Suzette was preparing to open up the tavern for the day.

The floor had been swept as clean as it would get.

The old wood was stained from dirt and beer.

A large amount of blood had been spilled as well.

Most of it was Timmy's.

She had little regrets over that.

She had been warming to the annoying boy over time, but that ended when she found out who he worked for and what family he was from.

Momco had hurt her badly and then lied when she and thousands of others were suffering.

She disliked corporations in general, as everyone did, but Timmy's family topped the list.

One of the woodworkers had said he could sand out the mark left by the blood, but she wanted to keep it.

Hearing what Ozzy had done to Timmy and Brandon had helped her deal with the memory.

It was also good for business.

Hearing that the local butcher had ripped off someone's arm and beat him with it was a story that both brought in customers and made them behave.

Betty and Granya were in the kitchen just finishing up the baking for breakfast and putting food in the ovens for the afternoon crowd.

Both women were working harder than ever.

Suzette was paying Betty for her work, which was beyond what she would have had to do for ACME.

The woman never seemed to stop, and the food had been improving every month.

She had been delighted when her cows arrived, purchased in the far south of the empire, and brought by teleporter to Rowan Keep.

That had caused a few blood vessels to burst.

Transporting dairy animals wasn't something the mages had wanted to do at first, but after she had insisted on them looking at the records and seeing the huge amount of mana that Sedgewick donated each day to the system, they had apologized and one by the one the cows had been brought to her.

Betty was just starting to make cheese and other dairy products.

Runt had surprised everyone by offering to milk the herd for Betty.

If they knew how many extra meals Betty fed to him each day, they would have understood better.

Granya and Suzette had come to an agreement.

Suzette was desperate to keep her in the Tavern, but she wasn't a contract worker.

As the town got bigger, someone was sure to steal her cook and right-hand woman.

Suzette solved the problem by offering to sell Granya one-fourth of the tavern.

As a part owner that gave Granya a vested interest in seeing things go well and the authority to handle problems if Suzette wasn't there.

The three women were working well together, each having their work and responsibilities.

One of Suzettes big responsibilities was the brewing.

Before opening each day, she made sure that she had enough beer to take care of thirsty customers.

As the workers gained levels and more CON, they drank several times more than a level 1 player could.

The strong beer helped, and the new recipes were getting popular because of their hefty alcohol content.

Six large kegs were sitting behind the counter waiting to be tapped.

Two were local ales made by other brewers; one was Bludgeon Brew.

(Which often went the night without being poured.), two kegs were Bludgeon Dark (which often had to be replaced as they were emptied out), and the last was usually something fruity and very strong.

Suzette was experimenting with her applejack recipes.

She hoped to be able to offer some harder drinks soon.

The brewery in the catacombs was going full swing, producing Bludgeon Dark and beginning to make some brandy.

Whiskey and vodka were on the way.

She started a small fire in the hearth since it was getting chilly most mornings.

The muffins were on the counter for hungry workers to grab and go.

She double-checked that they were normal muffins.

She had a class later on in the day on understanding poison and gaining poison resistance.

She had special muffins for those.

They were identical to the regular groat muffins but would do a few points of damage to someone like Ozzy or incapacitate someone with a lesser stomach for hours.

The workers in her class were gaining experience in Weak Poison Resistance, and she was advancing in Probably Poisoned Pie, Teaching, and Poisoner.

She always checked to make sure that the special batch didn't get mixed up.

The results would have been fatal to some people.

Killing customers was bad for the tavern’s reputation.

Satisfied that everything was ready, she opened the door and saw that she had her first customer of the day.

He was a well-dressed gnome that she had seen a few times in the village.

He bowed, and seated himself at one of the tables.

Suzette curtsied and smiled at him.

"Hello, and welcome to my tavern.

Would you like breakfast?"The gnome smiled back.

"Yes, please.

I would like a pot of tea, strong as you can make it.

A pot of honey, butter, and a loaf of bread.

Additionally, I would like a moment of your time to discuss how my business and yours overlap." He spoke well, and seemed quite patient.

Suzette wasn't getting any warning signals from him.

"Certainly.

Let me get your food.

The tea will take a moment to brew, and fresh bread is just coming out of the oven.

Zephyr should be here in a moment, and then I can sit down with a cup of tea and talk."A half-hour later she found herself sitting across from the gnome, who introduced himself as Tiberius Longfellow Coppertwist.

"But please, that's much too long of a name for such a small fellow as myself.

I answer equally well to Tiberius or to Banker Coppertwist."Suzette sipped her tea and watched as Tiberius carefully cut another perfect slice of bread, then carefully spread butter and honey on it before carefully taking a bite.

He also put honey into his tea, two tablespoons per cup.

As he drank the dark tea and ate the honey, he spoke slightly faster.

Suzette appreciated that someone else needed a boost each morning.

Getting up some days was difficult for her.

"Coppertwist is a name known to me.

Do you have an uncle or grandfather who happens to be a lawyer?"He nodded, pleased she recognized the name.

"I do indeed.

I see that you have met my great-uncle.

He recommended that I take the opening here to start a bank.

I've spent several decades working within the banks of others, and the family felt I was ready to get started with my own.

I thank you and your village for sponsoring me.

But I do have some questions.

Working on the assumption that you needed a bank, and specifically a gnomish bank, I am wondering why you have not come by to start an account and begin putting gold into the bank."Suzette sighed.

She really should have gone by.

She went with the honest answer.

"My apologies, but things have been busy lately, and we have had several emergencies.

I'm running from one thing to another, and if not working here, I'm up in Gadobhra.

Why don't you tell me more about your bank? Have you had any problems? We have a lot of players entering the town, and many have taken professions that rely on redistribution of gold into their own pockets.""It is always that way, miss.

Which is all the more reason for you to use my bank.

Based on your question, I know that you must know little about a gnomish bank.

Your money isn't just secure; it is impossible to steal by any known means.

We don't even keep it here.

When you deposit gold with me, I place it into my vault, and it is taken immediately and placed in a corresponding vault in Cinderstein, the castle of the gnome king in the capital of Glickopolis.

Your gold is safe from thieves, dragons, and armies of dwarves.

Nothing and No one has made an unauthorized withdrawal in many centuries.

And should such a theft occur, the king himself is responsible for replacing the funds."He leaned back in his chair, holding the lapels of his coat, "Yes miss, I can say with absolute certainty that your gold is secure.

And more! As my tally increases, so does my contribution to the king, and his contribution to me.

A gnomish king draws power from the size of his horde, and he offers a part of that power back to me in the form of banking services that I can offer you."Suzette remembered when she had spent the points to buy the Gnomish Bank.

The Great Kallvek had recommended it highly.

She understood why now.

She smiled at him, making him almost drip some honey onto his sleeve.

"Oh, wonderful.

Please tell me about what services you can offer me."He recovered his balance, caught the errant drip on his spoon, and then refocused on the barmaid in front of him.

She had a smile that glinted like gold on a summer day! "Ah, yes miss.

Of course.

Our basic function is to keep your gold secure and make sure you can access it when needed.

My bank will open each day at noon and close at 6 pm.

As the horde it has accumulated grows, hours will increase.

Some banks are open all day long, every day of the year.

I will be bringing in more of my family to live here when that happens.""I can also make it much easier for merchants of the town to do business.

For instance, you have an account at my bank as the mayor of the town, but not a personal one.

Would you like to have one for yourself? And how about one for your tavern?"Suzette nodded to both.

"That sounds good, what needs to be done?"Tiberius smiled.

"You just did all that is needed."

You have opened an account under the name 'Suzette, the Lonely Barmaid' at the Royal Gnomish Bank of Sedgewick.

Your current balance is: 0You have opened an account under the name 'The Lonely Lass Tavern', at the Royal Gnomish Bank of Sedgewick.

Your current balance is: 0Your existing account under 'Mayor of Sedgewick' has a balance of: 0