Kanodite Coinage

^{Sunfall

Culture, Society and Laws

Kanodite Coinage}

It pays well - ten spears a day! Why work all day for half that when I only need to slip a few things in and out of the city a couple of times a week?
— A smuggler explaining their trade

Coins of the Kanodite Empire were issued from 285-280BSF until the collapse of the Empire in 6ASF. The first coin minted by the Kanodites was the golden Daruk followed by the silver Saat which was created to fund the expansion of the early Empire. The currency was so widespread at the collapse of the empire that many of the successor kingdoms continue to use the Daruks as their gold standard.

Minting

The coins used throughout the Kanodite Empire were minted solely in two locations. This was done in part to control the production of the coinage, in terms of purity and number, and to make sure that the currency was minted securely. Each mint was protected by an imperial detachment to ward off would-be thieves and was placed within the imperial heartland to avoid sacking by foreign armies and navies.

Once you've jumped a Delkhan, make sure to slit their wrists. They bleed gold. I bet they piss it too.
— A suspected thief speaking to a disguised member of the Delkhans

The majority of the coins were minted at Khomedasht with a smaller mint at the second imperial capital of Hidayer. The Imperial Treasury, based in Khomedasht housed most of the imperial coffers and the Delkhans, the men tasked with transporting the coinage and protecting the treasuries on behalf of the king. The Delkhans were afforded a high place in Kanodite society. Even waylaying a member of the Delkhans without official justification was a capital offence.

Daruks, Saats and Hastids

The need for a large mercenary force in the early empire meant that the Kanodites were required to have a simple method of paying their soldiers. To this end, a standardised coinage was minted from 285-280BSF exclusively for military purposes - the Daruks and Saats. The exchange rate was 20 Saats to one Daruk. Other local coins were still kept in circulation in the early empire to support commerce. As the reliance on mercenary forces dwindled, the coinage was made available for commercial usage and replaced the barter system for larger transactions. The purity of the Kanodite coinage saw it regularly used by foreign militaries, particularly by the Samadics who lacked access to as much gold as the Kanodites.

_{Kanodite bimetallic equivalence: 1 gold Daruk was equivalent in value to 20 silver Saats.}

The Daruks were minted out of high-purity gold (between 96-97%). The purity remained consistent until the dwindling days of the Kanodite Empire. On the obverse of the coin was an image of a horseman. The reverse was stamped with the image of the reigning king. One Daruk represented the daily salary of one soldier or a skilled worker.

The Saats were minted out of high-purity silver (between 94-96%). Unlike the Daruks, the purity fluctuated slightly during its circulation reaching a low of 70%. The front of the coin was stamped with the image of a spearman and on the reverse was the image of the reigning king. 10 Saats was the daily salary of a juror and five Saats would pay the salary of an unskilled worker for the day.

A Hastid was not a coin but a measurement of value - a Hastid indicated 100 Daruks. One Hastid could pay the salary of a trireme crew. Between two to four Hastids could build a trireme. Most normal people would never see Hastid worth of coins in their lives, let alone discuss a purchase in Hastids.