The entrance into the mint is protected by wards, as are the walls, foiling any translocation and divination magics. Two dozen guards (level 3 fighters) are stationed inside the mint, both guarding the door and at various stations inside. Two guards flanking the front entrance are assigned small flasks of a chemical substance that, when broken, cause billowing clouds of red smoke to rise into the air, signaling trouble at the mint which will bring more Wavir guards from nearby barracks. Rumor among the guards hints at a mage among their midst, though this has never been verified.
Inside the mint, several room are used in the production of money. The largest area is
dedicated to the creation of ceramics, the main type coin used in Balic. A specialized kind
of clay, considered a state secret , is mixed inside the mint from various
components. This mixture is then poured into molds and placed inside one of the three
onsite kilns to bake. Flawed ceramics are destroyed. Coins deemed flawless are then ready
for use.
Security inside the mint is as tight as it is outside. No one who directly handles coins does
so alone. There is always at least one other person observing coin handlers at all times, to
help the workers resist temptation. The penalty for theft inside the mint – death – is also
an effective deterrent.
The mint also produces metal coins from the silver mines to the west of the city. These
coins are produced more slowly than are ceramics, in part to help control inflation. The
silver is refined off site into a more pure form, and is then molded into the familiar Balican
coinage. These coins – as well as ceramics – are stored inside a stone vault protected by a
complex locking system, guards, and formidable magical protections.