Recruitment

Anna frowned when she got to the bank. That guard was right, this statue is tasteless. Who even designed this? She glanced at a nearby guard, who shook her head.

"I know you want to." She called out. "But destroying the statue is technically illegal."

Anna sighed. It was a crime against decency to allow this thing to stand, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment, so she opted to walk by it and made for the bank. At the front doors, a surprisingly well equipped and well armed, if what was on her waist was what Anna thought it was, guard stopped Anna.

"Hold, traveller. I am required by law to inform you that attempting to rob the bank will result in your summary execution. Are we at an accord?"

"Execution? Isn't that a bit harsh?" Anna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We've had no bank robberies in the five hundred years the bank has existed. Do I make myself clear?" The guard continued.

"One final question." Anna looked around, then leaned in to whisper. "Is that a combat shotgun?"

"You mean this?" The guard gestured at the gun on her waist. "This is the latest from the Khaz Gun Works in Port Sulala, the Street Sweeper. Deadly to 200 yards." The guard glanced around. "My shift ends at 9."

Anna winked. "Maybe."

She walked inside, and found a elaborately decorated interior, befitting a bank lobby. There were a few merchants mingling, talking to clerks of varying kinds. Spotting a sign over an oak door that said Moneychanging, she made her way through the lobby. The guards inside were all just as well equipped and armed as the woman watching the door inside. Expressionless faces, shotguns at the ready, and what was very obviously primitive ballistics armour. So what was the deal with the guards in the rest of the city?

Opening the door, she found a single goblin sitting at a desk. He motioned for her to sit in the chair across from him.

"Just a single room?" Anna asked as she opted to sit. The room was too small for its purpose, of that she was certain. This should be a manager's office.

"What were you expecting?" The goblin asked with a toothy grin. "Now, what do you have for me?"

"Coinage. From a place that's... not here. I assume you're just going to melt them down." Anna opted for a dramatic finish and simply opened the bag and turned it upside down. Well over a thousand coins spilled out onto the desk.

The goblin frowned. He knew most coinage by sound alone, and this was making a noise closer to jewellery. He picked up a coin and inspected it closely in his hand. Something was clearly off about the coinage but he couldn't place it. That's when it hit him.

"What's the purity of these coins?" He asked, squinting as he squeezed it.

"Isn't all gold coinage generally around 90 percent pure?" Anna asked with a slightly confused tone.

"Ninety percent?" The goblin yelled, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. If what she said was accurate, then what was sitting in front of him wasn't coinage. It was a dragon hoard. He quietly pressed a button under his desk. The Baron had to be alerted, this would ruin the economy.

"Something wrong?"

"Not from here are you?" The goblin cleared his throat, and tossed a Southern Karandi gold coin at her after pulling it out of his shirt pocket. "That's what passes for gold around here."

Anna looked at it and frowned. "This is... is this brass?"

"That one's brass plated lead. I haven't seen a 'gold' gold coin in at least a century. Old Republican coinage is gold, but that doesn't leave private collections."

A knock at the door came, and 3 guards armed with shotguns entered. Their armour was polished to a mirror finish, and a thin man entered behind them.

"Miss, the Baron of Thorns wishes to speak with you, regarding your... coins." He said, in a tone that was respectful but still quite firm.

Anna could sense something radiating off the guards, but the magic of this Karand was extremely alien to her. Looking at the thin man, he was dressed like a butler, and it was clear she didn't have a choice. Making a scene also wouldn't help matters, so she sighed.

"Alright, you boys win this time. Let's get the coins back in the bag, hmmm?"

"That would be best." The goblin said.