Currencies

Throughout history, cultures have introduced their own coinage to the world, distributed along their trade routes and the tracks of adventurers. Across the Northern Arm, coins and other currency from the Labarean Empire is most widespread these days, but the Kingdom of Laeryll and The Porcupine also mints coins, as do the various groups in Zhai. As each of them is embedded in a trade network, their coinage can -- to various degrees -- be found across the subcontinent. Added to those are coins from fallen empires and kingdoms. These ancient coins can have value beyond their material worth, as historians and collectors have a special interest in these relics from the past.

Northern Arm

Labarean Empire

The Labareans put much effort into standardizing the weight, size and details of their coinage, in order to avoid forgery. Certified bankers of the Imperial Bank use a variety of tools and procedures to ascertain the authenticity of any Labarean coin. Trading bars are also standardized in size and weight, minted by the Imperial Trading Company (ITC).

Regular coinage

• Eye: a copper, round coin showing a centered Eye of Dorgoth, with a hole in the middle of the eye.
• Jalyxx (or Jal): a pentagonal silver coin showing the portrait of Jalyxx II
• Dragon: a rounded gold coin showing a detailed depiction of Taedyrion

Trading currency

For those looking for high denominations, the Imperial Trading Company issues special currency.

• Trading Star: a star-shaped platinum coin with embedded zholtan (worth 25 gp)
• Gem Plate: a large disc with embedded gems (worth 50 gp)
• Trade Gold: a 2 kg gold bar (worth 220 gp) carrying the insignia of the ITC

Miscellaneous

• The successful occupation of Silimanis brought the Labareans to mint a gold coin depicting the iconic White Temple.

Kingdom of Laeryll

The economy of the Kingdom of Laeryll is complex: while Qosid is mostly a gift economy and Dathyll a market economy, the other Northern Arm provinces of the kingdom hardly engage in trade, with the exception of the Lords in Pothael. Shyfayll knows mostly barter, although money is used to some extent. The province Barael on the Southern Arm, finally, is embedded within the economy of The Porcupine.
This means that the coins of the Kingdom of Laeryll are mostly relevant to Dathyll, Pothael and, to a much lesser extent Qosid. In the past, coins that were used were elaborate pieces of art in their own right. It was claimed this was at least partly done to show the rest of the world the sophistication and refinement of elven culture. There was no such thing as an elven coin of low value in the eyes of the outside world. Yet during the the Great Debasement, these sophisticated coins were replaced with more common coinage.

Regular coinage

The coins of the Kingdom of Laeryll are minted by the Royal Smithy of Laeryll. While the old coins were standardized, each coin was an individual work of art -- depictions and colors could vary per coin. This is not the case for the new currency.
The old currency consisted of:

• Forest Owl: a gold round coin with inlaid gems depicting a colored owl
• Rainbow: a coin made of an array of metals brought together in concentric circles and showing the colors of the rainbow
• Starcoin: a round, silver coin adorned with intricate star patterns

These coins were used amongst elves, and for them the Starcoin was roughly comparable with 1 silver piece, while the Forest Owl equaled 3 gold pieces. Subjects of the kingdom were not allowed to trade such coins with foreigners to avoid rampant deflation. For such trade, Labarean currency was the go-to form. Of course, the elven coins were hoarded by some merchants for illegal trading.
In 904 LC, Olyxx the Young introduced a new currency system.

Description coin	Value (in Labarean currency)
A copper coin with the portrait of Bothandal the Crafter	1 copper piece
A silver coin with a picture of a bird's nest	1 silver piece
A gold coin with the portrait of Olyxx the Young	1 gold piece
A platinum coin with the portrait of Ceanna the Wise	30 gold pieces