File: jayose/Jayose Library: Currency Fundamentals.txt

Currency: Trading is mainly done with coins, though barter and notes of assurance are also available. A mint on the Barn produces coins for all of Yliakum. Since it's a closed society, the minters only have two jobs: repair broken coins and replace the ones that leave the octarchy or get lost somehow.

Trias are the best coins and the main currency. They are made of alloy, metals, or crystals that are resistant to corrosion and oxidation, which allows the Nolthrir to take them under water, increasing their worth as a universal currency. The crystals used can easily be found in the mines and are transparent or light green in colour. Magically forging the crystals produces a perfect triangle with rounded-off edges.

There are coins of higher denomination. The Hexa has a value of 10 Tria; it's made of another crystal mineral, light blue in colour, and has the shape of a hexagon. The red Octa is worth 50 Tria, and the gold-coloured Circle is worth 250 Tria.

Unofficial Currencies: Coins of higher value are not official because these are not made in the official mint. Instead, rich merchants who need an easier way to make big trades create them. These merchants use the silver coin, worth 500 Tria, and the platinum coin, worth 1,000 Tria. These coins are only exchanged between merchants, so it is unlikely an adventurer would encounter one, nor would a store accept one from someone not represented by a merchant syndicate. To make large trades like these using official currency, banks or craft guilds will issue notes of assurance to whoever needs them.