(Setting) Currency

In Svalpana, the currency which all value is compared to is the gold piece, notated as 'G'. There are additional elements to the system, however. The types of money officially recognized by the Grand Council are the copper piece (C), the silver piece (S), the gold piece (G), the platinum piece (P), and the diamond piece (D). The currency exchange rate is simple:
1D=100P=10000G=100000S=1000000C
The 'common' currencies, gold, silver, and copper, have a similar exchange rate, with 10C being worth 1S, and 10S being worth 1G. However, on the higher end of things, 1P is worth 100G, and 1D is worth 100P. This is to make huge transactions easier.


The standard design of any one of these pieces except the diamond is the same: a disc one inch in diameter and 1/8 of an inch thick, made of pure metal. Diamonds are cut in a square instead of a disc, but the measurements are the same. In high class-stores in large cities, only government currency, which is stamped on both sides with the insignia of the Grand Council, is accepted. Most everywhere else, any coin of the correct size is accepted.


To give a feel for the value of each of these pieces, here are some purchases involving each. An apple is worth about 2C. A cooking pan is worth 5S. A set of chain mail is worth 40G. A small chariot is worth 5P. An airship is worth in the neighborhood of 8D.


In the Wilderness, the concept of currency is basically non-existent. In the Underworld, anything that shines is treated as valuable, and substance doesn't matter as much as size. In Svalpana, the two types of currency that are not legally recognized but still used are the outsider azure crystal, colloquially known as 'az' (pronounced like measure), an ounce of which is worth around 10G to outsiders and less to others, and the Faux wooden piece, the Férnen, which is worth about the same as a gold piece to Faux and Sylphs, and also signifies trust.