Stonebucks

Stonebucks

Type	Large corporation
Government	Board of directors, powerful CEO
Location	Amusa, primarily Seawell and Galik
Inhabiting Race	Anyone willing to pay

Stonebucks is a chain of coffee stores across centered in northwestern Amusa, primarily in Seawell and Galik.

About

Stonebucks was founded thirty years prior to the start of The Wicked Wilds. Headquartered in Seawell, this company has grown very quickly in the past decade under the leadership of its CEO, Matthias Stone, a prominent but recently controversial nobleman, and long-time Mayor of Seawell.

As of the start of the second year of Wicked Wilds, Stonebucks has about 100 locations, primarily in northwestern Amusa. It mainly sells coffee- and espresso-based beverages, though also sells snacks and seasonal beverages around holidays.

Stonebucks derives its name from the surname of its founder, but also allegedly for the powerful deer that the Stone family keeps at its estate. However, rival businesses and political dissidents suggest that the "bucks" refers to the exorbitant prices they charge.

The Stonebucks logo has a green, circular background, with a white silhouette of a deer with prominent antlers, wearing rectangular glasses, an iconic part of Matthias Stone's outfit. The deer somehow has hands instead of hooves and is holding a refreshing mug of coffee in its hands.

History

The history of Stonebucks varies depending on whom you may ask.

The "About Us" poster outside of the Original Stonebucks Roastery reads thusly:

"Young entrepreneur Matthias Stone had a dream. One day, a beautiful ship arrived at our fair port of Seawell - and that ship was called Destiny. (And then a note written on tape on the poster: 'It was actually called that, yes. Please stop asking - our tour guides are tired. You can check the manifest and logs if you'd like'). And Destiny was carrying barrels full of coffee.

"And then it crashed. Its contents spilled all over the beach, as ships often do when they get here. Unsure what this beautiful substance was, our brilliant founder knew what to do right away - he scooped some up, ground it down, and boiled into a delicious beverage. Immediately, he felt awake and more productive than ever - think of what this could do for productivity! And the flavor! ...well, that needed work. He took a week to craft the perfect recipe, and then sold it to the eager people of Seawell. With a humble opening location in the back of his parents' castle, he sold a hundred cups of wonderful coffee before he was sold out for the day!

"It was then that he knew he needed to expand. He asked his family for a small loan of ten thousand gold, a truly humble investment. Noticing the difficult conditions that longshoremen faced on the dock, he provided jobs to the community that could be less physically demanding. This act of generosity truly improved the lives of its employees, and its customers. We truly are a family here.

"And that family is growing! Here at our Original Roastery, just a few blocks away from that spare room in a castle, we maintain that tradition of excellence, and train the business leaders of tomorrow. As of today, we have over 100 locations across this beautiful continent, and are always welcoming new franchisees, cashiers, and baristas. We have other professions available too - all you need to do is ask. Apply to join the family today!"

This ends the poster.

A scratched newspaper article was found near the docks in Galik before the company left the city. Poison on the scratches matches the poison used by the assassins the company fought earlier in the year. The article is not entirely legible, but what remains reads thusly:

The Seawell Star-Tribune

1 Dalsk 894

Pseudonymous Reporter

Opinion Column

Stonebucks has long been the talk of the town, and now it's the talk of the continent! I can't deny, their drinks are delicious, and while I have a lot of opinions (and facts!) that I'm about to present about them, I'm drinking one of their lattes as I write this article right now.

But let's get to the point:

Last week I went to the North Lonato Boulevard location - normally I wouldn't disclose my sources like this, but I don't think they need to worry about that anymore - and I saw some employees looking really sad, tired, and overworked. A few of them seemed to have some fire in their eyes and were even talking about unioni--ng! ------------------ (large rip in the article)-----

But when I went the next day, the location was permanently clo---

--their familie-------

--so much bloo-----

--missing people. I investigated and found their remai------

---(more large tears in the article)---

When the location reopened this morning, the employees all seemed really happy and motivated. I don't know what they did, but something doesn't seem right. The new employees don't seem to know anything, but I'm afraid to tell them without alerting the public.

So everyone, know this. I found the real business records that Stone has been trying to hide! His crimes are as follo----

---clearing land in the Spider Swa--

---the attempted mur----

---kidnapp------union-busti-----

(the rest of the article is torn).

Notable Places

There is a large cafe in downtown Seawell which serves as the main roastery, as it was the original location (after the backroom in the castle).

There are also several groves where they grow coffee, largely in the Spider Swamps around Seawell.