“Of course, lad, of course.” Sherman hopped down from his step stool and rustled through another cabinet, returning with a palmful of coins. He dropped them down on the bar in front of me. I noticed the familiar pattern of copper and silver coinage I had become acquainted with in the past, although the size, shape and imprinting was different.
“So. Yer small coin, that’s the crown.” He held up one of the copper coins. “We call it that because...well, that’s easy to figure out.” Indeed, a crown was depicted plainly on both sides of the small coin. “That’s mostly what yer gonna be spending around here. Some call ‘em coppers, some call ‘em crowns, it’s all the same.”
He moved on to the silver coin, of which there were only a few present. “Yer silver coin is called a stein. Most people, they call ‘em ‘silver steins’. Guess it just rolls off the tongue, ya know?” He handed me the coin to examine. It actually showed three vessels: A stein, a jeweled goblet, and a small cup. Both sides were, again, the same image. “Now, one of these silvers steins is worth 50 crowns. A bit steep, perhaps, but silver is a lot rarer than copper now isn’t it?” I handed the coin back to him, nodding silently.
Sherman leaned in a bit closer and lowered his voice. “Now, I shouldn’t really be showin’ ya this, but…” He produced a golden coin from his back pocket. “A gold imperium.” He didn’t offer this coin out to me to take, but instead kept it in his upturned palm. This coin was noticeably more intricate than the others; It was roughly the same size as the other two, but the artwork was much more detailed. It showed what looked to be a massive castle, with an impressive spire in the center. At the top of this spire, a window was punched out through the coin, leaving just a sliver of a hole.
“Impressive, ain’t it?” He withdrew the coin and placed it back in his pocket, patting it lightly. “They say the picture is harder to copy this way, ‘specially that little window bit. Keeps the counterfeiters away, I ‘spose.” Carefully, he began to pick up his other coins, silvers first. “One imperium is worth 20 silvers. That one coin in my back pocket could rent a room here for a whole season.” He scooped up the remaining coppers and gave me a wink. “Needless to say, let’s keep my finances a secret from the other guests, hmm?”
I nodded quickly. “Of course. Your secret is safe with me.”
“That’s good to hear, lad.” Sherman hopped back down to return his coins to their proper location. “Now,” he said from somewhere under the bar, “about yer payment.”
“Right.” I fished a silver coin out from my purse. “If you can find a place to exchange this for a stein, maybe we could call it even?”
“Aye, that could work.” Sherman’s head popped back up in front of me, a semi-toothed smile stretched across his face. He reached out and snatched the coin from my hand with alarming speed. “I’d recommend ya find a place to make some exchanges yerself. Maybe somewhere more...official than the place I’ll be going.” He gave me a knowing raise of his eyebrows. “Maybe the Imperial Bank? I’m sure they’d be interested in the fascinatin’ coins ya got in that pouch.”
Anything to avoid a third encounter like this one. “I’ll do that. Hopefully, this Imperial Bank is in the city?”
“Indeed it is. Further in towards the keep, in the Noble’s District. I suppose you’ll be needin’ directions?” He laughed at his own joke. “That’ll hafta wait I’m afraid. Bank would be closed by the time ya got there.” Sherman disappeared momentarily and returned with a key attached to a small block of wood. “This’ll be for yer room. If you go up those stairs,” he motioned down the bar to a small staircase set in the corner, “and follow the hallway right, should be the last door on yer left.”
I took the key and bowed my head gratefully. “I truly appreciate the help you’ve given me today, Sherman. I hope I can repay the favor, somehow.”
“I’ve got half a dozen ideas already, lad.” Sherman chuckled. “You look like someone who can handle himself, aside from a lack of street smarts o’course. Anybody who can get things done is a valuable asset ‘round these parts.” He motioned me away towards the stairs. “We can talk about that tomorrow. I’m sure yer tired from yer...long trip here.”
“That I am.” I sighed deeply, only now realizing how tired I really was. Before I could stand up to go, however, my stomach gave a rather audible grumble. “I suppose I might be a bit hungry, as well.”
“As I said before, I don’t keep much in the way of food. I can get ya a heel of bread and some ale, or a bowl for some stew.”
“Ale and bread would be great.” I pulled my coin purse out once again. “How much will it run me?”
Sherman held up a hand and shook his head. “Consider it part of yer room charge.” He hopped off his stool and clattered around under the bar. I could just barely make out the wisps of thin white hair on his head bobbing down the length of the bar, so I stood and followed him down. “Though, there is one thing I could use from ya.”
I paused, uncertain. “What would that be?”
A mug of ale, foaming and running over, appeared atop the bar. “Yer name, lad.” His hair bobbed back down a ways to a small cabinet where he pulled out a loaf of dark bread. “If we’re to be helpin’ each other out, I might need to
