Tallent

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The Tallent is a form of currency used primarily on the Shaharazia continent of Wysteria. It is legal tender in the Commonwealth of South Nashville, the Commonwealth of Cartesian Praetoria, the People's Republic of Hecktoria, and the Mercantilist States for all debts, public and private. It is also the corporate currency of the Lockheed-Stanton Corporation.

It is issued by the Central Bank of South Nashville.

History

Legend

The tallent is believed to have its origins on the island nation of Aya. The legend says that following the death of the Emperor of Aya, his estate was divided evenly between his twin sons. Among the most prized of his possessions was the Tally Diam, a 50-carat diamond. Finding it more difficult than anticipated to cut, the brothers made an agreement that they each owned half the diamond. One of the brothers used his newfound wealth to establish a village and home for his family; while the other brother, a notorious spendthrift, traveled the island and squandered much of his. After exhausting much of his wealth, the spendthrift-brother began issuing promissory notes for pieces of the Tally Diam, telling recipients they could redeem their share of the diamond at his brother's village. Soon, people from all across the island were coming to the brother's village with these 'Tally-Lents' to claim their share of the diamond.

The village-brother was soon faced with citizens demanding their part of the Tally Diam. Refusing at first, he soon realized he was facing potential revolution. Thus, he declared that he while he could not break up the diamond; he would accept the Tally-Lents as payment for taxes. This was an acceptable offer to the people and soon these 'Tallents' were being used across the island.

Then disaster struck. The village-brother, while traveling Wysteria with the Tally Diam, was lost at sea. Panic struck the island as the Tallents were feared to be worthless. However, the new Empress declared that the Kingdom of Aya would continue to accept the tallents and that they would retain their full value.

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An early tallent coin
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Early History

Archaeological evidence shows that tallent coins began being used in the coastal towns on the continents touching the Tallent Sea about ten millennia ago. Early tallent coins have also been found as far away as Finnsport and in the Wysterian Territories. The most common coins were made of silver, though some gold coins existed.

As Brentwood developed as a merchant town, the local government began to take steps to help expedite commerce. They began by accepting tallents as payment for services, and using them to finance construction projects. Tallents soon replaced common barter as the primary medium of exchange in Brentwood.

Brentwood settlers began to explore the rest of the continent, bringing with them their tallents. Soon the tallent had taken hold as the primary medium of exchange in Nashville and South Nashville Station and the city governments began issuing tallent notes with values equivalent to corresponding weights of tallent coins.

Following the ratification of the Constitution of South Nashville, the Central Bank of South Nashville became the sole issuer of tallent notes and tallents became the national currency. The Treasury Department reissued a national tallent note, exchanging them at a 1:1 ratio with the city tallents and maintaining convertibility to coinage.

Following the South Nashville Banking Failure and Depression, the Central Bank of South Nashville suspended convertibility on tallents and moved to a fiat money system and floating exchange rate regime in order to move out of the economic depression and soften the impacts of future panics.

Recent History

Following the Cartesian Praetoria Common War, the Cartesian Praetoria economy began experiencing hyperinflation as order broke down and anarchy swept the nation. South Nashville agreed to send financial and military aid, and tariffs were eliminated between the two nations. As displaced Cartesian Praetoria refugees began returning home from South Nashville where they had fled during the war, the Cartesian Praetoria economy experienced a massive influx of tallents that drove out the unstable Cartesian Praetoria currencies. The resulting full economic and monetary union between the two nations has remained ever since.