Fort Aurum

The Heart of Imperial economy

Silver is the lifeblood of the Empire.

— House Ambergard motto

Fort Aurum does not tower over Ilysium like the Imperial Palace, nor does it watch over the shipyards with battlements covered in cannons like Fort Primus. Despite this, the stocky form of the steel and stone fortress does provide the people of the Empire with a certain kind of security: The knowledge that their money is safe.

Purpose

Like all of the forts on Ilysium, Fort Aurum serves two purposes. Firstly, it functions as a vault for a very large portion of the Empire's wealth. Precious metals and coins are both stashed deep inside the layers of security, backing the Empire's promises of payment to nobles, commoners and colonists alike. Secondly, it is the headquarters of House Ambergard, the noble House trusted with control of the banks of the Empire and the minting of currency.

Vaults

While the Empire's wealth largely resides in the complex network of mines and factories, the people's trust in its wealth comes from the vault of Fort Aurum. For example, if the Empire comissions a new steel mill, the owners can trust that should their venture not be profitable at first, House Avisong can pull some wealth from the vaults of Fort Aurum and keep them afloat. This is usually not needed, as the Emperor stays in power through a web of alliances and treaties with the other Noble Houses that they can tug on to shift resources, money, or influence in one way or another. However, it helps to know that doing the Empire's bidding is profitable, even if the task itself does not produce much wealth.

House Ambergard

The wealthiest noble House, and the one with the closest alliance to House Avisong, House Ambergard, uses Fort Aurum as their main base of operations. From there, several vital aspects of the Imperial economy are managed. The Imperial mint, while not located inside the fort, sends every new shipment of coins through Fort Aurum before being passed into circulation. Tariffs from goods are calculated and paid though offices inside the Fort, and anual taxes are sent there. House Ambergard has no say on the amount of money paid by citizens through taxes or tariffs, but they do enforce them, which leads to some disgruntled citizens blaming them.

Personal Banking

Fort Aurum also has a small section dedicated to smaller, more personal vaults. These range in size from shoebox safes to walk-in vaults, and are available for anyone wishing to keep their money secure. Unlike the banking clans of the Trade Union, these banking accounts are kept secure and intact, and not used to fund loans to make the bank more money.

Robberies

Fort Aurum has only ever been robbed once, by the suspected Midnight Pirate Lucile Culpit. Culpit, an Academy-trained Shadowblood, organized a fake heist where a Depths-sealed ship would sit underneath Fort Aurum and use Earthblood magic to tunnel into the main vault. This heist was discovered halfway through the operation, and while the Fort's focus was on securing the Imperial Vault, Culpit cleaned out several personal vaults.

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