|
The Value of a Mark - Money on Pern
Players often wonder what to roleplay in terms of how much they're paid or how much things cost. In essence, folk at the Weyr are merely given a stipend; since the Weyr provides everything they would need day to day (essential clothing, food, basic furnishings, etc) the only thing anyone would need marks for is extras: gifts, sweets, drinks at the Sandbar, special outfits, etc.
From the DLG:
The unit of monetary exchange is the mark. These are disks made of wood, supplied as blanks by Lemos Hold and stamped with special dies that denote value and source. The value of the mark fluctuates with supply of Barterable goods. Every major Hold and Hall has its own die stamps for impressing marks. The denominations are 1/32 of a mark, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1, 2, 5, 10 marks, and a few 100 mark pieces for very large transactions. Only so many marks are issued per Turn, to balance the supply of goods or to replace old, warn-out mark pieces.
To make things a little easier, here's an approximate breakdown of what marks are worth in US dollars:
| 1/32 mark... | $0.63 |
| 1/16 mark... | $1.25 |
| 1/8 mark... | $2.50 |
| 1/4 mark... | $5 |
| 1 mark... | $20 |
| 2 mark... | $40 |
| 5 mark... | $100 |
| 10 mark... | $200 |
| 100 mark... | $2,000 |
Pay Rates at Ista Weyr
Stipends are paid quarterly: so for example, a resident would have six marks per turn of spending money, outside whatever he earned himself in odd jobs and extra income. Those with skills in a Weyr will do any of a number of things to make a little extra: cutting hair, mending clothes, carving sculptures, making custom furniture, painting portraits, etc.
| Rank | Monthly | Quarterly | Annually |
|---|
| Weyrleader | 2 1/2 marks ($50) | 7 1/2 marks ($150) | 30 marks ( $600) |
| Senior Weyrwoman | 2 1/2 marks ($50) | 7 1/2 marks ($150) | 30 marks ($600) |
| Junior Weyrwoman | 2 marks ($40) | 6 marks ($120) | 24 marks ($480) |
| Weyrseconds | 2 marks ($40) | 6 marks ($120) | 24 marks ($480) |
| Weyrlingmaster | 2 marks ($40) | 6 marks ($120) | 24 marks ($480) |
| Headwoman | 1 3/4 marks ($35) | 5 1/4 marks ($105) | 21 marks ($420) |
| Steward | 1 3/4 marks ($35) | 5 1/4 marks ($105) | 21 marks ($420) |
| Wingleaders | 1 3/4 marks ($35) | 5 1/4 marks ($105) | 21 marks ($420) |
| Wingseconds | 1 1/2 marks ($30) | 4 1/2 marks v($90) | 18 marks ($360) |
| Asst. Weyrlingmasters | 1 1/2 marks ($30) | 4 1/2 marks ($90) | 18 marks ($360) |
| Asst. Headwoman | 1 1/4 marks ($25) | 3 3/4 marks ($75) | 15 marks ($300) |
| Asst. Steward | 1 1/4 marks ($25) | 3 3/4 marks ($75) | 15 marks ($300) |
| Rider | 1 mark ($20) | 3 marks ($60) | 12 marks ($240) |
| Weyrling | 3/4 mark ($15) | 2 1/4 marks ($45) | 9 marks ($180) |
| Resident | 1/2 mark ($10) | 1 1/2 marks ($30) | 6 marks ($120) |
| Drudge | 1/4 mark ($5) | 3/4 mark ($15) | 3 marks ($60) |
Costs
As the necessities of life are taken care of, those things that a person might personally purchase are considered luxuries and that is often reflected in their prices.
| Food and Drink | Cost |
| A loaf of bread | 1/16 mark |
| A bag of apples | 1/8 mark |
| A medium-sized fish | 1/4 mark |
| A bucket of spiderclaws | 1/4 mark |
| A lamb shank | 1/2 mark |
| A beef shank | 1/2 mark |
| A gallon of cider | 1/8 mark |
| A bottle of wine | 1/2 mark - 5 marks |
| A bottle of hard liquor | 1/2 mark |
| A jug of beer | 1/4 mark |
| A bar drink | 1/16 mark |
| A pie | 1/4 mark |
| A bubbly pie | 1/32 mark |
| Clothing | Cost |
| Sandals | 3/4 mark |
| Boots | 1 1/2 marks |
| A leather belt with metal buckle | 3/4 mark |
| A shirt | 1 mark |
| A bolt of undyed linen | 1 mark |
| Cloth trousers | 1 1/2 marks |
| Leather trousers | 2 1/2 marks |
| A sundress | 1 1/2 marks |
| A gather dress | 3 marks |
| A gather coat | 2 1/2 marks |
| A winter coat | 3 marks |
| Riding gear | 5 marks |
| Hair combs | 3/4 mark |
| Sisal ribbon | 1/16 mark |
| Glass bead necklace | 3/4 mark |
| Pearl necklace | 1 1/2 mark |
| Gemstone necklace | 2 marks |
| Straw hat | 1/2 mark |
| Livestock | Cost |
| Runner | 9 marks |
| Bovine | 8 marks |
| Llama | 7 marks |
| Ovine | 6 marks |
| Caprine | 5 marks |
| Furniture, Textiles and Tools | Cost |
| A medium, all-purpose knife | 1 mark |
| Leather travel sack | 1 mark |
| Bow and full quiver | 2 marks |
| A plain wooden chair | 1 1/2 marks |
| A square table | 3 marks |
| A plain wooden bed | 12 marks |
| A quilt | 4 marks |
| A wardrobe | 10 marks |
| A press | 4 marks |
| A hand mirror | 2 marks |
| A paper journal | 1 mark |
| A set of four wine glasses | 2 marks |
| A set of four ceramic tea cups | 1 1/2 marks |
| A flask | 2 marks |
| A small drum | 1 1/2 marks |
| A musical pipe | 2 marks |
| A guitar | 5 marks |
| A small wood carving | 1/4 mark |
| A portrait | 5 marks |
| A plain deck of cards | 1/4 mark |
| A customized deck of cards | 1 mark 1/2 |
|
