HYPERBOREA / Banks, bankers, and banking

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 11/01/2021 7:43 am

I've generally tried to avoid thinking about banking in my campaigns but a player as explicitly asked about it.

I think for the most part my more experienced campaign players just converted everything to gems and kept that on them.

However, I could see how Khromarium might have some form of banking.

I suppose I could do a quick survey of different money handling systems throughout history, but I'm lazy and shall ping the Hyperborean Collective Hive Mind for thoughts.

I think my basic starting points are:

1) you aren't going to get any interest
2) you are paying a fee for someone to watch your money

**Posted by demetrisathanasopoulos** 11/01/2021 11:22 am

i also have a form of bank in Khromarium. Is mostly the local treasury that have a building to store for short term and a huge treasured ship in the middle of the harbor for long term storage. lots of treasure guards and cooperation with the local city guard.

it works as simple as possible (i don't try to have real economy).

in the main Bank Building they store it (Gold, Gems, Artifacts etc) and when you want to access it or take something, they take a small fee (1%) each time you want to move it or take something from it, so a 1000GP withdrawal could give the Bank a 10GP fee but the fee is 5% from the Treasure Ship and then the also have a 1% tax once per year to guard it so for 1000GP for ten years would be 100GP.

the more you have and the more you store the more the bank takes from you.

**Posted by Blackadder23** 11/01/2021 5:24 pm

I wouldn't find this worth doing anything but handwaving it.

If it interests you, by all means go nuts.

**Posted by Jimm.Iblis** 11/08/2021 10:31 pm

Temples performed banking services (lending, exchanging, deposits) in the ancient world, explaining why they had lots of money and why they were a target for invaders — even when they worshiped the same gods!

**Posted by Blackadder23** 11/08/2021 11:27 pm

Maybe there's a single Hyperborean family that has secretly controlled banking on the mainland for millennia? They could be devotees of Pluto (actually Thaumagorga in disguise).

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 11/09/2021 1:04 pm

Goodness but these last 2 ideas sound like some heckuva plot hook potential.

Even better if the the temple is for Rel or Raven (not likely those banks would last that long after scamming folks)

**Posted by BlackKnight** 11/11/2021 3:54 pm

In medieval times we had the knights templar that operated essentially a banking system where they would take monies in and give out a writ (Essentially an IOU) that supposedly had a system to prevent them from being forged. So anyone that wanted to travel on the Pilgrim's road could "deposit" gold with the Templars in England, and then get gold from the Templars on the trail all the way down to Jerusalem. Never having to carry more than a couple of weeks' worth of gold needed during thier travels.

If a DM wanted, he could incorporate something like that into his game. Being S&S-based it could be something other than Knighthood based, Maybe one of the Guilds, or a group of high-level Mages, Or major Religion that organize it (Note: It's a profitable Operation, so worth it for a larger organization to do). You could make it as a set of roads that Circumnavigate the main continent of Hyperborea along the coast, with locations in the major "City's and Outposts" on the road...

Bob

**Posted by Chartauk** 12/25/2021 4:23 pm

I think this is interesting.
On the subject of banking. I think temples and religeous orders would work best. That and Money Changers. I mean from a historical stand point money changers were the "front men" to local lords and nobility that could "watch" ones money. However this could be dicey as these lords must be in good standing with their liege. Otherwise it could get confiscated along with said rulers wealth/property/ect. The money changers themselves would weight all coin and gems,appraising them for weight and quality. I think when PC's move from one region to another, depending on the coin they carry, the exchange rate could be higher or lower them the face value. Say from a nation in good standing with it's neighbor VS one in poor standing.
As for banks themselves I would say a temple would handle this. Plus any letters and messages sent over long distances.

**Posted by Brock Savage** 7/14/2022 6:16 pm

Blackadder23 wrote:
Maybe there's a single Hyperborean family that has secretly controlled banking on the mainland for millennia? They could be devotees of Pluto (actually Thaumagorga in disguise).

Nice, this is almost exactly how I run banking in my Hyperborea. An ancient family of Old Earth Roman descent who ostensibly worship Pluto handle the lion's share of Khromarium banking. The family is headed by necromancers and vampires who worship Thaumagorga.

There are some Hyperborean noble lines and Temples who act as bankers but their share of the market is small.