Trade and Currency

Markets in Elyndorath do not exist apart from the world around them. Goods must be grown, gathered, made, stored, carried, guarded, and sold, and their value can change with scarcity, quality, distance, season, danger, taxation, war, and the reliability of roads and ports. Money is likewise not a universal abstraction. A coin, note, weight of metal, promise of credit, or other medium is accepted because someone trusts its issuer, its material, its law, or the people willing to honor it. Different regions may therefore prefer different currencies or forms of exchange, and confidence can strengthen or weaken with politics, debt, fraud, failed institutions, or disrupted trade. Commerce is part of civic life: it depends upon production, transport, information, law, and trust.