Jason stood on a rocky outcropping, looking out across the valley that was to be his home for the next few years. Below, much of the valley was heavily forested with what looked to be a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. A few clearings could be glimpsed in the forest, and beyond those, clear land (floodplains, he presumed) bordered each side of the river running down the center of the valley. The valley was quite broad, with the sides turning into low rolling hills, before transitioning into mountain ranges stretching from the east to the west.

Wispy plumes of smoke could be seen miles in the distance in either direction, presumably indicating the presence of existing settlements. To Jason’s left, he could see a small river running down the foothills to join up with the one at the bottom of the valley. Below, against the sprawling forest, was the quaint village to which he was traveling. Not bad, he mused. I can work with this.

Something wet nuzzled his left hand. Jason jerked it away, looking down to see a goat staring up at him. “Apologies, m’ lord,” the young boy running after it called. “She got away from me. We don’t mean to disturb ya’ lordship’s thinking time.”

Jason turned around to look at the group behind him, who were maintaining a respectful distance. Animals interspersed them, and there was no small amount of chatter among the people.

Hearing that he’d have 100 simulated families with which to found his kingdom had sounded small to Jason, but he was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of people that would look to him for direction. And I’ve been staring out into space while they’ve been waiting. The group standing on the hillside with him was supposedly a new caravan of settlers traveling to join the village in the valley below. This village would be his home in the upcoming years. Jason turned around, and the racket began to quiet as soon as the group noticed that he was looking at them. I wonder what memories they have of getting to this point. Actually, I wonder if they were given any memories of me other than that I’m ‘my lord’ to them. For that matter, does this village even have a name yet?

“Welcome home,” Jason projected his voice. “In this valley, with our work, we will build a society you will be proud to be a part of. Now let’s get down to the village and meet our new friends and neighbors.”

As they picked their way down the hillside trail, Jason raised his voice to the trailing families.

“Are there any leaders among you? I would like assistance when we discuss integrating our settlers with the village.”

Two men stepped out of the group and came near and bowed. “I am Tyler, my lord” spoke the taller of the two. His trimmed mustache and bulky frame made him stand out from the rest of the crowd.

“Alex, m’ lord,” the second man said, bowing again. “I am a merchant, my lord, but have lost all my stores as you may have heard.” A confused look crossed his face. Problem with his backstory, perhaps? Jason wondered. Asking yourself how you got here? The expression quickly faded. “I have experience organizing men. I am at your service, as there appear to be few prospects for merchants on this mountainside, at the moment!” His smile turned into a booming laugh that shook his large frame and brought small grins to the faces of those who were nearby.

“And you, Tyler?” Jason queried. “What is your background?

“My lord, I was a sergeant in the city guard at Mornholm for many years after leaving the army. I…” he paused, “I seem to have found this adventure too much of an opportunity to pass up. In any case, I would be glad to assist you in any way I can.”

Yep. There do seem to be some holes in the backstory - at least some confusion about how and why people believe they ended up on this mountainside. Jason thought. Oh well. It doesn’t look like it has broken anything yet. Probably best not to poke at those holes. Who knows what that would do.

“Tyler, Alex, please walk with me so we can discuss what needs to be done.”

By the time they were halfway to the first house of the settlement, the slower families, wagons, and animals were strung out in a long line behind them. Jason and his two new, temporary assistants had worked out a simple camp layout, and the two were on board with his strict camp sanitation requirements. Jason did not doubt that his colleagues had programmed in diseases to “heighten the emotional experience and realism.”

While the caravan was in motion, Alex pulled aside two former soldiers and sent one in each direction to scout the surrounding area. They were given instructions to pay special attention to any resources they could find in the area, along with instructions to be back by nightfall. With most of the day ahead of them, they should be able to get a decent idea of the nearby countryside, and Jason would have an independent assessment that wouldn’t include any local bias. As he walked, his strategic options began to solidify in his mind.

If Jason were to complete his challenge, he had to rule a kingdom of 200,000 people. As I see it, there are two main ways to achieve my goal, Jason mused. I could use force - recruit a fighting force from my first village, conquer surrounding communities, conscript more fighters, and repeat. War is inherently a blunt and inefficient tool, though - besides, if I end up next to a city or kingdom that’s stronger than I am, and they decide I’m a pest that needs to be put down, I’d be in trouble. The biggest downside is that I’d rather not spend my next ten years in a simulation as a bloodthirsty warlord, waiting for someone to assassinate me. I certainly don’t want my real-world observers to think I’m a slaving despot.

Option two means turning what I’ve been given into a city so great that whoever sees it would want to move here. Or better yet, if surrounding, unaffiliated towns see the benefits of my rule, perhaps they’ll pledge fealty to me. Either way, my leadership and technology will have to improve lives enough to attract attention, money, and loyalty. I’ve got to build up an industrial base in this tiny town, and turn what I’m sure is an agrarian society into something much more productive. I’ve got an insane amount of work ahead of me, and I have absolutely no idea where to start.

---

The hillside slope diminished as the group of excited settlers approached their destination. Several women poked their heads out of doors to stare at the commotion, but no one approached, so Jason continued past the houses. I figure it would be better to have our temporary camp on the downhill side of town, anyway - any mess we create is more likely to be washed away from other people.

Before they reached the outer limits of the village, Jason noticed a few businesses that he was glad to see. Shingles hung over doors indicated the presence of a seamstress or tailor, a shoemaker, and a cooper. Flowing past the town was a river, and next to it was positioned a building with a wooden water wheel. A mill, Jason thought to himself. I have plans for that beyond simply grinding grain if I can get to that point. Then his stomach rumbled. I wonder if the miller is also a baker.

A large, burly man stepped out of the building next to the mill, wiping his hands on his apron. “Hail, travelers!” he called out, and Jason angled towards him. “Hail, miller!” Jason responded as he approached. “Since you’re the only person to greet us so far, might I guess you’re the leader around here?”

The man maintained his confident smile, but Jason noticed that he quickly glanced around at the men of the approaching group. “Unofficially, yes. The name’s Phipp. And to your question, this far away from the closest kingdoms, we’ve maintained our independence as a free city.” He paused as he looked around at the small settlement. “Though it would be better called a free village. The merchants who sponsored our initial settlement have not yet appointed a lord, so I’ve stepped as a neutral arbitrator when disputes come up. People around these parts take care of their own issues, for the most part, though. You don’t settle the unclaimed wilds without a certain degree of self-sufficiency.”

Jason handed a sealed scroll to Phipp, who took it and eyed the stamped seal. As Phipp broke the seal and examined the contents, Jason said, “That document says that I’ve been granted ownership over these claimed lands. You’ll see the signatures and seals of the merchant houses you were referring to at the bottom.”

“Must have cost ya a pretty penny, my lord, to buy out their contract.” Phipp slipped into a drawl as he squinted at the seals. “As I trust you know, my lord, our agreement with the sponsors said the original settlers are freemen. No one will begrudge your lordship his taxes,” he hurried to add, “but if we were required to labor for several days each week for your lordship’s fields and projects like villeins, the town would surely suffer. The people are still carving our lives out of this wilderness. May I humbly ask that you honor that contract?”

A sardonic smile crossed Jason’s face. Thanks, Razor, for throwing me into the deep end of medieval class structure, right from the beginning. If I hadn’t done some preparatory research, I wouldn’t even know what a villein was. At least they’re not talking in old English, or I’d really be in trouble. “Don’t worry, Phipp. A society that doesn’t honor its contracts won’t last much longer than a wooden bridge with its supports removed. I plan on achieving much more than plummeting to our deaths.”

The breath that Phipp had been holding released suddenly. “Excellent. Welcome, my lord, to our humble village. Can I offer you some freshly baked bread?”

---

Jason spent the afternoon walking through the temporary camp and meeting people. The vast majority of the town's residents were farming families or general laborers, but there was a significant number of other tradesmen. Jason was surprised, as his research had indicated that a typical medieval society required 85 to 90 percent of their population involved in agriculture to support the other percentage of nobles, tradespeople, and others not directly involved in food production. “I intend to change that required ratio,” he said aloud, and then sheepishly grinned when he got strange looks from the people he was passing by. I don’t know who came up with this mix of subjects for me, but we’re going to get very hungry unless we can increase food production on existing farms and get new farmland producing food quickly. Long term, though, this does give me a better chance of setting up the industry I want. A mixed blessing, I suppose.

The children of the new arrivals were sent off to gather deadfall for firewood in the nearby forest, with a few adults equipped with longbows ranging beyond them to hunt. Some families set up tents. Most consisted of a single sheet of canvas, but others had more elaborate contraptions. The poorer-looking ones simply laid out their cloaks on the ground or beneath the carts nearest them. Leaves and pine needles were gathered by the women who could find them, and some cut springy boughs from young trees. The activity brought another thought to Jason’s mind, and he groaned internally. Did he have a tent or a bedroll? He hadn’t seen anything sleep-related in his backpack when he had retrieved the scroll earlier.

He shrugged off the light animal skin pack from his back. The first item he pulled out was what he assumed was a canteen and appeared to be made out of hard, waxed leather. Uncorking the top, he took a large gulp - and nearly spewed out the contents in surprise. That is NOT water, he confirmed. It was definitely fermented. A few slower sips confirmed it was likely a watered-down wine.

Next to come out of the bag were two hard loaves of bread, four apples, a large wedge of hard cheese wrapped in cloth, several strips of dried meat, and another cloth containing a few handfuls of almonds. Below that, a sharp knife in a leather sheath was nestled next to a large spoon, apparently made of silver. A small pouch containing some gold, silver, and copper coins followed. From the bottom of the pack, Jason pulled out another shirt, a sturdy-looking pair of pants, and a pair of loose-fitting, knee-length shorts. The latter, he quickly realized, were probably undergarments, and quickly put the clothing away before too many of the surrounding people saw their lord holding up his underwear for everyone to admire.

Commotion at the edge of the camp caused Jason to look up and notice one of his scouts returning. He checked his wrist for the time, smacked his forehead, and looked toward the western sky at the sun instead. The sun was lower than some of the surrounding mountain peaks already, and would probably be hidden by the range shortly. Hoisting his pack onto his back, again, he made his way to where the scout was now talking to his new leadership team.

Alex nodded to Jason as he walked up and turned to the scout. “Report, Fredrick.”

“It’s more of the same to the east, sirs, my lord,” he said with a nod towards Jason. “I stayed in on the hills in the grassland and shrubbery for the most part, and ventured into the forest proper but once or twice. There are many burned out trees in much of the area. I daresay a large fire, probably several years back, has done much of our clearing work for us if the soil proves to be fertile in those areas. The farmers who traveled with us should be thrilled.

“I startled many deer, and sighted turkeys followed by their young. We are certainly in a wild and untamed area, although I did note the smoke in the distance that we saw earlier from our vantage point. If I had not needed to return today, I could have tried to reach it by nightfall, although it may have taken two days.”

“Any roads or signs of previous hunting?” Alex asked.

“I saw no people nor signs of hunting, sirs,” Frederick stated. “Though without more time in the forest or ranging further, I can’t say for certain. There was a small path continuing towards the other village.”

“Were there any other resources you noticed?” Tyler finally spoke up, having been twirling his mustache in contemplation. “Any other notable features of the land?”

“I crossed two small streams on my journey today, and both were filled with cold, mountain water. A few rocky outcroppings will provide landmarks, but there was little else but grass, shrubbery, and trees.”

“Thank you, Fredrick. Unless our lord has any further questions...” a shake of his head confirmed Jason did not, “go warm yourself by a fire and report to me tomorrow morning.”

The scout that had been sent to the west had much the same to report. Afterward, Jason, Alex, and Tyler conferred with one another.

Jason took the lead. “From what I’ve seen, the original settlers chose the best spot for setting up a town, unless there’s a better site across the valley on the other side of the river. But even if there was, I don’t think we’d be able to get our caravan across, easily. Would you agree?” They both nodded firmly. “In that case, tomorrow is a day of organizing our people and laying out our addition to the town. The gentle slope of this grassy hillside should make construction relatively easy. We could start on the flatter land of the forest below, but the work of clearing those trees would take too long. As we grow, we can take that route or grow further up into the hills.”

Tyler glanced at Alex. “Grow, my lord? How much larger do you plan to grow in the next few years?”

Jason looked each of them in the eye. “I expect that by the time we’re done, this will be one of the most desirable places to live in the world - food in abundance, good health, and luxuries you would have a hard time imagining. New technologies will give us many of these things. But first, we have to build from the basics,” Jason said as he ignored the skeptical looks the men tried to hide from him.

“Tyler,” Jason turned to the man. “I’d like you to set up a simple watch rotation. Keep an eye out for men that would be good candidates for a town guard in the future. Tomorrow, you’ll be helping me lay out the town. Spread the word to everyone that each household must provide six sharpened stakes tomorrow morning, four of which we will use for staking out the plots of ground that each family will be permitted to build on, or the farmsteads they will be working. The extras will be used to lay out space for public buildings and other structures.

It will be done, my lord, “

“Alex,” Jason turned again. “We will need work crews to do things like harvesting timber. What’s the best way to acquire that labor?”

“Well,” Alex started out slowly, “the villeins in the caravan owe you their labor two or three days a week, so you’ll want to decide how many days you’ll require their service.”

Jason spoke up. “If we take too much labor away from starting the farms up, we could end up very hungry, but we’ll probably have to take some of their time.”

“Agreed, my lord. The tradesmen do not owe you their unpaid service, but most will not be able to do much work before they have buildings to work in, and so will likely be willing to work for a reasonable wage in the meantime, as long as they are promised that they’ll soon have shops and homes they can use to pursue their trades.”

Alex continued after a short pause. “People such as myself who are less used to hard toil would be willing to help whenever needed, I’m sure, but may not be as… productive… where manual labor is required.”

“Thanks, Alex,” Jason chuckled. “We’ll certainly do our best to use people where their strengths lie. But we will likely all have to pitch in as we get started in areas that we’ve never learned before.”

“Of course, my lord,” Alex acquiesced and bowed his head.

Jason continued. “Tonight, please form a work crew of two dozen men to begin harvesting timber in the morning. Chose someone to lead it, but bring them to me to confirm the appointment. Tomorrow, you’re going to stake out those farms and then send the farming families’ heads of households to me, where they’ll be assigned a random order to choose which plot of land they want.

“I will be speaking with the blacksmith tonight and much of tomorrow, after I get you started laying out the town. He has a forge wagon and plenty of supplies, so he can get started some of the metal things we need right away.” Thank you, dev team, for that, Jason earnestly thought. My near-impossible goal of building an industrial base is now just mostly-impossible. With a sigh, he got back to the subject at hand. “Is everyone aware of the latrine location, and that there will be a strict but as-of-yet-unnamed punishment for anyone who defecates elsewhere?”

“Yes, my lord,” Alex was quickly echoed by Tyler.

My first act as a ‘lord’ is sewage management law. Building a kingdom, one latrine at a time, Jason thought wryly to himself. It’s the little details that no one ever thinks about that add up to make a community viable, though. You couldn’t pay me enough to live years in a black death plague simulation, and if I screw this up… well, as much as I hate pit toilets, I hate slow, painful deaths even more. Jason decided it was time to move on, before the waiting men got even more uncomfortable with his poorly-hidden grimacing.

“Well, then. Tyler, I’m officially appointing you my captain and placing you in charge of the watch and the future town guard. Is that to your satisfaction?”

He bowed formally. “I am happy to serve, my lord.”

“Alex,” Jason continued, “As I do not know what role you will ultimately fill, I am appointing you to be my assistant to help me carry out whatever plans I deem necessary. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Of course, my lord,” he said with a smile. “To be an assistant to a lord is not a lowly role.”

“One last thing,” Jason said before dismissing them. “What is a reasonable wage for those I hire on the work crews?”

He quickly learned that an unskilled laborer could make two copper coins per day if they were lucky. Low paid professionals could make five copper per day, with the higher paid professions, such as a master armorer in a decent-sized city, making up to 25 copper per day. Ten copper coins could be exchanged for a silver one, and ten silver equaled a gold coin. Jason silently thanked whoever decided on a simple monetary exchange rate, as he ended the conversation and found a fire to sit near.

The surrounding conversation died down at first but soon picked back up, and the women, men, and children teased each other, laughed, and generally showed high spirits. Jason was even able to join in every once in a while. After eating a small portion of each of his pack’s food, he lay back on the hard ground, using his spare set of pants as a pillow, and drifted off to sleep, watching the flickering light of the fire.