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Notes are the legal tender throughout the Imperial Empire. Backed by the empire’s massive treasury, notes are used to purchase goods and services. Each note is orange in color and is laced with impossibly complex ether bindings. These bindings, if tampered with, will irreversibly change the note to brown thus removing it from circulation.

Notes are numbered 1, 5, and 10. Bank slips are used when withdrawing large quantities of notes at a time. Notes are broken down into shards, and three shards make a note. Shards are small brown slivers of ether condensed mineral. While acting as currency, shards are useful in that the ether stored in them can be stockpiled and removed with little effort. If a person has difficulty powering artifacts they can build up ether in shards and substitute the shard as an energy source.

A crown’s value fluctuates with the economy. Averaging at 1,000 notes a crown, they are widely used when dealing with large purchases. Crown as are similar to shards in that they too act as a storage for ether. Unlike notes, crowns are programmable and can redirect the flow of ether. White in color, crowns are used in all ether based engines and lighting systems. The value of the Imperial crown compared to other countries’ crowns are used to gauge whether the economy is in a recession or booming and inflation is set to keep the markets thriving.

The third largest building in Windxor, after the palace and library, is the Imperial Bank. The Imperial bank is the investment center of the Empire and is where all notes, shards, and crowns are manufactured. Vaults are located towards the bottom of the building, manufacturing happens in the center, and transactions occur at the top. The top of the Imperial bank is the highest location in the city a commoner can walk to.

The Imperial Army is stationed near the Imperial Bank and most men who finish their two year service with the army are hired out by the bank as guards.

___________________________ ACT 1: CHAPTER 6 - The Imperial Bank: SCENE 1

Hugh watched as Josiah left the room. Ashe, are you sure this is what you want?

Mind your own affairs! Josiah belongs in Windxor. Especially while thieves parade around in my body. I will not let my house fall in disarray over a childish notion!

Turning to the workroom, Hugh stepped in and looked to the desk. Below it lay a small metal safe. Guarded with a triple combination lock, bolted to the floor and strengthened with ether, it would be impossible to break it open with force.

Ashe, I need the combination. Hugh waited for a short time to no response from Ashe. Sighing, Hugh gathered ether into his hands and began unknotting the horribly complex ether strands keeping the metal impregnable.

What Hugh was after inside the vault was the Cudlahan family bank seal. This seal would allow you to access the larger vaults where more valuable items are stored.

After an hour of weaving and threading ether, the safe clicked and swung open. Stacked in an orderly fashion were a dozen official looking papers and hundreds of orange notes. On top of the pile of papers was a single golden ring.

___________________________ SCENE 2

“Your father is moving towards the bank.” Mary spoke quietly into her bracelet. On the bracelet was a shard split in half. While not simple to setup, a broken shard can transfer energy across any distance to its other half as long as it is supplied with ether. Across on an adjacent skybridge stood Josiah wearing a similar bracelet.

“And he is going to the bank?”

“Yes. He is wearing the ring on his left hand.”

“Perfect. I will be following behind you at a distance. Don’t let him see you until the last possible moment.”

Elinor’s plan was simple. Forging his father’s handwriting, Josiah would write a letter to the dockmaster showing express permission to take out a catamaran. Mary would ‘accidentally’ bump into Josiah’s father as he is being processed by the bank. She would have on her the envelope and would acquire the impression from his ring. Because Elinor cannot leave the palace without a guard, Josiah would follow behind her in the event a problem arose. Elinor would gather supplies for their journey and meet with them back in their hideout. After quietly settling accounts, they would sneak out of the city. Easy.

___________________________ SCENE 3

With the midday sun against his back, Hugh stepped through the glass bank doors. Ornamented with marvelous marble statues, thousands of people stood in lines and milled around. Littered among them were hundreds of bronze plated guards. Unlike those guarding the shops and stairwells on the skybridges outside, these guards stood rigidly in place, glaring at those within the bank as if each person meant to rob it.

Scattered against the walls stood a handful of captains. Unlike regular guards, captains wore light leather armor and leaned against the bank walls casually. At each of their sides was an artifact type weapon.

Rolling his shoulders back, Hugh walked towards the stairwell at the back of the room. Noblemen don’t do business on the lobby floor, afterall.

___________________________ SCENE 4

“He’s in the bank.” The voice came quietly from an earring.

“I see him.” Nael sat hidden in a the back corner of the bank, shadows covering his face. Nael grinned wickedly. ”Everyone get into position.”

___________________________ SCENE 5

Walking at a quick pace, Mary hurried along in the lobby, weaving expertly through throngs of people. Clerks noisily attended to individuals, directing them all over the lobby floor. Businessmen shouted loudly over each other to get instructions. Investors watched and yelled at the rapidly changing marquees hanging from the ceiling. And through the chaos Mary was able to navigate flawlessly. Ducking underneath a man holding boxes, she stood a few paces from Josiah's father. Nervousness crept into her stomach. With the stairwell approaching, she steeled herself and approached fast from the side.

Feigning clumsiness, Mary ran into Ashe, purposefully pushing against the upper half of his body while locking his legs in place by stepping on his feet. The result threw his center of gravity off, tripping him into a fall. While falling, Mary reached her hand with the envelope out and caught his hand, cleanly getting the imprinting from the ring.

“Watch out!” Crying out far too late, Mary rolled to her feet blushing and disappeared into the crowd, without so much as a glance back.

She did not notice the large red tome fall to the ground with a thud or Hugh’s shocked face peel into place atop where Ashe Cudlahan’s used to be.

“Josiah, I got it!”