Coinmasters' Guild of Bannar

It goes without saying that there could be no trade within the Kingdom of Bannar, nor could it entreat with neighbor kingdoms if not for the Coinmasters. Eighty years ago, the king’s advisors suggested a means to reverse the constant bleed of resources from the kingdom. They began to mint a special hexagonal coin from the abundant tin, alloyed with a trace of copper. The actual value was negligible and it was worthless outside the kingdom. Public acceptance was minimal until the king made it law that no coin nor jewel could be used in the exchange of goods, other than the King’s Coin, within the kingdom. Enforcement was heavy-handed beginning with the founding of the Coinmasters’ Guild. The Coinmasters were responsible for exchanging common currency for the new King’s Coin. The exchange fee took the place of taxes and tariffs. Further, once exchanged, there would be absolutely no exchanging the King’s Coin for the common currency in use elsewhere. Coinmasters were also tasked with enforcement and were granted permission by the king to confiscate any outside currency they found without exchange. This rule did not apply to caravans that crossed the kingdom provided they used the King’s Coin for all their transactions while within the kingdom. The king also provides permission for the Coinmasters to issue writs of credit or cheques instead of hard coins. This is preferred by merchants when making large purchases. Merchants can also apply for permission to use the common currency to purchase goods for import into the kingdom. This is granted on a per-purchase basis. Most towns have at least one Coinmaster. While there is no official rule for the exchange rate, most Coinmasters are careful not to overcharge. The few times rumors started about an overbearing Coinmaster, another would come to the area and undercut their competition. Protection for the Coinmasters is provided by the king. Interfering with the transfer of currency, collection of exchange fees, or anything relating to the flow of money under the jurisdiction of the Coinmasters is heavily punished.

Type

Guild, Merchant