Economy
"Slavery is a nasty word, I prefer Goblin volunteers." -Sir Christophe Columb, ancient explorer who 'discovered' Archtun.
Monetary gain is the marrow of survival in Everwealth, though for most, coin is a luxury too scarce to count on. The majority of folk till their own soil or hunt their own supper, not out of pride but necessity, lest their bellies gnaw them hollow. Scholars, with their love of tidy definitions, brand the system Capitalism, “an order wherein private men rule over trade and craft for profit.” In practice, it means the Crown fattens itself by taxing every profit, wage, and indulgence imaginable, be it a sack of flour, a tankard of ale, or the audacity of loitering in the wrong square. Yet The Monarchy, so long as its dues are paid, lays a surprisingly loose hand on the marketplace. A woman may hawk talismans carved from bone, a smith may sell muskets at cutthroat prices, and a charlatan may peddle snake-oil as miracle cure, so long as the King’s collectors see their share. For the fortunate few with purses lined in Capras, life is gilded, their pantries brim, their beds are warm, and they may buy protection from both marauders and magistrates. For the desperate, paths are bleaker. Some scour the woodlands for relics cast off by the exiled Elfese lords, treasures left behind in their flight from these lands amid The Great Schism, rich enough to fetch a fortune, if one survives the beasts that guard them. Others turn thief, preying upon fellow folk’s purses, risking the rope and the gallows’ short mercy when caught. The wiser many, however, resign themselves to endless, back-breaking toil, clinging to whatever work might be found. Better blistered hands than no hands at all.
Currency
Capras, the backbone of the economy, these golden coins inscribed with the image of a ram's horn on one side and a ram's hoof on the other are the standard form of currency on Everwealth. Capras come in more than the gilded form of legend. The Crown mints four common denominations, Gold Capras (pure gilt, reserved for large estates and nobles), Silver Capras (trade coin for merchants and mid-tier wages), Bronze Capras (small change for craftsmen and market purchases), and Copper Capras (the lowly penny of the realm). All four are identical in size and weight so foreign hands cannot cheat by gauge; Their metal and edge-stamping denote value. The official conversion used by clerks and tavern-keepers is simple and brutal: 1 Gold = 100 Silver, 1 Silver = 10 Bronze, 1 Bronze = 5 Copper. A common night’s drink in a decent inn costs one to two Copper Capras, enough to numb a man’s hunger for an evening but not to fill his belly for a week, while a single Silver will buy a day’s wages for many laborers and a Gold will buy a house’s annual tithe in a poor village. Capras, then, measure more than wealth; They measure what you will trade to live another day.
Income and Wealth
The northernmost of the three lands, is considered to be the most economically stable among them, dozens if not hundreds of varying markets fill the cities and line the roads, though this specific abundance does not come without issues. While the free market provides the government with steady income from Taxation and Tithes of it's many businesses, these expenses now steadily rising to fund the war effort, coupled with dense competition often sees many businesses struggling to get by, "sailing on a sinking ship" as it were, if not forced to close up shop for good from the economic strain. The common citizen is also victim to similar circumstances, taxes on their wages and the disproportionately large density of the population compared to the scarce amount of available work has forced many into a beggar's shoes or into a life of crime just to survive. Trade and Resources
Everwealth, collectively, possesses many coveted resources neighboring and distant nations alike are more than willing to pay Everwealth's costly tariff fees to get. Over half of Kathar is absent of drinkable water for instance, having to send for it by Everwealth trade caravans from places like Lough Icewind. Fertile soils from the plains shipped to the western desert islands of Jiebach, Dwarfish firearms and precision implements few others can craft, right down to the mounds of clay pulled from the Valley of Scars. While there are a great many resources the Government has at it's disposal, most citizens of the country will likely have to dedicate a 6 months journey through dangerous, unguarded woodland roads to get something, the country's scattered resources gladly shipped and transported hundreds of miles if the government profits from doing so but... not so much otherwise.
"Horns or Hooves? Call it."
-The Everwealthy Capra.
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