Project Valiant

Image by Last NYC Hero via FlickrAll coins in Kynafir are made of gold, silver, copper or some mixture. Any other coinage is from outside the realm and won’t be accepted everywhere. There is no paper money in use anywhere on Valiant. Barter is fairly common, especially in hamlets and villages with populations less than 500 people but frowned upon in cities.

The Crown is the most valuable coin in use, is round, made of solid gold and about half an inch in diameter. Most people will never handle a crown in their lives. The Sword is a pentacle, a mix of silver and gold and about 3/8ths of an inch across. 10 Swords = 1 Crown.

The Silver is made of silver (duh), oval and also about 3/8ths of an inch across. 10 Silvers = 1 Swords, 100 Silvers = 1 Crown. The Silver is the most common coin in use. The Penny is copper, circular with a hole in the middle so it can be strung on a chain and about 1/2 and inch in diameter. 10 pennies = 1 silver; 1000 pennies = 1 crown.

For conversion purposes, 1 crown = 1 gold, 1 silver = 1 silver and 1 penny = 1 copper. This also reflects the differences in economy between Kynafir and most medieval-based fantasy realms; 1 gold in Kynafir is worth alot more than 1 in Forgotten Realms and few people deal with them on a daily basis.

Primitive banks exist and if someone has foreign money, they probably go to one to exchange it before trying to spend their wealth. Little foreign money is accepted in trade in Kynafir and practically none outside the capital of Jannasberre. Banks charge 10% of the value as a fee to change money. Bankers sometimes double as royal tax collectors.

Banks are allowed to charge interest in Kynafir but commerical banking isn’t very common as double-entry accounting is unknown on Valiant. Loans made to the Royal Family must not charge interest but loans so defaulted by members outside the King’s immediate family often result in stiff penalties. The King’s immediate family never takes out a loan.

Trade fairs are fairly common, going from one town to the next as a traveling marketplace serving smaller settlements with no market of their own. They usually last 10-12 days before moving on and offer a far greater selection of goods than can be produced locally. Traders in fairs will accept barter in luxury goods only otherwise preferring cash.