CURRENCY

Trade, it is said, is the lifeblood of civilization. Throughout recorded history mortals have sought what others possess, driven by need or whim. As they were lifted up from animals, brute force as the only means of purchase was left in the dust with their forebears. Barter has existed for as long as mortals have met in peace, but the use of currency as a representation of value was one of the gifts the apkallu gave to the iaret. Even now the use of currency evolves with letters of credit entitling the bearer to sums stored elsewhere, or trade in mere promises of goods delivered. Herein find a catalog of means of purchase found throughout the known world.

Iaret coinage is in diminishing circulation, as fewer are minted by each new ruling Dynast and less travel beyond the Jewel Cities. However, they are still trusted and accepted in all corners of the known world and can be found in purses and pockets everywhere. In particular, the Satrapy of Bracken and the Jewel Cities use iaret currency in official matters.

Rods are cylinders of platinum roughly the circumference and length of an iaret index finger. They are pierced through at one end, and the length is cut with right-angled geometric designs. The end opposite the piercing is stepped narrower. This stems from an early counting practice where the rods would be plugged into boards representing tally counts by Suzerainty bureaucrats. Minting of these tokens has historically been irregular and circulation is low due to their original use as trade and payment on a government level within the Suzerainty. In private use, they are mostly found in counting houses where large sums of money change hands.

Dieties are rounded rectangles of gold that fit in the palm of an iaret hand. One side is stamped with the image of a god, and the other with a declaration of praise. The coin is pierced above the deity�s head with a small hole sometimes called the �sun.� This allowed the coin to be hung for display and counting. The specific god and declaration are selected by the ruling Dynast and are intended to display an affinity with that god or invoke their blessing on the Dynast�s rule. Dieties currently minted bear the image of Geb in his role as Father of All with the declaration �Geb granted rulership from horizon to horizon and his priests interpret his will!� The Drowning Girl is most rarely featured, and the Horizon Walker has never had a deity stamped in his image. This is reflected in proverbs that the Horizon Walker �deals in other gods� coin,� or tales of his chosen bearing an uncanny coin featuring his image to mark them as his own.

Scales are rounded squares of silver slightly less than an inch in diameter. On one face is the profile of the ruling Dynast at the time of minting and on the other is the profile of their Dynastic Architect. These are now sometimes called �blanks� because there has been no Architect appointed since the rise of the Child Dynast. That side bears no profile on new scales, only the encircling border of kelp with pearl clusters. Never officially pierced, they are often found drilled to match other iaret coins, but care is always taken to avoid marring the profile of the Dynast.

Chains are open loops of copper the circumference of an iaret thumb, with a slight overlap on the ends of the loop. While the moniker �chains� is not official, it is in common usage because the coins can be strung together, and because it was the only coinage beastkin were allowed to use by law until reforms following the Retreat.

As the circulation of Suzerainty coinage slowly wanes, it is being replaced by Baltine minting. These coins have as wide acceptance as iaret currency, and are considered less likely to be debased.

Measures are circular coins of gold about an inch in diameter. A pentagonal hole pierces the center of the coin. One side bears the official weight of the minting (there is only fractional difference in weight between mintings). The other side bears an image representing the state which minted the coin. Competition between states for the contract to mint a batch of coins is fierce. The coin was intended as a replacement for the gold deity and its value is defined by Balt as being equal.

Industries are circular coins of silver about an inch in diameter. One face bears the image of a product or trade good, and the other the factory which produces it. Industrial concerns of a certain size are allowed to mint their own silver industries and so details vary widely. This is conducted under the supervision of the Baltine government to prevent �exploitative practices.� The value of the coin was originally defined as a day�s wage for a factory worker but is now acknowledged as half a day�s wage in the modern era.

Pits or pittances are circular coins of copper about a half-inch in diameter. Their faces are marked with famous historical magnates. By law a person has to have been dead for at least a generation in order to be considered for memorialization in this way. Given the low value of the coin, it is a dubious honor.

Officially, currency does not exist in the Assemblage of Khalq. The khalq share in ownership of the gifts of survival, each giving their all to meet the needs of all. Indeed, special dispensation is required to deal in currency with outsiders, awarded to those deemed ideologically pure enough to withstand the temptations of surplus. However, it is the nature of mortals to assign value and seek to possess, thus informal systems exist.

Pull is the term used to describe the ability of favored or important personages with the Assemblage to obtain materials or services beyond their allotment. While nominally all are equal, there does exist a hierarchy and those at the top have such privileges. Pull mostly exists in face to face transactions, but on the occasion that it is exerted through an intermediary, vitrified glass tokens are used.

Push denotes the requisitioning power given by a member of the khalq�s assignment. Those with important duties are granted a little more leeway in obtaining goods pertinent to their duties. The definition of �pertinent� tends to be expansive. Push can be measured by the length of an assignment chit, with strips being torn off to show requisition beyond one�s allotment.

Needs are a bitter joke whispered among the khalq. The Will of the Khalq holds that the needs of all must be met, but scarcity and hardship often predicate otherwise. The lowest among the Assemblage use needs tokens to trade for what gifts of survival their allotments do not provide. The form of these tokens varies from city to city and changes often because such trade is illegal and punishable by exposure. A common token is cut ends of threaded bolts.

Tylwyth currency is included here for the edification of the reader. While it is generally accepted at face value by virtue of weight and metal content, what little of it exists in circulation appears to have come with the tylwyth from their homeland. Rumors speak of apparently newly minted coins coming to the attention of counting houses but if such exists, their source is unknown.

Oaths are irregularly circular red-hued gold coins about an inch in diameter. Rather than being flat, they are subtly flexed in ways which differ from coin to coin. Each side bears a spiraling text detailing an oath given, with one side beginning the inscription on the outer end of the spiral and the other on the inner. It is not known if such oaths are examples of famous personages or mythological tales, and repetition is common, perhaps indicating different mintings. Example oath: �I am Olwenn and I will remain forever unwed, for my first love was stolen by my second.�

Secrets are irregularly circular silver coins about an inch in diameter. Rather than being flat, they are subtly flexed in ways which differ from coin to coin. Each side bears a spiraling text detailing a secret, with one side beginning the inscription on the outer end of the spiral and the other on the inner. It is not known if these truly are secrets or perhaps references to mythology. Repetition is less common than in oaths. Example secret: �Prys slew Amlodd unseen and his belongings were sunk in the deepest lake.�

Whispers are irregularly circular copper coins about an inch in diameter. Rather than being flat, they are subtly flexed in ways which differ from coin to coin. Each side bears a spiraling text, with one side beginning the inscription on the outer end of the spiral and the other on the inner. Each coin is heavily tarnished and encrusted with verdigris as if they are extremely old. Very little repetition in text has been observed, meaning there is dizzying variety in inscription. The content is mundane with no obvious distinction in its meaning. Example whisper: �It is a starless night and the rain comes swift.�

Other examples of money exist in the known earth, such as Polto�s recently collapsed experiment in paper currency, the manat. In theory each manat represented a value of precious metals held by the government of Polto and could be redeemed for such. However, these reserves were looted early in the Gate War by the invading soldati and now the colorful magically printed slips are little more than a novelty.

The Constabulary of Doven Head produces trade tokens magically by infusing precious metals into trees in the Orchard of Dove. Branches from the trees are harvested and cross-sections sliced for use as coinage. The cross-sections will show growth rings in the shape of sheaves of grain shining with deposits of the metal used in the infusion. This method of �minting� is not responsive to immediate economic needs, and the tokens produced are of inconsistent sizes, making foreign coinage much preferred for trade. In general, Doven tokens are not accepted outside of the borders of Doven Head.

Purely apkallu currency exists only in pre-Dynastic artwork. Depictions in ancient tablets held by the oldest lamaseries show pierced coins marked with waves. Very rarely such are found in forgotten caches in the Islands or the depths of Mor Dyfn, and they hold value based on their composition and novelty, but they are not accepted in trade.

Trade between ozrut prior to the introduction of currency by the iaret was conducted with a modified form of barter. Simple and often thick or bulky precious metal jewelry known as siekach was used in trade for goods, sometimes with pieces of the jewelry being cut or twisted off from the whole for fine adjustments in value. Some trade in this form can still be found in wild places of the known world, with values of siekach usually being equal to twice the weight of modern alloy coinage owing to the purity of the metals involved.

In what few �native� beastkin cultures can be found, mostly in the Utter Ice, there exists a practice known as �hunters� proof.� For trade purposes, a hunter may present a pelt or other hunting trophy in demonstration of their ability to contribute to a group. This allows the hunter to �purchase� goods or services on credit with the understanding that what they hunt will go to the seller or the tribe over the course of the year. Prized or career-defining trophies might be gilded, and later become display pieces or totems for the tribe when the hunter has passed on. Hunter�s proof serves another important purpose, as a reminder of the individual�s contributions to the tribe when they are in their dotage and in need of care. his is of limited use to outsiders, who the beastkin will rightly understand are not going to remain available to provide to the tribe.

Surrendered soldati populations have, where integrated, adopted the use of local currency. There is little evidence of native coinage, however. During the Gate War what �economy� existed was of the black market sort. Necessities were broadly provided by quartermaster corps from captured or looted sources, or the soldati�s own supply lines through the gates to their own world. However, as with any army on the march, gambling and brisk trade in contraband luxuries and extra supplies was endemic. What little first hand information has been obtained indicates that a wide range of tokens were used in such commerce: teeth, fingerbones, bits of jewelry, and looted coinage (with little regard for or understanding of its actual value) were common. Of note are recovered examples of coins of an unknown alloy bearing the visage of the face of a creature not native to Geb. Interviews of captured soldati suggest that these coins were from their most recent extraplanar conquest.

A curious outlier in these matters is the general rejection of currency among the muruch. Certainly the muruch engage in trade, and they enjoy glittering objects as much as other mortals. However, their nomadic nature and the attendant issues in storage of surplus limit their trade to smaller, lightweight items, and immediate necessities. Among muruch populations outside of cities there will be nary a coin to be found outside of some few repurposed as personal decoration. Riverine muruch are more likely to have some use for such, but their proximity to surface populations actually encourages simple trade in immediate necessities rather than luring them into more complex business ventures.