The Very Making of Money
The Aranthaes Mint is a vast fortified complex at the city’s center, where the wealth of Aranthaes is struck, weighed, and guarded. Entry is restricted to authorized personnel and the site is protected at all hours by the vigilant City Guard. Gold, silver, and copper coinage minted here underwrite commerce across the realm.
The Mint’s buff stone walls, iron-banded gates, and toughened glass windows project strength and stability. In the courtyard, oversized gold coins set into the flagstones advertise both the city’s prosperity and its confidence in the Mint’s security, drawing gawking visitors who seldom see beyond the outer wards.
Governance
The current Governor of the Aranthaes Mint is the influential merchant and senior councilor Orilia Thorne. Under her exacting oversight, production quotas, metal purity, and security protocols are enforced with meticulous care.
Denominations and Designs
Gold coins serve for major trade and high value purchases. Denominations: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100. Obverse: Lady Bune. Reverse: the emblem of Aranthaes and the denomination.
Silver coins are used for common but moderate transactions. Denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20. Obverse: Lady Bune. Reverse: the Mint emblem and denomination.
Copper coins facilitate everyday commerce. Denominations: 1, 2, 5. Obverse: Lady Bune. Reverse: the denomination.
Bullion Bars
For large settlements and reserves, the Mint casts gold bars in standardized sizes bearing the Aranthaes stamp for provenance. Face values include 100, 250, 500, 1000, and 5000. Bars are stored in deep vaults accessible only to cleared officials and armed escorts.
From Ore to Coin
The Mint operates as a network of specialized workshops. Ore and scrap are smelted in towering furnaces, tended by crews in heavy leather aprons and gloves. Freshly poured ingots cool, then move onward along guarded internal routes to rolling floors and cutting rooms.
Rolling, Striking, and Finishing
Mechanical hammers and rolling mills press ingots into calibrated sheets. Precision punches cut blanks that are annealed, cleaned, and weighed before striking. Dies bearing the city’s devices stamp each piece. Finished coins and bars are counted, sealed, and manifested for secure transfer to the vaults.
Vaults and Security
The Mint’s vaults are walled in layered stone and iron, warded and watched around the clock. Inventory is reconciled against die runs and metal weights, with every crate escorted by armed details and logged at choke points throughout the complex.
Craftsmanship and Quality
Beneath the roar of machinery, master goldsmiths scrutinize every stage. Their eye for impurities and weight tolerances is legendary, ensuring that Aranthaen coins are trusted across distant markets for their consistency and fineness.
Logistics and Reach
Aranthaen coin and bullion travel under heavy guard along major routes. The Mint’s fortified transport caravans are a familiar sight far beyond the city walls, their secure caskets and disciplined escorts reinforcing the reputation of Aranthaes currency.
Economic Anchor
By striking its own coinage and safeguarding bullion reserves, Aranthaes keeps wealth circulating through its marketplaces and guilds. The Mint stands as both symbol and engine of that prosperity, its steady rhythms echoing the heartbeat of the City of Gold.