Coins (Absalom)

The Coins

(City district)

Nation

Absalom

Government

Oligarchy (district council)

Leader

Lady Myleena of House Arnsen

Source: Guide to Absalom, pg(s). 20-22 (1E)
Absalom, City of Lost Omens, pg(s). 107-119 (2E)

For another meaning of "coins", please see List of currencies.

The Coins district in Absalom is located north of the great city's docks and near the heart of the City at the Center of the World. This area is home to much of the trade, both legal and illegal, that occurs within Absalom. The transient nature of its primarily merchant population facilitates the illicit exchange of drugs and other contraband.

Despite its reputation, some areas of the district such as the Monger's Mart and Grand Bazaar remain more respectable, where the potential for profit outweighs the risk of unlawful dealings. Wherever money changes hands, however, tempers and greed can get the best of even the most civil, and only The Puddles district reports more murders in Absalom.

Economy

Commerce in the district occurs at all hours. Taverns are open 24 hours a day, magical and natural illumination keep markets open through the night, and public Time Callers announce every hour on the street.

Government

Myleena of House Arnsen is the nomarch of the Coins' district council, which is known as the Coin Council. Until the recent abolition of slavery within the city, Lord Navvem of House Wachail, another member of the Coin Council, held the position of Slave Overseer.

District guard

The Coins' district watch is colloquially known as the Token Guard and takes a lenient view on crime. The guard responds to offenses only when paid to do so by a private concern or to avoid the attention of the primarch. The Token Guard's typical response to a disturbance is to arrest everyone at the scene and hold them for disturbing the peace at Bail House until someone can pay for their release.

Places of interest

Dozens of stores, taverns, halls, and other places of interest dot the district, but the following are perhaps the most well-known locations in the Coins:

• Bail House: Headquarters of the District Guard
• Grand Bazaar: Vast, ever changing market where nearly everything can be bought and sold
• Red Silk Route: Market where the desires of the flesh are satisfied
• Saucy Wench: Enormous mead hall found at the center of the Grand Bazaar
• Hackamore House: Absalom's premier carriage shop run by a centaur and her shapeshifting mate
• Misery Row: The only street in the city where until recently the buying and selling of slaves is permitted
• Eternal Shackle: An arched monument under which a magical fire burns
• The Devil's Advocates: A slave brokerage that specializes in well-trained Chelaxian slaves
• Scales of Labor: The oldest and most profitable slave pit in the city
• Mudhaven: The Coins' dreary, and nearly always damp residential quarter
• Temple of Lost Coins: Headquarters of the Forthright, the Coins' largest thieves' guild
• Winking Cyclops Tavern: A drinking establishment
• Monger's Mart: Main market of perishable items in the district
• Penny & Sphinx Trust: This grand stone building is notable for the two stone sphinxes that flank the entrance.
• The Lucky Nimbus: An upscale casino the size of an entire city block, it is run by the charming Gage Carlyle.
• A statue of a two-headed owlbear is a notable landmark
• The Merchants' Quarter: A financial and business center in the east end of the Coins. Many of these meetings and deals take place in the Grand Dance Hall of Kortos, a theater where dancing troupe shows are displayed.
  • Clockwork Cathedral: An academy of mechanics and constructs in the Merchants' Quarter.
  • Taurean Embassy: Operated by Nuar Spiritskin in the Merchants' Quarter.