• Kitchen and Oven

  The kitchen occupies the rear half of the building, separated from the dining room by a broad service counter. A brick hearth oven dominates the room; its floor is wide enough for several flatbreads at once, and a chimney draws smoke cleanly upward. Dough is mixed and rested in covered wooden tubs, while shelves hold flour, cheese, herbs, and jars of tomato sauce. A narrow back door opens onto a delivery lane. The kitchen is clean and orderly, though the oven area gets crowded during the evening rush.

• Dining Room and Menu

  The front dining room has seven sturdy tables, a long bench beneath the windows, and space near the hearth for a few standing customers. Guests order at the counter, then servers bring their food to the table. The menu offers round pizzas cut into wedges, with toppings such as roasted onions, mushrooms, salted fish, goat cheese, and spiced sausage. Customers can request a half-and-half pie, a house custom that often leads to friendly arguments over the best combination.

• Service and House Rules

  The Second Bell is busiest after sunset, when workers and travelers gather for hot food and local gossip. The staff can serve a full room quickly, but a party of six or more should expect a short wait while the oven catches up. Zdravko is happy to feed adventurers, though he asks them to keep weapons sheathed and settle any disputes outside. A meal costs modestly, while a large pie with extra toppings is a treat rather than an everyday expense.

• Practical, hospitable, and quietly protective of his staff. He prefers to defuse trouble with a meal and a firm word, but he will not tolerate anyone threatening his customers.

• A broad-shouldered former carter who measures success by whether everyone leaves fed. He is firm about keeping weapons sheathed indoors and quietly offers meals on credit to struggling locals.

• A quick, sharp-eyed cook who can judge the oven's heat by the color of its bricks. Shirin is proud of the house dough and suspicious of anyone who asks too many questions about the kitchen's supply deliveries.

• A steady server with a dry sense of humor and a remarkable memory for orders. Nabil knows which regulars are likely to start arguments and can usually head trouble off with a timely fresh pie.

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