Table of Contents
Currencies of Arcydea
This is an incomplete list of the currencies used in various parts of the Arcydean world.
Nexus City
Nexus City and its surrounding environs often conjured metals in their minting of coins, which tends to have a higher resistance to enchantments and other magics and can be destroyed through a dispellation. This makes their value outside of Nexus City rather disappointing.
- Copper Shield: A coin in the shape of a shield (or Nexus City policeman's badge). Worth 1 cp in Nexus City, worth 0.1 cp amongst merchants and 0.5 cp amongst commoners elsewhere.
- Silver Dragon: A circular coin with the two legendary silver dragons emblazoned on its sides. Worth 1 sp in Nexus City, 1 cp amongst merchants and 5 cp amongst commoners elsewhere.
- Golden Crown: A circular coin with a crown on one side and a pair of crossed swords on the others. Worth 1 gp in Nexus City, 1 sp amongst mercants and 5 sp amongst commoners elsewhere.
- Platinum Star: A circular platinum coin with Century and Brightshine on one side, and a six-pointed star on the other side. Worth 1 pp in Nexus City, 1 gp amongst merchants and 5 gp amongst commoners elsewhere.
Nexus City businesses also run on the dollar, a piece of scrip that declares itself to have the value on the bill. Typically, the conversion rate between dollars and gold varies depending on internal factors; the exchange rates provided may vary by up to 20% or more depending on market activity.
Conversion Rate: Within Nexus City and neighboring Backwaters, one dollar is considered to be worth approximately one gold piece, with coins as above used to provide change. Outside of Nexus City and the Backwaters, dollars have no value to commoners (who can't expect to make use of them, while merchants accept them, at best, at 10% of their value if they can expect to make use of them.
Forms of Dollar:
- One Dollar Bill.
- Two Dollar Bill.
- Five Dollar Bill.
- Ten Dollar Bill.
- Twenty Dollar Bill.
- Fifty Dollar Bill.
- One Hundred Dollar Bill.
- e-Dollars. Nexus City Dollars exist electronically amongst various Nexus City businesses, the most well known being the Nexus Bank of Nations, which has satellite branches throughout Nexus City and the various surrounding countries and city-states. There is a conversion rate of 10% between other banks that accept Nexus e-Dollars.
Alshira
The land of the gods has a single currency which has formed the de facto standard within nations due to the availability of Bank of Alshira branches throughout Arcydea in most towns and cities. Shirans are made with a special gold-silver-unknown alloy that cannot be replicated elsewhere, and have a value of 1 ep on Alshira and elsewhere.
Items of Note:
- The Bank of Alshira issues credcards to all customers. Credcards vary in color based on the account owned by the user, and are tied to the user's soul; in particular, future lives of an individual can use a credcard. Credcard replacement (including losses due to death of the user) cost 10 Shirans.
- The balance of Shirans in one's account typically remains after death unless the owner has specifically requested that beneficiaries receive some or all of the current balance. Debts remain on the account and may be assessed against the user's next life.
- Credcards can be read on special readers that interface with an ATTN phone, allowing the BoA-Business app to transfer money between customers and the owner, or through registers that also act as personal computers, allowing sales tracking, inventory tracking, and other useful features.
- Although people typically do not remember past lives, natives of Arcydea have a chance of having Shirans on account for them from a past life, so most people with access to a Bank of Alshira are willing to undergo a soul authenticity scan to see whether they have left anything for their future selves to make use of. This is free of charge, although receiving a replacement credcard for their new life costs ten Shirans.
- e-Shirans are considered the most stable electronic currency, and usually require a 2% conversion fee to convert to other currencies.
Eio
Eio has a stable currency based around the Eioan dollar, which is relatively more robust than the Nexican dollar. Typically, one Eioan dollar has a value of one silver piece within Eio and amongst people who accept Eioan currency. Melted down, Eioan currency is worth slightly less than its surface value; this is by design.
Forms of Dollar:
- One Cent.
- Five Cents.
- Ten Cents.
- Twenty-Five Cents.
- Fifty Cents.
- One Dollar.
- Two Dollars.
- Five Dollars.
- Ten Dollars.
- Twenty Dollars.
- Fifty Dollars.
- One Hundred Dollars.
- One Thousand Dollars.
- e-Dollars. Eioan e-Dollars are considered a highly stable currency, and require a 5% conversion fee to convert between currencies.
Fenisto
Although a highly sophisticated nation in other regards, Fenisto still maintains the gold coin standard, although they do operate banking systems. Conversion to other currencies typically requires cashing out first, though, as Fenistoan coinage is seldom accepted directly. Fortunately, there are enough coins from other regions that are acceptable at face value, and trade via goods or metal bars is still legitimate.
- Fenisto runs on the standard copper-silver-electrum-gold-platinum standard, and accepts coinage from across Arcydea and beyond. It does have its own minted currency and e-currency; however, banks will not directly convert Fenistoan money for moral reasons. Black markets, however, will generally accept Fenistoan currency at face value. Approximately 40% of Fenistoan currency is minted by Fenisto, with 30% being off-world currency, 20% being currency from other Arcydean nations, and 10% being e-currency.
- Fenisto also issues a lead coin that is worth 1/10 cp, typically to resolve very minor debts.
Davalance
Davalance operates on the copper-silver-gold standard, and is generally considered at equivalent value to normal currency. Davalance is working on getting e-currency set up locally but generally outsources to the Bank of Alshira for the time being.
Milochan
Milochan's primary currency is the milo, with coins and scrip issued for units as small as 0.001 milo up to 1000 milo, with larger transactions usually handled through e-currency. There is a 5% conversion fee to convert this currency at most other banks.
Krytar
Krytar does not have its own currency; most transactions are handled through trade goods or using coins from Avalon or other nations.
Avalon
Avalon operates on the copper-silver-gold standard, and mints its own coins. However, it accepts most other currencies at face value, including Nexus currency due to its close proximity and trade strength.
Crommel
Crommel has a strong economy, and operates on the ecu (economic capital unit) standard. One ECU's value is equal to the cost of one loaf of bread – typically one copper piece – and bills (not coins) are issued for amounts from one thousandth of an ecu to one million ecus. In addition, scrip can be written for any value of ecu via Crommel banking systems (for example, someone might write out a check for 32.50 ecus to pay for their meal.) Crommel does not use credcards, as it requires all transactions to have a written history; instead, the check written is retained along with the bank information receipt. Crommelian finance conversion rates are at roughly 5%, although the precise number varies between 1% and 10% based on market activity.