Flame & Fortune: The Economy of Ironspire
🔥 The Embermint and the Empire’s Currency
Primary Currency: Embermarks (Ɇ)
- Symbol: Ɇ
- Slang: “Sparks”
- Standard coin forged from ignotite, faintly glowing
Sub-Units:
- Cinders: Ɇ0.01 – Tin-brass coins for daily street use
- Halfmark: Ɇ0.50 – Dull bronze, mid-tier transactions
- Embermark: Ɇ1.00 – Glowing ignotite standard coin
- Halfflame: Ɇ5.00 – Silver alloy with ember rune, rarer coin
- Flame: Ɇ10.00 – Platinum with molten inlay, elite currency
Alternate option:
- Halfember / Ember – A more grounded, trade-centric naming variant
Lore Notes:
- Flames are minted only during a Sovereign’s Rite of Kindling.
- Embers bear the Sovereign’s personal flame crest; forgeries are high treason.
🏦 Banking Facilities & Roles
The Embermint
- Located beneath the Ember Throne in Ironspire
- Oversees minting, currency integrity, fiscal law enforcement
- Guarded by Forged elites and ancient Brass Wyrm automatons
- Run by the High Flamekeeper of Coin, who answers only to the Sovereign
Banking Establishments:
| Institution | Role | Manager Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flamevaults | Imperial banks | Vaultmaster | Secure banks for noble wealth, large contracts, high-level deposits, and treasury bonds. Lavish, magically warded. Only Flamevaults may handle Flame or Ember-level coins. |
| Coinhalls | Local & guild banks | Coinwarden | Handle trade accounts, wages, small loans, and tax-withholding. Operated by guilds or noble franchises. Can handle Cinder, Halfmark, and Embermark denominations. |
| Ledgerhouses | Property & deed registries | Quillwarden | Houses legal titles, magical tokens, debt ledgers, and guild bonds. Used by the Office of Holdings & Transfers. |
| Scrip Exchanges | Currency conversion hubs | Binder of Notes | Facilitates the conversion of black market scrip or foreign coinage into recognized Ironspire currency. Often closely watched. |
| Vault Caches | Rural or undercity storage points | Cachekeeper | Smaller, hidden deposit points for rural communities or denizens of Tidefall/Lowreach. Used to avoid urban Flamevault scrutiny. |
Supporting Roles:
- Brass Ledgerist: Apprentice banker or clerk
- Flamesigners: High-clearance contract authorizers who wield Emberbind seals
📝 Currency Laws
- Flameforging is Treason
- Counterfeiting Flames or Embers results in branding and Condemnation to the Crucible
- Guild Tithe Compliance Act
- All licensed guilds must pay 7% monthly to the Embermint
- Personal Holdings Threshold
- Physical coin amounts exceeding Ɇ1000 must be declared to Burnscribes upon request
- Scrip Validation Law
- Syndicate notes, Blood Bonds, and other non-imperial currencies must be exchanged at an authorized Coinhall
- The Emberbinding Edict
- All high-value or magical contracts must be sealed with an Emberbind — a rune-bound mark linking the deal to the Embermint
💰 The Tax System
Collection Offices & Titles
| Region/Domain | Office Name | Collector Title | Description |
| Urban | Ember Levy Office | Burnscribe | Oversees residency taxes, income verification, and enforcement inside cities |
| Marketplaces | Office of Trade Dues | Coin Tallyman | Collects stall fees, merchant permits, and product-based trade levies |
| Docks | Port Revenue Authority | Dockscale | Enforces docking taxes, import/export tariffs, and cargo assessments |
| Noble Estates | Embermint Liaison Court | Charter Auditor | High-clearance auditor for noble taxes and Emberbind enforcement |
| Rural Lands | Field Crown Office | Ash Assessor | Handles crop levies, livestock assessments, and land-based tribute |
Standard Taxes:
- Guild Tithe: 7% gross revenue from licensed guilds
- Residency Tax: Ɇ50 per citizen annually
- Docking Tax: Ɇ5–Ɇ50 depending on ship class
- Market Stall Levy: Ɇ10 per week
- High Income Surcharge: 12% on monthly income exceeding Ɇ2000
🎲 Gambling: Legal & Black Ledger
Legal Gambling: The Crucible Games
- Overseen by: Ember Games Authority (EGA)
- Operated by: Wagerlords of the Flame
- Bets made in sanctioned scrip or Embermarks
- Proceeds fund Crucible facilities and Embermint surplus
Illegal Gambling: Black Ledger Circuits
- Run by: The Irontide Syndicate, vampires, pitlords
- Base: Mirrorvaults
- Overseen by: The Shadewager Court
- Roles:
- Whispercounters: Bookies and odds-makers
- Crucible Shadows: Fight runners, bounty collectors
- Pitlords: Owners of illegal dens
“Bet in the Crucible, and you risk your Flame. Bet in the Shade, and you risk your soul.”
Grey Market Crossover:
- Some Coinhalls secretly run both legal and illegal ledgers
- Embermint inspectors have raided dens, but bribery remains rampant
- Nobles often fund Mirrorvaults anonymously to manipulate Crucible odds
💼 Future Add-ons
- Uniform & badge sets for Burnscribes, Dockscales, and Coin Tallymen
- Sample tax receipt props and forged fight betting slips
- Emberbind contract templates for major RP interactions
- Mirrorvault layouts and Whispercounter betting ledgers
- Coin visuals, minting stamps, and enchanted ledger designs
In Ironspire, flame is currency. Fortune is power. And the Crucible remembers everything.