Coins in Dragon Pass

From: Jeff Richard <RichJ_at_foster.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 10:23:29 -0800


David, the Heroquest book gives the following names for the silver coin in usage in Dragon Pass - silver, crown, lunar, guilder, penny, sovereign, and so on. All these coins appear to have a pretty standard weight - probably from trade practice. Here are my assumptions as to who uses what coins:

Lunar - obviously this is the silver coin minted by the Empire. Most likely it is minted to pay Lunar soldiers and might be more common in the Provinces than in the Heartlands. Stamped with images of the Emperor and the Goddess (on the reverse).

Sovereign - this was the coin minted by the princes of Sartar. It is stamped with an image of the ruling prince.

Guilder - coin minted in Holy Country and accepted as legal weight by the guilds of the Holy Country. Guilds are not a western concept but are an Orlanthi adaptation to urban life and probably originated in Esrolia or Heortland. Guilds substitute for the extended kinship bonds in a clan, providing status, mutual aid and protection. A guilder is stamped with a symbol of the guild responsible for the minting.

Crown - coin minted by the kings of Heortland. Stamped with a crown.

Penny, Silver - general terms used for silver coin, regardless of issue. The penny weight might date back to the Imperial Age and might have been the weight used by the Jrusteli.

However, most folk in Dragon Pass probably don't use currency and rely on bartering or on measured weights of silver. The flood of Imperial lunars that has followed in the wake of the Lunar occupation means that the lunar is probably by far the most commonly encountered coin.

Just a few thoughts.

Jeff


Powered by hypermail