Currency

On Nalan, the standard currency used by nearly all people, both within The Empire and in the few lands which still remain out of its reach, is the Sun. The coin is made of an almost paper thin sheet of Essence, and is in the shape of a highly stylized sun, with curling rays leaving the central round piece of the coin.
In order to create smaller denomination of currency, the Sun is physically broken in half. Since it is constructed of essence, any two halves of any two coins can be pressed together, joining seamlessly to each other. A sun is designed purposefully to split in three different ways, creating a total of four denominations:

• A full Sun, often just called a Sun, is the highest denomination of currency. For reference, an average monthly salary is usually around 25-30 Suns.
• A half Sun, formed by snapping a coin in two, is worth exactly half of a full Sun
• A quarter Sun, often referred to as a quarter, is as you would expect worth a quarter of a full Sun.
• The final denomination of currency is a Clip (technically called an eighth) and is made by snapping a quarter. It is used only for the smallest transactions, such as a int of ale, or maybe some cheese.

As well as their ability to snap and reconnect seamlessly to each other, almost all Suns glow slightly, depending on their value:

• A clip gives off no light, at least not enough to be picked up by normal eyes.
• A quarter gives off enough light to glow faintly in the dark, but only enough to roughly make out its outline
• A half sun has roughly enough light to illuminate your hand if you were to hold one in a dark room
• A full sun gives off roughly the same glow as a small candle

While no single coin gives off a huge amount of light, even a moderately sized coin pouch, if used correctly, contains enough sunlight to be used as effectively as a lantern. In fact, in wealthier households, lanterns and torch sconces are instead filled with coins, as they give off a much more stable light than a flame.

Weight

Since the coins are only as thin as a sheet of paper, they weigh around 10 grams.

Dimensions

40mm