Jolethai Temple of Coin
The original building of this temple to Mercantor was actually a small inn. Several merchants considered it their home away from home while there were in Jolethai. But there was a fire in 1429 SR that destroyed most of the interior and damaged the exterior. The Church of Mercantor bought the ruined building and brrought into a functional state.
The lower floor houses living quarters for the two priests living here, Brie'an Mokon and Aramira Daviidh. It also works as the first hall of worship, has a small guardhouse, and the front desk for the bank operated by the temple. The upper floor has a more prominent space for worship and an altar to sacrifice to the god. There are also several private rooms for those who wish to negotiate trade agreements. These rooms used to be part of the inn and so are quite spacious. The rooms that were too damaged in the fire have become part of the general area.
There old wine cellar has been converted into a bank vault. It has several both mechanical and magical locks to keep the contents safe. Some argue that not even the Jewel Palace is a more secure location for one's valuables. Also, the temple has a rigorous policy about never sharing any information about who might have what in the vault.
Purpose / Function
Like many temples to Mercantor, this one fulfills three different functions. It is a hall of worship, but it is also a place merchants seek out to make deals. Go make any agreement in bad faith within a temple to the god of trade is considered extremely bad luck. The temple also acts as a bank that allows for the storage of both currency and other valuables. It is possible to pay for a slip that has a magical signature intended to prevent forgery. Such a slip states that you have given a certain amount of money to the temple and allows you to withdraw the same amount of money from a temple to Mercantor in a different location if possible.
Alterations
The inn used to have six rooms on the upper floor, a large dining area on the lower. The bottom floor also had the kitchen and living spaces for the owners. The fire destroyed two rooms and much of the floor upstairs completely. Therefore the front area there is now open space for worship, while the four fack tooms have been remodelled. The lower floor has been strengthened with some new interior walls that have created a guardpost and expanded the back enough to allow both priests living quarters.
The outer walls are stone, which is why they survived the fire. But several of them cracked from the heat, which is why the upper floor has white plaster on it while the lower is mostly bare sandstone.
Tourism
Visiting the temple while travelling through Jolethai is extremely common amongst merchants. Not only is it a good idea to ask Mercantor for good prospects, but it is also a good place to meet others and make deals. This leads to a lot of traffic coming through, but there are few regular visitors. At least more regular than once every few weeks. Local merchants rarely take the time to seek out the temple. There's simply always too many other things to do. When you can go somewhere at any time, it seems less pressing to go at all.
Founding Date
1299
Alternative Names
Temple of Mercantor
Type
Temple / Church
Parent Location
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments