Currency & the Economy

There are a variety of different currencies used across Akiviras, with every nation having their own system of exchange. Trade first began on Akiviras under the Goblin Empire and consisted of only one currency system known as the CSEG system (Copper, Silver, Electrum, Gold), with the coins ranked in increasing order of value. This system was thrown off by the emergence of the Phantoms during the Ghost War and the exploding value of silver. Over time it has further been diversified along with the different nations and now a large number of different systems of currency are used. Most use coins, but some have found other systems of equal value. It should be noted that for many peasants the barter system is still the best system for exchanging goods and services. In poorer villages and hamlets it is often preferred to the local currency, at least in terms of low-value but highly important goods like food. Another note to consider on the subject of currency is the effect that the adventurer system has had on the continental economy. The right of plunder ensures that vast amounts of mostly low-value currency are frequently being injected into the local economy as adventurers return from successful missions, and this must be carefully balanced to ensure the system remains stable. Luckily most of these coins are ancient and discontinued, pilfered as they are from dungeons decades or possibly centuries old. This ensures that adventurers are not able to immediately hoard their gains and must first pass them through a moneychangers or bank. This allows the ruling bodies of the area to keep track of and regulate the amount of currency that is added to the local economy. Most of this ancient currency is shipped off to a local mint to be melted down and turned into more up-to-date currency. Subsequently nations that do not use a coin-based economy tend to resent the presence of adventurers, and discourage them by placing exorbitant taxes on moneychanging services. This allows border officials to further tax adventuring spoils leaving the country, allowing these countries that reject adventurer wealth to more or less keep up with their neighbours. The secondary impact of adventuring on the economy is the inflation of prices in certain areas relative to others. Due to the massive gap in wealth between adventurers and ordinary folk, gear serviced especially for adventurers is priced at a considerable mark-up depending on how often the item is used by non-adventurers. Armour and weapons are slightly more expensive than they would be ordinarily, as these items are used fairly often by non-adventurers. Armour and weapon repair costs are highly inflated due to the frequency with which adventurers must use these services. This example reflects the way the economy of most places melds to meet adventuring demand in a 'gold rush' sense, which has the additional effect of stacking the odds against any new adventurer entering the scene. As the tools required to get the job done smoothly are often prohibitively expensive, new adventurers are less likely to survive than veterans who can afford the proper gear. Consequently adventuring is a somewhat exclusive profession despite the lucrative prospects for success, and the system can remain. Unless specified, the currency rate is as follows: 200cp = 20ep = 1gp = 1/5pp The different currency systems are listed here in order of country:

Dutharia: Dutharia has a classical economy modelled heavily off the ancient CSEG Standard, but with electrum taking the place of silver. Copper coins known as 'dresna' and electrum pieces called 'pliqsi' are used for the peasants, while nobles use gold 'gosks'. A small number of platinum 'blossoms' are minted each year as a very valuable and exclusive commodity.
The Westmarch: The Westmarch originally used the Dutharian system, but was forced to adapt gnomish currency following the No-Mek uprising and is still restricted to same.
Praistein: Praisteineans have a silver-based economy in defiance to other countries due to the spirit rules being more widely known there. Their silver coins are known as 'swedings' and are worth the same as a gold piece elsewhere. For lower-value goods they have a copper coin called the 'ivolar'. Their platinum pieces are more numerous but worth the same amount as Dutharian blossoms, they are known as 'Trousi'.
Treland: Trellish communities use an unusual form of currency known as 'abberite shards'. These shards are small fragments of abberite mined from deep underground by the svirfneblin communities. Abberite is a darkish-red mineral that dimly glows. Prolonged exposure to abberite causes minor physical alterations to a person's exposed skin, described in the Treland article. Shards are valued by their weight, with a gram of abberite being worth approximately 1/20th of a standard gold piece (making a pound of abberite roughly worth 22gp). This value is relative only internally; abberite is worth ten times that outside of Treland, but trade laws forbid the sale of abberite outside the country's borders. Abberite shards can be collected into 'geodes', which many civilians use as a way of carrying more currency without undue weight. A shard left inside an existing geode will bond into the larger material at a rate of one square inch per hour until it has fully melded with the geode. Multiple shards left together will eventually bond into a geode of their own, but this takes four hours per square inch in that case.
Krakna: Kraks use their own coins modelled on the Praisteinean economy. They have copper ‘toiya’ and gold 'marks' in place of the Praisteinean silver coin. They also have an electrum piece, the 'supding', which is worth 1/20th of a gold piece.
Yolban: The Yolbanese system of currency is gold-based, with coins known as ‘ero’. They do not have copper, but have electrum pieces (valued at 1/2gp), called ‘syty’. Platinum pieces are ‘crescents’ to them. As their culture discourages fighting spirits with silver, they also have silver pieces worth 1/20th a gp called ‘tokes’.
Dwarves: When it comes to currency dwarves use ‘orbs’, small circles of glass painted a distinct colour and carved with lines to represent value. To prevent fraud, orbs have more lines the less valuable they are. Orbs are tied to the gold average, with an orb being worth a certain number of gold pieces, as well as half-orbs, quarter-orbs and tenth-orbs. Orbs max out at 10gp worth, which is represented by a single line across the circumfrance of the orb. Lower value orbs have progressively more lines arranged parallel to each other, meaning two lines for a 9gp orb, three for an 8gp orb, and so on. Crisscrossing lines indicate a value under 1gp; one intersecting line for a half-orb, two for a quarter-orb, and three for a tenth-orb.
Elves: Elves, like Praisteineans, use a silver-based economy. Their pieces are known as 'iari', and they resemble diadem-like loops of silver carved with intricate patterns to represent the place and year of origin of the iari. A single iari is worth 1/10th of a gp, and elves provide no moneychanging services as they generally have no use for coins other than their own.
Halflings: Halflings deal with money in a much lesser capacity compared to other races. Much of their economy is built on a barter system, exchanging goods or services. Each halfling is able to innately judge whether a trade is fair or not. However, they do have copper coins called ‘glories’, and they do buy and sell gems as well.
Gnomes: Since the gnomes of Westmarch control the country’s precious metal income, they get to set the currency values. Copper pieces are known as ‘buckles’, electrum pieces are ‘equiro’, and gold pieces are ‘tenge’. Platinum has no value to them, due to the rivalry between gnomes and iron dwarves (who covet the stuff for their competitions).