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This page covers the currencies most dominant across the world. While most countries still have a high degree of barter trade, the globalized market means that a wide range of currencies circulate the global market. The currency of the Regalian Empire, the Crown, is the most commonly used, so most of this article will cover lore concerning this currency. However, other currencies will also be discussed. It is important to understand the differences among the currencies used in Lore, on the Server (OOC), and in the MassiveCraft Shop. The currency used on the server (Regals) is inspired in naming by the Regalian Crown, but not the same. The Regal is used to pay for OOC services rendered, for players to buy and sell items, and to buy server-provided services like rental regions. The Crown is an esoteric currency used solely in roleplay and how much each character owns is not strictly monitored. We do, however, recognize a distinction between "wealthy" and "common.” Some Mechanics might allow you to claim that you are wealthy, but the default state of a non-Noble non-Aristocrat Character is that they are just "common,” meaning they can afford to live comfortably in Regalia. It is up to players if they want to play impoverished characters, and this is encouraged for slum or sewers-focused players.
The Regalian Crown
The Crown, or Regalian Crown, is the international currency used by the Regalian Empire, its subjects, and even some nations outside of the Empire who do not have official approval to use the coin but do so anyway. In colloquial usage, the currency is sometimes referred to as the Regal or Regalian but its official name is the Crown. All government institutions are required to use the name Crown or Crowns. The Crown was initially made of pure silver, but the silver crash of 251 AC, driven by the reduced interest in Ithania and an influx of smuggled silver from Arlora and Torse, weakened the currency. The government had tied the currency’s value to the weight of silver. During the financial reforms of 263 AC, the silver Crown was recalled (a process still not complete to this day), and the existing coins were re-minted into the gold-plated Regal instead. Incidentally, this is why it is hard to find Crowns that depict Emperors before Vilgemar (the Emperor at the time of the re-minting), as they are only featured on pure silver coins and considered collectibles.
The Crown maintains a notably stable value in the international market due to the aggressive military and economic tactics employed by the Regalian Empire to support its currency’s value. To do any trade in the Regalian federation, a foreign nation must sign several agreements called the Naval Acts, and one of the agreements stipulates the usage of the Crown as a national currency. This means that these foreign nations must buy in stocks of Crowns to buy anything from the Regalian common market, thereby stabilizing its value with a continuous influx of that currency into Regalia. If the value of the Crown rises too far, the Regalian government often dumps stocks of resources and tools onto the market to decrease supply shortages and push down prices, or impose a price ceiling. Currently, only one good exists that has a price ceiling: bread. A loaf of bread, no matter the make, may never exceed 3 Crowns within Regalian territory. This fixed price was put in place over a century ago from the modern day.
The Crown is the only legal currency in the Regalian Empire and its federated subjects and suzerains. This includes a list of the following nations:
- Regalia and all federally controlled territories.
- The feudal state subjects of the Archipelago.
- Ithania and its sphere nations of Lusits, Perrionne.
- Aetosil, the Silerian chain, and associated nations like Arvosil, and Solacil.
- Aioránia and its constituent nations of the Western Cities, Landfall, Basqon, and Frontierra.
- The Southwynd nations such as Whitslea, Moorwich, Dunden, Ashaven, Myre, Hvalba, etc.
- Recently subjugated nations, like Ruttswyn, Torse, Arlora, Serman, etc.
- Hadar, which also uses its own currency. See further information below.
- Nordskag and its influenced subject Middeskag, even if Middeskag is not part of the Empire.
The following nations use the Crown currency with the approval of the Regalian Empire due to diplomatic agreements or the Naval Acts.
- Drowda Sihndar use the Crown, but only when purchasing goods from abroad. This currency is valueless in their land.
- Ennehaven, Hedryll, and the Olmaan Nelfin Republic have signed the Naval Acts and thus use the Crown as currency.
The following nations are not allowed to use the Crown as currency but do so anyway, and Regalia has not acted to correct this.
- Dorkarth uses the Crown because this nation steals and smuggles out of the Regalian Empire. However, all of their Crowns have the eyes of the Emperor crossed out. This is how one can recognize a Dorkarthi Crown that has, at some point, exchanged hands with Vampires in Regalia.
- Al-Alus uses the Crown but doesn't have any formal agreements with the Regalian Empire. It is used for convenience, as many of the Academies across the world trade with Crowns, and because they already follow Unionism, Regalia's state religion, and trade frequently with Regalia. The Regalian Empire believes it is more beneficial to treat Al-Alus as a condoned ally than to force repressive Naval Acts on it.
- Amontaar has dual currencies of the Regalian Crown and the Allorn Thaler but has not signed any Naval Acts with the Regalian Empire. Regalia deems it appropriate to grant this diplomatic privilege to Amontaar due to its important political position between Empires.
Other Currencies
Allorn Thaler
Another prominent currency of the world is the Allorn Thaler, used in all major Elven nations in the sphere of the Allorn Empire and the Suvial Princedoms (which also deal in dual currencies). The Allorn Thaler is long and rectangular as opposed to round and is collected in Regalia as a curiosity. It has no actual monetary value beyond the silver and Vasaril metal that it is minted with.
Hammon Siloc
The Hammon Siloc is a currency used only in Bel Sin Silaan and Bel Hammon and Minoor Leria, to a lesser degree, when trade is desirable with the former two nations. (Keep in mind that currency is forbidden locally among Minoor Leria.) The Hammon Siloc is shaped like square tablets with glowing azure, cut crystals the size of regular coins. What is notable about them is that each coin is produced in a particular magical ceremony that makes every cut coin immune to magical interference. The Hammon Siloc is the only currency in the world that has strong magical wards placed on it to prevent magical manipulation. Even the visage of the coin itself causes magical obfuscation. Some claim this is because the Bel Hammon Mages enslaved a Demon Duke to perpetually curse anyone who attempts to magically create more Hammon Siloc coins.
Hadar Kuning
The Hadar Kuning is an intricate, thin brass tablet painted yellow, about the size of a grown person's hand. The Hadar Kuning has a rough value of about 50 Regalian Crowns, but it is not used as a day-to-day currency. Rather, it is used exclusively in the trade of alchemical ingredients and concoctions within the Hadar region and, to a lesser degree, in Regalia itself among Allar merchants and apothecaries. The Hadar Kuning merges currency and monetary checks, functioning more like a promissory note that can be cashed at Hadar banks for Crowns.
Ithanian Livre
The Ithanian Livre is now a largely extinct currency because it was fully subsumed by the Crown. The Livre was shaped like a solid golden leaf with the year count printed on it in Elven numerals. The currency is still collected by coin collectors to this day, but most Livres were molten down to cover the gold plating of Crowns.
Velheim Coinage
Velheim Coinage is not recognized as an official international currency because of its extreme variances in appearance and use. Colloquially, it is referred to as Nordgelt and is predominantly made out of silver, but it can be minted out of gold or bronze in a variety of sizes. Velheim Coinage is often recognized by the distinct hole in the middle of the coins, allowing them to be worn on a chain. Note that this is an illegal practice in Regalia as it would involve punching a hole in the Emperor’s face. Velheim Coinage does not have value in the coin. Rather, the weight of the coin is measured on a scale to peg the value to the weight of silver. This means that the value of a Velheim coin might differ among the Velheim states. Middeskag still uses the Velheim Coins but Nordskag does not, nor does Hvalba. Velheim Coinage often has depictions of plants or animals on them, and are notable for their poor minting quality, as they often wear and tear or break altogether. Despite this, Velheim Coins are still found all over, often from hoards left hundreds of years ago in shallow graves or dug into the ground on a beach.
Sheng Qián
The Sheng Empire and Zhong Kingdoms maintain a variety of currencies that have rough equivalent values or exchange values that may differ from place to place. The Sheng Qián is the most common currency, but it is limited. Only Imperial minters in the Sheng Empire can mint it, so any Zhong Kingdom attempting to create its own mint would violate Imperial decrees. The Sheng Empire has not been heard from in decades, so no new shipments of Sheng Qián to replace damaged or lost currency have been sent. Because of this, there is a fixed amount of coins in rotation. The Sheng Qián coin is spade-shaped instead of round and sometimes has square holes in them, though they have no distinguishing features beyond the name of the Emperor ruling during the year it was printed. Other forms of currency used in the Zhong Kingdoms are: gold-plated cowrie shells, Qing Gu knife-shaped and intricately carved jade coins, and Gu bì, which are golden nuggets that all weigh roughly the same but are cast into unpolished and roughly cast cubes resembling molars when held in one's hand. Most of the Zhong Kingdom locals, however, barter with rice, grain, and meat products.
Suvial Poliulok
While the Suvial Princedoms mostly use the Allorn Thaler, they have a secondary local currency called the Suvial Poliulok, which is particularly popular among those who deal with Demons due to its very unique properties. The Suvial Poliulok is not natively minted in Aloria, but in the Abyss from metals native to that world, and brought to Aloria on the backs of pack mule Demons who serve the Dukes that the Suvial Princes have made bargains with. This currency has a particularly high value to Demons who ordinarily have no interest in the monetary systems of Aloria, outside of the opulent appearance of gold, because this currency can withstand the Veil boundary between worlds. In essence, each coin functions like a Veilwalker, and an entire economy has sprung up around this currency in both the Abyss, where it is used to pay for the experiences of excess, and the Anima, where whole cities operate on this currency. This currency does not have a fixed appearance, as it is perceived differently by each individual. The Poliulok currency resembles regular coins, but its color, texture, imprint, and shapes vary from person to person. This variability is believed to create a connection to the individual’s mind and evoke a desire to spend and make purchases. For many non-Suvial, the Poliulok can be an intriguing collectible, but it requires strong anti-Magic wards for protection, as it embodies retail therapy in a very undesirable form.
Kathar Jarohk
The Kathar economy is the only one in the world that runs exclusively on paper money not backed or supported by any coinage, though raw weight in gold and even plundered coins do occasionally get used as bartering tools. The Jarohk currency is printed on thin tree pulp paper which has intricate patterns made out of the Jarro dye, which grant these patterns a faint red glow on yellowish paper. The Jarohk is immune to tampering, because each batch of bills has enchantments placed on them that allow Kathar bankers to read magical signatures, and these signatures are so precise, that it is impossible to fabricate one, meaning the Kathar economy is generally very secure against economic sabotage with Magic.
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