Common Prices

Ivory tokens are the most common currency of the land, and prices are usually given in ivory. Petty purchases like a loaf of bread or mug of ale are transacted in horn pennies, but we consider such purchases to be trivial and don’t bother tracking them. Significant purchases are transacted in gold, often by the likes of merchants and nobles.

Although ivory is sometimes carved from the tusks of narwhals and other creatures, most of the ivory in the Archipelago comes from the nut of the ivory palm. These trees take many years to grow, won’t flourish in areas where magic is common, and only bear fruit once a decade. When properly dried, however, the ivory nut produces a material that is lightweight, durable, and easy to carve into jewellery or make into coins.

Ivory (especially “young” ivory) is also magically resonant; it acts like a blank slate that happily soaks up magical energies, which makes it precious to mages as well. Charms and amulets are often made from ivory, and many magic rituals incorporate it. This property, combined with its perceived beauty, makes it the currency of the Archipelago.

An ivory piece:

• Basic tools and equipment (1 Supply).
• Food and camping supplies for one day (1 Provision).
• A sling for hurling stones.

A few ivory pieces (no more than 3 coins):

• A simple weapon, like a staff or a knife.
• A quiver of ammunition.
• A bed in the common room of a shabby inn.
• A wholesome, home-cooked meal for one person.

Several ivory pieces (no more than 8 coins):

• A bow.
• Light armor, like a leather jerkin.
• Hiring a guide, porter or street tough for a day.
• A room at a shabby inn for a night.
• Treasure like a copper ring, a glass bauble, or a bundle of odds and ends.

A handful of ivory (no more than 20 coins):

• Specialist equipment, like a grappling hook or a healer’s kit.
• A serious weapon, like a sword or a spear.
• A crossbow.
• A room at a decent to good inn for a night.
• A bottle of nice wine or liquor.
• Hiring a scholar or craftsman for a few hours.
• A trained pack goat to carry your saddlebags.
• Treasure like a silver ring, a petty gemstone, or a bundle of common trade goods.

A pile of ivory (no more than 50 coins):

• An expensive weapon, like a longsword or a mace.
• A room at a luxurious hotel for a night.
• An evening of feasting, drinking and cavorting for several people.
• A bottle of very expensive wine or fancy liquor.
• Hiring an armed bodyguard for a few days.
• Hiring a scholar or craftsman for a few days.
• Hiring an expert or mage for a few hours.
• A trained riding deer.
• Passage for a voyage of a few days.
• Treasure like a golden ring, a decent gemstone, or a bundle of exotic spices.

A full purse of ivory (no more than 100 coins):

• A heavy weapon, like a polearm or greatsword.
• Modest armor, like a chain shirt.
• Hiring a small band of mercenaries for a few days.
• Hiring an expert or a mage for a few days.
• A riding deer that has been trained for combat.
• A draft tortoise to pull a wagon or bear a burden.
• Passage for a voyage of a few weeks.
• Treasure like a golden necklace, a precious gemstone, or a bundle of exotic magical reagants.

A small coffer of ivory (no more than 500 coins):

• Heavy armor, like a breastplate and helm.
• A thoroughbred racing deer or a terrifying war elk.
• A small sailing canoe, big enough to hold four people at most.
• Passage for a voyage of many months.
• Treasure like a bar of solid gold, a brilliant jewel, or a barrel of something rare and precious.

A chest full of ivory (no more than 5000 coins):

• The deed to a modest property, like a house in the city or a roadside tavern.
• A modest sailing ship like a twinpaw or windgrasp.
• Treasure like a golden crown, a precious heirloom, or a rare artwork.

A chest full of gold (no more than 50 000 coins):

• The deed to a desirable property, like a tavern or shop in the city.
• A large sailing ship like a turtle or seaviper.
• Treasure like… well, a chest full of gold.

Bartering

Many of the merchants and trading partners you’ll encounter on the Archipelago, especially upon the waves or on smaller islands, won’t be interested in transacting in ivory. To trade with such folk, we use a modified version of the bartering procedure described by this blog post.

Bartering is always imprecise, and the value of a given item in a given trade is highly variable. For each merchant, come up with two lists:

• In Demand. These are items the merchant needs or wants. Give each item or category a dice value that represents how in demand it is: 1d6 for something they can take or leave, 2d6 for something they want, 3d6 for something they need, and so on.
• In Stock. These are items the merchant is willing to part with. Give each item or category a dice value that represents how much the merchant thinks it’s worth: 1d6 for something they want to get rid of, 2d6 for something they won’t miss, 3d6 for something they consider valuable, and so on.

You can put anything on these lists, including abstract things like a service the merchant offers or a job they need done. You should adjust them as the fiction develops or the player characters conduct trades. For example, a merchant that was hungry and desperate for food is likely to adjust their demand once you’ve given them enough meals to last them a week. An alchemist who was happy to part with healing draughts yesterday might hesitate to give up their last couple of potions.

To conduct a trade, roll dice for all of the in-demand items the player characters are offering and add up the total. Then roll dice for the in-stock items the player characters want in return. If the player characters roll equal to or higher than the merchant, then the merchant is willing to accept the trade. Otherwise, they’ll need to sweeten the deal.

Player characters can barter to improve their negotiating position in various ways:

• Convince the merchant they need something more than they thought. If successful, you can increase the demand of an item, or add something new to the list of in-demand items. The more convincing you are, the more dice you’ll add to the value (to a maximum of 6d6).
• Convince the merchant their stock isn’t what they believed. If successful, you’ll reduce the value of an in-stock item. The more convincing you are, the more dice you’ll remove from the value (to a minimum of 1d6).
• Convince the merchant to trade something they weren’t willing to part with. If successful, you’ll add the item you want to the list of things the merchant is willing to trade with you. As usual, the GM sets the value of the newly available item based on the merchant’s opinion of its worth.

When negotiating with a merchant, you usually roll at the risk of exhausting their patience (a progress clock is a good way to represent this). Alternatively, you might roll at the risk of overplaying your hand - perhaps they realise that the thing you’re trying to convince them is worthless is actually something you desperately need!