The Éterlumin Economy
The ledger is the weapon. The convoy is the argument. The source is the throne.
Éterlumin moves through the Mar de Oro region the way credit moves through a financial system: it is never where anyone says it is, the quantity in circulation is always disputed, and the people who control the chokepoints control everything downstream of them. A Game Master who understands the supply chain can generate faction pressure from first principles without needing specific plot events.
The supply chain
| Stage | Who controls it | Where the leverage is |
|---|---|---|
| Source chambers | Valdegracia (licensed); Church (spiritual authority); local communities (oral knowledge). | Access. Who can approach the chamber and who is kept away. |
| Extraction | Company factors and licensed engineers. | The yield figure. The real yield and the reported yield are rarely identical. |
| Refining | Company refineries on controlled islands. | Grade certification. A Grade III certified as Grade IV is worth twice as much and twice as dangerous. |
| Convoy transit | Valdegracian navy (escort); insurance companies (risk calculation); pirates (interdiction). | Timing and routing. Who knows when a convoy sails is who decides whether it arrives. |
| Distribution | Company factors in receiving ports. | Allocation. Military, industrial, or civilian priority is a political decision wearing an economic costume. |
| Contraband stream | Pirates, smugglers, black sloops, corrupt officials. | Price and deniability. The contraband price is always lower and the paperwork is always better. |
How the market speaks
| Voice | What they say |
|---|---|
| Company ledger | One sealed half-cylinder of Grade III lift-medium, marked clean at Canula Prime, is worth more than ten wagonloads of cut cane. One unmarked cylinder is worth less than a coffin until proven quiet. |
| Dockside saying | Sugar buys a coat. Éterlumin buys a cannon. A source buys a war. |
| Valdegracian quartermaster | Count every chamber, every seal, every valve, every prayer muttered by a frightened mechanic. The enemy cannot shoot down what we never let rise. |
| Albion private note | Their convoys guard weight. We shall take speed. Strike the ledger, not the fortress. Burn the papers, steal the mechanic, leave the tank singing. |
| Duchy of Heller harbor record | Official lift stores remain low. Unofficial lift stores are not to be discussed in writing. Black sloops draw from separate inventory under sealed authority. |
Grades, marks, and what a character actually sees
Éterlumin has an in-world notation because the world has laboratories, ledgers, and engineers. Scholars write the substance as Etl(Φ), "Etl bound to Phi". A canister might be marked ETL-III | Φ 0.71 | L 4 | P 12 | R 2 | COLD-SEALED.
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ETL-III | Refined Grade III. Stable enough for regulated airship lift and signal work. |
| Φ 0.71 | Fortera response coefficient. Higher values answer faster but are harder to calm. |
| L 4 | Luminous density. Useful for signal systems and diagnostic reading. |
| P 12 | Pressure tolerance rating for sealed transport and lift-lung use. |
| R 2 | Resonance risk. Low enough for ordinary convoy, still dangerous near active sources. |
| COLD-SEALED | Stored quiet after refinement, not warm-drawn or battle-vented. |
Reading a mark at the table
A forged mark is the fastest way to hang a scene on a single die roll. Let a sharp character catch a Grade III tag on a cylinder that is faintly warm, or a Φ value too high for the convoy it is riding with. The paperwork lies; the substance does not.
Ready-to-use prop labels
- CROWN ASSAY SEAL: ETL-III, Φ 0.71, P 12. Do not warm. Do not invert. Report singing vessel immediately.
- DUCHY OF HELLER PRIVATE STORES: No manifest copy authorized. Transfer only under sealed order. Chamber cold at time of inspection.
- REFINERY WARNING: A quiet valve is not a loyal valve. Confirm by gauge, hand, and second reader.
- CHURCH NOTICE: Luminous contraband surrendered before vespers shall be judged as negligence. Concealment shall be judged as sin and treason.
- ASSAY OFFICE NOTICE: All unmarked vessels arriving through Canula Prime are impounded until tested for pressure memory, resonance risk, seal integrity, and lawful origin.