The Great Gold Bank

"The greatest fortress in Thripia protects not men, but ichor; the greatest temple worships not gods, but gold. So you see, it is in these things that the city's true devotion lies."

— Parius o Daelys

One of the most important institutions in Thripia is the Great Gold Bank or, simply, the Bank. It is a prominent building beneath which is a massive underground complex filled with chambers and catacombs. Originally an ancient crypt, it was later re-purposed by a guild for use as a bank. It has many purposes such as its storage of ichor as a backing for Thripia's currency the sungold, production of said currency and as a place where traders may convert foreign coinage; this as well as deposits and withdrawals for the city.

Appearance

From the surface, the Great Gold Bank is a square, ornate building made of sandstone with a columns at all sides, particularly the entrance, and a central circular chamber with a domed roof colored gold. Within, bank officials known as keepers sit at stone desks along the walls with scrolls and accounts of past transactions. Customers queue to be served. Other rooms off the main building are used for storage of more trivial items or as private meeting rooms with guilds and other powerful groups. The innermost circular chamber is locked and entry is forbidden to everyone other than keepers and special designated visitors. There, a large staircase descends underground. A labyrinth of catacombs and chambers stretches outwards from this point. The further out from the stairwell, the more decrepit and ruinous the passageways become. There, in rooms sealed behind heavy stone doors, jars upon jars of ichor are stored alongside other great valuables. Guards and soldiers patrol or are stationed at entryways.

Function

The Great Gold Bank has many roles within Thripia including storing valuable goods, accounting for transactions, exchanging currency and giving loans. These roles are seen to by different keepers. Each keeper has a rank, beginning with Low Keeper, for apprentices, from which they are promoted to Keeper and, in ascending order, High Keeper, Grand Keeper and, finally, Supreme Keeper, of which there are three in total.

• Coin Keepers are the most active workers in the bank. Low Coin Keepers typically work to produce coins where necessary and their superior Coin Keepers perform standard loans, conversions, withdrawals and deposits as well as the identification of fakes and forgery. High Coin Keepers deal with wealthier clients whereas Grand Coin Keepers may discuss more pivotal loans such as those done with guilds. The Supreme Coin Keeper, often the most powerful of the three Supreme Keepers, represents the Great Gold Bank itself, makes major financial transactions on behalf of the bank and reports to the other two Supreme Keepers about profit as well as the success or failure of major deals.
• Scroll Keepers are the foundation of the Bank and its functioning. They work to catalog and record any and all transactions from important loans and repayments to minor withdrawals and deposits. It is their duty to know how much ichor and other goods arestored, how much room there is left in other vaults and what is being moved where. All scrolls are kept in the most secure section of the bank known as the Archive. Low Scroll Keepers copy scrolls to serve as secure replacements, Scroll Keepers record basic transactions, High Scroll Keepers catalog assets, profits and losses and Grand Scroll Keepers help to organize important deals with high ranking Coin Keepers. The Supreme Scroll Keeper manages the flow of all information. Overall, the Scroll Keepers serve an inactive role with little focus on decision making, but are critical nonetheless to the work of the Bank.
• Key Keepers are the grunt workers of the Bank and are sometimes looked down upon despite being as essential as Coin and Scroll Keepers. They keep track of the of the various keys of the many vaults. Additionally, they are responsible for organizing security such as the hiring of guards, construction of new locks and the upkeep of facilities. Low Key Keepers open the various vaults for clients and other keepers, Key Keepers collect and distribute stored items where asked and High Key Keepers maintain the functioning of the bank's security. The Grand Key Keepers are in charge of organizing and managing security, particularly for important clients whom they deal with directly, and the Supreme Key Keeper governs the entire bank's functioning, reporting to the other Supreme Keepers.

The Bank itself works in tandem with the Wise Council and formerly the Dynasty Kings as it is responsible for the maintenance of the sungold as Thripia's currency. It makes most of its profits through loans to guilds and wealthy individuals. Additionally, it collects small fees from all conversions, deposits and withdrawals. Storing valuables within the bank can also be very expensive for clients and thus serves as an important profit generator, particularly when special security is requested. The bank regularly hires architects and stonemasons to improve their facilities and construct new rooms. Notably, all such contractors are given no access to the Bank's floor-plans and are blindfolded as they are led to their workstations. Those who attempt to reveal the Bank's security secrets are hunted down and executed by private mercenaries; the Bank is rarely required to answer to the law when doing so.

Type

Bank / Treasury

Parent Location

Thripia