12  Money

Monetary values are usually expressed in gold pieces. In addition to gold coins, there are coins made of platinum, silver, electrum (an alloy of gold and silver), and copper.

12.0.1 Weight

Each coin weighs approximately 1/20th of a pound, and ten coins occupy one cubic inch—a fact often crucial to adventurers with limited carrying capacity.

 

12.0.2 Value in Modern Terms

1 silver coin is roughly equal to 1 US dollar.

1 pp = $50. 1 gp = $10. 1 ep = $5. 1 sp = $1. 1 cp = ₵10

 

12.0.3 Minting Practices

Each kingdom mints its own coinage, often bearing the likeness of heraldic symbols or sacred imagery. The quality of the mint—the purity of the metal, precision of the stamp, and the consistency of weight—reflects the economic strength of the issuing realm.

12.0.4 Currency Valuation Between Kingdoms

While gold is a universal standard, not all coins are accepted at face value outside their place of origin. Merchants and moneychangers evaluate foreign coinage based on:

  • Metal purity (tested by acid or arcane means)

  • Mint reputation (e.g., coins from the Bank of Dunmar carry full value, while Banorak or Orkcrag mints may lose 10–20%)

  • Political relations (coinage from enemy states may be devalued or rejected outright)

  • Weight and wear (clipped or worn coins may only be worth partial value)

Major trade hubs often maintain conversion charts updated weekly by merchant guilds, outlining current exchange rates between regional coins.

12.0.5 Banking

OnceWas banking is a growing industry in larger cities and sophisticated realms.Wealthy patrons store coins in sealed and guarded vaults. Often magic is discreetly used to protect assets.

12.0.6 Arcanum Paper Notes

The magocracy of Arcanum has pioneered paper currency, backed by gold and silver reserves and maintained by the Bank Arcana, an institution of magical economists and diviners. Each note:

  • Bears anti-forgery enchantments that fade if tampered with.

  • Is imbued with trace magical essence, identifiable by trained spellcasters.

  • Can be linked to a specific ledger stone, allowing verification via scrying or detect magic.

  • May include tiered denominations far beyond standard coinage, such as 25 gp, 100 gp, or even 1,000 gp notes.

Because of their reliability and enchantments, Arcanum’s paper notes are increasingly accepted across the realms, though some more traditional or isolated societies still prefer metal coins.

12.0.7 Letters of Credit & Promissory Notes

In some cities there may be a trusted banker that can issue notes that allows the bearer to spend like coin.

12.0.8 Thieves’ Guild Escrow

Where there is gold, there is greed—and where laws choke commerce, the underworld thrives. Beneath the marble halls of official banks and the arcane protections of guild vaults, another financial system moves in the shadows\.

In many cities, established thieves’ guilds provide neutral escrow services for high-stakes illegal dealings—assassinations, smuggling, forbidden magic trades, and more.

Funds are deposited with a guild Fence or Broker, often in sealed black-ledger lockboxes opened only when certain contract terms are verified (via a secret word or a token).

Some boxes are trapped to self-destruct if tampered with or if one party attempts to cheat the system.

In cities where rival criminal networks exist, neutral third parties known as coinkeepers may facilitate deals, protected by oaths, enchantments, and deadly neutrality.