Coinage

There are six core coin types for Wyrlde. The standard for them was set years ago, although there is currently a difference in the ways that they are described and the particular nature of the coins themselves in details and engraving.

Wyrlde’s coins do not have figureheads on them. Instead, they are all meant to be carried on coin strings, and so all of them have a hole punched in the center. That hole is always shaped, and the shape of it tells where the coin was minted. The content and make of the coins were standardized several years ago during the first Zefir meeting, and old timers say that every single coin in the realms changed shape overnight to match the agreed-on standard. Around the hole is usually the name of the reigning noble, the date, and on the obverse some wise saying or other chosen by that country’s leader as an expression of their reign.

The coin holes show where they are minted – e.g., hexagonal holes at Lyonese, circle holes at Sibola, square holes at Aztlan, and triangle holes at Qivira. The hole shapes were selected based on the coins themselves. There are tens of thousands of coins in circulation among every realm – even the Dread Realms are said to use them, which makes sense given how many they have stolen over the years.

Standard Exchange Rates

Bits are squarish, rounded corner coins of a highly mixed metal, used for common trade. They are the smallest denomination and serve as a measure of inflation and accounting. A Bit should get a person a chunk of bread or cheese, a small mug of beer, or a bowl of porridge.

Pence are triangular, from a larger coin that is hexagonal and then broken up. The larger coins are still occasionally found, and a sixpence is considered a lucky coin. Pence are the main unit of practical exchange, used often in general daily trade. Pence have a copper color to them.

Shillings are circular, or round. Many transactions are reckoned in Shillings when it comes to trade and commerce. Shillings have a silver color to them and are the sort most often traded. Prices herein are normally given in Shillings, as they are the default currency for the realms, and what most things are reckoned in.

Farthings are square, with very slightly rounded edges, also from a larger coin called a Full Farthing. Farthings have a mottled blend of silvery and gold color to them. They tend to be used more often by the Merchantry, due to their higher value and odd positioning within the schema.

Quids are hexagonal, and a gold coloring to them. They are the most sought-after coin, and rarely seen by any below Guilders. The value of a Quid is such that one could likely feed a family for months or lift an impoverished out of poverty.

Crowns are octagonal and have a shiny, reflective surface derived from what some think is chrome. Crowns are the most valuable and rarest coin used commonly in the realm – one is more likely to encounter a Guinea ingot that a Crown, and then only in large level trade. However, it is known that adventurers often come across them. A Crown could feed an entire family for a year or more.

Dorado and Durango do the mining for and production of the gold, silver, platinum, copper, tin, nickel, aluminum, and zinc that go into the alloys to make the coins. No coin is more than 55% the base metal it is often referred to as being, as all coins are an alloy that includes at least some each zinc, aluminum, and tin, with some nickel tossed in there usually.

There are eight Bits to a Pence. “Two bits, four bits, eight bits, a Pence!” The Pence is the base, with a value of 1. A Shilling is worth 10 pence. A Farthing is worth five shillings, a Quid is worth ten shillings, and a Crown is worth ten quid. Few carry around a lot of coin, but this is due less to weight and more to the comparative poverty of most folks.

The coins are typically carried on a knotted cord with a central “loop” and six to twelve cords that hang from it called a purs. Most folks only have two, maybe three secondary cords (called bils) from the central loop (called a wilit) and never need additional ones. Successful merchants in this somewhat mercantile economic structure will be the ones who have the most bils on their wilit.

The coins are hefty – 35 of them equals a pound. Experienced cutpurses can tell the weight of a string by how it swings and can usually add them up on sight. Rafael says to say that a coin weighs around the same as 2 quarters. Whatever that is.

In terms that meet the general sensibility, look at a Pence. It will buy you a half loaf of bread, a pint of milk, a wedge of cheese, a meager beer, and a pile of straw to lay your head in at night. With change.

A day’s wages for the typical Serf (an impoverished worker) usually work out to about 2 pence a day (16 Bits).

This exchange rate is based on the norms established for the meetings in Zefir and holds as the main rules there and more generally in the wild. It is also used by the Guilds, so has tremendous influence, and is the de facto standard.

Imperial Coins are used mostly in Akadia, Durango, Dorado, Lyonese, and Sibola.

Sovereign Coins are used in Antilia, Aztlan, and Qivira.

Ingots are a special coin, in the shape of a bar with a hole on one side. Ducats are bars of electrum, Doubloons are bars of gold, and Guineas are platinum bars. These bars are about five pounds each, the equivalent of 175 coins. They are used in large exchanges and noble contracts.

Other Currency Forms

Currency has a few different forms, with coins from before the God’s War being of the highest possible value.

The value of an Ancient Coin is equal to 3 Crowns each. These bright orange coins are fluorescent, and they are made from a platinum and titanium ceramic composite that is extremely hard (some say adamantine, though no one has figured out how to make it work yet) but are also extraordinarily rare. Only about 100 have ever been found, and they have immense value above their strict monetary value as collector pieces among the wealthiest. They are all stamped with a strange design on the face of a round orb in fifths against a shadow of Wyrlde, and on the obverse is a series of markings around the edge: MMMMCCLXXXV. They measure about two links in diameter. According to a reliable source, there were 5000 of them in total minted. It is often suggested that modern coins were based on these.

Blood Coins are incredibly old coins minted from a strange red stone-like metal, in the shapes of a circle, a triangle, and a square, all with a hole of the same shape in the middle, a little more than an inch in diameter, and used primarily in Qivira, Lyonese, and Aztlan. Their value comes from their age, as no one can find any more of the stone, and they are exceedingly rare. They are called Chips (cp, pyramids), Shards (sp, ovoids), and Stones (gp, cubes).

Yuzuras

One powerful faction is the Yuzura Guild. All Cities have several, most Towns have one or more of them present, but they are an exceedingly rare sight in villages except in their local realm. Yuzuras usually charge a high commission for handling money (the Bank fees for every transaction, their own fees, profit) that comes out to roughly 10% of whatever the coinage type in trade is.

Most funds transfers and such are with Yuzuras, who do not typically advertise themselves. They are more likely to come across as and to operate out of pawn shops, where they keep meticulous records.

A Yuzura traveling is usually en route to or from whichever of the large banks they have business with on behalf of their customers.

Banks

The Yuzura Guild Houses operate as Banks. Each Yuzura Guild House operates as a Bank, and most Adventurer’s guild’s have a liaison that spends their days there. These Banks operate as depositories, and often are directly involved with the local Trusty and the assorted Fodges. Banks themselves cannot sell anything, as they are still Guilds, but they can offer accounting and ledgers, issue Letters of Credit, and provide Loans to those in need. They operate together in a Consortium of Banks, but this is most often a formality. Moving a deposit is difficult, takes a lot of time, and generally banks avoid the use of magic, making it all very laborious and tedious.

Banks charge a fee of 2% for every single transaction, and it is important to realize that is in addition to the Yuzura you are dealing with having a fee of 3% of every transaction.

Loans are made by Banks, and they use the reputation of the individual and a sense of the ability to pay, as well as a team of three Yuzuras who must all be willing to personally guarantee the transaction. The interest rate on these loans can vary up to 10% and the terms of payment are fixed according to a date, with significant penalties that are considered to be criminal. Compound interest is illegal. It is said that shortly after the last Skyfall some were charging interest rates that compounded at 28% or more, and the Emperor ended that practice not only by law, but by declaring all loans repaid – with those who would argue being put to death. Yuzuras call that Black Friday, though no one knows what the word “Friday” means.

Letters Of Credit are essentially bearer bonds – a bank will issue one for a fee, and it will be accepted at other banks for the face value. These letters of credit are statements of how much money is physically present – not promissory bills. A typical letter of credit will have a half dozen seals on it and be a wood frame with coated wax inside which is the document itself. This is done to prevent tampering. The banks themselves will present the document to the issuing bank and collect the sum through intermediaries.

Some of the Nobility operate their own banks. The Realm of Aztlan operates one and has placed significant oversight on the Yuzura Guild.