Currency of Athernyx
CANON — Economy & Trade
The Gold Standard
Gold is finite. Mana flows everywhere, but gold comes from the mountains — mined, refined, minted. The Citadel controls the mint. Always has. Even before Lazerin, the Archons understood: control the coin, control the continent.
Denominations
| Coin | Metal | Value | Daily Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark | Copper | 1 | Bread, ale, small goods |
| Crown | Silver | 10 Marks | Meals, lodging, day labor |
| Sovereign | Gold | 100 Marks | Weapons, transport, serious trade |
10 Marks = 1 Crown. 10 Crowns = 1 Sovereign.
Gem Equivalents
Large transactions, portable wealth, or when you don't trust paper promises:
| Gem | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby | 5 Sovereigns | Most common trade gem |
| Emerald | 10 Sovereigns | Merchant standard |
| Sapphire | 25 Sovereigns | Serious wealth |
| Diamond | 100 Sovereigns | Ship-buying money |
Most traders accept gems gladly — they're lighter than a sack of gold and don't care whose face is stamped on them.
Regional Reality
| Region | Currency Culture |
|---|---|
| Citadel Territory | Coins only. Taxes collected. Transactions tracked. |
| Gale Haven | Coins preferred, gems welcome, foreign currency sometimes accepted. |
| The Frontier (Ashfeld) | Coins work, but barter fills gaps. A good Tuskroot haunch is worth something. |
| Veradyn | Coins accepted but the island has its own rhythms. Favors and reputation matter more. |
The Mint
The Citadel Mint sits within the capital walls. All legal tender flows from here. Counterfeiting is punishable by death — not because Lazerin cares about fairness, but because he cares about control.
Coins bear the Archon seal on one side. The other side has changed with rulers — Lazerin's profile replaced the old emblems around Year 350.
Frontier folk sometimes file the faces off Sovereigns out of spite. The gold spends the same.
Price Reference
Everyday Goods
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Loaf of Capgrain bread | 1 Mark |
| Mug of Capale | 2-3 Marks |
| Mug of Rootwine | 4-5 Marks |
| Hot meal (tavern) | 5-8 Marks |
| Night's lodging (common room) | 1 Crown |
| Private room | 2-3 Crowns |
| Week's provisions (travel) | 5-7 Crowns |
Larger Purchases
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Simple clothing | 2-4 Crowns |
| Quality boots | 1 Sovereign |
| Work animal | 3-5 Sovereigns |
| Prototype mana-weapon (black market) | 15-30 Sovereigns |
| Manalic weapon (if you can find one) | 50+ Sovereigns |
| Passage on a trade ship | 5-10 Sovereigns |
| Small fishing boat | 20-40 Sovereigns |
Bounty Scale (Veyra's World)
| Target | Typical Bounty |
|---|---|
| Petty heretic (unlicensed hedge-mage) | 5-10 Sovereigns |
| Dangerous heretic (combat-capable) | 20-50 Sovereigns |
| High-value target (wanted by name) | 100+ Sovereigns |
Story Implications
Kael travels light. A few Crowns in his pocket, maybe a Sovereign hidden in his boot. He's not rich, not broke — just passing through.
Veyra gets paid in Sovereigns. Bounty work is lucrative if you survive. She's probably carrying more wealth than Kael's ever seen, but it's blood money and she knows it.
The Fallen Cap — Kael and Veyra's first shared meal costs maybe 2 Crowns total. Capale, mushrooms, conversation that changes everything.
"Gold is gold. Doesn't matter whose face is on it — only matters if you've got enough."