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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAyJZioGPhXz
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAKmONBOTxzj
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Greyland514Please respect copyright.PENANAH7P0O3bWcb
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Economy Military People514Please respect copyright.PENANAyRmmVHwGBJ
Currently building: granary level 2514Please respect copyright.PENANA1KoF0FeFdB
Monthly trade income: 0514Please respect copyright.PENANAf9VkbgtkT3
Monthly tax income: 54 gold514Please respect copyright.PENANABVcAHpVbyj
Daily food consumption: 13 units514Please respect copyright.PENANAvcs8NZHnyP
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days514Please respect copyright.PENANA7BitrcDFiT
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days514Please respect copyright.PENANAKaRk0nOiOF
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days514Please respect copyright.PENANAz6o40qdSCF
Meat yield: 4 units daily514Please respect copyright.PENANAlWaynsCkTB
Timber yield: 17 planks daily514Please respect copyright.PENANAlz9milpJ0x
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily514Please respect copyright.PENANAmTHDoAIpTr
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily514Please respect copyright.PENANAFldaiKdokv
Smithy yield: no production set514Please respect copyright.PENANAP0i8L8oAs5
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily514Please respect copyright.PENANAG9FaIMyAei
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Research: steel pickaxes514Please respect copyright.PENANANwjuEVHF3R
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Resources:514Please respect copyright.PENANA2O38C76NCo
Wheat: 19 food units514Please respect copyright.PENANA2en0g0Yt05
Vegetables: 32 food units514Please respect copyright.PENANAG9V0Jn50xD
Meat: 5 food units514Please respect copyright.PENANALPW0v8ALwR
Wool: 7 bales514Please respect copyright.PENANAxnA3gLkGOI
Timber: 134 planks514Please respect copyright.PENANAevdT9izOz6
Iron: 11 ingots514Please respect copyright.PENANAP2RhSJIHZw
Stone: 33 blocks514Please respect copyright.PENANAcJDCylaX4G
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 2.514Please respect copyright.PENANAuaKJztkBKk
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANApLPFx2olUa
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Military514Please respect copyright.PENANAWbSJamTsqC
Light infantry: 32514Please respect copyright.PENANAixZNGZ5QDC
Heavy infantry: 12514Please respect copyright.PENANAM9FykNySPW
Archers: 18514Please respect copyright.PENANAbY9zNd8twI
Light cavalry: 24514Please respect copyright.PENANA83QoIzQpOY
Heavy cavalry: 3514Please respect copyright.PENANAnvis2wHSIm
Ballista: 1514Please respect copyright.PENANAi8ffZPvC1c
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Hospital: 17514Please respect copyright.PENANAudjPXFpBd9
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver514Please respect copyright.PENANAwV3acgrMXj
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry514Please respect copyright.PENANA1fijK9iHHF
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1514Please respect copyright.PENANACxOnkblaGO
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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?514Please respect copyright.PENANA99GW3TtPAj
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAFZdFbw1ZCK
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People514Please respect copyright.PENANAYBH42ojpiX
Citizens: 485514Please respect copyright.PENANArIJuw1mUEW
Happiness: 14514Please respect copyright.PENANAJD0OQpz1NB
Tax Level: High514Please respect copyright.PENANARK9n0ViAtn
Health: 89514Please respect copyright.PENANAnnGAOdnPfq
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Specialist roles514Please respect copyright.PENANA5g5ftPAvb9
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7514Please respect copyright.PENANAwDMkWV4Qeu
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9514Please respect copyright.PENANAPoJUdtaDvL
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9514Please respect copyright.PENANAWJ7IV8JsGk
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?514Please respect copyright.PENANA45WyveINfG
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAFA7HaP2lbp
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7514Please respect copyright.PENANA2HR5skMnRL
HP 64514Please respect copyright.PENANAxpaCqaykmn
AC 18514Please respect copyright.PENANADZn7tgI7ai
XP 19,663 (28,800)514Please respect copyright.PENANA65sTRSK5nl
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.514Please respect copyright.PENANAAeEXpERcOh
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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAYvBGtFL63c
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Time to check the others.514Please respect copyright.PENANADrViDlMRLK
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9514Please respect copyright.PENANARoonepZW5n
HP 34514Please respect copyright.PENANAyeV0tnZnFr
AC 5514Please respect copyright.PENANAv28NWATnEw
XP 72,102 (86,400)514Please respect copyright.PENANAft53v8hYSh
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.514Please respect copyright.PENANAYMQQugpEmq
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9514Please respect copyright.PENANA3EAzljabVd
HP 53514Please respect copyright.PENANAl0SANh9nRw
AC 12514Please respect copyright.PENANASxRmlFfOgT
XP 71,043 (86,400)514Please respect copyright.PENANAoklUQotzjT
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9514Please respect copyright.PENANASUWXkPe1Ut
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3514Please respect copyright.PENANAFbC72DjNXj
HP 17514Please respect copyright.PENANAHU3XHkmTd1
AC 14514Please respect copyright.PENANAsHuNGikhzr
XP 684 (800)514Please respect copyright.PENANApk0P439Fb3
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15514Please respect copyright.PENANAsAfwR8z2e0
Scroll of Charm514Please respect copyright.PENANAVkMHVUQ5FD
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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAjNgMhJj0nl
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAG3AGrGHsOH
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAyBoVEhiky2
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANARYRQ0gkK4P
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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?514Please respect copyright.PENANAQna9Clebos
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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.514Please respect copyright.PENANAOIdB3aBtoD
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My head filling again with images of the town planning interface, I was asleep before I knew it.