SMOOSH JUICE
Trade and Be Blessed!
For some time, I’ve been writing shops in an underground complex that I call Deep Market, and I have about a dozen or more. As part of our cleric blog conclave, I thought I’d introduce the Vault of the Coinmaiden where the clerics are morally bound to release treasure from dragon hoards etc into the wide world.
The Vault
The temple of the Coinmaiden, also called the Vault, is where you go when you need some gold to tide you over until your next dungeon delve is complete, or if you simply must have a fist-sized diamond for a spell which will grant you prosperity or success in battle.
The Vault can arrange:
- a safe place to store your treasure, complete with a small, linked trandimensional bag for easy withdrawals and deposits.
- loans for adventurers
- starting finance for businesses and adventuring companies
- shares and investments in certain Vault-backed enterprises
The Vault is run by clerics of the goddess of commerce and enterprise, the patron deity of Deep Market. Loans and starting finances are available only to those who agree to take a member of the Vault onto the team during the first phase of the loan (a sliding scale from one day to ten years, depending on the size of the loan) and to give ten percent of profits as a share in perpetuity. Treasure bags require a fee each year, and the full cost of enchanting a new bag should they be lost or stolen or destroyed (of course, they do come with location charms included). The Coinmaiden seeks to increase prosperity throughout the lands.
Clergy at the Vault
The Deepmarket Vault is headed by Sister Hallaya, a small person with thick spectacles and a sweet smile. Visitors might also meet Brother Clayton, a hugely muscled half-orc, or Sibling Keenoo, a striking lizard person with a beautiful gold and red scale patterning. Regardless, they will be greeted with the Coinmaiden’s blessing: “Trade and be blessed!”
Brother Clayton is serving time at the Vault since his company lost the money loaned them by the Coinmaiden. He likes the work and is able to recount numerous ways businesses have failed. Sibling Keenoo is a bard and sings magnificently. Sister Hallaya is a champion of the Coinmaiden and very high in the hierarchy of her worship.
The Coinmaiden could also serve as a PC god since clergymembers often accompany new business groups to whom the Vault has loaned money (see adventure hooks below).
Vault Adventure Hooks
| d4 | Adventure Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | A member of the party has a debt to the Vault already, but was unable to make previous payments. Brother Clayton will now accompany the party to ensure their upcoming adventure is successful and the Coinmaiden receives her due. If the venture does not prosper, one of the party will need to volunteer to join the Coinmaiden’s clergy. |
| 2 | Upon opening an account with the Vault, the party receives their Vault bag. The bag is supposed to be empty, but the first time they open it, they find something. (What they find is up to the DM, but ideally, something that gets them into trouble or leads them towards their next adventure.) |
| 3 | Sister Hallaya has received a vision directly from the Coinmaiden of a vast treasure accumulated and kept from circulating freely. The Vault wishes to hire the party to retrieve the treasure, and will finance the expedition well. The party’s share will be 20% of the hoard. In order to promote competition and improve the chances of recovery, the Coinmaiden is funding five separate groups. |
| 4 | Sibling Keenoo has been attached to a new venture as an observer, and quickly realises something is deeply wrong with the whole thing — instead of trying to make money, the business may be a front for cultists, and worse, their scheme threatens to bring down the whole market! The Vault looks to the party to stop the scheme and preserve the market’s commerce. |