Mundane Wealth

Ars Magica: Nova Semitae Saga
GM
Mark
Game Start
Anno Domini MCCXX, hiems A.D. 1220, winter 5 Neanne 1, Hiems
Game Year
Anno Domini MCCXXXV, aestas A.D. 1236, summer 7 Aulus 2, Aestas
Magi of Nova Semitae
Geoffroy de Dreux of Jerbiton Joshua Levi of Verditius Magni of Flambeau Obscurus Ignis of Flambeau NPC Magi Aulus · Neanne · Fr. Thomas · Vitria Apprentices Ysabelo discipulus Aulus Esyllt discipula Geoffrey Sigrun discipula Magni Hermetic Status
Companions
Lady Angharad ferch Madog, Princess of Powys Fadog Ritter Sigmund, German ex-Crusader Sir Daniele d'Audrieu, Norman merchant Sir William Cornwell, English ex-Crusader
Other Characters
Covenfolk · Agents The Redcaps · Notable NPCs Chart of Languages Spoken Notable Animals
Guests
Hortense of House Bonisagus
The Covenant
Hermetic Covenant Charter · Membership Record Record of Offices · Covenant Service Council Voting Records · Hermetic Politics Stonehenge Tribunal Mundane Mundane Geography · Mundane Politics Village of Melverley · Melverley Castle Village Laws · Village Rumors Medieval Farming
Covenant Resources
Covenant Library · Varana's Tomb Hospital · Hospital Library Vis Sources and Stores Covenant Magical Items · Mundane Wealth Classes and Training · Covenant Experts Covenant Mechanics
Other
Ars Magica House Rules Ars Magica Expanded Notes Campaign Log · Loose Ends Ars Magica PC Reference
Player Resources (PDFs)
Experience Point Worksheet Character Sheet (Variant 1) Character Sheet (Variant 2) Experience Point Chart

Back to Ars Magica: Nova Semitae Saga

The covenant engages in a number of activities to earn money for the covenant, but these are the current incomes sources:

Once wealthy due to its produce and meadery, the covenant is starting to slip into a state of disrepair mostly due to the recent loss of all of its founding magi. This was alleviated somewhat with the infusion of some new blood who helped stave off ruin for the covenant and its resources through magical items and some skillful mundane politicking. Additionally, the casting of The Bountiful Feast has helped increase the productivity of the covenant's harvest. However, two former apprentices have chosen to leave the covenant, and Nova Semitae is down to only two Hermetic magi and one hedge wizard.

In Summer 1219, a lavish feast that involved the entire covenant and a couple hundred magi of the Order took place, depleting the covenant's reserves.

The Mythic Pound

Much like 'Mythic Europe', the Mythic Pound is not an actual unit of money in Mythic Europe. Money is generally in silver pennies, with several teams to denote larger amount of pennies, as follows:

1 Mythic Pound = 20 shillings = 240 pennies

Therefore, 1 shilling = 12 pennies.

Also in use around this time was the practice of cutting a penny into halves and quarters to make change. This produces the half-penny and the quarter-penny (farthing). These denominations are used only by the peasantry for extremely cheap purchases.

Covenant Financials

All figures in Mythic Pounds.

Calculated for Summer 1220.

Income

Source of Income	Base Income	Modifier	Modifier Multiplier	Income Amount	Notes
Mead & Ale Sales (Typical)	150	Growth	x 1.05	157.5
Agriculture, Honey (Typical)	150	Growth	x 1.05	157.5	Mostly from casting of The Bountiful Harvest
Moneylending (Lesser)	40	Growth	x 1.05	42
Magical Silver	12	Status Quo	x 1.0	12	Magically created, maximum 2 pounds/magus/year into circulation*
		TOTAL INCOME:		369

Expenditures

Upkeep	Cost	Reductions	Total	Reduction Notes
Buildings	51	47	0	2 carpenters (-8), furniture maker (-4), architect (-7), magically contructed buildings (-50%)
Consumables	102	38	64	candle maker (-4), cobbler (-4), blacksmith (-4), magical oven (-2), magical loom (-6), magical lightning/heating for 9 labs (-18)
Laboratories	9.5	0	9.5
Provisions	255	93	152	70 laborers (-70, max 50%) + 2 brewers (-8) + beekeeper (-7) + 2 kosher butchers (-8)
Tithes (Taxes)				None yet!
Wages	102		102
Weapons & Armor	2	1	1	1 bowyer (-4, max 50%)
Writing Materials	12	6	6	bookbinder (-7, max 50%)
Inflation	3	-	3	Roughly 1 pound per 100 pounds of expenditures, representing wealth being used locally
Feast Days	16	0	16	4 feast days annually @ 4 pounds each
Pound of Enumerous	1	-	1	Fixed at 1 pound, see Covenants, p. 70
	TOTAL EXPENSES		368.5

Bottom Line

Income	369
Expenditures	368.5
Surplus (Deficit)	0.5
Covenant Reserves	12
Restricted Reserves*	66

^* The covenant has an additional reserve of silver coins thanks to a casting of a variant of The Riches That are Rightfully Mine(d). It was invented by Justinian of Tremere in 1180 and created 1000 pounds of silver coinage. At the time, it was used heavily to pay for early buildings and upkeep of the covenant until the 1208 Tribunal that passed a law restricting covenants from introducing an amount of magically-created silver into the economy to 2 pounds per magus per year. The covenant does draw on this to help pay for upkeep of the covenant up to the maximum per year.

Potential Savings

Magi and Companions that are wondering can seek the following specialists that could reduce expenditures:

• Note: all these will cause wages to rise, but the amount added to wages will be more than offset by reductions in other expenditures, leading to overall reduction.

• Consumables: Either magical items to reduce the amount of regularly 'consumed' items: food, or other daily consumed items that need to be purchased. Alternatively, hiring a worker to create the consumed items locally will reduce the need to purchase the items outside the covenant by 20% of the Consumables cost. Example workers include: tinker, weaver, leatherworker, cooper, clothier.
• Laboratories: Hire up to 5 specialists to keep laboratories stocked, each reducing expenditures by 20%. Examples include: Glassworker, apothecary, goldsmith, silversmith, lapidary (gemstone smith), engineer, tool-maker
• Weapons & Armor: Hire an armorer or weaponsmith to keep the grogs' armor or weapons repaired to reduce costs by 50%. This would allow the covenant to spend more on weapons and armor, but the costs would be offset since the specialists would simply create the needed items.
• Writing Materials: Hire a percaminarius (maker of parchment). This would require having a flock of sheep (the customary animal), or other animals, to use for parchment.