In modern Caelon and the surrounding areas, economies are run on many different mints of coins, some of them more prominent than others. Prior to the downfall of the Torian Empire in the White Walled City, the currency of Caelon was controlled by the Liquidus Mint, a centralized organization which was part of the Torian government that printed all the coins that were circulated throughout the City and eventually the settlements of Caelon. After the Warathi Conquest began, the Torian coin saw an immediate loss of power and influence, with many other kingdoms opting to mint their own currency after that point. As a result, most cities now have exchanges where travelers can trade currencies for one another. Below is an overview of the coins of Caelon.
The Torian Sacramentius
Prior to the Downfall of Man, it is known that a multitude of currencies were in circulation alongside the Torian Sacramentius, as many other holds attempted to rival the superiority of the Torian capital. After civilization was destroyed, only one currency base survived. However, the currency has gone through several notable changes in its extensive history.
The sudden loss of all trading partners due to the events of The Fall caused an immediate and severe economic crash that resulted in decades of instability for the denizens of the White Walled City. Wealthy people who owned large holdings in foreign capital suddenly saw huge portions of their estate disappear in value overnight. The resulting shake-up in the socioeconomic structure saw the fall of major esteemed Houses, making room for traditionally smaller Houses with large holdings of the Torian Sacramentius coins to rise to prosperity.
This eventually led to a problem with inflation as the wealthy families who lost the most attempted to push their influence upon the Liquidus Mint. The biggest issue facing the large holders of foreign currency was that many of the other rival nations had transitioned to promissory notes, as most of the actual precious metals were held in vaults across the land. Struggling to retain control of their status, they turned to blackmail and threats which worked to an extent. Additional coins were minted for a time, until the illegal operations were discovered. Ultimately, this led to a massive crackdown on those involved, even in the highest branches of the government.
Once the dust was settled, laws were passed to prevent this kind of corruption. However, the damage had already been done and ultimately this would force the financial machine to issue capital recalls to print new coins, replacing the existing values at nearly 100 to 1 from the old to new coinage. This would prove successful in stabilizing the economy for a long period of time. During the Third Age, there were two other cases where the natural inflation underwent similar new mintings.
The modern Torian Sacramentius was established after the capital was relocated to Torium, creating a new Office of Liquidus.
Aside from Torium, the major holds that use the Sacramentius as the primary form of currency are Gorzova, Becio and Alestino. The currency is also commonly traded in Northern Caelon, wherever the Torian Church still has a presence. However, only those four holds use it as their national currency.
The Warathi Dalmach
Once the Warathi Empire rose to power, they began using a new coinage made of silver, rather than the gold used by the Torians. In fact, gold is considered an intrinsically evil metal to the Warathi culture due to its association with what they refer to as wealthy, corrupt heretics that sat in the Torian Council after the First Son disappeared. A combination of superstition and disdain for the government which they overthrew caused them to reject everything about the Torian culture, right down to the metal in their coins.
The Dalmach currency is only printed with the words of Emperor Wa’rath on them – “Akhdamu al’ilh Alhaqu” (“I serve the True God”), as imagery of any kind is considered idolatry in Warathi culture. Dalmach is traded all throughout the Warathi Empire, a single currency for the southern half of Caelon. They maintain a healthy trading relationship with the Saibhrean Isles as well, as typically the trading holds there are more than willing to trade in the Warathi currency.
Saibhrean Gealladh
Modeled after an earlier form of the Torian Sacramentius, the coin of the Saibhrean Isles is typically made of copper. Because of the tremendous success of the traders of the Saibhrean Isles, the coin is undoubtedly the most widely accepted coin throughout the region. Oftentimes, the Saibhrean Gealladh acts as an intermediary coin for large third party transactions between wealthy Torian and Warathi merchants.
The Gealladh officially only serves as the primary currency for the holds of the Saibhrean Isles and Penderona on Caelon. The coin traditionally has the image of a large ship on them.
Coins of the North
There are other coins that are in circulation in the North of Caelon. Because of how disjointed the Torian presence became after the Warathi Conquest, many of the Northern Holds started minting their own currencies.
In Olenos, they trade with the currency called Cisnes, and they bear the sign of the Swan, the sigil of the Royal Family of Olenos.
In Vestilla, the coins are called Montañeros, as they are mined and refined in the mountains that host the kingdom of Vestilla. On one side, they have the image of the peaks of the mountains
In Caslin, the coins are known as Reinas, after Queen Casli, the founding matriarch of the kingdom whose image is carved into the coin.
Gelgadongo does not have an official coinage, but willingly accepts any of the coins listed above with the exception of the Warathi Dalmach. The largest coin exchange on Caelon resides in Gelgadongo as a result.
