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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDtCDSIntg
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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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNTXwZkYGH
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Greyland820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVt4bxb2CpX
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Economy Military People820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIOsMCcD8d
Currently building: granary level 2820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCg8uv87gb
Monthly trade income: 0820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbAr75bWgB
Monthly tax income: 54 gold820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5rG7gqpDi
Daily food consumption: 13 units820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsUFUGtNZU
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrilFtQCCX
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSm8hremQj
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjX8Jmt91C
Meat yield: 4 units daily820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkc8qVG51i
Timber yield: 17 planks daily820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMyxJa5lyy
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbW0wVlbNFu
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINNU5xdR4n
Smithy yield: no production set820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DIDwXtaJo
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQdIJTpDZT
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Research: steel pickaxes820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHCf49elOV
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Resources:820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gbNiJNApZ
Wheat: 19 food units820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHhpAcPRuh
Vegetables: 32 food units820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYcCDi1KUp
Meat: 5 food units820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgTCVWO4bD
Wool: 7 bales820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvL0zXLwVR
Timber: 134 planks820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJFd0pKM9E
Iron: 11 ingots820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsG7KprHcHX
Stone: 33 blocks820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72nZHoOhzQ
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 2.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQuAb1YvRw
820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMGtajPBdq
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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOP7aI95Mwg
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Military820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfHC7yvxHT
Light infantry: 32820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYA4qil03U1
Heavy infantry: 12820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulJeQIv7SB
Archers: 18820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtp5X8e2LYv
Light cavalry: 24820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAOkxIVDz1
Heavy cavalry: 3820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO12XNYNcEA
Ballista: 1820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpa3JbQvONz
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Hospital: 17820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHuiRI8DEI
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXsreGvUrD
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVDPIF36Py
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlLr90rExr
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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?820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8dC2FHXyp
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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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uSa23f72Y
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People820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeNbQKn38W
Citizens: 485820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhz545c2Uz
Happiness: 14820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKu6a5LjL6f
Tax Level: High820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptc7aDZ9jl
Health: 89820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUmbJXu86r
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Specialist roles820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8C5nyF4Zw4
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzAfp8PYiN
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAH9kDsmrd9
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnVhhLBPAJ
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?820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHOVK8KBzJ
820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2B0FTbdqYd
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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBntrk0KfJ
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZGY0VSsAS
HP 64820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15ZZiHPmT5
AC 18820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNYpU29LaN
XP 19,663 (28,800)820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRnt47jrrJ
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ833vao19lp
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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLjJiGJ2Db
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Time to check the others.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1UduYdZnC
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwZ1ac9mxf
HP 34820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XntbPduR9
AC 5820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQS2gI2ICLT
XP 72,102 (86,400)820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiI9yk6v23r
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyfj2RkfWy
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGW24xCiCN9
HP 53820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoHKhrt9CD
AC 12820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyr9xG6gmUI
XP 71,043 (86,400)820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rTZUlpfTR
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDsun1T86f
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotamh20jZX
HP 17820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0o4WjHJRJ
AC 14820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrT1AL9V0t7
XP 684 (800)820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm56o6w3ZzL
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6a7kMvepX3
Scroll of Charm820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Bqw8MoQm2
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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIIqRAChqa
820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgKAghPAqU
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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8nYxY5MWM
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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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUDq0ZPRVv
820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR46r2eWCiQ
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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXl8xWjrh4N
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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?820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeX8BXkLa5
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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.820Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgVGIoU5YN
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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.