IOU Shells

"This string says you owe me five wartarak."

— A siren to another

Sometimes, people find a long string tied to different kinds of seashells washed up on the shore. Humans have long wondered what these are for. They're definitely made by someone, and probably means something, right?

The reality is that they are a type of pretty common records made by the sirens.

Purpose

The real purpose of these strings is to keep track of what someone owes someone else. In the start of the string there's an item that identifies the one that owes the things to the owner of the string, and at the other end of the string there is an item to identify who the items is owed to. Between these ends there are shells representing the items that are owed. Most standard trade items are represented by their own type of seashell or snail shell, and the number of each shell correlate with the number of that item that is owed.

The string is kept in the possession of the persom who is owed the items. If the string is misplaced or lost, the one who is owing the items isn't lawfully obliged to pay them back until the string is found again. However, although it's not required, most sirens will replace the lost string with a new one of the same value. The public etiquette wavers between seeing the person who lost it as not orderly and judging the ones who won't replace a lost string.

Document Structure

Legal status

The IOU shells are considered legal documents by law, and any attempt to cheat by adding more shells or otherwise tampering with the string to alter the value is a reason for fines or other legal punishment.

Medium

Organic