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Civic Reference · Lantern Ledger Office Foundational 5 min

Marks, Gleam & the Lantern Ledger

The basin’s ordinary unit of account, a separate decorative ledger currency, and the office that keeps the two from becoming interchangeable.

Public abstract

Marks pay wages, fares, fees, market prices, repairs, and ordinary debts across most of the basin. Gleam appears in Lantern Ledger accounts and is accepted for a much narrower class of decorative and supporter goods.

Keeper Handbook procedure →

Marks

Marks are the common language of wages and prices. Towns mint and issue them differently enough to annoy collectors, but Registry-recognized ledgers treat the value as one unit across the basin.

Gleam

Gleam is kept on a separate ledger and most often exchanged for cosmetic work, profile ornament, saved presentation sets, and supporter marks. Merchants who try to quote ordinary food, medicine, fares, or sanctioned wagers in Gleam attract immediate attention from the Ledger office.

The Lantern Ledger

The Ledger’s public reputation rests less on generosity than on a strict boundary: decorative patronage is not supposed to purchase civic standing, shorter public clocks, stronger creatures, restricted routes, or favorable house odds.