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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0tuvtHKC6
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXm5xTBG18K
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Greyland851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfw3Rhk5cK
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Economy Military People851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTltpflaTPR
Currently building: granary level 2851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTj2U15J1e
Monthly trade income: 0851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYcltrAa3b
Monthly tax income: 54 gold851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHwYbyQi6h
Daily food consumption: 13 units851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OSE5WVRRd
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Grain yield: 0 due in 17 days851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBlDqrIuLs
Vegetable yield: 35 food units due in 21 days851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeY4jUhFNN
Wool yield: 3 bales due in 34 days851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLQAj7fKGz
Meat yield: 4 units daily851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVHzpftWCy
Timber yield: 17 planks daily851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3sJGCIULa
Iron yield: 2 ingots daily851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkL6I3Pn2Q
Quarry yield: 6 blocks daily851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWJClTigSP
Smithy yield: no production set851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUhOthaZfq
Weaving yield: 4 bolts daily851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCArouX15T
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Research: steel pickaxes851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClbuoK3yK6
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Resources:851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYnEw1jXnF
Wheat: 19 food units851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfapoCKxcF6
Vegetables: 32 food units851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjb0aGzcl7
Meat: 5 food units851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JLLWtqFd4
Wool: 7 bales851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMs7tM1cTS
Timber: 134 planks851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrYn4jimac
Iron: 11 ingots851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBo5fxeyGi
Stone: 33 blocks851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqj5ZLfHqN
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 2.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIJk1R9Em0
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9fZr9b1sj
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Military851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVmUI7Vk1Q
Light infantry: 32851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cMsw4q2D0
Heavy infantry: 12851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KTKzEBzgg
Archers: 18851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY3c0qd6SR
Light cavalry: 24851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvTgFIdfHu
Heavy cavalry: 3851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfjNI8xJdA
Ballista: 1851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtfaGtLRm0
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Hospital: 17851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lU9sjapCy
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Military upkeep cost: 42 gold, 5 silver851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzF1c1fvq01
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Currently training: 2 heavy cavalry851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8uVPsjGhZ
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Buildings: keep level 2; curtain walls level 1; towers level 1; town walls level 1851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqH6dTWpVFK
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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?851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMOu7wG6Fk
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELv13DULZs
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People851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9Q8uMNX8x
Citizens: 485851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gjjMqNa6x
Happiness: 14851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQQw2Lycg2
Tax Level: High851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFGRpYyjjD
Health: 89851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO69Y3G4bE
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Specialist roles851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWP57UsGCvo
General: Lord Arval, Paladin Level 7851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hfJ6rkKR3
Royal Wizard: Carlena, Sorceress Level 9851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrk4XYO8RZ0
Steward: Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Tjjuh58l9
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?851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdYMX5SL7G
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoO7V3jY5VD
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Lord Arval: Paladin Level 7851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAggCddWngK
HP 64851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsGVYK8jev
AC 18851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrzSfhVG0D
XP 19,663 (28,800)851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcWB889yqb
Str 17 (18), Dex 12, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 9.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUrot47Rkv
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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsz6ONZ7RnJ
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Time to check the others.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoa4ehYsem
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Carlena, Sorceress Level 9851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk41NluMS2L
HP 34851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs89E8QiDwB
AC 5851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWmIyRxGQf
XP 72,102 (86,400)851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcp7AZ3xbO
Str 5, Dex 11, Con 9, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 8.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsnxdQITvv
Broach of Protection from Magical Missiles; Wand of Channelling; Potion of Transformation.
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Chancellor Parrin, Scout Level 9851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWumVTqhUd
HP 53851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TUe6CoaJz
AC 12851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6qDUtNadx
XP 71,043 (86,400)851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNLIfiQijG
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 9851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzt83m9O9N3
Dagger +1; Leather Jerkin +1; Ring of Silent Movement.
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Figus, Bard Level 3851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vLpibhjQ8
HP 17851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv8aU1KJdt
AC 14851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XBvw6nkXt
XP 684 (800)851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RAPIlFXHm
Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 15851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWlu88Akcn
Scroll of Charm851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfd8a0S96B
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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxT73IN1qhN
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OatOsc1Pt
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGTbERKaZB
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oJlErn9Uh
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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?851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYJEuAxixz
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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.851Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVqNGIYYAJ
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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.