Merchants can tolerate strange gods. They become much less patient about ambiguous weight.
Design Principle
Veyra should not require players to memorize fifteen exchange rates every time they cross a border.
The world can have real local currencies while the game uses a simple reference unit.
Trade Silver
International merchants commonly compare prices using a bookkeeping standard called trade silver.
Trade silver is not one universal coin.
It represents an agreed reference value based historically on a standardized weight and purity of silver used by Valemerian banks and later adopted in international contracts.
A merchant might say:
"That shipment is worth four hundred trade silver."
They may actually pay using:
- Caeloran notes;
- Solvarran coin;
- Durakhal seals;
- Tsukaran currency;
- bank credit; or
- mixed bullion.
For game purposes, equipment prices can be written in TS without requiring a currency conversion table unless an adventure specifically cares about finance.
Coinage in Aldara
Most Aldaran kingdoms use combinations of:
- copper small coin;
- silver everyday coin;
- larger silver or gold high-value coin.
Names differ by state.
Counterfeiting and clipped coin are real concerns.
Valemerian moneychangers make substantial profits evaluating foreign currency.
Solvarra
Solvarran coinage uses:
- coppers for small trade;
- rays as the common silver coin; and
- crowns as high-value gold or large-account denomination.
The eight-rayed Aureonite sun appears prominently on official coinage.
Ardaren
Ardaren uses locally minted silver coin traditionally called riders in Common, originally associated with cavalry pay.
Regional noble mints historically created inconsistency, though royal reforms have improved standardization.
Valemere
Valemere relies heavily on coin, letters of credit, bank drafts, warehouse receipts, and account transfer.
Its major commercial unit is the vale, a standardized silver-denominated account unit accepted by major banks.
Large merchants may conduct enormous transactions without physically moving coin at all.
Durakhal
Durakhal's major trade coins are called seals because every authorized mint stamps the issuing Hold and assay mark into the metal.
Foreign merchants trust dwarven seals because falsifying weight is considered both fraud and a direct attack on a Hold's reputation.
Karthain and Tharakai
Both use local minted silver alongside bullion, rings, livestock valuation, and foreign coin in frontier trade.
Karthain accepts Valemerian and Durakhal money readily in major markets.
Tharakai's remote clan territories may value useful goods more than distant coinage.
Caeloran Currency
Caelora uses a standardized decimal national currency called the Crown.
1 Crown = 100 Links
Links are used for small purchases.
Crowns exist as coins for modest values and secure printed notes for larger values.
Large transactions move through banks rather than sacks of currency.
Why "Link"?
The official explanation is civic: every contribution is one link in the infrastructure of the realm.
Critics joke that it also describes how thoroughly the government tracks everything.
Anti-Counterfeit Features
Caeloran notes use:
- difficult paper blends;
- fine-line printing;
- serial marks;
- official embossing; and
- optional tiny reactive mineral threads checked by banks.
These should not require significant saltstone per note; the economy should not waste major magical fuel on money.
Tsukaran Currency
Tsukara uses the rin as a standardized imperial commercial unit.
Small values circulate as coins.
Large values may be represented by sealed merchant certificates or bank instruments in major ports.
Foreign coin is common in designated trade ports but may need to be exchanged before inland use.
Banking
Valemere and Caelora possess the most internationally influential banking systems.
Durakhal has extremely trusted contract houses.
Tsukaran ports support merchant finance adapted to maritime trade.
Letters of Credit
Adventurers carrying large sums often use letters of credit instead of coin.
A recognized bank or merchant house guarantees payment at another branch or partner institution.
This makes robbery harder but creates new risks:
- forgery;
- political sanctions;
- bank failure;
- disputed identity;
- travel beyond the network.
A treasure found in an ancient ruin may be priceless historically and surprisingly awkward to spend.
Taxes and Tolls
Tax systems vary.
Common forms include:
- land tax;
- market tax;
- harbor fees;
- road tolls;
- customs duties;
- guild fees;
- mining shares;
- military obligations; and
- temple tithes.
Caeloran taxation is bureaucratic and extensive because infrastructure and the Common Standard require enormous revenue.
Valemere taxes commerce efficiently while trying not to discourage it.
Solvarra's Crown and Church may both possess fiscal claims depending on jurisdiction.
Weights and Measures
The best solution for the game is to separate player-facing translation from in-world standards.
Player-Facing Convention
The rulebook may use familiar terms such as:
- foot;
- mile;
- pound;
- gallon;
- acre;
- ton
as translations for the reader.
Characters are not necessarily speaking modern English measurements word for word.
This keeps travel and equipment understandable.
Caeloran Standard Measure
Caelora maintains a national Office of Standard Measure.
Official calibrated measures are distributed to:
- markets;
- rail stations;
- mines;
- engineering offices;
- hospitals;
- customs offices; and
- schools.
The system is internally decimal and designed for technical reproducibility.
Reader-facing rules translate Caeloran measurements into familiar units rather than requiring players to memorize an invented conversion system.
Valemerian Merchant Measure
Valemere increasingly uses Caeloran-compatible standards in international trade because mismatched weights cost money.
Traditional Aldaran measures continue in local markets.
A Valemerian contract therefore often specifies not merely "ten barrels" but exactly whose barrel standard applies.
Durakhal Measure
Dwarven engineering uses extremely precise standardized references maintained by each Hold and cross-checked through inter-Hold agreements.
Durakhal standards are old enough that some modern Caeloran engineering measures were historically compared against dwarven reference weights and rods.
Tsukaran Measure
Tsukaran navigation, shipbuilding, medicine, and precision mechanics require strong standardization.
Naval and imperial workshops maintain exact reference measures.
Traditional island units remain common in daily life.