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Razz
Senior Scribe
USA
749 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 01:18:56
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Ok, here's a set of questions I'm concerned about. With FR being such a campaign heavily mercantile setting, I ask if anyone here can tell me how does a medievial moneylender work?
From what I gather, they make investments and loans, collecting on interest I assume? Sort of like modern-day banks, but I know most were private individuals (as opposed to huge firms). I also assume if someone doesn't pay back on their loans, the authorities are involved. So I assume moneylenders go through their local government to acquire the license and protections that a government would give to aspiring moneylenders. Otherwise, then they're just loan-sharks and use unethical and unscrupulous methods of acquiring their money.
Is there anymore information I would need to know? I have an NPC Aristocrat 1/Enchanter 10 that's into the moneylending business, and I use the Running a Business rules in the DMG2 to get an idea of how much cash he's rolling in per term (being NE, the guy also abuses his magic to acquire higher profit, using that to upgrade his business and perform other unsavory methods of getting money).
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 01:28:45
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| You'll find some worthwhile tidbits in the "Play the Market" chapter of Power of Faerűn. Additionally, a search of Ed's scrolls should reveal some specific business-operations related pieces of info as well. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Razz
Senior Scribe
USA
749 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 01:32:07
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
You'll find some worthwhile tidbits in the "Play the Market" chapter of Power of Faerűn. Additionally, a search of Ed's scrolls should reveal some specific business-operations related pieces of info as well.
Yeah I have that and looked through it, I can't recall if anything was said specifically about moneylenders but I'll check it again. Thanks. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 02:08:53
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Hmmm. Some additional thoughts...
There are merchant companies, enterprises and trading costers, that people in the Realms use to invest their money in, as well as agents who handle the investments and manage the financial transactions. There are people who will hide and/or protect your money, for a fee of course, and there are rentable storage spaces in various cities and other locales, as well as moneylenders and money-changers.
Ed's noted a rather integrated "bank" and "moneychanging" system at work in Delzimmer. See his Elminster Speaks articles at WotC.
As well, Waukeenar do, in fact, tend to run some of their temples as "moneylending" locales... within large cities across the Realms. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4702 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 04:18:29
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From one source, Basic - it should also be noted the only bank in the Keep.
quote:
Here anyone can exchange money or gems for a 10% fee. The banker will also keep a person;s wealth stored at no charge if it is left for at least one month, otherwise there will be a 10% fee. Loans at an rate of 10% per month can be obtained for up to 5 gold pieces with no security deposit; over 5 gold pieces requires some item of at least twice the value of the loan.
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"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Sill Alias
Senior Scribe
Kazakhstan
588 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 07:17:36
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| Don't forget about various guilds and organizations, good and evil. Black Network has grasp on some of the markets I presume. |
You can hear many tales from many mouths. The most difficult is to know which of them are not lies. - Sill Alias
"May your harp be unstrung, your dreams die and all your songs be unsung." - curse of the harper, The Code of the Harpers 2 ed.
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Fizilbert
Learned Scribe
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 11:48:20
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| You could also just try googling money lending in the medievel ages. I just did and came up with a few webpages that had some good information on it. While not specific to the Realms, it'll give you some ideas of how it worked back then, and then you can edit it to fit the Realms if you feel you need to. |
Fiz
Level 10 Vice-president
World of Elethril |
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Basil the Geek
Acolyte
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 23:33:43
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One of my ancestors once got deep in the debt hole over a court judgment concerning a fight gone bad over sheep and later lost an ear, almost his nose too, and that was to a money lender considered good, honest, and reputable, a fair guy in England people felt safe borrowing from. More ill fortune befell said ancestor with the same lender who then had the poor sod shanghaied along with his brother (possibly cousin as its unclear), put onto a ship and made to pay back with their labors.
Later my direct ancestor jumped ship somewhere in the Virginia colony; escaped with an Angolan indentured servant to marry and live among the Indians. He later married his Angolan friend’s half Indian daughter after his own Indian wife died.
Meanwhile the other ancestor did his time and disappeared into obscurity. I even found the record of his release from indenture but no later marriage or death.
Several decades later the survivor was forced at pike/gun point to buy his prime farm lands back from the crown then muscling its way inland. He had to take a loan from another very “reputable” lender only to fall back deeper into debt when local government/business corruption nearly forced him into default. When that failed to dislodge him (a short stint into piracy/brigandry brought home some gold), his children were declared “black” and “Indian” so they couldn’t own land. He fought it in court, going deeper into debt but the bank wanted his land as well as many other families properties. There was no winning.
A killing spree ensued during a general uprising and surprisingly my ancestor wasn’t involved. He was too old and forbade his sons from participating (although a few did anyway) while they hurriedly prepared to head west into Cherokee lands. The bank still wanted him dead so he, along with many other elders, were arrested, tried and hung a few days later. The family fled the killings that night with hardly the clothes on their backs eventually making it to the safety over the mountains only to face the same problems again a generation or two later when the English showed up again making demands and forcing people to take loans to buy back their land. What a racket the English had!
I come from a long line of excellent records keepers and journal writers who to this day seem to have inherited a near pathologic aversion to taking on debt. I wonder why?
One line of the family actually joined the other side to become bankers and a cousin once told me an old rule of thumb handed down from over a thousand years ago. For every 2% interest given, take 3% on loans and always be out the door by 3PM.
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Razz
Senior Scribe
USA
749 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jun 2010 : 00:03:29
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Wow, interesting and intriguing story!
And thanks for the idea of googling it, I planned on doing that and looking into it a bit. |
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Moneylenders
