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Tales of Cross
Economy

Economy

The bottleneck, the gold, and what each region can afford to refuse.

The economy of Cross comes down to one sentence: there is too much ore and too few believers. Extraction is labour — you hire, you dig, and ore comes out. Purification is faith, and it is done one stone at a time.

Everything else follows from that: the Order’s monopoly, the 27% of continental product burned on the war every year, and the reason why no economic problem in this world is solved with more work — working harder only produces more dead ore.

3 to 1 mined vs purified
11.000 purifiers in the world
27% of continental product spent on war

Annual mineral output — 1890

Quantities purified, not mined.

MineralPer yearMain sourceUse
Mineral Choir-Iron Per year ~180.000 t Main source Ferrum Alpina · Kal’arn · Brytonia Use blade, armour, structure
Mineral Seal Salt Per year ~90.000 t Main source Sal Pradelica Use barrier, field exorcism
Mineral Ardentina Per year ~62.000 t Main source Stromakra · Sathkar Use explosive, artillery
Mineral Holy Ash Per year ~30.000 t Main source Vallia Sacra Use defensive cover
Mineral Silver Chrism Per year ~4.200 t Main source Maritima Coronata · Selo IV Use ammunition — 900 million rounds
Mineral Lúmen Per year ~900 t Main source Schola Coronata · Selo II Use repellent light
Mineral Hashmalita Per year ~240 t Main source Ferrum Alpina 55% · Kal’arn 30% Use electricity, tanks

The arithmetic of the consecrated round

Every round exists because someone with real faith spent twenty seconds with it in their hand.

IndicatorValue
Indicator Licensed purifiers in service Value ~11.000
Indicator Pace of a competent purifier Value ~2 kg de Crisma por day útil
Indicator Theoretical capacity Value ~5.500 t/year
Indicator Actual output Value ~4.200 t/year
Indicator The difference Value death, travel, sickness, doubt
Indicator Tiros consagrados por soldado, per year Value 112

What each region can refuse

The only hierarchy that matters in Cross.

LeverWho holds itEver used?
Lever Kal’arn Hashmalite — 30% of world output Who holds it Königsmark Ever used? threatened in 1855-60
Lever The continent’s bread Who holds it Vykhradia Ever used? never — they lack a foreign policy
Lever Ardentine — the explosive of the war Who holds it Meridia e as Confrarias Ever used? yes, in 1871
Lever 70% of mineral freight Who holds it Velinia Ever used? never — it lives off not using it
Lever 40% of the gold in custody Who holds it Kantonal Ever used? no need: existing is enough
Lever Manufacturing Who holds it Brytonia Ever used? never — it would cost Brithon more
Lever Training purifiers Who holds it Schola Coronata Ever used? never, and it would be the deadliest
Lever Nada Who holds it Aurum Romana · Ferrum Alpina · Limes Ever used?

Relative wages

Index, base 1 = a day’s wage for a peasant of Vallia Sacra.

WhoIndex
Who Convict miner Index 0 — penal labour
Who Camponês Index 1
Who Soldado de line Index 1,8
Who Operário de Manchaster Index 2,4
Who Parish canon Index 3
Who Kantonal mercenary Index 6
Who Licensed purifier Index 14
Who Magnate cavalry officer Index 22
Who Medium White Index no wage — she has 4 to 6 years to live
Go deeper

The full texts

The almanac gives you the figure. Here is the reason behind it — contradictions included, and everything the Curia would rather not explain.