Currencies of the Otherside
LIBRA08 - Pathologist
Dollars, Pounds, Euros, Dinars, Yen, Rupees, Pesos—all absolutely worthless in the Otherside. Furthermore, the Otherside still lacks a central currency among all seven planes, which makes any extensive travel in the Otherside quite a pain. Of course, very few find themselves actively moving between the Seven Planes with any frequency—and those that do often don’t feel the need to engage in the economic systems of the local demons.
The Morningstar – Lux
What else would the currency of the most luminous Plane of the Otherside be called but Lux? Lux comes in one physical form—Lumen. Lumen are crystals that reflect the light of the Morningstar to reveal their value. Lumen Crystals are able to exchange values between themselves, effectively only requiring one Lumen Crystal to facilitate most transactions. Numerically Lumens exchange Lux in Glimmers, Rays, Radiances, and Coronas. 100 Glimmers to a Ray, 50 Rays to a Radiance, and 25 Radiance to a Corona. Though this value can fluctuate a bit as the light transfers between Lumen is… inconsistent. It isn’t uncommon for a 5-15% light dispersion fee to be tacked onto prices to accommodate where the transaction occurs. Additionally, Pillars are splendorous cylinders of gold-white marble that can store Lux—though typically only in amounts of 1000 Coronas or higher. Pillars are, of course, used for banking large sums of Lux at the many Solar Banks of the Morningstar.
The Infernus – Scorch
Ah, the Plane of Greed and Avarice wouldn’t be complete without its own monetary system. Of course, the money of the Infernus is controlled exclusively by the whims of Mammon, making it extremely volatile—practically to the point of it being more akin to Monopoly money than any real currency system. Though, unlike the paper of Monopoly, at least Scorch retains its value in raw materials. At the lowest end, there are Sparks, small droplets of cooled silver, followed by Embers, which are compressed chunks of glowing brimstone, followed by Blaze, a solidified molten copper-orichalcum alloy, then Infernos made from molten gold-orichalcum alloy, and lastly Pinnacles made from pure Orichalcum. As mentioned, there is no way to consistently guess how much any of those is worth in relation to each other, though if you can gather some Scorch, they can be sold in other Planes for fairly consistent values. In the Mammonsoleum, there are numerous “Ambition Wells” where demons can cast their Scorch in and hope for potential double or tripling of their value—though the house always seems to win. Additionally, it is said a Pinnacle can buy one’s freedom from the Mammonsoleum though they are so rare it is hard to confirm that rumor.
The Hauntaurskald – Tokens of Tribulation
One might think that currency would only exist in the Vile City of the Hauntaurskald, though Satan has created a system where the currency of the Hauntaurskald can only be found in the trenches of Pandemonium. This is, in part, a way to entice demons who have already entered the Vile City to return to the unending war to secure further wealth and comfort. It also provides a greater challenge to those attempting to win their way out of Pandemonium. As such, there are Tokens of Tribulation, small gold coins awarded to those who find them, but also to those who are especially bloodthirsty in Pandemonium. Tokens are a mono-numerical currency. One Token is one Token, though how many one holds often bestows a title. 10 Tokens to a Soldier, 50 Tokens to a Legionnaire, 100 Tokens to a Centurion, 500 Tokens to a Tribunal, 1000 Tokens to a Legate. Of course, any Tokens found on a kill in the Pandemonium are yours to keep and are the quickest way to rise in the social ranks of the Hauntaurskald. Now, Tokens are impractical for smaller purchases in the Vile City, and so the cushy elites of the city have their own currency of “War Bonds” paper promises of theoretical Tokens notarized by the High Vile Council. They are a fiat currency, though Satan himself held no value in them, and they are, in a sense, worthless.
The Esterskald – Verdeons
As the Esterskald is the second most populated Plane, it, of course, has a robust monetary system similar to Lux or Anima. However, what makes the Esterskald’s currency, Verdeons, unique is that they are living plants. A Verdeon Sprout will periodically produce Spores, Thorns, and Leaflets. Certain Verdeons will produce Spores, Thorns, and Leaflets faster than others making trading and selling Verdeons themselves quite lucrative. Of course, even the best-cultivated Verdeon won’t grow a single Spore if it is not properly fed. Verdeons only eat a specific fly created by Lord Beelzebub, and these flies are only given to those who contribute to the Grand Feast of the Hollows. Assuming you’ve fed your Verdeons well, they will, as mentioned, produce small pea-sized berries called Spores, often used for change. The main currency of Verdeons is the thin, wide thorns they shed every few Esterskaldian months—100 Spores to a Thorn. Lastly, if you are lucky or have fed your Verdeon well, you can expect it to grow a Leaflet worth 100 Thorns. Common in the Everwoods and Thorned Tangle are Verdeon nurseries and exchanges.
The Mayda – Service to the Tide
The Mayda operates on a system of deeds and services, not currency. Leviathan and his Horrors of the Black Needle place contracts for work and services that need to be done, and accomplishing them provides the denizens of the Endless Ocean with their basic needs and creature comforts. Of course, there are many who prefer to strike out their own living hunting for their own food and creating their own shelters. In the Creaking, there is a loose trade and barter system in place. Elsewhere, communities like the Tempest are fully communistic, sharing resources amongst themselves equally.
The Necropolis – Anima
Lastly, we come to the Necropolis—the most populated Plane of the Otherside and home to the closest thing to a central Otherside currency. Anima is ethereal coins forged from the very souls of the newly reincarnated demons coming in the form of Breaths, Whispers, Echoes, and Memories. Breaths, the smallest unit of Anima, are said to be pressed from the final gasps of a dying human. 10 Breaths are worth a Whisper, the last words uttered in death. They are a translucent ghostly coin that is cold to the touch. It is said that when held up to one’s ear, you can almost make out what the final words the coin was forged from were. 20 Whispers add up to an Echo, a slightly thicker coin with a shimmering iridescent quality. Echoes are used for daily transactions in the Necropolis and are pressed from the first words spoken by newly arrived demons. 100 Echoes is equivalent to a Memory, a gold-like coin with an eerie depth that seems to shift like looking into a person’s own memories. You could probably guess what those are made from. As the most robust system of currency in the Otherside, there are many unique features of Anima, such as Eternal Bonds, Soul Vaults, Counterfeit Memories, and complex Exchange Rates to the other currencies of the Otherside.