Insight How Money Works in the Outer Sanctum

[The Narrator]

"Money? Of course it matters. You want me to work for you? You pay me. You want to buy something? You pay for it. You think that this world is free? No. You are a fool for thinking so."

- Felico, the Bladed Paw​

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Money in the Outer Sanctum is not a complicated matter. Generally speaking, all characters are assumed to have some form of income—be they beggars or bodyguards—that supply them with funds accordingly. While players are not expected to, for example, have extensive roleplaying scenes of them doing their "jobs", their character's "buying power" should be indicative of the roles they play in society. What this means is that the beggar will never afford an estate, body guards do not easily afford master craft weapons and armour, but the lords and churches have extensive resources that they can manipulate to achieve their goals.

Players have quite a bit of leeway in how they interpret these generalities, but should they become excessive, they will be asked to adjust accordingly. What might that look like in practice?

Spoiler

Theronix the paladin has been on an adventure and as recompense, they received a payment of five gold. They take the gold into a weapon shop, and with the money, purchase themselves a magical sword which can catch on fire and summon a fire demon.

The Narrator would contact the player of this character and inform them that the values are incorrect and that such a sword may cost 900 gold, at a minimum. Options of what they could purchase for 5 gold would be provided and the post would be edited accordingly.

As with everything else in the Outer Sanctum, we expect that players will roleplay the realities of their characters accordingly, especially when characters are "new" and have yet to establish themselves in the world.

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What does your purchasing power look like?

Bronze

A single bronze coin is the most common tender for the average citizen. Regionally, many citizens of the Tethian Coast live off a handful of bronze a week. Life is generally cheaper in Khare than in Tethis, but only marginally so. So, what sorts of things can a single bronze coin purchase?

A couple of days worth of rations
A warm meal at a tavern
A pound of vegetables at a market
6 ft of rope
A small, cheaply produced knife (cutlery)​

Most common purchases are in this currency. Eating out at a restaurant or at a market might cost a few bronze coins. A pair of bronze coins might get you transportation from one part of a city to another.

Silver

Silver coins are generally used for larger purchases and is considered to be the "standard" currency. An average household's monthly expenditures might amount to 6 or 7 silver pieces. What might a single silver coin purchase?

A set of clothes
A decent bed roll for travelling
A night as a decent inn
A cheaply produced sword or buckler
Stabling a horse for a week​

Silver coins are the currency of expensive things. Basic medical treatment might cost several silver. A week at a nice inn might cost 8 or 9 silver. Purchasing a high-quality sword might cost 20 silver, and a master craft weapon can be quite expensive and cost 60 silver to start.

Gold

Gold coins are broadly considered to be a great deal of money. Many households on the Tethian Coast spend less than 40 gold a year. generally used for larger purchases and is considered to be the "standard" currency. While a gold coin is generally considered to be a lot of money, some establishments (local markets, smaller shops) may refuse to accept it as they would not have enough money to give exchange for the coin. Citizens generally avoid carrying around this kind of money, as it is often an invitation to get robbed. What might a gold coin purchase?

A full travel pack (bed roll, flint, two weeks of rations, rope, etc.)
A night's stay at some of the most luxurious accommodations in Khare
An excellent quality weapon
High quality light armour​

Even basic enchantments to a sword or weapon will increase this cost by an order of magnitude. A very high quality weapon might cost anywhere between 2 to 5 gold. A horse may cost around 10 gold but a thoroughbred might cost upwards of 40 gold. A home in a decent district of Khare may cost 200 gold, while the same may cost 400 gold in Tethis. A tavern might cost 500 gold in Khare, and an estate may cost upwards of 1000 gold.

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Roleplaying Money

Money doesn't matter.

As we have noted before, Outer Sanctum is for roleplaying and our goal is to create an environment where players can tell the stories they want to tell and participate in a vivid world that changes over time. Characters are broadly assumed to "have enough money for what they need"; the caveat here being that you do not need flaming swords or a dozen horses. Larger purchases should be things that your character grows towards, not things that are just "gifted" to them.

The broad purpose of this guide is not to dictate the prices of specific things, but rather to create a sense of what money looks like in this world.

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Tethis

Tethis and Khare share currency, but it is treated slightly differently. Tethis natives, for example, will colloquially call gold coins "Bastions" as the Bastion is the highest temple in the city and tithing in that temple is done in gold coins. Because the city is older and more established, the financial institutions are more established and trustworthy. A great deal of business in the city is done using writs paper issued from banks where the transfer of money is recorded and then the bank will handle the appropriate exchanges.

Business at a local level is always done in bronze and silver coins—though one could use a writ to pay for an apple, if they wanted to. Many businesses prefer to be "cash only" however, as this greatly simplifies financial transactions.

Khare

In the way that Tethis is an established financial powerhouse, Khare is the living and beating heart of commerce. Business is fast and in cash. Banks exist, but are less popular—people often find alternative means, from safes to guards, to protect sums of money that are worth protecting. What the cityport lacks in nuanced economic systems, it makes up for in cold, hard cash. Silver and bronze coins are the primary currencies of the city, and flashing gold is a good way to get yourself beaten and stabbed if you're in the wrong neighbourhood.

Because Khare is a major economic hub, with goods and services from all over the region passing through the vast city gates every day, Silver coins and bronze coins are just that, "silver" and "bronze", respectively. Unlike Tethis and it's more formal approach to money, "bronze pieces" is the default method in which people will communicate costs. Instead of saying "two silver and three bronze", in Khare, it is much more common to say "twenty-three bronze". (Much in the same way that we might say that something costs 'twenty five dollars' instead of 'two tens and five ones'.)

Much like in Tethis, very large purchases are usually made with a writ which a bank will then stamp and endorse. This is usually done to guarantee that funds are actually available.

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Nuance in Roleplaying

Crowns, Dukats, Dinars, Bastions, and more. With so many names for currency, from so many different places, both natives and non-natives to a region may use different terms than "silver" or "bronze". These might be due to eccentricities of a character, where someone hails from, or even the desire to alter to public lexicon. Whatever the case might be, aside from the "standard" ways to refer to the currencies, there are other ways that characters might choose to name the coins of the world.

These may not be the "standard" ways that the majority of the citizenry refer to a coin, but they're just as valid from a roleplaying perspective.