Alter Aeon The Great Library

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AABN:  4989
Title: The Atlantis Society of Wealth Appropriation

In the mid-4th century RD when outsiders were permitted into Atlantis for
the first time in years, the Atlantians, now able to buy in many needed
items from outside, looked for a way to sustain their wealth.  Seeing as
they had large reserves of gold, other precious metals and gems at that
time they started offering small loans to outsiders, and made a return by
charging a good rate of interest on the payments. 

This proved a reasonable source of income and as word spread across the
world, bigger clients started coming forward to request investment or
loans.  Soon governments and rulers were being funded by Atlantian money
with the most notable being Azshara who was able to fund the modernisation
and expansion of her armies to establish the Naginag combine with the
backing of Atlantian gold.

Other notable clients include the town of Ransom who have in the past
borrowed money to support their citizens during a particularly hard time
when their crops failed and their lumber mill was infested with woodworm, 
Vom industries in which Atlantis has a sizable investment which was used to
enable them to expand their mining and logging operations, and Camelot who
required funds to finance extensive work to their castle foundations after
it was discovered it was sinking into the surrounding landscape.

The flow of money in and out of the city is under the control of the
Society of Wealth Appropriation who ultimately answers directly to the
Archon.  It is them who arrange for loans or investments to be made and it
is also their responsibility to administer and collect payments from their
clients.  They are also responsible for enforcing penalties on those that
choose not to pay in in accordance with the schedule as agreed for each
contract.

As Atlantians are unable to leave the confines of the city, the society
recruit individuals from outside Atlantis to make the personal visits to
the clients, taking loans and contracts out and bringing back payments. 
They have a regular group of trusted individuals they employ for these
tasks but are always looking to utilise casual labour to do some courier
work or to track down particularly tricky clients who may have chosen to
disappear having broken the terms of their agreed contract.