Economic Considerations
Theralis is intended to be a semi-plausible economy, and as such, violates many D&D precepts. The following rules-of-thumb are generally in use...
Coins In General
Theralese coins are square, with a round hole in the middle. They are usually seen in a marketplace stacked on narrow iron spikes behind or beside the merchant (and usually placed to be difficult to simply grab).
Many people use a 'coin belt' to keep their coins safe. This is, essentially, a leather strap which the coins are threaded on to, with a clever buckle array which allows you to pull coins off the thread, one at a time, without untying anything. A coin belt typically costs 5-10 chalk, depending on its quality.
Chalk
A
chalk is a thin copper coin. It fluctuates somewhat, but is usually worth a single loaf of bread in winter, or 2-3 loaves during the summer trade months. With the recent war having badly damaged the bread supply, a single loaf is currently selling for 3 chalk, an almost unheard of inflation.
A glass of good wine costs about 3-10 chalk, but something close to vinegar can be had for 1 chalk. Homebrewed beer is worth about 1 chalk per mug, but the only good beers are imports, and cost 2-5 chalk per mug.
A typical military 'outfit' costs as follows:
knee-length tunic: 6 chalk
sandals (replaced often): 2 chalk
This has led to the saying, "A soldier's worth is one coin" (see argur below).
Argur
An
argur is a silver coin, worth 8 chalk. A sizable meal for one person might cost 1 argur, while a festive meal fit for the wealthy could cost as much as 5-6 argur per person. A full bottle of good wine typically costs 3+ argur.
Krus
A
krus is a gold coin, worth 25 argur, or 200 chalk. Krus is only used by merchants, nobility, lenders and other wealthy sorts who can spend a massive lump sum in one go.
Beggar's Chits
In the city of Theralis itself, the temples have set up a system of 'chits' which citizens can buy to hand out to beggars, and which beggars can then bring in for food, sleeping accomodations, curative services, and so on. A single argur buys a hundred chits (a chalk buys 10, so argur are more efficient).
Generally, the temples take a loss on some things (such as bread for 5 chits, wooden bowl of stew for 10 chits, wooden cup of poor wine for 10 chits) and makes a profit on other things (sleeping space for 10 chits, curative services for varying prices). It mostly balances out, and is more of an advertising scheme than a money-making scheme.
Pay Scales & Labor
A manual laborer can expect to make a wage of 3 chalk per day, minimum, and more typically about 6-7 chalk per day. These are the poorest, most unskilled jobs.
A beggar can take in about 10-30 chits a day.
Mildly skilled labor typically earns about 10 chalk per day. Apprentice crafters make the same, although they are usually more skilled - this is how they "pay their dues" to join the better paid crafters.
A skilled crafter typically earns about 2 argur per day; a master crafter can make as much as 8 chalk per day. This is generally spread out over a week or month, however, in the form of individual commissions.
Artisans do not normally have a regular pay scale, but instead rely on talent, public fads, and luck to determine whether they make a sale, gain a patron, etc. Many artisans hang around the temples to Allas, hoping for inspiration or patrons, and are only discernible from beggars by their use of chalk or argur instead of chits.
Stonemasons in the city of Theralis typically earn their money on an annual basis, making a typical minimum of 2,800+ argur in a year. Stonemasonry is a highly respected craft, and its members are often leaders in the community.
The best winemakers earn money and respect similar to the stonemasons, but usually live in the country, interacting with the city from their sprawling vine fields through proxies, merchants and sons and daughters. The most skilled winetasters live in the city, and make close to the same amount, although typically a bit less.
The merchant middle class typically makes between 2,000 and 10,000 argur per year, but are given none of the respect due winemakers and stonemasons... or even that given most crafters, for that matter. A quote from one well-liked discussion of society:
"A merchant is rather like the stomach, completely necessary to the functioning of society, and providing the body politic with its basic products, but generally unnattractive, ungainly, and supported by greedy urges and the bowels."
Many merchants are also lenders, a slightly riskier but potentially more lucrative business.
.
. That dove is one bad mu/Shut Yo Mouth/I'm just talkin' bout the dove/Well all right then.
