The Golden Economy of Aranthaes
Aranthaes is unique in the known world: a city without taxes. Merchants, adventurers, and pilgrims alike keep every coin they earn inside its walls. There are no tariffs on income, no tithes, no mandatory levies – only the freedom to spend, invest, and trade. This has drawn merchants in droves, who flock to Aranthaes not only for its wealth but for the liberty to expand their fortunes unhindered.
Gold Beyond Measure. Over millennia, vast hoards of gold have been stored beneath Mon Arant. Some claim it is mined directly from veins running under the city; others whisper the Cauldron once crowned a golden mountain shattered in a divine cataclysm. Whatever its origin, Aranthean gold is famed for its purity – so much so that gold coins minted in Aranthaes serve as a trusted reserve currency across kingdoms and empires. To own Aranthean gold is to hold wealth beyond question.
The Banks of the Bay. With this wealth come institutions of staggering influence. The city’s banks, guild vaults, and merchant houses rival the treasuries of entire kingdoms. Foreign princes and warlords entrust their reserves to Aranthaes, knowing the city’s laws – and its ruthless Merchant Police – will defend every bar and ingot. Accounts can be opened by citizens and non-citizens alike, though privileges differ: citizens enjoy low or no fees for vaulting, while outsiders pay steep rates for the same security.
Fortunes Without Limits. With no taxes to skim away profit, the city’s merchant dynasties have grown into houses of legendary wealth. Some families are whispered to command fortunes greater than the coffers of whole nations. These vast riches, combined with the absence of civic taxation, have birthed a culture of showmanship and rivalry: marble mansions, golden spires, and public feasts staged not for generosity but to display supremacy.
Adventurers’ Haven. For foreign adventurers, the absence of taxes makes Aranthaes an irresistible magnet. Here, a single haul of dungeon treasure or a caravan escort fee can become the seed of fortune – without rulers or priests demanding a share. Many who arrived penniless have risen to become magnates, their wealth secured in guild vaults, their banners hung in merchant halls. For this reason, Aranthaes is called by some: “The Place Where Fortune Breathes.”