Home Page > Player's Guide > Character Generation > Economy

ECONOMY

The economy of Midwrathe is simple.  The rich have money, everyone does not.  Each region establishes its own local economic structure with trade and commerce.

Normally, the daily life of the average citizen would revolve around barter in their local region.  The economy for the average person rarely involves the exchange of coin.  Only at the level of the city or religious establishment is the coin held in high regard.

The County of Maldan doesn't have much in the way of minters or coin-smiths.

Other than the mines at Umeil's Heart which yield silver and the copper and tin mines in the White Spires near Reol—there aren’t any large precious metal mining concerns in the County.

Silver ore from Umeil’s Heart is shipped by armored wagon to the town of Telinar on the Sard River. In Telinar the ore is smelted and converted into ingots. The ingots are shipped down-river to the Count in Renoga or by barge upriver to Gatetan and then overland by armored wagon through Beldan to the Bishop of the North at Marmon in the Lake District. A small portion of the silver remains in Telinar where craftsmen turn it into pilgrims’ coins which are then returned to the Archdeacon at Umeil’s Heart.

Ingots from the Count generally find their way southward to Osondra as part of the annual tribute to the King. The Duke of Almeryss has a charter from the King to mint silver coins in Osondra. The silver pfennigs produced at Osondra bear the likeness of Duke Hiro on one side and the Kingdom Coat of Arms on the reverse.

During his reign, Count Enrorin (Count Theron’s father) attempted to obtain a charter to mint silver coins in Renoga. The Lord High Chancellor Lord Blies Nulkar, however, was unsympathetic and felt that Maldan was too far into the wild hinterlands and a royal mint would be too tempting a target for Skoja or Chormali raiders.

Copper ore from the County’s mines in the White Spires is collected and smelted into ingots in Reol. The ingots are then shipped downriver to Renoga. Numerous copper and white smiths in Renoga have a charter from the Count to mint copper coins. The copper groats produced in Renoga bear the seal of the Renoga Guild of Coppersmiths on one side and the County Coat of Arms on the reverse.

Copper Groats (cg) at 100 per pound, each weighing 4.5g
Silver Pfennings (sp) at 100 per pound, each weighing 4.5g
Gold Domars (gd) at 100 per pound, each weighing 4.5g
Gold Sovereigns (gs) at 25 per pound, each weighing 22.5g

500cg = 50sp = 5gd = 1gs

Copper Groat

The form of the groat in Maldan was introduced by Countess Halcredyn in 380PC. Prior to that time the County Charter for minting copper coins had belonged to the Officers of the County Mint and Exchequer (which produced coins bearing a grain sheaf on one side and crossed hammer and spear on the reverse). Countess Halcredyn deemed the process of minting coins to be too costly for the coffers of the County to afford--so she sold the charter to the highest bidder. Officers from the County Exchequer still insure that coins minted by the Coppersmiths' Guild conform to the Royal standards--but no longer engage in minting the coins.

Silver Pfenning

The silver pfennigs produced at Osondra bear the likeness of Duke Hiro on one side and the Kingdom Coat of Arms on the reverse.

These silver coins from Almeryss regularly find their way northward via the trade routes. Producers and craftsmen attending the twice-yearly Almeryss Faires at Marmon bring much silver back into the County. This in addition to the silver and gold paid by southerners for fish, cattle, wool, cheese, furs, and lumber produced by the County more than insures a steady supply of coins.

Gold Domar

Several cities, temples, and powerful lords have charters to produce gold domar coins in the Kingdom. Most of the gold domars seen in Maldan come from Olengoa in the Duchy of Skarforce and are minted under a charter granted to the Duke Soar Zendurri. Duke Soar's gold comes from mines deep in the Raekspires and from his commissioned "free traders" who range the waters of the Great Western Ocean in search of plunder. Skarforce coins bear the side profile of Duke Soar on one side and the Kingdom Coat of Arms on the reverse. These coins are commonly called "Dukes".

Also common are gold domars minted by the Arch-Hierophant of Barrega. These coins bear Leron's glyph and seal on one side and on the reverse a phrase written in Khaa’freen Script proclaiming "Our Souls with Most Holy dwell" with additional flourishes surrounding the phrase.

Gold Sovereigns

Only the Royal Mint at Beolan is permitted to produce gold sovereigns. This coin bears an image of the crown on one side with the words "To Honor Our King" written in Pendarûne with the year of Kings Coronation (456). On the obverse an image of Sinudaros riding a horse with his sword raised above his head.

Midwrathe Copyright ©2003 Twilight Ink
Site Copyright ©2003 Eric D. Bailey
Part of the D20RPG.ORG Family
Questions / Comments?  Ask the Webmaster!