Invisible Fortress:Jade standard

The Jade Standard is the system of currency minted by the Realm and accepted in most regions of the world.

Jade coin

Jade coin is minted from actual jade. Jade talents are 68-pound slabs of jade which smaller denominations are carved from. While a talent is worth 1024 obols, the slab contains 1536 obols by weight; the difference is the result of the carving process to turn a talent into smaller coins. The scrap dust is called "Imperial boot polish", and is used to produce jade-steel alloy often used in weapons and armor for the Imperial Legions.

Currency	Abbreviation	Number in talent	GP equivalent
Talent	T	1	409pp 6gp
Bar	B	8	51pp 2gp
Mina	M	64	6pp 4gp
Shekel	S	128	3pp 2gp
Obol	O	1024	4gp
Bit		4096	1gp
Currency	Abbreviation	Number in bar	GP equivalent
Bar	B	1	51pp 2gp
Mina	M	8	6pp 4gp
Shekel	S	16	3pp 2gp
Obol	O	128	4gp
Bit		512	1gp
Currency	Abbreviation	Number in mina	GP equivalent
Mina	M	1	6pp 4gp
Shekel	S	2	3pp 2gp
Obol	O	16	4gp
Bit		64	1gp
Currency	Abbreviation	Number in shekel	GP equivalent
Shekel	S	1	3pp 2gp
Obol	O	8	4gp
Bit		32	1gp
Currency	Abbreviation	Number in obol	GP equivalent
Obol	O	1	4gp
Bit		4	1gp

The bit is not an official form of currency, it is simply an obol divided in four. The bit was made illegal in RY 465, but it persists because of just how useful it is as a unit.

Jade scrip

Jade scrip consists of paper currency (koku and quian) and copper coins (siu and yen).

Currency	Abbreviation	Number in obol	GP equivalent
Obol	O	1	4gp
Koku	k	8	1ep
Quian	q	64	6cp
Siu	s	128	3cp
Yen	y	1024	1cp
Currency	Abbreviation	Number in koku	GP equivalent
Koku	k	1	1ep
Quian	q	8	6cp
Siu	s	16	3cp
Yen	y	128	1cp
Currency	Abbreviation	Number in quian	GP equivalent
Quian	q	1	6cp
Siu	s	2	3cp
Yen	y	16	1cp
Currency	Abbreviation	Number in Siu	GP equivalent
Siu	s	1	3cp
Yen	y	8	1cp

Siu can be broken into halves (4 yen) or quarters (2 yen) and still be used as currency. Yen can be broken into halves, quarters, or eighths and still be used as currency.

Most commoners deal primarily in siu and yen. They may have assets that could be expressed using koku and quian, but the smaller denominations are more useful for daily purchases. Commoners will rarely handle whole jade coins, and only the wealthiest merchants and nobles can afford to pay for things in talents. Even those who can deal in talents almost never actually carry a 68 pound slab of stone around with them; numbers on a bank's ledger are far easier to lift.

Peasants often modify bits by drilling a hole and stringing them onto jewelry, believing the magical nature of jade confers protective qualities (they do not).

Other currencies

Silver standard

The standard in eastern, northern, and southern regions which are not under Realm control (though merchants in these regions commonly accept jade currency). The value is more volatile than the jade standard, and different regions mint coins with different purities, but the general conversion between jade and silver is 1 jade talent (68 pounds) to 5 silver talents (64 pounds).

1 silver talent	64 pounds	4 dirhams	1600 dinars	⅕ jade talent	204 ½ obols	81pp 8gp
	16 pounds	1 dirham	400 dinars		51 ¼ obols	20pp 5gp
	8 pounds		200 dinars		25 ¾ obols	10pp 3gp
	4 pounds		100 dinars		13 obols	5pp 2gp
	2 pounds		50 dinars		6 ½ obols	2pp 6gp
	1 pound		25 dinars		3 ¼ obols	1pp 3gp
	½ pound		12 ½ dinars		1 ¾ obols	7gp
	¼ pound		6 ¼ dinars		¾ obols	3gp

Cowrie

Currency standard found in certain areas of the west, the cowrie is a shellfish whose shells are crafted into currency based on their size. Shells are strung together in groups of 25, 50, or 100 shells. While other regions do not accept the cowrie, western islanders will exchange it for other currency standards.

Islanders will trade 1 cowrie for 3 dirhams of silver, but 6 cowries for 1 jade obol.