Alburet nodded, pulling out a little over a hundred himself, “That thins the coin purse right down.”
“I want to pitch in,” Fluff added holding out some coins, “fifty from me.”
Alburet smiled his thanks to Fluff, taking her coins while adding his and Stacia’s. “Okay. Two fifty to open an account for Alpha Company, please, Kim.”
Kim took the coins and began to enter information into a book before her. She wrote quickly then turned the book around to Alburet, “Sign the page and the account will be good to go.” Alburet did then handed the pen back to her. “Okay, the account is functional. Congratulations on being the first two-souled guild to set up an account with us.”
GUILD FIRST: Set up a Guild Account with the Portal Guild.
Reward: The fee for guild account maintenance is waived for the guild Alpha Company
Alburet blinked, “Well, hell. Now I need to run over to the bank and see if they have something similar.”
Fluff sighed softly, “That would be best.”
Alburet glanced at Fluff, a grimace on his face, “I’m sorry, Fluff, but if we are serious about long term then I need to go.”
“Me and Fluff can go hunt orcs for a bit while we wait for ya, asthore,” Stacia said, handing Alburet a thick coin purse. “Iffin ya need a deposit use tha’.”
Brow furrowed, Alburet put the coin purse away than looked at Fluff, “That okay with you? I’ll message you when I get back here, then we can go after single gnolls.”
Fluff glanced from him to Stacia, her face reflecting her uncertainty, “I don’t want to be a bothe…”
“Good, it be settled then. See ya soon, asthore,” Stacia said, taking Fluff’s arm and towing her up the stairs.
Rolland chuckled watching the ladies leave, “Well, those two are vastly different.”
Kim nodded, “Yeah. You’d think a Lunari Berserker would be more aggressive.”
“I got to run, guys. Thanks for telling me about the guild account.” Alburet told them as he turned to go, “See you in a bit.” He took off at a jog for the bank, which was just down the street from the portal guild.
Rolland watched him go, “He really does seem different from most two-souled, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, he does,” Kim replied, “I believe I pointed that out to you first, though.”
“True enough,” Rolland laughed as he started to walk away. “See you later hun.”
Alburet made it to the bank a few minutes later, pausing to look at the exterior of the place. It looked more like a temple than anything bank-like that Alburet knew. Columns supported a large overhang, and the words Royal Bank were etched into the wall above the overhang. Two guards in dress uniforms stood outside the main doors, pikes in hand with swords on their belts. They stood staring straight ahead, giving the impression of Buckingham Palace guards but without the big hats.
Alburet headed up to the doors, nodding to the guards who didn’t move in any way. He silently wished them the best, knowing some people would love to just come and torment them as people tried to do to the Buckingham guards. The interior was done in white marble and golden oak polished to an almost mirror shine. There were only half a dozen teller windows, along with a number of desks off in a corner behind walls of glass. A desk stood just inside the door with a receptionist behind it.
“Greetings, how may we help you today?” the male Lunari asked with a professional smile.
“I was looking to set up a guild account, possibly,” Alburet replied, looking around the interior.
“You will need to see the bank manager then, sir. If you will just take a seat over there, I will inform him that you are here.” The receptionist pointed to a few chairs off to one side.
Alburet thanked the receptionist and took a seat, wondering how long it would take. About five minutes later an exceptionally attractive elf approached him, “Would you be the gentleman looking to open a guild account with us today?”
Alburet came to his feet, “That is correct, miss.”
“I just need to check that you’ve met the requirements before I take you to the manager, sir. I can see you are a registered guild from the emblem on your armor, which is always the first stumbling block. You also need an agreement with at least one business in the city, as well as two hundred gold to open an account.” She paused with a professional smile, as if many people had balked before at this point.
“The coin isn’t an issue. What kind of proof do you need for the agreements?”
“We use a Truth Stone to verify the accuracy of your statements.”
“Well then, we’re good to go,” Alburet replied.
“Very well, sir. If you will follow me,” She turned, leading him towards a door near the glassed-in area beside which another guard stood, this one with a shield on his back and a hammer on his hip.
Alburet followed, nodding to the guard who eyed him as if sizing up a potential threat. The elf led him into an unoccupied office with another door in the far wall next to a cherry wood desk. “Have a seat please, sir,” she said before she vanished through the far door. Alburet opted to not sit, but leaned on the desk as he waited. A moment later she returned, motioning him towards the room, “The manager will see you now.”
Alburet inclined his head to her as he went by and entered a richly appointed room. The walls were paneled wood, the desk of the same dark oak with silver filigree inset in the corners. A number of shelves held various knickknacks. An ornate silver portrait frame sat on the desk, its back to Alburet. The man behind the desk was a dwarf with grey hair and a long beard.
“You want to open a guild account with us,” the deep voice rumbled from the wide chest of the dwarf. “Please sit, sir, so we might discuss this. I am Morgan Warburg, the head of the bank here in Stormguard.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Warburg. I’m Alburet,” Alburet’s mind tickled him at the last name of the banker, as if he should remember it. “I’m hoping to set up an account for my guild today.”
“We have had a number of people come by for that, as well as setting up personal accounts to make things easier in the city. Any of our staff can help with a personal account, but with the amount of money a guild moves it was deemed necessary to have managerial approval for guild accounts.” Warburg spoke in the same deep voice, his words the clear professional tone of one who has long done things the same way. “Since you two-souled have come to the world, many of your kind have failed to meet the simple requirements to set up a guild account. My secretary says you told her you have all relevant things in place. Is this true?” Warburg’s hand rested on a small clear crystal.
“I have the coin with me, I have already set up an account for my guild at the portal guild along with a few other agreements with a handful of merchants, and as you can see from the emblem on my armor we are registered.” Alburet replied evenly as he drew out the coin purse Stacia had given him.
Nodding, Warburg put the crystal into his pocket, “It seems everything is in order. What services besides holding funds and transferring them to the portal guild did you wish set up today?”
“I’ll need the account available to pay taxes on the guild hall as well, but I don’t think anything else is required at this time.”
“We can arrange that,” Warburg said, pulling a thick tome from a desk drawer. “There is normally a two percent fee for any transaction, along with a flat fifty gold maintenance fee at the end of each year. Are you amenable to these fees?”
“When you say “any transaction” do you mean both deposits and withdrawals?”
A chuckle that sounded like boulders rolling down a hill came from the dwarf, “Goodness, no. We aren’t pirates here. The fee applies only to money leaving the account, that isn’t to the portal guild.”
“Sounds fine then,” Alburet replied before asking his next question. “How do you get the coin from the loot tax, exactly?”