Economic Warfare: The Tactics of Aurelius the Golden

Aurelius the Golden, the Great Wyrm and Chairman of the Grand Arcane Bank, does not fight with claws and fire. He fights with ledger lines and interest rates. His control over Kigum’s economy has made the bank more powerful than any standing army.

The "Golden Noose" Strategy

Aurelius often grants "Interest-Free" loans to fledgling nations or city-states. These loans, however, contain a "Sovereignty Clause." If the debt is not repaid in full within a century, the bank gains the right to appoint the nation's Treasurer. Within two centuries, the bank usually owns the nation's natural resources.

Market Distillation

The GAB employs "Divination Analysts" who predict harvest failures or mineral discoveries years in advance.

• The Spice Crash of 412 AW: Aurelius flooded the market with conjured (but temporary) spices, driving prices to zero. When local merchants went bankrupt, the Bank bought their shipping lanes for a fraction of their value before the conjured spices vanished.

Currency Debasement

The Bank issues "Arcane Credits," which are backed by the GAB's mana reserves rather than gold. By fluctuating the exchange rate between Arcane Credits and physical gold, Aurelius can drain the gold reserves of rival cities like Steamfort without ever moving a single coin.

The Embargo of the Soul

For those who truly offend the Bank, Aurelius issues an "Anathema of Commerce." All GAB-affiliated merchants are forbidden from trading with the target. In a world as interconnected as Aethervale, this is a death sentence. The target city eventually starves, not from lack of food, but from the inability to pay for its delivery.

Privateer Finance

The Bank is known to secretly fund "Economic Irregulars" (pirates and mercenaries) to disrupt the trade routes of competitors, then offer "Insurance Policies" to those same competitors to protect them from the very pirates the Bank is paying.