr3
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b2LsaIQnI
HP 64510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxVYODsnRe
AC 18510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56vJHDYyo2
XP 19,663 (28,800)510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvUJ8Qy5Uz
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQwxT30NuT
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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJMIq9HWbg
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Time to check the others.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8xxnqKuUv
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFsy90MK3M
HP 34510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡih6KB7DOuP
AC 5510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAqOMTD9Js
XP 72,102 (86,400)510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0YrcjZAzp
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0K6bQyzwJT
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WxBpIN9Fk
HP 53510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTiIWxsNvw
AC 12510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrgHb3O1Mp
XP 71,043 (86,400)510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QBB1KUr2z
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXshKoAWueU
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEKDulNB1i
HP 17510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsRGK1fYOv
AC 14510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoUUvnEfHL
XP 684 (800)510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZELlapXNt
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aVLWRsNYr
Scroll of Charm510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPvlj5IVxF
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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtphM1qd4k6
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjflaLyepe
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFoz9KSmZi
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmBI6P2KdS
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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?510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76WUNBqiD6
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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.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnmZQ2hkTy
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.
and then Add to home screen.