9.10 Making use of city and village banks.

Within the halls of a bank you may DEPOSIT <gold> to start up an account, after which you can WITHDRAW as much as you wish. Money banked is generally taxed by the Council of that city in order to finance the municipal budget at a rate decided upon by the financial leaders of the city. It is wise, in the long-run, to investigate what fee is levied by other cities to ensure that you are not being over-taxed. The amount of gold coins held in the three royal banks of Mercinae, Thakria and Parrius are shown by the SCORE and QS commands. There are other banks and you can type ACCOUNT to view your balance in all banks you have visited.

Making use of the banks has its distinct advantages. Gold that you have banked is not liable to be pilfered from you, nor are you likely to lose it through any mishap you might suffer. Alternatively, to avoid the fees imposed by the banking institutions, you may opt to simply lock it away in your own home or in a lockable strong-box. Should you choose this method though, ensure that you have paid for a sturdy lock or a trap to guard its safety, for if its whereabouts become commonly known, it is much more likely to be stolen by a meddlesome thief.

Banks have a further use: safety deposit boxes. This allows you to stash your valuable items with a bank - perhaps if you are going into battle, or travelling away from the land for a while. To use this facility use the SAFE command in one of the banks. Type SAFE DEPOSIT followed by the item (refer to it by number, to be accurate) to lodge it with the bank, in a safety deposit box. You can type SAFE BOXES to review any inventory held in a bank and SAFE EXAMINE to quickly look into one of your safety deposit boxes without withdrawing it. To take a deposited item back again, type SAFE REQUEST followed by the unique box number and (providing you have paid any gold owing) you will be able to withdraw it. The fee for this service will vary depending on the city or town where the bank is located and - sometimes - the length of time deposited.

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