Bank

The **Bank** is one of the most powerful institutions in the world, having been created after the fall of the Majistraal order.

A few hundred years before present time, the Bank signed the Treaty of Halfstone that since regulates Awakened law in Ekrustia.

## Organization

The ruling body of the Bank is the *Board*, which is comprised of the ten wealthiest members of the Bank organization. The head of the *Board* is called the Bank's Director. The Boardmembers are themselves competing between each other for the rank, which is annually assessed as the net worth as part of the Bank’s tax procedure. The assessed value of assets, minus outstanding liabilities determines the ranking. The Bank has full control over the island of Splendor, which gets ruled over by an administrator.

Known subsidiaries of the Bank (and the responsible individuals as of mid-3061) are (first four by rank of the leaderboard):

* The Foundry is the crafting branch, they hold a monopoly on light plates and journey cores. Their awakened Crafters are indentured by the Bank. Lord Director Jien Ineti is responsible for this operation and the current Director. Their headquarters is Lightcore, which controls at least three layers in the Great Delving.
* The Havenheild company is a global chain selling enchanted gear to nobles and adventurers with a crass price structure to ensure the customers remaining dependent on it. Omar of Tae is overseeing Havenheild.
* The Greater Bellosian Trade League is likely the branch that controls trade between Splendor and the continent of Bellost. It obeys Lord Kenn Trell who is also current administrator over Splendor (as of mid-3061).
* The Bank Branch of Eastspar seems to control trade between Splendor and Ekrustia. Together with three Goldships, it is owned by Lord Luna Olentu who claims to rank #4 in the Board.

The Bank also has the follow functions:

* The Bank has control of the teleportation platforms of most cities, and exploits that monopoly by charging enormous fees on those willing to travel via teleport. A private activation from Fel Sadanis to Jarro costs 2300 coppers.
* The Bank issues the major currency of the world.
* Bank branches allow for exchanging the currency as well as Tel and Crysts for a fee.

## Ranks of Awakened

Awakened of the Bank wear black clothes with a gold trim, and have gold plates on all levels:

* Anyone below level 25 wears silver-bordered gold plates, which includes unawakened Clerks.
* The next level (equivalent to the Guild Silverplate) is the Rubyplate. A less charitable name for this rank is *Bloodplate*.
* The next level (equivalent to the Guild Goldplate) is the Sapphireplate.

## Branches

### Branch of Fel Sadanis

The bank of Fel Sadanis was a massive building of black marble, easily five times the size of the Adventurers’ Guild. The building was all columns and gold inlay, with an ornate golden plate hanging over the doors showing an image of a scale. The whole structure was still mostly a storefront, with little inside it besides the cavernous marble lobby. Seven regular employees of this Bank branch received protection after the Shift: Enforcer Sannin (ranked a Rubyplate), three Awakened (ranked as Goldplates), and two Unawakened. These seven employees were allowed in the secret vault below the Bank, although while the awakened employees knew of the existence of the second secret vault bellow the first, only Sannin knew what it contained.

### Branch of Vestvall

Apparently, even a town as small as Vestvall merited an own Bank branch, although there is little known about it other than Jamus having been an Unawakened employee there. *(It seems likely that one of the town's merchants and/or a noble was responsible for running the operation.)*

### Branch of Barstone

In Barstone, the Bank maintained an own compound away from *Hightown*, which was built around the Teleporter station. The branch also owned storage houses in the harbor area, and a Banker was around when Rain was there, being carried in a levitating palanquin. The Goldship that followed the *Temerity* from Barstone to Eastspar also belonged to the Eastspar branch.

### Branch of Eastspar

The bank of Eastspar is a building as ostentatious as that of Fel Sadanis, but also has functional spaces besides the main lobby, among them proper offices and meeting rooms befitting the apparently most important Bank branch on the continent of Ekrustia. Eastspar's top-ranked Bank officials are President Luna Olentu, Seeker Kan and Enforcer Gena.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 76, 205
2. ↑ Chapter 212
3. ↑ Chapter 224
4. ↑ Chapter 112
5. ↑ Chapter 68
6. ↑ Chapter 187
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 76
8. ↑ Chapter 207
9. ↑ Chapter 61
10. ↑ Chapter 212
11. ↑ Chapter 107