In this world, currency is a physical extraction of a creature's identity, memory, time, or emotional capacity. To buy a sword, a potion, or a night at an inn, you must be willing to part with a literal piece of who you are.
1. The Sensory & Abstract (Common Tier)
Used for basic tavern stays, simple ironwood weapons, or mundane supplies. These are temporary or minor extractions that do not permanently cripple a character.
Flavours and Scents: You might trade your ability to taste cinnamon or the scent of rain to a merchant for a month in exchange for a satchel of rations.
Minor Talents: Trading the ability to whistle a perfect high-C pitch, or the memory of a joke you heard yesterday.
The Toll of Words: Native fey will often accept a secret you have never told another living soul to allow you safe passage down a Whispering Tollroad. The deeper and more damaging the secret, the further the road will warp to shorten your journey.
The Cognitive & Chrono (Noble & Guild Tier)
Used to purchase high-end items like Sea-Silk Mail, rare magic scrolls, or potions from specialized apothecaries. These extractions are permanent and heavily tracked by the Syndicate of the Shifting Scale.
Lifespan (Chrono-Tax): Paid in literal chunks of your remaining physical youth. A master blacksmith like Barnaby at The Quenched Spark might demand "three months of your life" to custom-forge an obsidian shield. The moment the contract is signed, you physically age three months, and those months are distilled into a glowing amber vial to be sold to elderly elven nobles.
Core Memories: Trading away a highly specific, emotionally dense memory. If you sell the memory of your first kiss or the memory of what your mother's face looked like, that memory is completely erased from your brain. It is distilled by The Sombre Vintage into a velvet wine, allowing an elven aristocrat to drink it and experience your exact past emotions.
Abstract Capacities: Trading away a mental state for a set duration—such as surrendering your ability to feel content for a week, or ten hours of absolute creative focus.
The Metaphysical Leverage (Archfey Tier)
Used only when bartering with the highest powers on the continent, such as The Silent Court, The Bleeding Queen, or for legendary magical artifacts.
The True Name: The ultimate currency. Giving an Archfey or a high judge your True Name gives them absolute metaphysical custody over your existence. They can trace your exact location on the emotional map, force you to fail saving throws, or command your shadow to lift its own blade against you.
Binding Vows of Service: A magical contract etched into your skin that forces you to perform a specific task in the future. Breaking this promise triggers the immediate literalism of the continent, transforming your spoken betrayal into a physical curse (like your voice turning to smoke).