The Order of the Temporal Coin
The Order of the Temporal Coin is a high-end society of businessmen in Alaya. It is considered a conglomeration of economic resources in the world, and employs through itself various forms of trade and monetary gain. In their pockets they have: banks, politicians, assassins, transport ships, miners, and all other forms of business acquisitions. They control a great deal of business, both clandestine and regulated, and are considered the 'real' commerce guild by most─ if not all. The Order even include the Merchants' Guild and Iron Bank among their subsidiaries. They are known by their might to pressure smaller Commerce Guilds and Regional Guilds into becoming subsidiaries of theirs, sometimes through bribes, sometimes even through armed force. They are known to take interest in different small businesses individually, and give highest authority to those who provide the most for them.
Those who join the Order of the Temporal Coin are those who check in over time and provide both good funding and goods to the Order. In order to keep out the riffraff and take only the best things possible from every individual, they are known to give out 'Merchant Passes' first to test the viability of new members. If a certain threshold of transaction or exchange is reached by an individual Merchant, their 'Merchant Pass' which is only affiliated directly with the Merchant Guild exchanged with a Temporal Coin, which is affiliated directly with the Order.
Being a Member of the Order of the Temporal Coin, comes with some base abilities to choose from. The potential skills unlocked by being a member of the Order are as follows:
• Luck Bonus: Being a member of the Order of the Temporal Coin grants a luck bonus to each of its member by the grade of their Mark. Each time the Mark goes up a grade they gain + to their Luck Stat.
• Powers: There are three specific powers to choose from within the skills set. Each one grants a different kind of bonus to the person allowing them a better ability to conduct 'business' in whichever way they are lacking.
○ Agent of Stealth: Grants a bonus to those who do business under the cover of darkness. This includes dealings which could be considered clandestine and 'illegal' like thievery. It allows a Rogue-like Ability called Misdirection to be activated for a short amount of time, redirecting attention from the user to another target.
○ Agent of Subterfuge: Grants a bonus to those who need to forge new contracts and deals. It allows them a higher bit of persuasion and makes their prices better with regular merchants. An Agent of Subterfuge could use this persuasive ability to influence others by initiating a Luck Check. Failure of the Luck Check leaves the target susceptible to the user's influence when deals of any sort are made.
○ Agent of Strife: Grants a bonus to those who do business to be hostile to those beneath them. They gain a connection forged directly with those in their business, bleeding it for profit of their own will. The amount of this goes up with every tier of the Agent, starting at 30% and rising 10% for every additional rank to a maximum of 80%. This ability can also be used to forge a connection between the user and another person, allowing the user to drain the target's Luck Stat and convert it into their own Parameters.
○ Agent of Mitigation: Grants a bonus to those who do business with the need for protection. It allows their transactions to be backed directly by the Guild instead of them taking potential profit losses to themselves. They cloak themselves in business in a manner akin to hiding behind ones credit. In a combat situation one cloaks themselves in the value of their business, granting them damage mitigation to a degree which increases as they tier up within the Order. A holder of the Silver Coin can reduce incoming damage by 30%, and each higher rank grants an additional 10% damage mitigation.
• Caduceus Network - A system which gives information about all things in the world. It is fed by those who hold the 'Mark' for the Order of the Temporal Coin. When interfaced with the network, the 'mainframe' gains extra information which is accessible at different levels by all members. Those who have attained at least the lowest rank within the Order will have the ability to access small amounts of information about the world. Because of this Order's long history through time, it is said that its highest members have access to a knowledge of everything. Caduceus is a system which works to spread and collect information and disseminate it based on pre-established criteria, when those criteria are outpaced, it begins to question its own existence.
○ Yes/No - A connection to Caduceus which allows the user to ask simple questions, which can be answered by yes and no responses. These are the lowest tier of questions which are made by the Network and considered to have answers given that only benefit the Network itself. It is logical and emotionless.
○ Analytical Appraisal - A connection to Caduceus which allows the user to connect and determine the use and value of anything placed on the Mark. It is used through Caduceus and is considered a mutual experience, as new materials are introduced to the system through this method.
○ Synthesis and Separation - A connection to Caduceus which allows the user to connect and use the abilities of the network to create or separate different materials. It is a more in-depth level of questioning which tells the user how to perform certain tasks, so long as Caduceus understands the process.
○ All Creation - A connection to Caduceus which allows the user to connect and learn any information which the system has access to spread out across history.
The "Mark" of Order of the Temporal Coin
The Marks of the Order of the Temporal Coin are magically-enchanted coins of varying materials. Each kind of metal is considered a different 'tier' among the Order. As the tier increases, the rights and privileges of the members increase. Even the most basic coin can ping other nearby users, and record the information of all transactions made with it in the user's possession. When one reports to a Guild Outpost or connects their coin to another user's, the information related to both parties' transactions will be uploaded to Caduceus, which will (depending on its merit) grant the holder more rights and privileges via access to a higher-ranking coin.
○ Merchant Pass - A Merchant Pass is considered a 'trial' run for the Order. It gives no extra privileges, aside from letting one freely travel from country to country regardless of their affiliation. It also grants one the basic ability to take and make business contracts and gain employees. This is the base marker for every 'Merchant' and will eventually determine if they have the ability to join the Order properly.
○ Copper - Replaces the Merchant Pass with a Temporal Coin, which marks one as a true member of the Order of a Temporal Coin. It gives instant access to a + Luck Buff. It also has the lowest possible monetary backing of any of the Temporal Coin's business potentials.
○ Iron - This is an upgrade of the Temporal Coin which gains it an Iron Ranking. It grants a ++ Luck Buff and has slightly higher monetary backing. In addition, it gives access to the first level of Caduceus Network.
○ Silver - An upgrade of the Temporal Coin which grants a Grade-Up Luck Buff. In addition, the earned rank entitled the user to gain one of the powers of an Agent. Each Agent Skill is an option, which can be exchanged for another during any visit to the Order Headquarters or outposts.
○ Gold - An upgrade of the Temporal Coin which gives a full access to a Grade-Up + Luck Buff. In addition, it upgrades Agent Skills, allowing an additional Skill to be selected. This rank allows free use of Temporal Coin-chartered ships to reach even higher destinations.
○ Platinum - An upgrade of the Temporal Coin, which alerts the board of trustees that a member someone to be watched. It grants a Grade-Up ++ Luck Buff. It also allows the Ping function on the coin to work for more than just locations and other members. It grants knowledge of map features and places which members can do business. At Platinum Tier, holders of coins are encouraged to become more exclusive in their dealings, as having such a rank can increase the ranks of others without increasing their own.
○ Mithril - An upgrade of the Temporal Coin which comes at a certain monetary marker is met. It allows its holder to trade at higher frequencies while also allowing a buff to the powers of the Agent one has received, and yet another selection of Skills. Beyond this, the Mithril upgrade gives access to more of the Caduceus Network, allowing for better item crafting and creation.
○ Orichalcum - An upgrade of the Temporal Coin which allows for better use of the Skills associated with being an Agent. It also grants a special place within the Order of the Temporal Coin, and penultimate access to the Caduceus Network. Orichalcum is the highest tier most members can dream of reaching within the Order; all who inhabit it are considered business tycoons.
○ Adamantite - Adamantite if the highest form of Temporal Coin one can achieve, though only seven Adamantite Coins exist. It allows for full access to the Caduceus Network and gains one the title of 'Trustee' which can get one a seat on the board. This tier comes with a massive quantity of high-tier connections. It grants unlimited use of skills associated with being a high-tier Merchant and makes one into a VIP client completely backed by the Iron Bank, which will cover any debts incurred by the Adamantite holder. An Adamantite member of the Order boasts a name known far and wide in the world of business, as a thing to be both feared and admired.
