"Yeah, me either, I just never took a coin that looked at all peculiar downstairs."

"Which is why they're standard, probably. Nobody has time for that unless it's their actual job. City Frostbound used stamps with unique numbers and they were going around slow enough anyone making fakes would definitely get caught sooner or later."

"With numbers? What, did they check them all against a registry or something?"

"Whenever they get redeemed for city services they get destroyed. Very centralized. If someone makes - ten fakes, pays for random meals with them, you might get away with it if you're lucky. A thousand, definitely not. It wasn't ideal, but they were light and compact, at least."

"That sounds so tedious but I guess maybe if you have a lot of very bored government employees it could make sense?"

They reach the city walls; the gate's open, and some guards register their existence and want their names.

"There were machines that did it. And lots of other bureaucratic tasks."

"-Waltana and Belmarniss. Adventurers here to introduce ourselves to the Baron or his men."

"Which one are you, Waltana or Belmarniss?"

"I'm Waltana."

This is just the bureaucracy at work, it's fine.

"The dark elf's a - wizard? What about you?"

"Yes. Alchemist- I make weapons, among other things."

"Alchemist Waltana, wizard dark elf Belmarniss. All right. In you go. Baronial castle's straight ahead if you're going to fly into the air but you've got to go around some stuff if you're not."

"Thank you for the directions. Good day."

"He didn't mention any special laws so common sense applies, I suppose. Straight to the castle?"

"Right behind you."

They go around some stuff. Houses, pubs, one of the four churches ("Aroden? He's dead! He's been dead since I was a baby!"), bridge over a stream, bordello, another church (Erastil again), tailor, chandler, blacksmith, stables - the stables are kind of attached to the castle, there's another round of guards here.

"Okay to mention your circle?"

"If they ask. I don't know about volunteering it."

Nod.

She stops a respectful ten feet or so away from the guards, or more if they seem twitchy, and starts, "Good afternoon. We're adventurers passing through the barony and thought to introduce ourselves at the castle, to offer courtesy and perhaps see if the lord Gulian-" She's been repeating it in her head, it's respectful to use the proper name. "-Or his representatives have any matters that could use the assistance of a wizard and alchemist."

"Hunh. I'll send in a runner," says one of the guards. He waves over a passing pageboy and sends the message up into the castle.

"Appearances conversation again." A nod and smile.

She does a 'calm neutral waiting' pose that's surprisingly easy to hold. It's different, being on duty as the party face.

"There'd be nearly this many layers of obstruction but they'd be different ones, I'm all off balance."

"This is surprisingly familiar to me. My city would be different too but the attitudes are the same. Down to the 'hunh'."

"Must be a human thing."

"Maybe a surface thing. Or a cities thing. I am pretty sure that different levels of food and resource availability have a really startling effect on the shape of society."

"I have no trouble believing that at all. Though your place has sparks so the resource situation should be different, right?"

"I'm not really sure about that... There's a lot more resources around but also a lot of ways to die? Lot of monsters wandering around, and the local baron can and will melt you into a puddle or crush you with a giant war clank or have his soldiers shoot you with launchers like mine or something if you're an obvious enemy or you offend him. Sparks are inherently kind of violent, I guess."

"Are there more monsters there than here?"