(QW08) Cash, Money, Gold

Another camp for the night; tents campfire, rations being warmed. Conversation too, if one were of a mind for it, and that evening Pine felt a little more of that need as one topic turned to another.

"You crave gold and treasure," he said to Effie as she sat there, and to the group at large, who were gathered around the paltry warmth. "I've watched you with it, and with us. It is quite common for those in towns to crave it, hoping for better conditions, and a bit of luxury, but until recently where my spells have steeper requirements, I have had little use for it."

He paused a moment to take a sip from his waterskin. He wasn't used to talking at length, and his mouth felt a little dry with the effort.

"I've had some in the past," he continued, when the waterskin was stashed away once more, the others having waited for him to continue, as not many would. A kindness on their part, or perhaps they were merely shocked to dumbness that he had spoken at all. "Although my task was in the mountains, I would sometimes find myself in a village, town, or hold.  I would tend to the dead there, if there was no one else to do so, and sometimes the town, or an individual would offer me something in return.  Coin usually, or something the deceased had that was worth a fair amount. I learned early that such gifts were a mixed blessing.

"The weight and sound a bag of coins can bring is a danger from bandits or even those desperate enough would try their luck.  It left me poorer off, either because I'd failed to protect myself and had lost all my possessions, including the mundane, in the scuffle, or because I succeeded and more lives were lost in the process."

He paused again, only the crackling of the fire and the sounds of cooking filling the air until he found the words to continue.

"The most though was from a magical artifact I had been given. It had no real practical use, just a goblet that spun illusions in the air when it was filled with wine, ale, or the like.  Even so it was a coveted item by the rich, and I found a trader in Waterdeep willing to take it.

"I had never had so much coin before, and it left me uneasy enough that I packed wool around the pouch to muffle the noise and left the city as soon as I could.  It was a constant worry, and I was not as able to defend myself as I am today.

"But I found a use for it eventually. In a town close to the mountains they were struggling to find a safe place for their dead, enough that the spirits there were uneasy and restless.  I paid for stonemasons to be brought in from a nearby town to build a mausoleum where the future dead could be kept until a wandering priest or cleric could be found in future.  I stayed until it was complete, and then moved on once more. The money was enough to build two more in other locations before it was gone once more.

"Money is a tool, for me, but an inconvenient one to carry. It is why I wished to learn stonemasonry from the Rockseeker brothers, so that I might do the task myself instead."

"I might crave it at times - I admit the the luxury it can buy can be quite enticing - but mostly I want it for the utility it has."

Effie too takes a sip from her waterskin, considering how detailed her story should be for this group, before continuing.

"I once came into possession of a great deal of treasure - by accident, I might add, as it was not what I expected when I found that sleazy merchant's abandoned cart." She says smiling innocently. "I too felt uneasy, mostly afraid of who might come looking for it, so I got rid of it as fast as I could. I used it to help out a number of acquaintances who were in a bind at the time, and in turn they'd help me if I ever found myself in a tough spot. Utility!"

That felt like just the right amount of details, and she had shared something from her past. It felt good to share it with this group. Good job, Effie! she thought to herself before picking up her trusty lute to pluck a few notes while the others continued the conversation, not expecting anyone to press her for more details. If asked, she could say it's all she remembered at the moment and leave it at that.

Arya would think for a while and say: "probably when I got into a building to collect an object for a person. I saw posters later about it and it was supposedly worth a Huge amount of money. I just gave it to the person who asked me to retrieve it though." And she would just shrug, not really concerned about it. You could easily think she was from a noble family with no concept of money or worth but you new that was not the case. She just didn't understand it really, growing up never knowing what money is or what it was used for.

Tiaumil considered the question for a long moment, absently lighting the long slender pipe with herbs as he did so, unhurried.

"By and large I have little use for excessive coin for the most part," he said, "It is useful, and the luxuries it can buy are delightful while they last, of course, but in the end such things are fleeting.  But the most amount, you ask?  Hmm, I think it would have been a time before I stayed in Candlekeep.  I had been searching for an artifact worthy of gaining entry, you see, for they have by far the greatest collection of spell tomes and knowledge in Faerun.  While I have not been generally given to the adventuring life, I am still capable, as the holders of the artifact I was searching for found out. 

"I sold the items that were of no use to me, and it seemed as though magical platemail was worth quite a substantial amount in Waterdeep.  Either way, it was then I think that I held the greatest amount in terms of coin.  I spent it on some luxuries, some items of use, and bribes.  People aren't quite as easily swayed these days as they once were."