Magical currency is used all around Terra. The most popular among them is the spirit coin, a type of currency that uses valuable mana.

Mundane currency is also widespread, but more localized within feudal societies and civilian sectors.

The specific mana type is dependent on the country, but most use life mana. These coins can be used for creating magical items themselves and are used as power for various Artifacts like water-purifiers, electrical energy generators, or even certain niche appliances.

There is a black market for fake spirit Coins that are encased in dense mana but are otherwise pretty hollow or filled with less precious mana like Earth mana.

mana has a very annoying tendency of developing consciousness and sentience. A such, spirit Coins need to be specially constructed to avoid turning into an actual living being as their most common mana type is Life mana. Think of it as highly adaptable and plastique mana that is energy-dense.

Most spirit Coins are made to have extremely thick casings of mana with an Aeternium core. The mana membrane is specially made as a one-way connection to the outside. mages can access the currency, but the currency cannot access the outside world. This helps avoid the problem of the currency developing complex consciousness. spirit coins have the same level of consciousness as simple bacteria.

spirit Coins can be made by any Artificer with enough skill. Since they are used for energy and trade, many countries outlaw the minting of unsanctioned spirit Coins, those that aren't backed by a governing body. This allows a country to better exert control over their economy. The free cities of Kedwen do not partake in this widespread act, though such practices will be found in the Kedweni Four Corners.

There are various types of spirit Coins dependent on their mana density. The density itself is measured by weight on a scale, and then a mage checks if there is the correct mana type throughout the coin and that the density is uniform.

The levels are as follow:

Copper - Minor

Most Life mana presents as a green hue when present in an Aura. As such, magical objects using Life mana harvested from plants are green. Aeternium gets more purple as it gets pure, and so does its ability to bind mana increase.

Copper spirit coins are made from low-quality Aeternium and low-grade Life mana. The burgundy, impure Aeternium mixes with the plant harvested Life mana to create a copper-like texture and color.

These coins are worth a full iron shilling. These are used as low currency in mage Academies and as materials for budding Artificers.

Bronze - Lesser

Most countries have extra stockpiles of higher quality Life mana that has been purified, removing its green tint and plant-based Arcana. But, most do not have a large stock of pure Aeternium and thus use a low-quality alloy of it.

The brownish Aeternium wrapped around a thinner layer of almost unaspected Life mana creates a coin with a color and texture similar to bronze.

Bronze spirit Coins are the result of using leftover resources, being common among most budding countries and widespread throughout the Middle Kingdoms.

Iron - Intermediate

Life mana can be harvested from living beings, like animals. And, in the case of many of the Middle Kingdoms, criminals as well. Literal blood money.

Iron spirit coins are made from medium-grade Aeternium, stuff usually mined underground. But not always "mined." Instead, Aeternium is taken from Lesser Elementals and spirits that use it to bind their incorporeal forms to the rock and stone. Venators, Hunter-mages, are known for hunting either above ground for Life mana and below for Aeternium.

There are two main ways of distilling Life mana from Blood mana. The first process produces a low-grade Life mana that is red in color, being different from normal Blood mana as it has no will from its previous owner nor any trace signature.

The second process, which takes more time, but has greater gains, produces a grey-tinged Life mana. Animals (this includes humans and any other sentient) cannot die painfully or brutally during this process, or else the process ends in low-grade Red Life mana.

Many countries in dire economic straits will use criminals to boost their finances, flooding the market with Blood coins.

Iron spirit Coins are used as middling currency, the stuff that mercenaries will use to buy arms and armor.

Red spirit Coins are the most common, appearing as a slightly red color than the normal iron hue. Some even having residual will from their previous hosts when counterfeited or just rushedly made. This results in Red-Greed Specters that hunt the darks streets of bustling cities in look for more of their brethren.

Silver - Greater

Silver spirit Coins and above are mostly made from either labor camps or magical resources. Labor camps are used throughout the Middle Kingdoms and even the Four Corners, forcing prisoners to mine and "donate" blood until there are but husks left. magical resources range from magical Beasts, spirits, or plants as sources of Life mana.

mages themselves can produce Life mana without the explicit need of dying and thus are a valuable resource to any country. In most kingdoms or empires, mages are either forced into producing taxes in the form of Life mana, or military service.

Silver spirit coins must have no residual will left behind and thus, they are always silver looking. If the process is badly done, it results in slaughter, Blood Elementals and spirits everywhere. The concentration of Life mana found in these coins are not to be trifled with.

Silver spirit coins are used to buy potions, specialized tools, highly customized arms and armor, and pretty much anything that costs a village.

Silver spirit coins are silver in hue, the higher-grade ones have lines of Aeternium running through them, creating a purple glow. One must remember that even among the same types of spirit Coins, there is variation. Some are clearly worth more than others and hold more mana.

The higher quality Silver spirit Coins are called Platinums.

Gold - Superior

Gold spirit Coins are made from extremely strong Elementals and spirits.

They are a mix of Life and Light mana. Light mana can take up a lot of space and is energy-dense. Life mana is molded into a specialized mana Organ that converts Light mana into Life mana in certain conditions. The process of creating such a sophisticated piece of magic is complex, requiring one that is experienced in both the Paths of the spiritualist and the Artificer.

Gold spirit Coins are mostly used for creating powerful machinery and Artifacts.

Diamond - Sophisticated

Diamond spirit coins are the rarest and unbelievably dense in mana. Some are known to even use Spatial magic to allow for more mana to be stored.

The resources for creating one of these are primarily Greater Elementals and spirits.

Most Diamond spirit coins are known as Cloud Diamonds. They have no Aeternium for long-term binding and as such, disappear given time. These appear entirely transparent like a cross between glass and diamond. These are transported inside special containers that help delay the onset of magical Reversion and Decay.

Permanent Diamond spirit coins are known as Purple Diamonds. They have lines of crisscrossing Aeternium like Silver spirit coins. They faintly glow purple and white.

Diamond spirit coins are used to operate extremely energy-hungry Artifacts and machinery.

Amethyst - Remarkable

These are the rarest of spirit Coins. One of them costs a small nation. They are created with spatial magic and are essentially mana-storing artifacts.

Since they are so rare, they have no uniform build and as such are unique to every country that has enough in their coffers to mint them. They appear entirely purple with the boundless amount of pure Aeternium they have.

They are of so novel use, most of them are used as gems for royalty.

Many kings and queens are known to metaphorically wear the blood and sweat of their serfs on their necks and hair in the form of gems and gold. Wait till they find out the truth...