#image_title
While some characters in fantasy stories get all the glory like kings and queens as exemplified in them having starring roles in the stories they appear in, there are some that don’t. One such is the fantasy banker. This particular character, under the right circumstances, can wield an equal amount of power as the mightiest monarch on the planet and it’s all because of their expertise in currency.
Most medieval worlds don’t have a sophisticated banking system like the one in the real world but they have at least the basics. As such, the banker’s role is to facilitate the flow of money from one area to another while charging a surcharge — he has to make some money, after all! This role holds more importance than it seems at first glance.
Whenever people think of a banker, they think of someone who possesses a hardworking ethic. The same applies to his fantasy counterpart, only except that the fictional one must also take into account things only associated with the world he likes in such as dragons or wizard wars. This person never really takes time off and even when he is on vacation, he is always searching to make a deal.
Money makes the world go round and it is especially true in imaginary worlds. The fantasy banker helps move it forward by maintaining a healthy supply of money at all times so that he can lend it — with interest, of course — to all the power players in the world. All the power brokers can then make major moves using the money they received from the banker that will affect the world in both negative and positive ways.
This is the sixth article in the series taking a look at the various characters. If you want to peruse our other articles, they’re available on our blog page!
No matter if he’s sitting at his desk, going over some papers or he’s in the middle of a meeting with a client, the banker is always doing something that contributes to the never-ceasing flow of money. In fact, his central role is to ensure that that flow keeps going and remove any obstacles that could potentially bring it to a standstill. Such an event would be drastically fatal to his bottom line.
First and foremost, the fantasy banker can only work within the confines of the banking system of the world. Since the majority of stories are set in medieval times, that means he lives in what is considered the foundation of the modern banking system. Coins rule the roost and paper money doesn’t exist, at least not one that is mass-produced.
But the banker cannot simply just use up all of the coins he has available, otherwise he would run out of money and that is the worst thing that could happen to someone in his position. That’s where notes and other documents such as ledgers that represent large sums of money come in. He keeps a meticulous track of the money his clients make and what they owe him so that he can collect his interest and the money in a timely manner.
He is always thinking about how to keep the flow of money going since the more money there is, the more that will wind up in his pockets and the more power he wields. He only makes deals that prove advantageous to him such as working with people who are in a position to pay him back like monarchs. If something happens and they are unable to pay what they owe, he can cheerfully take possession of objects they hold and use it as payment towards the outstanding total.
Taking objects isn’t the only weapon the fantasy banker has at his disposal to ensure that the flow of money continues unabated. In extreme cases, he can force someone into bankruptcy and utterly destroy their reputations for their failure to pay what they owe. This means he has the power to even topple monarchs and the other power players of the world though he is reluctant to do so since it only brings chaos which is detrimental to keeping the money spigot flowing freely.
It is rare to see a banker who lacks ambition or the desire to make a treasure trove of money. This profession is known for being full of people who work hard and also enjoy working with numbers and having the uncanny knack of using these numbers to make money, both for themselves and their employers.
The fantasy banker is typically one of the first to get to work, usually arriving before he is set to start for the day. He is so eager to get started that he just wanted to get there earlier because the sooner he begins working, the sooner he can make money. The banker works well past closing, wrapping up business for the day while making plans for what he’ll do the next morning.
While it’s common for the banker to have weekends and holidays off, he doesn’t just sit idle during his time off work. Rather, he’ll work on fine-tuning deals-in-the-works or going over papers and other documents at home to see which ideas he might be interested in investing in. He is always thinking about how to make money when he’s not at work.
Whenever he is on vacation, the fantasy banker usually keeps his ears attuned to the wind so that he doesn’t miss out on making a potential deal that will benefit him and his partner as well. All it takes is for just one opportunity to be lucrative, generating them an ungodly amount of money, far more than they’ll ever need. If he comes across any potential money-making ideas, he’ll capitalize on the opportunity, after doing his due diligence of course.
Unfortunately for him, the banker can only operate within the economic system that the world is using at that point in history. This means he cannot move as swiftly as he’d like — unless he’s interacting with one of the power players of the world — since the system is still in the developmental phase and there isn’t a whole lot of financial institutions around. As such, he must continually take things into account that will dramatically impact his bottom line like dragons or a series of goblin raids when making plans to make money. These possibilities can and will occur out of nowhere with no advance warning.
Money isn’t just a tangible object that exchanges hands; it’s also a measure of power. The more money someone has, the more power he commands. That truism is especially poignant when it comes to fantasy worlds, notably when surveying all of the powerful shakers and movers who are making decisions that shape the places they call home.
The fantasy banker must always keep a healthy supply of money so that he can eagerly lend it to the powers-that-be of the world, provided they make regular payments and with interest on top as well. The funds he lends could go to a whole number of things such as financing a king’s war against a hostile nation, a seafaring expedition across the ocean searching for fabled treasure, and so on.
The money the banker lends to his clients can change the world in both big and small ways. It can transform the community around him, leading to new businesses opening up and giving people more places to work, the speedy development of infrastructure projects like roads which enable goods and people to move faster, and so on. It can also enable kings to build a commanding military might or a fleet of ships no other nation could dare to oppose.
On the other side of the coin, the funds the fantasy banker lets his customers borrow can shape the world in negative and positive ways. While it can help generate jobs and finance technological breakthroughs that revolutionize the world, it can also be responsible for suffering as seen in war and the breakdown of the established social hierarchy, leading to chaos and mayhem on the streets. Furthermore, it can also be used to finance hostile takeovers of both rival businesses and countries, causing layoffs and war potentially breaking out.
Regardless of the size of the deal, the banker always uses a cost-benefit analysis when considering to accept it or not. If it helps him make money, he is more likely to take it, unless said deal has too many risks that could affect it. The banker likes certainty, if he knows he can make money using a way that he knows works, he will take it as opposed to one that he is skeptical that it will work. This mindset dictates how he approaches deals, notably ones that will shape the world he lives in.
The fantasy banker is known for being a behind-the-scenes player. That is, he is the one who bankrolls the moves the leaders of the world make, whether it be going to war with another country, updating the realm’s infrastructure, and so on. He prefers to work from within the shadows and not be in the limelight.
The banker’s goal is to always make money. He researches all kinds of deals to see which ones are likely to yield the most profit with minimal risk. He is loath to lend money to a client if he doesn’t think his idea will be successful. However, if he has a client whose idea just might work, he’ll cheerfully give him the money he needs, with the stipulation that he repay it with interest. Hey, he’s gotta make some moolah, after all!
If there is one thing the fantasy banker is known for, it’s his hardworking ethic. He puts in long hours every day, working to increase the flow of money and he rarely takes time off work. In fact, he’ll do some work on the weekends, holidays, and even vacation and won’t let a chance to make even more money pass by.
Money is a universal object, something everyone needs. It is the banker’s forte, his one significant contribution to the world. Through the deals he finances, he can shape the world in exciting and eventful ways, setting it down on a path that can lead to either prosperity or devastation. The only way he’ll go in on a deal is if he can make money off it.
The fantasy banker matters to worldbuilding far more than most people think. Every world needs someone who specializes in making money, even if the name of that occupation varies from world to world. You’d be remiss to not include something like this in the world you’re creating from scratch!
Let me know what you think in the comments below. (Note: this is an account-exclusive feature).
If you don’t have one, you can register here. It only takes a few moments of your time!
Liked this article and want to subscribe? All you have to do is fill out the form below and that’s it!
Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
Subscribing means you receive:
You can always unsubscribe anytime.
CONTENTS Overview The king of a fictional nation doesn’t just run it all by himself.…
CONTENTS Introduction The royal family is the most powerful in all of the realm. Though…
CONTENTS The Premise When it comes to the royal family in a fantasy world, each…
CONTENTS Overview Every character that appears in the story serves a role in the world,…
CONTENTS Introduction One of the essential components of constructing a fantasy world from scratch is…
Goodbye 2025, Hello 2026! With 2025 now in the history books, it’s time to turn…
This website uses cookies.